2020 is an OLYMPIC YEAR!
As you may (or may not) know, we’ve got some 2020 Olympic hopefuls, training both at home and away to earn a spot in the upcoming summer Games. Casey Howshall and Chet Bickhart are training to compete for the lightweight men’s double event down at a training camp in Texas. Meanwhile, up north we have two lightweight women's doubles training hard for a chance to make the 2020 team: Jillian Zieff and Margy Bertasi, and Liz Martin and Makayla Karr-Warner. Read on below to hear more about each of these doubles’ experiences training for the 2020 Olympic Trials. The trials will take place in Sarasota, Florida at Nathan Benderson Park from March 16-March 21, 2020.
As these athletes vie for the opportunity to represent Riverside on the world and Olympic stage, please consider supporting them through the Worlds Athlete Fund.
Austin TX. In the boat closest to us, Chet in stroke and Casey in bow.
Chet Bickhart and Casey Howshall
“I have been with Riverside’s HPG since I graduated from Lehigh University two years ago. Since then, I’ve enjoyed watching the group grow to its full potential and I am excited to see where Mark Grinberg takes the team. Currently, fellow RBC member Casey Howshall and I have been invited to the US Lightweight 2x selection camp down in Austin, TX and we are training for Olympic Trials in March.”
“I have been a member of the Riverside HPG since September of 2018. After our performances at Fall Speed Order in November, Chet and I were invited to a selection camp in Austin, TX for Olympic Trials. We are both training for the lightweight double (the only lightweight event in the Olympics) with 6 other top athletes in the country. The camp switches lineups and shells in order to find the best combinations, however, with the time Chet and I spent rowing under Coach Mark at Riverside, we make a very competitive combination. Lineups are not set as of this note, but we are training very hard, and regardless of our doubles partner we look forward to excellent racing in Sarasota this March.”
Jillian and Margy in Long Beach, CA.
Jillian Zieff and Margy Bertasi
“Margy and I got back from California in late January. We were there training at Long Beach for a month. We are now back for a short bit and then going to head south to Florida for the remainder of training until the Olympic trials. We had a really productive trip in California but are definitely relieved to be home. We had the opportunity to race in the Bay Series #5 and get to know the rowers at LBRA.
Margy and I are excited about the training ahead. We’ve been together long enough at this point that we’ve had to face some challenges and have learned how to overcome them. We’ve gained a lot of speed so far, but I think there’s more to be found, and I can’t wait to do it.”
Makayla (stroke) and Liz (bow) after their victory in the LW2- at the 2019 Canadian Henley.
Liz Martin and Makayla Karr-Warner
“After a summer of sweeping in the lightweight women’s pair culminating in a win in the event at Canadian Henley, Makayla and I transitioned back to sculling full time. Our part-time sculling careers this summer resulted in a close second-place finish at Canley in the lightweight double event, so we started off the fall with high hopes and big potential in the double. We had speedy and successful races together at the Head of the Kevins, Green Mountain Head, and the HOCR over the course of the fall. Building into the winter, we both posted 6k PRs at Fall Speed Order in November and have continued to gain fitness over the past couple of months indoors on the erg. Thanks to the mild winter, we have been able to get out on the Charles in our double every so often to break up the erging, and are looking forward to our team training trip to Sarasota in February. In the lead up to Olympic Trials, we will be spending the next 5 weeks training in Florida and are excited to see the fitness gains we have seen on the erg this winter translated into the double. It has been awesome for us to be training with such a great group here at RBC, and we are continually inspired by our training partners, especially Jillian and Margy, and our coach, Mark. We are excited to represent Riverside on the national stage at Olympic Trials!”
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Good luck, and GO STRIPES!
