Liz Martin on her journey to the World Championships. Building her team for the LW4x.
Cambridge University won the annual Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race on the Thames River this weekend. Men's Sweeps alum Ali Abbasi raced in 2-seat of Cambridge's Blue Boat, helping the Light Blue to the win for the first time since 2012.
CUBC handled the adverse conditions well (though their female teammates nearly swamped earlier that day), finishing two and a half lengths ahead of Oxford after the nearly-7k-long race.
For a full recap on Easter Sunday's showdown, read here.
HPG alumna Shelley Pearson just became the first female rower to qualify to represent Bermuda at the Olympic Games, and will be the first rower to represent the small island country since 1972's Jim Butterfield.
Competing in the Women's Single at the Latin American Olympic Qualifiers in Curauma, Chile, Shelley officially punched her ticket to Rio yesterday after winning her semifinal and progressing to the A-Final, as the 12 athletes were competing for 6 Olympic spots. Shelley did one better today by winning the final, besting 2013 Lightweight Women's 1x world medalist Fabiana Beltrame of Brazil by 2.5 seconds.
Shelley's road has been a long one plagued with injury (she had 9 surgeries in 2 years), but she has displayed tremendous perseverance and determination. For more information on Shelley's long journey to this point, read here, and for more information on her recent qualification, read here.
With The Boat Race fast approaching, we took a moment to catch up with Ali Abbasi, a former member of RBC’s Men’s Sweeps, who will be competing in Cambridge’s Blue Boat on Sunday.
Ali’s path to The Boat Race has been a little bit circuitous. He began a joint B.A./M.A. degree at Cambridge’s Trinity College in 2010 and it was there that he began his rowing career. But in 2014 he left Cambridge, enrolling in an exchange program at The University of Chicago. While he was able to continue to gain some fitness with their club team, he still wasn’t making the progress he wanted to on the water.
Then, at the end of his year abroad, he got a summer fellowship in Boston at the non-profit Health Leads. He began looking for a competitive summer program and immediately reached out to Riverside’s men’s sweeps. Initially, he was unsure if he would be good enough to row for them. “Riverside,” says Ali, “was the highest standard of rowing I had been exposed to up until that point. For the first time, I was training with a group of guys who were just as determined as I was. It was great to have strong competition, and we had a pretty good atmosphere amongst the team. For the first time I got detailed technical coaching (thanks to Jeff's efforts) and spent a lot of time in small boats.”
When he went back to Cambridge the next fall, Ali felt like he was finally ready to try out for the university team. “Obviously the Cambridge team was another step up,” says Ali, “but I was ready for it, thanks to my summer at Riverside where I had gotten in a lot of mileage, allowing me to pull a massive PR on the ergo. It put me on the radar of the Cambridge coaches. That season I was selected for the Goldie boat, which is the men's reserve crew. We had a pretty hard fought race (at one point leading by almost 2 lengths), but we blew it during the final mile and ended up losing.”
That was the end of Ali’s fifth year at Cambridge, and he had just finished both his B.A. and his first M.A. “Rowing in Cambridge,” says Ali, “is quite different from other programs, because it is so black and white, and focused on one day, one race. Nothing else matters. You can't have a solid showing, or mediocre results. You win or you lose. So losing felt pretty awful but it left me determined to come back and have another go.” Unwilling to call it quits, he applied—and was accepted to—a second master’s program in Computational Biology, allowing him to train and try out for the Cambridge team once again. This year, Ali has been selected as the 2 seat for Cambridge’s Blue Boat.
The commitment is no joke. Every morning sees the squad in the gym hitting the weights and the ergs. Tuesday and Thursday afternoons are spent forty minutes off campus in a town called Ely where the team practices on the water and where they run two-a-days on weekends. Every other weekend the crew travels down to London to practice on the course. Physical therapy, meetings with the team, and PR commitments mean that athletes are spending about fifty hours a week dedicated to race day preparations—on top of a full class load. But Ali, who feels that the high level of rowing only compliments the academic rigor of his program, wouldn’t have it any other way: “This race means so much to me. It has been the sole focus of my rowing career. From the moment five years ago when I realized I was gifted with the right physiology, I have wanted to represent Cambridge in The Boat Race. So I’m beyond excited to finally earn my blue.”
And Riverside is beyond excited for Ali. We couldn’t be happier that he got to wear some stripes on his road to the Blue. Good luck this weekend Ali! We’ll be cheering for you!
By: Graeme Calloway
When planning our trip to Florida for Olympic trials, we a few goals in mind: to get on the water, and to get fitter, faster, and stronger. Once we had secured locations for rowing, we had our next challenge: where would we complete our twice-weekly lift? We knew we needed a facility that would have the proper equipment and could accommodate our large group without breaking the bank.
We were incredibly fortunate to have CrossFit 813 open their (garage) doors to us during their Open Gym hours. Their generosity has allowed us to maintain our regular lifting routine during our time in Tampa. While we weren’t about to jump into their ‘workouts of the day’ (2k in the middle of a circuit workout, anyone?), they have everything we could need: Concept 2 ergs, Olympic lifting equipment, and plenty of space.
The advantages of training at CF813 have been huge; not only have they been kind enough to lend us space and equipment for our lift, but they have provided us with an incredibly positive and energetic environment. One of the great parts of traveling to row is connecting with other inspiring athletes and our experience at CrossFit has been no exception. Each time we are there we are amazed by the skills and strength of their athletes, as well as the encouragement and teamwork that goes into their workouts.
While the philosophies behind crossfit and the sport of rowing differ greatly (‘routine is the enemy’ vs the repetitiveness of the rowing stroke) the physical components have many similarities. Many rowers have done Crossfit type lifts as a part of their training, or at least heard of Crossfit athletes competing on the erg. The erg is where rowing and crossfit overlap: ‘How fast can you go?’.
In exchange for our gym time, we hosted an erging clinic at CF813. On a Sunday morning after pieces, we headed to the gym to give instruction and feedback to any interested crossfit athletes. We had seen the clinic advertised on a chalkboard inside, but we weren’t sure what kind of turnout to expect. But if anyone wants to make their legs hurt on a weekend morning (other than a rower) it’s a crossfitter, and the turnout was so high that we had to assign 3 people to each erg to alternate. Judith, our head coach, first walked the group through the basic technical components while the HPG athletes gave feedback and tips. Once everyone had a general idea of how to be most effective on the erg, we let them loose for a few max watt and 500m pieces. The feedback we received was incredible--we had some 500m PR’s!--and the athletes were thrilled to be more efficient. When they expressed amazement at the workouts that we do on the erg, we told them the feeling was mutual--I can’t imagine lifting nearly as much as they do!
We’re wrapping up our last week of living in Tampa, and will be lifting at CF813 for the last time this week. We will be sad to leave, and are so grateful to have been welcomed into the crossfit community, if only for a short time. Thank you so much to CF813 for having us!
By: Mary Foster
By: Hillary Saeger & Erin Roberts
For the past few weeks, we have been been able to get in some good pieces and solid rows at the Bypass Canal. While we loved rowing out of the Steward's Foundation on the Hillsborough River, we just couldn't turn down the opportunity to row on a buoyed course just down the road. Both the University of South Florida and Tampa Area Crew master's programs were super hospitable and accommodating, welcoming us into their boathouse to store our boats and allowing us to use their equipment.
We maximized our time on this body of water, which offered less boat traffic than we faced on the Hillsborough, in the early mornings and late afternoons as to avoid the hottest times of the day. Though it's only March, it's really beginning to heat up here in Tampa. It's much warmer & more humid than in Boston!
We are excited to be working towards a common goal and are eager to be picking up speed, but we have also found ways to relax and distract ourselves during the day in fun and unique ways.
Lauren & I built legos in our downtime.
Then on Friday night, March 11th, we got the awesome opportunity to go to the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey game as they took on the Philadelphia Flyers at Amalie Arena. Hockey in Florida? Yes – and this was definitely hockey done right. The Lightning (4th in the Eastern Conference and 3rd in the Atlantic Division with 40 wins and 29 losses) are doing very well this season, and we got the VIP treatment as we watched them in action – all you can eat food and drinks in the Chase Lounge, a tour of the stadium with an up close view of the ice and trip to the press room, and a team appearance on the JumboTron where Molly Hamrick was interviewed. Unfortunately, Tampa Bay lost 3-1, but everyone still enjoyed a very chill, delicious chance to watch some coordinated athletics for a change and hangout with their teammates. Thanks to Stephan Athan (one of our host parents) for organizing the event and to the Tampa Bay Lightning for having us.
We're switching venues tomorrow, moving boats down to Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, where Trials will be held next month. We'll be commuting to Sarasota from Tampa for practice next week, then switching host families next weekend and living full-time in Sarasota!
By: Rachel Pettis & Erin Roche
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On the racecourse RBC is notorious for cleaning up, leaving competitors behind with striped oars merely a blur. Off the water RBC cleans up just as well, showcased most recently at the Annual Stripes Gala. JL and dry-fit were nowhere to be found at this smart occasion as Riverside members gathered at the Royal Sonesta for a night of festivity, celebration and purpose.
The evening began with socializing and a silent auction boasting baskets of goodies assembled by each of Riverside’s competitive programs. Once all members had found their seats and the dinner courses were served, President Mike Farry took to the podium to introduce the evening’s speakers.
Liane Malcos Keister was first to address the crowd and gracefully recounted her trials and tribulations in her quest for a spot on the national team. Liane’s recollection spoke to the tenacity, bravery and strength it takes to train at the elite level, and what a significant role Riverside played and continues to play in her life.
Following Liane, Miranda Paris touched upon her early experiences at RBC leading to a career path never considered after a medical diagnosis ruled out her personal competitive aspirations. Rather than despairing Miranda found an alternative way to continue doing what she loves in the form of coaching. From her very first role in assisting with the RBC HPG men to her current position as head coach of the Georgetown Varsity Women, Miranda’s passion for the sport is unwavering and she too thanks Riverside for its continuous support.
“Dream Big, Work Hard, and Have Fun”
Jim Hanley receiving RBC’s Lifetime Achievement Award
In the wake of two equally resounding stories Mike Farry then summoned Jim Hanley to the floor to introduce the evening’s final speaker. Before handing over the mic, Mike first revealed to Jim that something very special and unprecedented was about to occur. The President proceeded to award Jim Hanley with the inaugural Riverside Lifetime Achievement Award for his continued leadership, support and love of RBC since 1972. It was hard to resist the wave of emotion reverberating from Jim as he accepted the award.
After thanking the club Jim left quite the act to follow as he introduced Doug Clark. Doug’s speech did not disappoint as he recounted his coaching years and emphasized the importance and application of hard work in rowing and in life. Doug challenged the audience to discern the types of motivation that drive success and encouraged all to, “Dream Big, Work Hard, and Have Fun”.
As the messages of Liane, Miranda and Doug lingered around the room a clear desire for the continued support of RBC arose during the live auction and pledges that followed. Thank you to the 85 attendees, those who donated tickets, anyone who helped with one of the team baskets, all volunteers, everything donated to the auction, all who pledged or bought an auction item. By the Gala’s end $45,000 was raised to help sustain and grow the club that we all know and love. Many thanks to all that took part in this wonderful occasion, greats things are certainly in store for 2015!
By: Lisa Russell
Mike Farry took the plunge! Well done Riverside in meeting the fundraising goal of 150 donations, a fitting send off to show our support for the RBC athletes representing the USA at Worlds. For those who were unable to attend breakfast and witness President Farry’s jump check out the waterside recap:
Thank you to all who donated in support of our athletes! Best of luck in Amsterdam to the Men’s LM4x Jake Georgeson, Kyle Lafferty, Peter Schmidt and Andrew Neils and to Hillary Saeger! To follow their progress check out:
Any volunteers for next year’s swim?
Bonnie Cao hails from the cow pastures of Carlisle, MA, the oft-forgotten little brother of Lexington and Concord. It may not lay claim to the “shot heard ‘round the world,” but be careful come hunting season. Nevertheless, great things have come for her since she first sat in the cox seat as a freshman at Bowdoin College. Since winning the Women’s Collegiate Four at the HOCR her senior year, she’s gone on to take a job as a Research Assistant at Brigham and Women’s Hospital where she concerns herself with bowel movements. At the boathouse she’s a Women’s Sweeps coxswain. Not to be outdone, Bonnie actually claims to have some hand-eye coordination, as she also played squash at Bowdoin, and is always up for delivering a good butt-kicking to anyone up for the challenge.
Aymee Suarez comes by way of the dirty Jerz via Lehigh University and a stint with Penn AC. She’s earning her Masters in Sport and Performance Psychology (mental note: don’t talk to Aymee about the last 500). She also brings great perseverance to Women’s Sweeps, as she won a silver at Dad Vails her novice year after only 4 months in an 8+, having spent the previous 10 months recovering from a traumatic brain injury. Fair to say, this girl knows a thing or two about how our brains work. And she also knows a thing or two about food, having eaten up to 5000 calories a day as an undergrad rower. “Girl can eat,” she said. Uhhh, yup.
Jason Healy is another new member who seems oddly obsessed with cognition, although he didn’t really elaborate about what exactly an “art therapist” does. The Cambridge native who learned to scull at CRI last year is not only an art therapist, he’s downright artsy fartsy. Want proof? Here’s his favorite rowing moment: “Rowing up by CRI under the full moon with herons flying by and sound of the oars.” If you want to join him down by the banks of the Charles for some shenanigans, he’ll even offer to keep you warm with the blanket he wove.
Jerry Yu is a Northeastern student who has some serious identity issues. He was born in Taipei, Taiwan, but raised in Beijing. We think he thinks he’s from both, but we’re still investigating. The Marketing & Operations Associate… wait I thought he was a student? Nevermind. Jerry decided to join Riverside after getting pumped up watching the Crusher Casey race. He just started throwing money at Kit, and the rest is history. He’s web savvy, and hopes to help the club with IT, communications and social media. This Renaissance man has also been playing four different string instruments for over 10 years. Just make up your mind already, Jerry.
Meghan Brundage is a lovely biomedical researcher, originally from Hampton, VA (which Google maps will tell you is awfully close to a NASA research center), who has been stuck in Cincinnati for about six years while finishing her PhD. As Iggy Azalea might say, she’s so fancy, she already knows… Meghan also happens to be a pretty fine rower, having picked it up in high school, continued for a time at Cornell and raced with the Cincinnati Rowing Club for whom she snagged a bronze in the Women’s Masters 2x at the 2012 HOCR. SO FANCY! Meghan is rocking the 1x these days, and would like you to know that she’s actually a cyborg–she’s got 8 pieces of metal in her body. Not going through security with you, Meggy.
Sam Hausmann comes to us from the great white north… or whatever it is you call Buffalo. The Great White Buffalo? No, that’s wrong. Anyway, he’s a Northeastern student, having rowed sweep for four years in high school, who’s now primarily sculling. One time he and his best buddies competed in a seven day, 385 mile row down the Erie Canal in a 4+. Sounds… fun? Clearly, Sam seems to think they breed them tougher up north, as April on the Charles was the earliest he’d ever been on the water by almost a month. Sounds like winter training in Buffalo was also… fun? We think Sam enjoys cruel and unusual punishment.
Next up, Jeff Alex, of Quincy, MA. He’s a designer/contractor. Of what? Don’t ask me! He says words like “ars” instead of a**. He rowed four years in college, then began sculling on his own and has been self-proclaimed, “row crazy,” ever since. He’s so crazy, that when he tried to coach college rowing he couldn’t do it, because the rowers weren’t intense enough for him. Take it easy, Jeff, you’re being a hard “ars.” Nevertheless, he loves, “the feeling of the single under me on the rare moments when I have a good stroke!” In the past, he’s volunteered countless hours at previous clubs and was once named an Honorary Astronaut by NASA. Was it for your intensity, Jeff?
Dr. Kevin Sullivan wakes up screaming in the middle of the night after nightmares about flipping the 1x. “There are two types of scullers in the world,” he says. “Those that have flipped and those that will. I am still in the latter group.” We all know how this story ends. Like Jaws claiming a naive swimmer at night, it’s not a matter of if, but when the Charles gobbles up our poor doctor. On a lighter note, Kevin likes to sweep and scull–he learned the craft in Wilmette, IL, during high school, and has been sitting his butt in finely crafted shells ever since (and had a brief coaching stint with Emory). He loves the rippling sound of an 8+ on a still morning, “as all the bodies are moving in synchrony.” And he’ll really love swimming to shore on that choppy morning when the single finally wins this age-old battle.
By: Rachel Pettis
USRowing NE/Mid-Atlantic Masters Championships – Women’s 4x: Angelique Hrycko, Meghan Brundage, Erin Lallemand (MRRA) and Kit Casey.
After a rather drawn out extension of winter, otherwise known as spring, the summer season has finally arrived! Despite the slow return to the water, Riverside is already heating up the season with fast results. RBC opened the racing season at the NE/Midatlantic Masters Championships on Saturday, June 28th. The Masters Mens Sweeps finished 2nd in the 8, AA-C 4+, and F-J 4+. An RBC/MRRA composite 4x containing Angelique Hrycko, Kit Casey and Meghan Brundage left competitors in their wake as they cruised across the finish line in 1st by a lengthy margin. Paul Dale also took home a gold medal in the Mens Masters Ltwt E-J 1x, a silver in the Mens Masters E-F 1x and John Yasaitis grabbed silver in the Mens Masters G-J 1x.
The following Sunday at Festival Regatta RBC fared extremely well in both sweep and sculling events. Paul Dale and John Tracey both placed 2nd in the Mens Masters 1x as did Meghan Brundage in the Womens Masters 1x. Joe Hanna took home 1st in the Mens Open 1x and following his lead Men’s Sweeps placed 1st in both Open 4+ races. Mens Sweeps also placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the Open 2- and then finished out the day with 1st and 2nd place in the Open 8.
A small contingent of RBC’s HPG competed at Elite Nationals on Lake Mercer, NJ. After a fierce showing in heats and reps two Womens 2xs narrowly missed making the grand final but left the course satisfied with their efforts and knowledge gained from various unexpected regatta snags throughout the week. On a lighter note Mary Foster’s RBC/Vesper composite in the Womens Lightweight 2x and 4x walked away with medals proving that keeping your enemies close does indeed have its rewards.
Mary Foster’s RBC/Vesper composite in the Womens Lightweight 2x and 4x walked away with medals proving that keeping your enemies close does indeed have its rewards.
Over the recent holiday weekend Riverside competed at Independence Day Regatta with temperatures and fast crews blazing the Schuylkill. In addition to the warm weather wind speeds were less than favorable ensuring that all boats had their work cut out for them. Representing the Master Women, Meghan Brundage competed in a composite mixed 2x placing 3rd and then later in a composite Womens Open 4x and Womens Intermediate 4x placing 1st and 3rd respectively. Nik Kurmakov raced Sunday in the Masters Mens 1x dash and though sporting a very swollen, slightly broken ankle cruised over the finish line with a win.
Riverside Men’s Lightweight 8+
Mens and Womens Sweeps each raced well taking on rival clubs such as Vesper and Penn AC. Saturday the women placed 3rd, 4th and 6th in the Open 4+ with Vesper coming in 2nd by a mere .8 seconds. The men finished 3rd in the Open 2-, 2nd in the Intermediate 4+, and finished off the day with gold in the Intermediate Lightweight 8. Sunday was another successful day for both teams as the women finished 4th and 5th in the Intermediate 4+ and 2nd in the Intermediate 8. The men finished 2nd in the Intermediate Lightweight 4+ and 5th in the Intermediate 8, Senior 8 and Intermediate 2-.
The HPG also entered several boats and on Saturday placed 2nd and 4th in the Women’s Intermediate 2x. Racing in an extremely competitive field Chloe Zwiacher finished 6th in the Women’s 1x and Erin Roberts won the Lightweight Women’s 1x several lengths ahead of the other boats. On Sunday Sarah Olenich started the day off nicely with a 2nd place finish in the Intermediate 1x. Later on in the Womens 4x a sharp crew of RBC ladies had the chance to race a Vesper crew containing RBC Alum Hillary Saegar and placed 3rd ahead of Ottawa.
At the end of the weekend all crews left the Schuylkill sun-kissed and tired but thrilled to have had the chance to rep their stripes in a pool of worthwhile competitors. No doubt about it that all teams look forward to seeing rival crews again in a few short weeks at Royal Canadian Henley. Train hard RBC!
By: Peter Schmidt
Lafferty, Georgeson, Schmidt, Neils
It was a momentous three days of racing at Senior Trials I for the men’s and women’s high performance group. Four Riverside entries competed over three events: the lightweight women’s and men’s single and the lightweight quad.
Racing began Monday morning with the lightweight single. First to race were Joan Buck and Laurissa Gulich. With the top two finishers progressing to the semifinals and the rest going to repechage in the afternoon, the pressure was on to only race once that day. Joan was first to race and placed second in her heat with 8:22.59, 7 seconds behind Nicole Dinion of OKC Riversports who won the heat with 8:15.81. Both progressed to the semifinals on Tuesday morning. Laurissa Gulich placed 3rd in Heat 2 requiring her to race again that afternoon in order to progress. She then won her rep with a time of 8:26.5 advancing her to the semifinal.
Tobin McGee was next to race in the men’s lightweight single. With the top finisher from each heat going to the final and the rest going to reps the following morning Tobin had his work cut out for him, especially having Andrew Campbell in his heat. Tobin finished 3rd with a time of 7:31.7, behind Peter Alter from Vesper and Andrew Campbell, who won the heat with a time of 7:03.6.
Tuesday was a tough day of racing for the Riverside lightweight singles. Laurissa and Joan were first to race and needed to place second or better in their semifinals in order to advance to the final. Unfortunately both were knocked out of the competition. Tobin was next to race that morning and faced the tougher task of winning his rep in order to gain a spot in the four-boat final the next morning. With a stiff crosswind on the course, Tobin jumped off the line and settled into a solid rhythm. Keeping his line straight down the course he set his sights on chasing down Colin Ethridge of Malta. Tobin took a move at the third 500 shortening the gap and began his sprint with 300 meters to go. Unfortunately Tobin ran out of race course and finished 2 seconds behind Colin. Both scullers are entered to race at Elite Nationals following the conclusion of Trials. Hopefully there will be a rematch in the near future.
On the final day of Trials the only boat left to race was the men’s lightweight quad (Kyle Lafferty, Jake Georgeson, Peter Schmidt, Bow: Andrew Neils). With USRowing altering the selection procedure and no race to determine lanes the previous Monday morning the quad needed to row only one piece to earn their seats on the national team. Despite several jittery rows in the days leading up to the final, when the quad shoved away from the dock all jitters and nerves were gone. All eyes were set on the goal in front of them. Even after receiving a warning for arriving late to the line the quad remained calm and when the race started any remaining nerves were instantly forgotten, replaced with that familiar burning sensation in the legs that only a 2k can produce.
Malta was quick off the line and held with the Riverside/GRP quad through the first 250 but RBC quickly jumped out to a length lead 500m into the race. At 750m in, RBC took their first move and broke open water on the Malta quad. Their lead continued as the race progressed and coming into the last 500, Riverside had over a length of open water. Victory was clear as Riverside crossed the line with a time of 6:08.68 seconds, 6 seconds ahead of the Malta quad. After talking as a boat for roughly 2 seconds, they agreed to declare their intent to go to Worlds and proceeded to the dock to weigh the boat, submit to a drug test and fill out the necessary paperwork
Their lead continued as the race progressed and coming into the last 500, Riverside had over a length of open water.
All in all it was a solid three days of racing for Riverside’s high performance group ending with great results and new resolve to continue pursuing that faster time.
Proud to partner with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and Magazine Beach Partners on the care of this riverside park.
