By Cassie Sheridan |
Despite the slight drizzle and the ominous gray skies, the atmosphere Sunday at the Portland Fall Classic was anything but gloomy. Women’s rowing had a stellar performance at their first home regatta, where UP raced six boats on a course that was about three miles. Portland’s first eight kicked off the day with a second place finish and a time of 17:41.30, the varsity four came in at third, and the novice eight finished first.
“It was a good day of racing,” said Head Coach Pasha Spencer. “I am confident in the team’s focus for winter training and excited to gain more speed by our main racing season that starts next March.”
Despite strong currents and a slight drizzle, the rowers said they felt strong about their performance, especially considering the team is used to the Willamette River and Portland’s often lackluster weather. Both senior coxswain Hannah Dahlem and grad student Jamie Opra felt very positive about their varsity eight finish.
“We were really clipping along,” Dahlem said. “The current was kind of bad in some spots, however, the Willamette is our river and we are used to the weather. I am really happy about our performance today and the incredible amount of support we had.”
Last spring, the team finished their season by earning a tie for third place at the WCC championships and had two members named to the WCC all-conference team. At their first regatta this fall in Washington, the team raced six boats and had a strong first showing for the new season. However, many rowers were excited about capitalizing on the home river advantage.
“It was our first home race for the season and that definitely helped us,” Opra said. “We are used to the conditions here and we maintained a strong race as a result.”
There was a large outpouring of support at the regatta of fellow students, parents, and administrators creating a very positive environment as well.
“The atmosphere was so positive and supportive,” junior rower Kaelynn Schmall said. “Even though the weather was not the best, it’s so encouraging to have so many people come out and show their support for us.”
The Pilots have one more event scheduled for this fall, the Head of the Lake on Nov. 3 in Seattle. After this event the team will begin their winter training for the spring season beginning in March.
Rowing terms made simple:
Coxswain or Cox: the oar-less team member who is responsible for steering and race strategy.
“Four”: a boat with 4 rowers.
“Eight”: a boat with 8 rowers.
Novices: first year rowers.
Regatta: a sporting event consisting of a series of boat or yacht races.
Portland Fall Classic Results
First Eight
1. Washington State, 17:02.54
2. Portland, 17:41.30
3. Seattle, 19:32.15
Second Eight
1. Washington State 'A', 17:27.48
2. Oregon State, 17:55.45
3. Washington State 'B', 18:16.05
4. Portland 'A', 18:27.51
5. Portland 'B', 19:59.37
First Four
1. Washington State, 19:54.68
2. Oregon State, 20:43.26
3. Portland, 20:48.82
4. Lewis & Clark 'B', 22:29.54
5. Puget Sound, 22:31.20
6. Seattle, 23:06.96
7. Lewis & Clark 'A', 23:08.69
8. Portland State, 23:12.33
9. Willamette, 23:21.26
10. Oregon, 23:43.16
Novice Eight
1. Portland, 20:14.57
2. Puget Sound 'A', 21:44.01
3. Seattle, 22:12.56
4. Lewis & Clark, 22:37.35
5. Puget Sound 'B', 24:30.03
Novice Four
1. Portland, 23:55.56
