Men's crews set for IRA championships
May 31, 2001
In 1894, Columbia, Penn and Cornell organized the Intercollegiate Rowing Association's (IRA) first championship. Columbia took the inaugural prize after bouncing around a 4-mile course in more than 21 minutes.
Times have changed.
Upon urging from the U.S. Olympic committee, the race started to allow small boats and shortened every race to a 2,000-meter course in 1968. The idea was to create a better farm system for Olympic boats.
In 2001 there are 50 colleges represented, 12 championships and more than 100 four-oared and eight-oared crews. Washington's men's rowing program has contributed four of those crews.
After leaving Saturday morning at dawn, the Huskies took their dreams of a national championship to the Cooper River in Camden, N.J., where the IRA championships have been held for the past six years. Off exit 4 of the New Jersey Turnpike, the course is only a short drive from the U.S. rowing Mecca in Princeton, N.J.
While most finals' crammers are lying down to sleep, Washington's varsity pairs will begin the action tomorrow almost an hour before the sun rises over the Bellevue skyline. They will race in the sixth lane at 7:12 a.m. EST, with the winner of the heat advancing straight to the Grand Final.
The varsity eight will be prepping its start at 8 a.m. EST. Alongside will be the tough crews of Michigan, Syracuse and Princeton. The eight must win its heat to move to the semifinals held Friday. To win will require a near-perfect row from the Huskies.
Washington's most steady boat, and the one most fit for success on the Cooper River, is the freshman eight. Its oars will start catching at 8:36 a.m. EST, but will have to be fast to beat Navy and Syracuse, which are also in its heat.
The second eight, Washington's JV boat, will race last in a star-studded heat including Navy, Penn, Wisconsin (which the Huskies beat in a dual-meet earlier this year) and Dartmouth. The winner of the heat will also advance straight to the Grand Final.
The Huskies will enjoy the diversity of opponents the IRA championships offer. They rarely face boats from the East Coast. With three all-Pac-10 rowers in Dave Calder, Matt Deakin and Hans Hurn, Washington hopes to make an impressive first impression.
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