Mark of the Oarsman II, 1979 Part 4


Back in Syracuse, there were a growing number of citizens who were less than enamored with the IRA Regatta.  The event had become a rather large and boisterous party, with upwards of fifteen thousand “fans” taking the occasion to socialize on the banks of Onondaga Lake. While the partiers saw no problems, many of the locals didn’t care for the noise, traffic, occasionally-inappropriate behavior, and general uproar that was IRA Saturday.

Nichols’ supermarket owner Jim Hennigan was one of the Liverpool townsfolk who had grown disenchanted with the IRA.  Speaking to a reporter for the Herald-Journal, Hennigan said: “It was a way of introducing people to Liverpool and Central New York…It’s just turned into a such a foolish beer blast…(some of the regatta-goers) act like they’ve just been let out of Alcatraz.”  These issues may have been more perception than reality, as the police reported the previous year there were “only a few incidents, and they didn’t amount to much.”

It wasn’t just the rowdiness that was turning some against the regatta; for several years the Regatta’s finances had been running in the red, leaving the Syracuse Regatta Association with a $5,300 debt to Onondaga County.  With a revised parking plan including free nearby parking, the Association hoped attendance would rebound from the low point the previous year.

The athletes at Longbranch were oblivious to the controversy surrounding the regatta; there were some big changes going on that were of more pressing interest.  After the poor results of the last two races, Coach Bill Sanford decided to shuffle the lineup, and moved six-man John Shamlian to stroke and Art Sibley to four.  

Mark of the Oarsman II, 1979, Part 2


The second installment of the chapter on 1979

While the energy level may have dropped a little, the level of competition for seats in the top eight was higher than ever; anyone who wanted a seat in any SU varsity boat was going to have to work very, very hard.  There were at least twelve athletes who could make the varsity; the five returning from the 78 IRA champion varsity, several from the ’78 JV, and perhaps half of the 78 IRA champion freshman eight, all guys who had won at least one IRA gold.  As the crews came off the water late in the fall for the last time, there were three full eights on the varsity and just as many freshmen heading indoors for winter training.  The coaching staff had increased as well, with Grad Assistant Jay Printzlau joining Sanford and Harrison.  Printzlau, coming off a season where he had coached the Yale freshman lights to an Eastern Sprints Championship, would prove to be a valuable addition indeed, his crews contributing to a very solid team showing at the IRA.

The winter of 78-79 saw the level of competition indoors intensify.  Sophomore and future Olympian Tom Darling set the bar in the early going, scoring well above 3200 on the Gamut erg – by far the highest on the team.  Notice had been served to the upperclassmen; their seats in the varsity were far from guaranteed.

The first race, the annual Rutgers – Syracuse faceoff came a bit late in ’79, but the delay meant decent weather for the April 21 race on Onondaga. In the varsity, Sibley was in his usual stroke seat, facing Bob Donabella who had taken over for Ozzie Street. Henwood had moved to three from bow, with Captain Bill Purdy in seven.  For the Varsity, finishing more than a length of open water in front of the guests from New Jersey was more a meeting of expectations than great news; the result was expected.  The JV, stroked by future US lightweight eight stroke Bill Bater finished a length back of Rutgers, with the freshmen crossing the line just a few seats ahead of the Rutgers first-years.

The next day, the crew made their way down to Cayuga Inlet to take on Yale.  All three crews lost to Yale by considerable margins, with the closest finish – a length open - in the JV eight.  SU’s third varsity eight paired off with the Coast Guard Academy’s JV and came back to campus with new shirts, courtesy of their two-length margin of victory.

There was some shuffling of lineups over the next few days of practice, as Sanford searched for the right mix while finding a substitute for Bill Purdy, who had an appointment with the US National Team.  With the short week of practice and travel on Friday to Annapolis to race for the Goes Trophy on the always-challenging Severn, it was a hectic time.  Races were scheduled for early in the morning in an attempt to avoid boat traffic and potentially worsening weather, so the crews were at the boathouse just after dawn.  Four crews were racing, and while the results weren’t what the Syracuse fans wanted, things looked to be improving.  Navy took the Goes Trophy by a bit more than open water over SU, with Cornell a couple seconds back.  The JV broke thru, crossing the line just under a second before the Midshipmen and less than a length in front of the Big Red.  Drew Harrison’s freshmen were in a dogfight all the way down the course, as conditions seemed to be getting sloppier.  Navy won their event by a deck, with Cornell over a length behind second-place Syracuse.  As none of the other crews had a third varsity eight and Pete Gaines had to move up to JV to replace Purdy’s substitute, SU’s 3V broke down into a four only to lose to Navy.

IRA SEEDING POLLS ARE UP!

Row2k.com has the latest IRA seeding polls; the Varsity is seeded 8th, JV 9th, and Frosh 12th.

If I have the heat set up right, our guys will be taking on Washington, Wisco, Yale, Penn, and Gonzaga in their Thursday heat. They'll go off at 8, 8:15, or 8:30 depending on final scheduling.

The second eight will line up against Cal, Harvard, BU, Gonzaga, and Drexel.  Expect to see them on the stake boats at 9, 9:15, or 9:30.

The frosh, coming off a solid Packard Cup win over Dartmouth, are slated to face UW, Brown, Princeton, Yale, and GWU. They'll follow immediately after the JV.

No word on the open four seeding, but we do know there are three heats starting at 11 and running every 15 minutes.

After a couple pretty hot days, expect temps to drop a bit for the racing on Thursday and Friday.  Saturday looks iffy, with thunderstorms likely in the am.

Order Time: SU Crew Gear

This online store will be “open” for a two to three week period to batch the order and then Boathouse Sports will have one production run of the Syracuse gear.   Each transaction is directly between you and Boathouse Sports.  They will take payment and ship it directly to your address.   The one catch is that the combined order will need to be sizable to make it profitable for Boathouse Sports, if not they will delay or cancel the order until we have a critical mass.  

These funds will help SARA support events that we host at the various regattas.    The store / site will close June 11, 2012 so all orders need to be placed by then.   Gear should be shipped approximately two weeks after the store closes.  

SARA President Joe Kieffer is available to answer any questions:  jkieffer@email.com

See the Syracuse Crew store and order here - http://syracusecrew.boathousegear.com/

IRA Broadcast Information

From Coach Dave Reischman

Coaches, please pass on to your SID’s, parents, and Alumni groups early in the week:
IRA on the internet Live through Community Structure’s web portal at: http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/cs.portal
Press release below and attached.
Community Structure and Stretch Internet Partner with ECAC to Provide
Live Video Coverage of the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) Championships
CENTERVILLE, Mass. – The Eastern College Athletic Conference announced on Tuesday its spring schedule for live video streaming on the Internet for the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) Championships. The ECAC, in partnership with Community Structure, Stretch Internet and award-winning sports producer Doug Myers, will broadcast over 15 hours of live rowing action over three days of racing Thursday, May 31st through Saturday, June 2nd. Full-race coverage of the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships will be broadcast for the second consecutive year from the race venue on the Cooper River in Camden County, New Jersey.
“The ECAC and its affiliates are thrilled to provide expanded HD coverage of the premier event in our rowing portfolio,” stated ECAC Director of Rowing and IRA Commissioner Gary Caldwell. “Doug Myers is a multiple Emmy winning producer with a terrific eye for our sport, and the Stretch Internet team and John Bartucz (Community Structure) are operating on the cutting edge of wireless broadcast technology.”
Viewers can access race schedules and links to all of the broadcasts through Community Structure’s web portal at: http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/cs.portal, and view full race schedules and lane assignments at ECAC media partner www.row2k.com and the ECAC website at www.ecac.org as well aswww.ecacsports.com.
Racing Schedule on the Internet:
IRA National Championships
Thursday, May 31, 2012 8:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.-3:45 p.m.
Friday, June 1, 2012 8:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 2, 2012 7:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Mark of the Oarsman 2 - 1979, Part One


We continue the story of SU Crew, with this excerpt from the chapter provisionally titled "1979"

Three consecutive freshman eight national championships.  A convincing win for Syracuse’ varsity eight at the IRA.  Two weeks in England racing international crews at Nottingham and Henley. A very strong recruiting class for freshman coach Drew Harrison, the return of most of the varsity eight and half of the medalist JV (check medal and number of returners). All the pieces were in place for 1979 to be another championship year fro the Orange, with expectations high for all crews.  As the team brochure quoted head coach Bill Sanford; “They’ve all tasted victory and should be hungry for the title again.”

1979 was going to be the year that cemented Syracuse rowing’s position among the elite programs in the nation.  Bill Sanford had seen the program return to greatness after 58 years’ absence from atop the IRA podium.  Yet despite all the promise, the year after winning the IRAs would prove to be more than disappointing for the Orange.  It wasn’t just the failure to win the IRA, it was a sense that the entire season had been misspent.

All in all, the summer of 1978 had been productive on many levels. Racing two full eights at the Henley and Nottingham International Regatta had dramatically increased SU’s reputation in the rowing community, a reputation that would help recruiting.  On top of Drew Harrison’s string of gold medal frosh eights, the daily mentions in the news generated increasing interest among experienced high school rowers.  Sanford noted this in the pre-season media kit, stating: “Because our program has done so well in recent years we keep attracting better athletes and this year’s frosh group looks to be the strongest I’ve seen.”

The multiple races for the varsity and a combined freshman/JV eight was “like going to the Elite Eight in NCAA basketball, going up against teams that were really fast, more mature, and had a different approach.  The Romanians were all in the army, mature and older – when one of their guys started talking to a couple SU guys, their coach yelled at him and he hurried back to his crew…” Sanford recalled.  The pressure, the level of competition, and the reward of racing internationally raised expectations for the future.

But the season-extending trip to the UK had a downside as well.  Coach had a feeling towards the end that the guys had had just about enough racing and needed a break for a while.  As campus came alive again in the fall and the team reassembled, there wasn’t the same level of intensity in the boathouse that had been there the previous fall.  It wasn’t anything really noticeable, just a bit less energy.  As Coach Sanford recalled, “there was a motivational issue with some of those who had given all their life to crew, initially some folks wanted a break, yet they still came out and made an effort.”

SU Men Sweep Dartmouth

Syracuse swept the Big Green of Dartmouth on a beautiful morning for racing on the Connecticut River, with the Varsity keeping the Packard Cup, beating Dartmouth by just about a length in very fast conditions. The JV won easily, the Freshmen edged the higher-ranked Big Green in a bang-bang finish and the Open Four won by about a length.

“I told the JV and Varsity last night these guys are going to come gunning for you, “ Coach Dave Reischman said. “Dartmouth is a good crew they’ve got a great coach.”

Reischman’s eighth-ranked varsity fell behind Topher Bordeau’s Dartmouth eight by a seat or two off the start, but pushed through in the second 500 meters, then fended off a series of pushes by the Big Green. Both crews rowed the race at about 37 on the fast-flowing river.

“We did a good job of just maintaining our composure and sticking to our rhythm,” Reischman said. “It didn’t look like we panicked at all.”

The JV race was never in doubt. SU jumped out to a lead off the start and continually extended it, with a length or more open at the halfway point. Rather than sit on the lead, SU sprinted right through the finish line to win by about four lengths.

The SU freshmen were more than three seconds slower than Dartmouth last weekend at the Eastern Sprints but made it all up this morning. Dartmouth has the early lead but SU fought back by the halfway point and neither crew ever led by more than a seat or two. Syracuse had the lead in the sprint but the finish was so close it took several minutes for the officials to announce the ruling and it was the Orange by about a quarter of a second.

“There’s nothing more gratifying for a coach than when your crew actually performs on race day,” Reischman said, crediting freshman coach Shawn Bagnall. “Shawn should take a lot of pride in that the guys did their best job in applying what they’ve been working on.”

The Open Four – made up of guys who have been spares for the varsity and frosh, started the day with a solid win over Dartmouth. They’d finished second at the Sprints, but Reischman said they were better this morning.

“I thought it was a great improvement today," Reischman said. "They were more composed, looser in the shoulders. “It’s a testament to the guys and the coach (Brad Hemmerly.)”

The Orange crews return home to get set for the IRA in less than two weeks. Reischman says the crews will work to improve and stay focused.

“You go to the IRA and you have an OK weekend you’re going to end up in the third level final. History has shown that. We’re really just focusing the next two weeks to make sure we are on our game and when the flag drops we’re ready to go.”

Results courtesy of row2k.com here: http://www.row2k.com/results/resultspage.cfm?UID=8477887&cat=1

Story from suathletics.com here: http://www.suathletics.com/news/2012/5/20/MROW_0520125826.aspx

SU Takes on Dartmouth for the Packard Cup! - BROADCAST INFO HERE!

Racing in Hanover, 2010

The SU Men are on the road this weekend, travelling to scenic Hanover, NH where they will take on Dartmouth College for the Packard Cup.  Racing is on SUNDAY.

Syracuse Alumni Rowing Association (SARA) is excited to provide live audio broadcasting of Men’s and Women’s races. Our announcers will be following the races in the chase launches, providing a stroke by stroke account of the races – from the start until the finish. Below are the details of Sunday's regatta schedule.

Via Phone / Conference Line:
Dial in number – 1 (712) 432-4418

Via Internet: http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/syracuse.portal

Event
Men’s Rowing – Packard Cup – Connecticut River, Hanover, NH
Syracuse University versus Dartmouth College

Sunday, May 20, 2012 
Race Schedule:
900 am: V4+
915 am: 1F 8+
930 am: 2V 8+
945 am: V 8+

Jayvees get a measure of satisfaction at Sprints

In the finals of the Eastern Sprints, SU's second eight raced like they had something to prove, winning the petite finals in convincing fashion.

Rowing a 37 for most of the race, the Orange pulled clear of the field for the final push with 500 to go. From there it was all Syracuse.

With Tyler Toporowski in the stroke seat for the first time this year, the crew looked aggressive and determined.  Ignoring the built-in excuse of a new lineup, a new stroke, and a brutally competitive heat, the guys did some of the best racing of the season in the heats and finals.

With two races left on the schedule, this crew is going to be fun to watch...

First races at eastern sprints

The conditions are great for this morning's racing in Worcester. Flat water, fast times and lots of crews battling for places in the finals. For SU, the morning began with a great race from the open four, who battled their way to second behind a Columbia crew. The freshmen just finished fourth in their heat in 6:02; they'll be racing in the petites this afternoon. Made up a lot of time on Navy who had soundly beaten the Syracuse Frosh at the Goes Trophy earlier this spring. More to come...

Women's Big East Championship Broadcast Information


Syracuse Alumni Rowing Association (SARA) is excited to provide live audio broadcasting of Men’s and Women’s  races.  USRowing is providing audio and live video coverage for this year championship. Announcers will be following the races in the chase launches, providing a stroke by stroke account of the races – from the start until the finish.   Below are the details and today’s regatta schedule. 
Streaming Video Link:  http://bigeast.org/Sports/WomensRowing/2012RowingChampionship.aspx
  Racing Schedule
Women’s Rowing – Big East Championship – Mercer Lake, Princeton, NJ

Syracuse University versus University of Notre Dame, University of Connecticut, University of Louisville, Villanova University, Georgetown University ,University of  West Virginia and Rutgers University

Sunday, May 13, 2012 -Race Schedule: 


8:00 a.m.             Varsity 8– Time Trials

8:08 a.m.             2nd Varsity 8 – Time Trials

8:16 a.m.             Varsity 4– Time Trials

8:24 a.m.             Third Varsity 8 – Time Trials

8:32 a.m.             2nd Varsity 8 – Heat 2

11:00 a.m.           Third Varsity 4 – GRAND FINAL

11:10 a.m.           2nd Varsity 4 – GRAND FINAL

11:20 a.m.           Third Varsity 8 – GRAND FINAL

11:30 a.m.           Varsity 4 – PETITE FINAL

11:40 a.m.           Varsity 4 – GRAND FINAL

11:50 a.m.           2nd Varsity 8 – PETITE FINAL

12:00 p.m.           2nd V8 – GRAND FINAL

12:10 p.m.           Varsity 8 – PETITE FINAL

12:20 p.m.           Varsity 8 – GRAND FINAL

12:40 p.m.           AWARDS CEREMONY



Racing Update – SARA Men’s Crew Endowment – 750m Down.


With 750 meters down, the class of 1980 – 1984 has sprinted ahead with a key leadership gift.   We still have three class years still on the stake boats.   Our youngest graduates (classes 2005 – 2011) have stepped up and showed their unity and have taken the lead on number of contributors.    As we enter into Sprints weekend, our men in Orange and Blue need your support with a click of a mouse or a pen and a check by contributing to the SARA Men’s Crew Endowment.   There are still time to make your voice heard and contribution felt.  

Checks can be made payable to:
Central New York Community Foundation
Memo line: SARA Endowment

And mail to:
Central NY Community Foundation.
431 East Fayette Street, Suite 100
Syracuse, New York 13202

Or donate by credit card by bank transfer via PayPal at: http://mygiving.cnycf.org/sara


Dietrick, Karpowicz, and Olson lauded at annual 'Cuse Awards

SU rowing was well-represented among winners of the annual 'Cuse awards held earlier this week at the Schine Center, with Mike Dietrick nominated for Male Athlete of the Year, and the men's crew nominated for Men's Team of the Year.


Senior Mike Dietrick also received the Doris Soladay award for excellence in academics, athletics, leadership, and service.  Here's the write-up from the SU Athletics report on Mike:


"Dietrick rowed in the Varsity eight for three seasons after walking on to the team as a freshman. In 2011 Dietrick helped the varsity boat to the Grand Final at the Eastern Sprints, as well helping SU to its first IRA Grand Final appearance in 30 years. Dietrick is an active member of the community, serving as tutor to accounting students, as well as donating more than 25 hours of help to Meals on Wheels in Syracuse. In the classroom, Dietrick earned his undergraduate degree from the Whitman School of Management in three years and will complete his master’s degree in accounting upon graduation this May."


Dietrick is accompanied in the photo by fellow Soladay recipient and tennis player Emily Harman








James Olson and Emma Karpowicz were awarded the 'Cuse Award" for men's and women's rowing respectively.

Women finish strong in Indy double duals

Justin Moore's women are fast making a name for themselves, with Saturday's strong performance against 2011 Big East champs Louisville, eight-time Big East champion Notre Dame and Iowa serving notice that the Orange will challenge for podium spots in 2012.

The Varsity, racing in trying conditions, finished a deck behind winner Notre Dame and well in front of Iowa and Louisville.  With six of the eight rowers sophomores and first years, the crew acquitted itself well, pushing far into Notre Dame's lead in the last 300 meters.

The second boat, also with a preponderance of sophomores and first years, came in a quarter length behind ND with the other two crews well back.  The two fours also finished second.

More on lineups and quotes from Justin can be found here.

The final tune-up before the Big East championships on May 12-13 shows the Orange women continue to gain speed and race well.  The tight racing in tough conditions will undoubtedly help them prepare for what is certain to be tough competition.


Conlan Cup Comes Home

Syracuse vs. BU (Conlan Cup) vs. Columbia Conditions: Cross head that increased slightly from 1f to JV to Varsity. 5-8 mph. Pretty darn good conditions for racing in the Boston Basin. You can find results HERE.

Varsity Eight: If our varsity and jv are better at one thing more than the others it is making changes from week to week. Last week we executed well in the first 1000m and then tightened up just a bit in the 3rd 500m. Our goal this week was to stay composed and trust the rhythm in the 3rd 500m and the guys executed perfectly. We had a good start and were running level with Columbia and BU was back a bit. BU put a nice push on through the middle 1000m and got the margin down to 1 or 2 seats. BU made a couple of strong pushes and we did a nice job of staying composed. We started our finishing sequence from 350m out and again I thought we executed our two shifts well and kept our length as we pushed to the line. A solid race after a tough week of practice. It is always good to see what you practice all week show up on race day.

Second Varsity: If you remember last week’s report you will recall that we spun our wheels in the first 500m and from the first stroke of this one it was apparent that the guys were paying attention to this. We were actually a bit lower in cadence in the first 20 than last week but did a much better job of driving the boat. We pressed out early and built a length lead by the 1000m mark. BU does a lot of aerobic base work so you know they are not going to go away in the middle 1000m and they hung on to our stern. We did a nice job of keeping our eye on them and staying tough through the finishing 500m. I call these guys our Band of Misfit Toys—don’t tell them that—as we have two 5’9” guys (#6 and #3) and a 6’6” guys in the #4 seat. If you look at the bodies it looks a bit odd but if you watch the blade work you noticed they have figured out how to move together pretty well. And they love to race.


Frosh Eight: these guys made some nice progress this week. Last week was a bit of a debacle and this week was threatening to be the same when our #4 seat came down with the flu on Thursday. A quick reshuffle with a guy moving up from the second frosh and Coach Bagnall had the guys ready to go. Last week’s start looked tentative to me and we definitely didn’t make that mistake this week. The boys were moving the boat from the first stroke and pushed out to an early half length lead on BU and Columbia. In the second 500m BU started to press back and took over the lead in the 3rd 500m and kept moving away. We were paying for our early pace a bit and Columbia kept creeping forward in the last 1000m. We made a nice lift in the last 250m and it was just enough to hold Columbia off to take 2nd. We have some more work to do here but his was definitely a step in the right direction.

Second Frosh: I was only able to watch the last 500m of this one but got the full report from SARA Announcer Joe Paduda. When we found out that BU and Columbia didn’t have a 2F to race we had to do some scrambling and many thanks to Harvard and Holy Cross for letting us into a race they had set up. Officially it was Harvard’s 4V/3F combination boat, Holy Cross’s 3V and our 2F. All three crews were off the line together and once they shifted to pace Harvard started to move out. It was quite a battle with the Holy Cross guys and we did a nice job of pressing through them in the last 500m to take 2nd. Next up for us is the Eastern Sprints in three weeks. Between now and then we have final exams and some tough practices ahead. The guys seem fairly excited and are certainly looking forward to heading out to Sprints and seeing what we can do. Thanks to our parents group for moving the food tent on the road this week. They did a great job with the tent at home last week and the are now mobile!