Crew News 09

Want to keep up with Coast Crew but can't make it to the regatta?  Stay in touch by going to www.twitter.com/giantkillers.  We'll keep you close to the action, and we've got more great pictures there! 

November 16, 2009

SUCCESS AND IMPROVEMENT SEEN IN SAN PEDRO

It was a very successful "Head of the Harbor", 5,000 meter race in San Pedro Harbor, Sunday Nov. 15. for the Orange Coast College Men's Crew.
The Coast Freshmen/novices won by a huge margin, and the Coast Men's varsity, competing against four year oarsmen, were second to USC by just ONE SECOND! Great racing, beautiful California day.  Portends very good things for the Coast Men's Crew!

Novice 8
15:55 OCC "A"
16:42 OCC "B"
16:47 UCSB
16:58 USC
17:53 ASU
18:37 CSULB
18:54 LMU

Varsity 8
15:26 USC
15:27 OCC "A"
15:54 LMU
15:57 UCI "A"
16:29 OCC "B"
16:38 ASU
16:41 UCI "B"
17:12 CSULB
17:14 UCSB

To see pictures of the regatta click here.

November 1, 2009

COAST HAS GREAT SHOWING AT FALL REGATTA

In it's first unofficial outing for the fall season, Orange Coast College fielded seven VIII's (two in the Varsity VIII division, five in the Novice VIII division). Great racing, over a 2 1/2 mile course that simply gives beginning oarsmen at Orange Coast a chance to try out a little unofficial racing before the regular season begins in March. In the Varsity VIII division, with Cal and Stanford among many other universities (30 entries), OCC finished 11th and 20th, so very respectable. In the Novice VIII division, OCC's crews finished 4th, 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th -- a very strong showing with a lot of depth. Coaches Matthew Chapman and David Grant were very pleased with the results at their first opportunity to get OCC crew into some competition.

To see pictures of the regatta click here.

To see full results from the regatta click here.

October 1, 2009

COAST IS OFF TO A GREAT START

The 2009-10 Orange Coast College Men's Crew is on the water and already a month into its training!

July 27, 2009

SILVER MEDAL AT UNDER 23 WORLDS FOR COAST ALUM

The United States won a silver medal in the men’s four Sunday to highlight the final day of racing at the 2009 World Rowing Under 23 Championships in Racice, Czech Republic.

In the men’s four, the crew of Mark Murphy (Madison, Wis.), James Long-Lerno (Seal Beach, Calif.), Nareg Guregian (North Hills, Calif.) and Michael Gennaro (Havertown, Pa.) brought home the silver medal on the back of an electrifying sprint. Sitting in fourth with less than 500 meters to go, the U.S. crew caught Germany and Canada at the line, taking second place behind New Zealand. While New Zealand grabbed the lead during the second quarter of the race, Canada and Germany battled it out for second with the U.S. lurking just behind. As the crews entered the final stretch, the American boat made its move, and as the crews crossed the finish line, the U.S. had edged out Germany by 0.42 seconds and Canada by 0.69 seconds. New Zealand won the race in a 5:54.49, with the U.S. finishing 1.31 seconds behind in a 5:55.80. Germany held on for the bronze medal, clocking a time of 5:56.22.

Coast alum Long-Lerno rowed in the 3 seat of the starboard-stroked U.S. boat.


July 13, 2009

COAST ALUM LONG-LERNO MAKES U.S. UNDER-23 TEAM

The 2009 Under 23 National Team roster has been set, USRowing announced on Monday, and former Coast oarsman James Long-Lerno was among those selected for the squad. Twenty-one crews will represent the United States at the 2009 World Rowing Under 23 Championships scheduled for July 23-26 in Racice, Czech Republic.  Long-Lerno will be rowing in the four-without-coxswain event for the U.S.

Long-Lerno came to OCC by way of the Long Beach Juniors program and currently attends the University of California, where he just completed his junior year.  He rowed for Coast in the 2007 and 2008 seasons, stroking the crew to a fifth-place finish at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association national championships in the second-varsity event as a sophomore. 

Under 23 world champions will be crowned in 21 events including the men’s single sculls, women’s single sculls, lightweight men’s single sculls, lightweight women’s single sculls, men’s double sculls, women’s double sculls, lightweight men’s double sculls, lightweight women’s double sculls, men’s quadruple sculls, women’s quadruple sculls, lightweight men’s quadruple sculls, lightweight women’s quadruple sculls, men’s pair, women’s pair, lightweight men’s pair, men’s four, women’s four, lightweight men’s four, men’s four with coxswain, men’s eight and women’s eight.

James Long-Lerno


June 25, 2009

DAVE GRANT RETURNING TO HELM OF COAST CREW

Orange Coast College Athletic Director Barbara Bond announced today that Coast Crew will have a familiar face at the helm next season. Dave Grant, who was instrumental in Coast's rise to prominence on the rowing scene, has agreed to return as head coach of the men's crew. Grant takes the reins from his longtime colleague and friend, Larry Moore, who is stepping down after 17 seasons as a coach at OCC.  

Grant, a former president of the college, has been a coach and mentor for countless student athletes in the Coast rowing program since the mid-1960s. He has coached several Olympians and national team athletes during his tenure at Coast. Among his proteges in the coaching profession are Stanford coach Craig Amerkhanian, Wisconsin coach Chris Clark, and Pennsylvania coach Fred Honebein, among others.

A novice coach has not yet been appointed. Grant is currently out of the country and will be attending the world-renowned Henley Royal Regatta in early July. In the meantime, student athletes with questions regarding the crew program or academics may contact the athletic department at (714) 432-5766.

 
Dave Grant (front left) will be returning to the coaching launch for OCC.


May 21, 2009

BOATHOUSE CONSTRUCTION NEARING COMPLETION


A view from the dock today.  (Photos courtesy Dave Grant)


No more grass to mow.


A peek inside.


May 16, 2009

ANNUAL COAST CREW AWARDS BANQUET HELD

The Orange Coast College crew held its annual end-of-the-season awards banquet Friday night in the Student Center on campus.  Diners were treated to a fantastic meal and brief speeches from this year's departing sophomore oarsmen, who looked back fondly on their careers at OCC and found it hard to believe two years had flown by so fast.

Tommy Feck, a starboardside rower who will be transferring to UC San Diego next year, was voted Oarsman of the Year by his teammates.  Feck's hard work in the classroom and on the water paid off as he was also the recipient of the Rob Jordan Memorial Scholarship and the Walter G. Rolsma Memorial Scholarship.  Feck was also the varsity co-captain. 


Tommy Feck, winner of the Rob Jordan Memorial
Scholarship, with Rob's mom, Anne Stewart.

Jeff Powers, a portside oarsman who came to Coast from St. Louis, Missouri, was awarded the Alumni Scholarship for his efforts.  Powers was also the varsity co-captain.    

Harrison Taylor, who held down the bow seat in the varsity boat this season, received the Pete Compton Memorial Scholarship.  A polished concert violinist, Taylor is looking to transfer to either USC or USD.


Harrison Taylor, winner of the Pete Compton
Memorial Scholarship, with Pete's mom, Carol
Compton.

Yet another starboard-side oarsman, Liam Saunders, was awarded the Don McKee Crew Scholarship.  Coach Larry Moore announced that Saunders will be joining OCC alum Chris Clark's Wisconsin Badger crew next fall.  


Liam Saunders, winner of the Don McKee
Scholarship, with Dottie McKee.

Sieun Na, who maintained the highest GPA on the team, garnered the Otte Crew Scholarship.

The Robert B. Moore Crew Scholarship, named for the former OCC president who was a longtime staunch supporter of the crew, went to Chris Edmunds.

Several novice oarsmen also received awards.  Kyle Ridgeway, who rowed bow in the first novice eight, was recognized as captain.  The Most Inspirational Novice award went to Patrick Monahan, whose weight loss through the year impressed both coaches and teammates.  Austin Ward, who came to OCC from the Seattle area and stroked the first novice eight to the WIRA championship, was named Outstanding Freshman/Novice Oarsman.  Steven Suggs, who will be moving on to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, was named Most Improved Novice.


Harrison Taylor and Jeff Powers present gifts to Coach Larry Moore. 

Excerpts from Coach Moore's letter to the oarsmen:

Another year has just passed smoothly beneath the hull of the Orange Coast College Crew.  Over 80 athletes participated in fall workouts.  Hard work, on and off the water, helped the crew develop basic skills.  Soon, shells were gliding lightly across the placid waters of the North Lido Channel.  Spring opportunities were discussed, dreams formulated and goals set for a successful season.

It has been an extraordinary year to say the very least.  The crew has been stationed in temporary quarters at the Newport Aquatic Center for the past eighteen months while the boathouse has been rebuilt.  My personal loss has set me to think seriously about how I can better use my days, with who I spend them, and with what passion I pursue them.  With that in mind, I want you to know that it has been an absolute joy and an honor for me to have shared this year with you.  You are my second family and I could not be more satisfied with the time I have spent with you.

When I think back to the middle of last August and the beginning of rowing, it's hard to believe the racing is over.  Just when you were getting into prime racing condition and discovering how to make a shell go very fast, it's over.  Fortunately for most of you, rowing is just beginning.  The frosh will be back in the fall and most of the sophomores will go on to other universities and continue their academic and rowing careers.  You all have had the best experience that Coast can offer.

Finally, if I may speak for Pat and Robbie, it was a very rewarding experience to be a part of this program with each of you.  You are very special to us and I hope you know that.  I also hope that you will always think of Coast as your home and as the place where you learned more than you ever dreamed possible.


May 10, 2009

PIRATES WIN HEAT AT ECAC, BUT FINAL CANCELLED

Orange Coast College's top-seeded men's novice eight-oared crew handled the rough conditions on the Cooper River superbly Sunday morning and won its qualifying heat with the event's fastest time.  The Pirates advanced to Sunday afternoon's finals, but they couldn't control the weather and the finals were cancelled due to windy conditions on the Camden, N.J., course.  After a long delay, the regatta committee eventually made the difficult decision to cancel the remaining races.  The ECAC regatta was cancelled in similar fashion in 2005 and 2007.  

Rowing with a shell and oars borrowed from Harvard, Orange Coast jumped out to an early lead and was able to win its heat without a finishing sprint.  OCC covered the 2000-meter course in 6:05.950, followed by Marist in 6:16.534, and Ithaca in 6:16.765.  Union was fourth in 6:40.115 and Cincinnati was fifth in 6:53.579.

Trinity won the second heat with a time of 6:07.403, and Michigan won the third heat in 6:06.506.  Michigan, which won the Dad Vail Regatta over in Philadelphia Saturday, had to fight to edge Marietta.  By virtue of its morning win, Coast would have had Lane 1 in the final against Trinity, Michigan, Marist, St. Lawrence, and Marietta.

"The water was pretty choppy out there," said Coast Novice Coach Pat Gleason.  "They rowed well considering the conditions."  

The wind grew worse as the day progressed.  "I've never seen it like this on the Cooper River," said Coast Head Coach Larry Moore.

Orange Coast Novice 8 Lineup:

Cox: Alex Atkins
Stroke: Austin Ward
7: Anthony Hohman
6: Steven Suggs
5: Dan Blanco
4: Peter Morrill
3: Peter Nedeau
2: Johny Sutterfield
Bow: Kyle Ridgeway


Coast's Novice 8 won its heat and then had to wait out a weather delay.

May 9, 2009

ECAC REGATTA TO BE AIRED OVER INTERNET SUNDAY

The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) announced that the live audio broadcast "ECAC Call of the Race" of the ECAC National Invitational Rowing Championships will be available on line Sunday, May 10. Stretch Internet, based in Mesa, Ariz., will be providing the platform for the audio streaming of the races.

Orange Coast College's men's novice 8 will be rowing in its heat race at 5:50 a.m. PDT, and the Grand Final is set for 11:50 a.m. PDT.

Rowing fans will be able to listen to live racing of both heats and finals Sunday, May 10.  Listeners will need to use the URL provided below to listen to the live audio stream.

http://secure.stretchinternet.com/demo/games.php?user=ecacrowing&o=cal_stamp&sd=today

In addition to the audio stream, fans will be able to "dial-in" to the audio stream via phone.  To listen to the ECAC National Invitational Rowing Championships over the phone, dial (309) 946-5300 and enter passcode 698020 (followed by the # key) at the prompt.


Coast novice men's crew works out the jet lag on the Cooper River.

May 7, 2009

OCC ALUM INVITED TO U23 NATIONAL TEAM CAMP

James Long-Lerno '08, now attending the University of California, has been invited to attend the U.S. Under-23 National Team Selection Camp in Oklahoma City this summer.  This camp will select the Open Men's 8+, 4-, and 4x that will compete at the 2009 FISA World Under 23 Championships scheduled for July 23-26 in Racice, Czech Republic.  The camp also plans to select an open men’s 2-, 4+ and 2x to compete at U23 Trials July 6-10 at Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J.  Long-Lerno rowed at Coast for two years before moving on to Cal.  He has rowed in Cal's second varsity 8+ this season.

In other news, ESPNU will broadcast highlights of the 2009 San Diego Crew Classic, focusing on collegiate races, several times over the next few weeks.  The first broadcast is today at 4:00 p.m. PDT and will again air Friday at 6:00 p.m. PDT.  To locate your ESPNU channel visit http://sports.espn.go.com/espntv/espnNetwork?networkID=9.

Come celebrate the end of the '09 Rowing Season with a dinner banquet at the OCC Student Center. The cost per person for the catered dinner is $20.00 (no charge for rowers).

Make checks payable to: OCC Foundation / Men’s Crew and mail to: Orange Coast College Men’s Crew, 1801 W Pacific Coast Highway, Newport Beach, Ca. 92663.

Please RSVP by replying to this email by Monday, May 11, with the number of your party and include rower's name. If you have further questions, contact Patti Hall at (714) 925-6679 or email cpjhall@ca.rr.com.

 
May 5, 2009

ECAC HEATS ANNOUNCED, OCC CREW BANQUET SET

The draw for the 2009 ECAC National Invitational Rowing Championships was announced Monday night, and the Orange Coast College novice crew received the top seed in the event.  Racing is scheduled for Sunday on the Cooper River in Camden, New Jersey.  Heats will be held in the morning, and finals will be rowed in the afternoon.

Coast will row from Lane 1 in the first heat of the novice 8 event.  The Pirates will face Marist, Ithaca, Cincinnati, and Union in the heat.  Two boats will qualify for the Grand Final.  The heat will be raced at 5:50 a.m. PDT, and the final is scheduled for 11:50 a.m. PDT.  Trinity and Michigan drew the top seeds in the second and third heats.  Rounding out the field are St. Lawrence, Virginia, Middlebury, Marrieta, Hobart, and Albany.  Coast has not rowed against any of these crews yet this season.  Michigan competed at the San Diego Crew Classic, but the Pirates and Wolverines were in different heats.  Coast made the Grand Final and finished fourth while Michigan finished second in the Petite Final behind UC San Diego and was eighth overall.

Coach Larry Moore also announced that Coast Crew's end of the year banquet will be held Friday, May 15, in the Student Center on campus.  Check the website as the date approaches for more information.
   

May 4, 2009

COAST TAKES 3 WIRA TITLES, VARSITY WINS PETITE

On an uncharacteristically blustery weekend in the Sacramento area, Orange Coast College claimed three novice titles and the varsity won the Petite Final at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association championship regatta on Lake Natoma.  OCC won the novice 8, second novice 8, and novice 4 events.  The varsity narrowly defeated Colorado on Sunday to win the petite and take seventh place as Coast won the overall men's team points title.

With the win on Sunday, Coast's novice 8 earned a trip to the East Coast where it will attempt to defend its title at the Eastern College Athletic Conference invitational championships.  The ECAC regatta shifts venues this year and will be held this weekend in Camden, New Jersey, on the Cooper River.  Coast's only losses this year came at the hands of Pac-10 Conference powerhouses Washington, California, and Stanford.  Coast also holds a victory over Stanford.

Coach Larry Moore, although disappointed the Pirate varsity did not make the final, was pleased with the way the varsity rowed Sunday.  Known for its fast starts but having trouble holding off opponents in the second half of the race this season, the varsity was instructed by Moore to pace itself more in the first half and make a big push in the final 250 meters.  The strategy paid off as the Pirates stayed even with Colorado most of the way down the course and then pulled ahead in the last 250 meters to win the petite by three-tenths of a second.

"They did exactly what I asked them to do," said Moore.  "It was raining harder than it had all weekend, and the wind was picking up.  I told them to keep even with Colorado until 250 meters to go and then take five more strokes and go for it.  That's exactly what they did, and we won by about two seats."

In the novice 8 race, Coast turned in a time of 6:03.9 to finish six seconds and two boat lengths in front of rival Gonzaga, the other heat winner.  The Coast novice 4, rowing in a bow-coxed racing shell for the first time this weekend, covered the course in 6:52.4.  Second-place Lewis & Clark crossed the line in 6:55.5.  The second novice event was a final only and was raced Saturday.  Orange Coast placed first and second with times of 6:15.5 and 6:23.0, well ahead of third-place Washington State's 6:30.3. 

Coast took home second-place medals in the lightweight novice 4 event.  Coast's time of 7:00.9 was second only to California, who finished first in 6:55.1.  Coast also turned in a fifth-place finish in the junior varsity 8 event with a time of 6:35.0, narrowly being edged out of fourth place by UC Irvine.  Gonzaga won the event in 6:21.0. 

Moore and novice coach Pat Gleason will be leaving Thursday with the novice 8 crew for the ECAC regatta.  Races will be held Sunday, with heats in the morning and finals in the afternoon.  Check our website for updates, and we will be providing updates on our Twitter website as well (see the link above).


April 29, 2009

WIRA CHAMPIONSHIPS ON THE LINE AT LAKE NATOMA

Boats will once again be on the trailer and the Orange Coast College men's crew will be leaving Friday morning for this weekend's Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association championships at Lake Natoma in the Sacramento area.  Coast has five crews entered in the regatta, which will be hosted by the Sacramento State University Aquatic Center in Gold River.

Coast will be defending its titles from last season in the varsity, novice, and second novice eight-oared events as it seeks to repeat as overall points champion.  Coast will also be gunning for titles in the JV 8 and novice 4 categories.  Racing begins at 8 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Kicking off the regatta for the Pirates will be the novice four-oared crew, which will be in the second of three heats in the non-seeded event.  Fifteen crews are entered in the novice 4 event.  Coast will be in Lane 4 in its heat race, going up against Sacramento State, UC Santa Barbara, Puget Sound, and Chapman.  The top two boats will advance to Sunday's 8:50 a.m. final.

Next up on the agenda will be the JV 8, set for 10:10 a.m. in the second of two heats.  Coast is seeded fourth in this event.  The Pirates will line up in Lane 2, going up against UC San Diego, Colorado, and Santa Clara.  The advancing crews will race in the Grand Final at 11:00 a.m.
 
The varsity 8 will cap off the morning session for the Pirates, hitting the starting line at 11:20 a.m. in the first of three heats.  Coast is the seventh seed in a very tight field and draws top seed Gonzaga, Sacramento State, Sonoma State, and Long Beach State, with the top two crews advancing to the Grand Final at noon on Sunday.  OCC, which will race out of Lane 3, has defeated Sacramento State and Long Beach State earlier in the season but has not faced Gonzaga or Sonoma State.  Gonzaga will no doubt remember Coast after being edged by the Pirates in a dramatic finale at last season's WIRA championships.

Saturday's afternoon session will have Coast racing in the first of two heats in the novice 8 category.  Coast is the No. 1 seed out of the 13 crews entered.  Coast will be in Lane 1 and faces Washington State, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, Santa Clara, Loyola Marymount, and a crew from perenially tough California in its heat.  Sunday's Grand Final is scheduled for 10:10 a.m.

The last race on tap for Coast Saturday will be a Grand Final in the lightweight/second novice 8 event.  Coast is slated to start in Lane 5 with an open lane next to it and will be battling the California varsity lightweights, two crews from Washington State, and Loyola Marymount.       

    
April 18, 2009

COAST CAPTURES P.A. "PAPPY" PALMER POINTS TROPHY

Orange Coast College's men's crew showed off the depth in its program Saturday as it took the overall points title at the 44th Annual Newport Regatta.  Coast won three of six events to take home the P.A. "Pappy" Palmer Cup, edging UC San Diego by one point.  

The Pirates were led by a strong contingent of novice crews.  Coast won all three novice events to squeak by UCSD for the overall title.  UCSD made the points battle close by winning both the varsity and second varsity eight-oared races.  Coast won the novice and second novice eight-oared races along with the novice four-oared race, and its second varsity 8 finshed in second place.  The University of San Diego rowed to a win in the varsity four-oared event.

The only event in which Coast did not come up with any point was the final race of the regatta, when the Pirates' varsity 8 crossed the line in fourth place.  Coast now has two weeks to prepare for the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association championships May 2-3 on Lake Natoma, just east of Sacramento.  

For full race results from the 44th Annual Newport Regatta, refer to the Crew Results 09 page of this website.

         
April 17, 2009

NEWPORT REGATTA ON TAP FOR SATURDAY


Photo courtesy of alum Roland Wood.  For more of his great pictures
from the Crew Classic, go to: http://a1000words.smugmug.com/gallery/7817606_rhuvo/1/506267719_wui3u


Coast varsity, ranked fourth among ACRA crews.           Roland Wood photo.

As Orange Coast College's men's crew prepares to take on local teams from Southern California Saturday in the Newport Regatta, the Pirates continued to be recognized in this week's poll of the American Collegiate Rowing Association.   OCC's varsity men maintained its position as the fourth-ranked crew in the poll.  The Pirate novice 8, ranked second last week, moved up a slot and now holds the No. 1 ranking ahead of Michigan.  The rankings can be easily viewed on row2k.com.  The ACRA is the organization focused on establishing a national championship event for collegiate rowing teams who are not eligible to compete in the NCAA and the IRA championships. 

This weekend marks the 44th running of the Newport Regatta, as Orange Coast plays host to UCI, UCLA, UCSD, UCSB, and USD.  The racing format will be 2000-meter sprints raced in six lanes across Newport Bay.  Lane 1 is closest to Coast Highway.  The teams will launch from the Newport Aquatic Center and will return there for the awards ceremonies after the last race.  The best viewing of the races will be from the Chapman University boathouse balcony, which allows for a long view down the racecourse in both directions.  The OCC dock is also available for close-up viewing. 

The OCC women will also be contesting the Collins Cup with local rival UCI.  Racing begins at 7:45 a.m. with the Women's Novice 8.  Races run every 15 minutes, with the last race set to go off at 9:30 a.m.  There is still no parking in the OCC boathouse lot due to construction, and there will be limited parking on Coast Highway.  There is a public lot behind Garlic Joe's across the street.   

April 11, 2009

Returning to its home waters of Newport Beach after two weeks on the road, Orange Coast College won three of four races Saturday in a three-way regatta with UC Irvine and Cal State Long Beach.  The Pirates captured the varsity, novice, and second novice races, falling only in the junior varsity event.

Despite an overcast sky and a quartering tailwind, the Newport water remained calm and yielded fast times Saturday morning.  The Coast varsity covered the 2000-meter course in five minutes, 51.6 seconds to defeat local rival UCI by a little over one boat length.  UCI was timed in 5:55.6, while Long Beach finished third in 6:19.8.


OCC varsity rows to victory past the soon-to-be completed boathouse.

The Coast novice 8 bounced back after its fourth-place finish at the San Diego Crew Classic last weekend to spank the Anteaters and 49ers by open water.  The Pirates finished in 5:54.0, well ahead of Long Beach's 6:14.9 and Irvine's 6:16.0.

OCC dominated the second novice event, coming in first and second ahead of UCI.  The Pirates winning crew was timed in 6:10.9 and it's second-place boat finished in 6:27.3, with UCI crossing in 6:43.0.

The JV 8 event was the closest race of the day, with UCI edging OCC in a dual.  The Pirates led for most of the race, but the Anteaters came from behind to win by two-tenths of a second.  UCI was timed at 6:10.9 to OCC's 6:11.1.


Closest race of the day.  Coast and UCI JVs bow ball to bow ball.

Orange Coast will be home again next weekend, as it hosts the Newport Regatta on Saturday.        


Pat Hadden was decked out in her best sweater.


April 9, 2009

Orange Coast College was well represented when the first American Collegiate Rowing Association poll of the season came out yesterday.  The ACRA is an organization focused on collegiate rowing teams that are not eligible to compete in the NCAA and IRA championships.  Due to new rule restrictions, this is the first year OCC will be denied entry into the IRA championships.

Coast was ranked fourth among the men's varsity eights behind Michigan, Purdue, and Grand Valley State.  The OCC novice men received the most first-place votes but opened up ranked No. 2 in the poll, trailing only Michigan.  On the women's side, Coast's varsity eight made it into the rankings in a three-way tie for ninth place with Michigan State and Virginia Tech.  Grand Valley State held the top spot for women's varsity eights.  OCC was rated No. 3 in the poll for women's novice eights behind Grand Valley State and Purdue.

The full rankings can be found at http://row2k.com/polls/index.cfm?cat=college&ID=212&type=American Collegiate Rowing Association Poll.
 

April 8, 2009

Next up on the schedule for the Coast Crew is a tri-race Saturday morning with UC Irvine and Cal State Long Beach on OCC's home water in Newport Beach.  Four races are on tap beginning at 8 a.m. and going off in 15-minute intervals.  OCC will face UCI in the second novice 8+ event to kick things off at 8:00.  The novice 8+ event is set for 8:15 and will feature crews from all three schools.  Coast and Irvine will square off in the JV 8+ event at 8:30.  The morning's races will be capped off with the varsity 8+ race between all three schools.  

Due to the ongoing construction at the OCC boathouse, the best vantage point for viewing the 2000-meter races in Newport will be from the Chapman University boathouse, located next-door to the Coast facility.  (Restrooms will be open at the OCC boathouse.)  Street parking on Pacific Coast Highway should be available.   


April 5, 2009

Sun block was in order at Crown Point Shores on Mission Bay Sunday, as thousands of spectators were treated to warm weather and great racing at the 36th Annual San Diego Crew Classic.  Orange Coast's crews acquitted themselves well as they raced in the finals in all of their events.



Hats off to John Taylor (pictured above cooking), Chris and Patty Hall, and Andy Rawlings for helping make the Coast tent a success at the Crew Classic.  Special thanks to OCC alum Sean Jenkins of the Crew Classic committee for taking good care of us!



The Coast varsity was one of the favorites in a very competitive Cal Cup field.  Rowing into a stiff headwind, OCC held a slim lead of one-tenth of a second at the 500-meter mark, but UC San Diego put together a strong second 500 to take the lead by a length over the Pirates at the 1000-meter mark.  The University of San Diego put on a big push in the third 500 and edged ahead of Coast into second place.  UCSD, with OCC alums Andrew Hilton at stroke and Jeff Collett at No. 5, would not be caught and crossed the line in first place with a time of 6:28.18.  USD crossed in 6:31.04 to make it a hometown one-two finish for the San Diego schools.  Coast held off a valiant charge by Santa Clara University to claim the third spot.  Coast finished in 6:36.04, just ahead of Santa Clara's 6:36.75.  Sacramento State University and UCLA rounded out the field.


OCC (top) goes stroke for stroke with Stanford in the novice finals.

With the quartering headwind, the Coast novice men had the tough task of rowing out of Lane 6 in the finals of the Derek Guelker Memorial Cup race.  Washington's freshmen were the class of the field, leading wire to wire to win in a time of 6:09.13.  Cal was second in 6:18.88.  The real battle was for third, with Coast and Stanford trading places several times over the course of the race.  The Pirates had beaten the Cardinal a week earlier at the Pac-10 Challenge in a close dual.  Stanford drew Lane 1 Sunday and held the third spot at the first 500, but OCC overtook the Cardinal at the 1000-meter mark. Stanford made a move in the third 500 and regained third place.  OCC narrowed the gap with a strong last 500 but fell just short of the third-place medal.  Stanford finished with a time of 6:33.12, while Coast crossed in 6:33.67.  Oregon State was fifth and the University of British Columbia was sixth.

OCC took sixth place in the Men's Open and the OCC novice women placed fifth in the Women's Open race.    


The OCC JV crew competing in the Open 8 at the Crew Classic.

Another OCC alum, James Long-Lerno, was a member of California's victorious crew in the Collegiate JV event.  Long-Lerno, who stroked Coast to the Cal Cup title last season, rowed in the No. 6 seat for the Golden Bears.


April 4, 2009

All of Orange Coast College's crews qualified for the Grand Final events Saturday at the 36th Annual San Diego Crew Classic on Mission Bay.  Three men's eights and one women's eight will row in the feature events Sunday.  The Pirates' men's second novice eight won its finale Saturday handily.

In the Cal Cup, OCC's varsity men won their heat and drew Lane 2 for Sunday's final.  Coast rowed the 2,000-meter course in six minutes, 18.35 seconds, to finish ahead of second-place Santa Clara University.  Joining the Pirates and Broncos in the final will be heat winners University of San Diego and UC San Diego, along with Sacramento State University and UCLA.


Coast varsity takes first in its Cal Cup heat at the Crew Classic.

Coast placed second behind the University of Washington in their heat to advance in the first novice men's event.  OCC will be in Lane 6 for the final.  California, Stanford, British Columbia, and Oregon State round out the field.

OCC finished third in its heat for the Men's Open event, and the Coast women's novice crew won its heat in the Women's Open event.

The Pirates took advantage of some mishaps by UCLA to capture the Men's Collegiate Novice B event.  After several scratches by other crews, the race became a dual between OCC and UCLA.  The Pirates cruised home in 6:32.60, with the Bruins crossing the line in 7:00.20.


Crew Classic champions - OCC's 2nd Novice 8.

For more detailed results, see our results page.   


April 3, 2009

For those of you who won't be able to make it to San Diego this weekend, you can watch the races over the Internet on live streaming video by going to http://crewclassic.org/video/.  ESPNU will also be broadcasting Crew Classic highlights beginning on Thursday, May 7, at 4 p.m.  The highlights will repeat over several days.  The ESPNU schedule of highlights can be found at http://www.crewclassic.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/2009-television-schedule-v2.pdf.   




The Pirates hit the road again Friday morning for San Diego.
 
March 31, 2009

The San Diego Crew Classic schedule has been released.  You can see the entire racing schedule by going to http://www.crewclassic.org/results/2009_schedule.html.  Coast will be in the opening race of the regatta, the first heat of the Varsity Cal Cup, set for 7:30 a.m. on Saturday.  OCC has drawn Lane 1 and will have Texas, Santa Clara, Drexel, Loyola, Long Beach State, and Arizona State all on its starboard side.  Two boats will qualify for Sunday's 10:30 a.m. Grand Final.  Racing in the two other heats will include crews such as UC Davis and UC San Diego, which both have OCC alums in their lineups, along with USD, UCLA, Notre Dame, and Colorado.

The novice men will be racing for the Derek Guelker Memorial Cup.  Coast will pull into the stakeboats in Lane 2 of the third heat at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.  Next to Coast in Lane 1 will be the Huskies of Washington, who are coming off a Class Day victory in Seattle.  Joining OCC and UW will be UCSD, Notre Dame, Washington State, Loyola, and Pacific, with two boats advancing to Sunday's Grand Final at 11:10 a.m.  Notable crews in the other heats include defending IRA champ California, which handed Coast a loss at the Pac-10 Challenge, Stanford, which OCC beat in a hard-fought race at the Pac-10 Challenge, Michigan, and British Columbia.

Coast will be in one Grand Final on Saturday.  That will be the Collegiate Novice B race at 3:10 in the afternoon.  The Pirates will line up in Lane 2 next to UCLA in Lane 1, with California in Lane 3, UC Santa Barbara in Lane 4, and UC San Diego on the outside in Lane 5.

The Pirates will also line up in Lane 1 for the first heat of the Men's Open race at 1:40 p.m. on Saturday. 

Alumni and parents will be manning the Coast tent both Saturday and Sunday.  See you there!    


March 30, 2009

Coast Crew's oarsmen traveled north over the weekend and took part in the annual Pac-10 Challenge at Redwood Shores, hosted by Stanford University and Windermere Real Estate.  The Pirates got their first taste of big-time regatta action as both the varsity and novice eights raced three times in two days.

Pat Gleason's novice squad kicked off the weekend with a spirited victory over Stanford, winning by just under one length.  The Pirates ran into a tough Cal crew in the afternoon, however, and suffered their first dual loss of the young season.  Coast rebounded on Sunday with a decisive win over the Trojans of USC.

Hitting the brakes at Redwood Shores as the race ends.



Larry Moore's varsity crew, still going through some lineup changes, learned a lot about itself as it lined up against stiff national competition.  The Pirates got off to a good start against Cal's highly regarded second varsity but couldn't hold off the powerful Bears.  Cal, with last year's OCC Oarsman of the Year James Long-Lerno rowing in the No. 6 seat, steadily pulled away from Coast over the second half of the course to win easily in the fastest time of the day.

Coast came back after a quick turnaround and soundly whipped Santa Clara's second varsity to capture its first dual victory of 2009.  The Pirates then faced off against a strong Northeastern varsity crew from Boston on Sunday.  Rowing against a stiff headwind, the bigger Northeastern crew overpowered Coast to win easily.

For more detailed times, see our Crew Results 09 page.  


Launching on the Redwood Shores course at the Pac-10 Challenge.

Row2k.com has some great pictures available for purchase from the Pac-10 Challenge regatta.  Here are links to a sampling of the Coast pictures:

Varsity captain Jeff Powers loads the oars back onto the trailer for the trip home.   

The varsity reaches for the catch on Sunday against Northeastern.

In a view from the bridge, the novices get length as they defeat Stanford. 


March 23, 2009

Early Monday morning the air is crisp and a chill runs through all thirty-two Coast oarsmen. Oarsmen, anxious and excited, sit ready to pull. Four coxswains align the boats and get ready to begin. Larry and Pat call, “Build up to a 36 in two, one, ON THIS ONE.” For fifteen strokes the oarsmen gracefully wail away on the oars. Over and over the crews repeat the pieces, fighting and struggling for every inch they can gain. Every oarsman takes each piece personally, wanting their boat to demonstrate their dominance. After the crews run out of room, Larry and Pat switch the lineups and people between boats. Today for Orange Coast College, it is seat racing day. Rivalries between oarsmen are at an all-time high; everyone wants to make the boat for the upcoming Windemere Invitational. Coaches are looking for oarsmen who prove themselves day in and day out, and it will take more than just one day of racing to make the final decisions for the A boats.

Jeff Powers
Varsity Co-Captain

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March 21, 2009



Novice eight race


After racing head to head with the University of San Diego, I must say that the entire Coast Novice Team has gained a tremendous amount of respect for our “past rivals”. The event was definitely a memorable one, especially after the hard-fought race between our two teams. The USD oarsmen have great sportsmanship and dedication towards rowing. As the race progressed to 1200m, the excitement hit its peak; the crowd chanting uncontrollably for their teams must have been the contributing factor. It was a great race and a great weekend. We all are looking forward to our next race at the Pac-10 Challenge next weekend.

Kyle Ridgeway
Novice Captain
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March 21, 2009



OCC & USD Varsity @ the Coast Boathouse

Early Saturday morning Orange Coast and University of San Diego woke up to an overcast and cloudy sky. The Orange Coast oarsmen’s jitters were running rampant as this was to be their first 2000 meter race. The two varsity boats pulled up to the line….Attention. Row!!! Both crews were off to a quick start and Coast pulled ahead by 3 seats. USD hung in the race throughout the 1000 meter mark, only being 3 or 4 seats behind. With 450 left USD made their move and started to walk through Coast. With Coast’s lack of experience in a 2k, questions ran throughout the boat. USD slowly continued to walk away and edged past Coast at the end with a time of 6:05.9, Coast finished with a time of 6:10.1. Although ending in loss, Coast can learn a great deal from this experience and will continue to improve throughout the year. With a 2k now under our belts, we are now preparing for Windemere Invitational on March 28^th and 29^th, and our ultimate short-term goal, the San Diego Crew Classic.

OCC JV eight

The Coast JV boat had an extremely exciting unofficial race ending in a loss by only one foot. The Coast freshmen showed their dominance with their A boat finishing in a time of 6:10.7 and the B boat finishing with a time of 6:23.8, both defeating USD’s boat, at a time of 6:25.6. All of the Coast oarsmen would like to thank all of the parents for coming and showing their support, and we appreciate all of the cheers. GO COAST!!!

Jeff Powers
Varsity Co-Captain
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March 16, 2009

ALUMNI WEEKEND '09


The 1979 crew gets ready to race

Alumni weekend was a big success.  Dinner was superb and served in the Student Center on campus.  Jim Jorgensen did a great job with organizing the dinner.  A special thanks to Gina Gleason for helping greet the guests and to Joel Kew for another fantastic M.C. job.  It was special to see the '79 crew with all in attendance except Chris Clark, who is tending to his coaching duties in Wisconsin.  Here is a link to pictures taken by Stan Lackey yesterday at the Newport Aquatic Center.    http://2009alumnidayrace.postcoasties.com/
Thanks Stan!  Thanks to all the alums that showed up, and only minor damage was reported to our equipment.  Randy Nichols donated fifty "retro sweatshirts" with the proceeds going to the men's crew endowment fund.  Thanks to you, Randy, for your generosity.  Congratulations to Alum/Parent John Taylor, who won the right to take home a Karlisch wooden oar.  The big question now is:  Where will he put it?  We will be posting more pictures from the Alumni Day races on our Alumni Weekend 2009 page. 



Alums, alum to be and future alums!
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The 1979 crew shows up with all but current Wisco Coach Chris Clark.

Approaching our main race season we will be picking up the pace with extra practices. We are starting our two-week sessions, with hard workouts the first week and tapering the second. The crew has made vast improvements as we are working our way up to sprinting with lots of high-rate pieces. We are just finishing up our tough week coming into alumni weekend. The crew is excited for an opportunity to race the alumni and have a great dinner.

The current Coast oarsmen had a blast getting to know the Post Coasties and getting a chance to know what the Coast tradition is really all about. Many alumni will be remembered and their speeches, especially Brad Hubler from Connecticut. Brad’s passion and enthusiasm for the sport of crew will be kept in mind for the rest of the season. Sunday morning, before the alumni race, Larry tried to tire the varsity crew with a hard workout. Unfortunately the crews’ resilience pulled them through with a victory over a very close alumni team. Overall alumni weekend turned out to be a great success, and the oarsmen would personally like to thank all of the Coasties for coming out and supporting the cause. GO COAST!!!

Jeff Powers

OCC Varsity Co- Captain

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ALUMNI WEEKEND

Varsity launching from NAC

A workout in Newport

Winter mornings have been tough this year

Beginning next week, comments from the frosh and varsity captains may be viewed in this section along with notes and observations from other team members and alumni.  Check the web page weekly for new information.  We will be posting the crews results in the "Crew Results 09" page as we progress through the season.

If you are a Twitter fan, check out the Coast Crew Twitter page at twitter.com/giantkillers as we continue our ongoing effort to keep you up to date! 

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February 22, 2009

 
Boat traffic in the bay!


Varsity eight

Winter workout


Co-Captain Jeff Powers


Co-Captain Tommy Feck in blue tank top


Boathouse nearing completion

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OCC vs. UCLA @ Marina Del Rey Saturday Feb. 21

Coast will travel Saturday morning to scrimage with UCLA up in the marina again this year.  The Pirates will send two Novice and two Varsity eights to work out with the Bruins.  This is a good early season test for both crews with the first race of the season just a month away.  Coast has fourteen returning sophomores and about four eights of Novice this year.  The Varsity has a lot of hard work ahead of them to bring their technical skills and aerobic capacity up to par.  The Novice crews are rowing well and seat racing is in full swing.  Alumni weekend is just around the corner and the season opener with USD in Newport will be contested the following weekend.  The season will be contested over an eight-week period with just one bye before the WIRA Championships.  Check the schedule and come support the crew.