CREW NEWS

• Cornell, which was nosed out of the Grand Final by Coast Friday, won the Petite Final to place seventh in the second-varsity event. 
• UCLA, with former Coast oarsman Brad Stapleton stroking, finished fifth in the varsity four with cox event.
• Loyola Marymount, led by Newport Harbor High School grads Jill Austin and Jennifer Guess, won the women's lightweight four national championship.
• In the men's varsity eight event, Pennsylvania, coached by yet another Coast alum, Fred Honebein, was sixth in the third-level final to finish 18th in the nation.  Michigan's varsity, which narrowly edged OCC to place second at the ECAC Invitational Rowing Championships, finished one spot ahead of Pennsylvania. 
• Gonzaga's varsity eight, which finished second behind Coast at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association championships, placed third in the fourth-level final to finish in the No. 21 position.
• Gonzaga's freshman eight, which also placed second behind Coast at the WIRA championships, won the third-level final to finish 13th.  Hobart, which was third behind Coast at the ECAC championships, finished right behind Gonzaga to place 14th overall in the frosh event.  Cornell's freshman eight, coached by former Coast coxswain Dan Allen, finished right behind Hobart and was 15th overall.
• The IRA championship regatta will move to the West Coast next season.  The regatta is scheduled to take place June 4-6 on Sacramento's Lake Natoma.

Washington won the semi in 5:44.670, followed by Brown in 5:45.218, with Coast less than a length behind.  Coast will now row in the Grand Final tomorrow.  Cal was the winner of the other semifinal.  Harvard and Wisconsin also qualified.

Moore had a good view of the sprint, watching about 15 feet from the finish line.  "We were a good two feet ahead from where I was standing," Moore said.  "They felt good about the race.  They had a good start and were right in it.  They moved well at the 1,000 and when they took tens.  They had a couple little bobbles, but they recovered well.  We did one more thing right than Cornell did to get on the right side of that bow ball."   

Lane assignments for the grand are as follows:  Lane 1 Orange Coast College, Lane 2 University of Wisconsin, Lane 3 University of Washington, Lane 4 University of California Berkeley, Lane 5 Brown University, Lane 6 Harvard University.

Coast has been attending the IRA regatta since 1968, when the Pirates finished second in the JV 8 behind Pennsylvania.  That performance was followed by a second-place finish in the Varsity 4 in 1969.  The Pirates were fifth in 1980 in the JV 8 and took home a bronze medal in that event in 1987.  It has been 18 years, however, since Coast's last appearance in the second-varsity event at the IRA.  That was in 1990, when the Pirates finished fifth.  OCC's best finish in any event at the regatta came in 1980 when, under the direction of then-frosh coach Moore, the Pirates won the Freshman 8 championship.    

Update - Blog Extra - 6 p.m.

Sophomore James Long-Lerno gives us a view from the stroke seat:

Well, we made it into the grand finals of the IRA regatta!  Lucky for us too; finishing just two thousandths of a second in front of Cornell really had us worried for a second.  We had made a few mistakes in our race, one of them being at the end of our sprint, which had worked so beautifully against them.  A few rowers stopped at the wrong buzzer, giving Cornell the chance to close in the gap on us, almost costing us the race.  Thankfully, we made it through and did what we needed to do.  

Tomorrow marks the day we've been looking forward to all year and we can't wait to have the best row of our lives against Wisconsin, Washington, Berkeley, Brown, and Harvard.  This will mark the end to our two years together at Coast and what a way to go out.  Everyone's excited, resting, and ready to make everyone remember why we're called Giant Killers! 


OCC (top, yellow boat) in Lane 5 surges in front of
Cornell in Lane 4 at finish line.  Washington leads
 in Lane 3.  Brown is second in Lane 2 (bottom).

More pictures and results are available on our Results page.

Click here for a great picture of the crew in the row2k.com gallery.

Coxswain Mike Hinderberger gets the boat aligned for the heat race.

Read Ed Hewitt's "Smokin' Semis" article in row2k.com's coverage.  Coast fans should be sure not to skip the fifth paragraph! 

Great photo of the bow four racing in the semifinals.

Fountain Valley buddies Hanxleden and Huffman, both bound for Wisconsin next year, race in the semifinals.

The stern three pace the crew in the semifinals Thursday.

All of the linked pictures above may be purchased at row2k.com.

June 5, 2008

Strong Performance Vaults Coast to IRA Semifinals

CHERRY HILL, N.J.--The Orange Coast College crew put together a strong heat race Thursday morning at the 106th Intercollegiate Rowing Association championships on the Cooper River to advance to Friday's semifinals for the Kennedy Challenge Bowl.  With only two boats moving directly to the semis and the others having to go through Thursday afternoon's repechage races, Coast finished a close second behind Eastern Sprints champion Wisconsin and well ahead of Princeton.  

Wisconsin crossed the line in 5 minutes, 57.550 seconds.  Coast was less than a length back with a time of 5:59.284, showing it will be a crew to be reckoned with this weekend.  Princeton put up a fight for the first 1,000 meters, but Coast lengthened out its stroke and broke the Tigers in the third 500.  Princeton finished in 6:07.906.  (A link to all of the regatta results can be found on the Results page of this website.)

Coast will be in good company Friday.  Also advancing straight to the semifinals were Cal, Brown, Cornell, Harvard, Pac-10 champion Washington, and Northeastern.  Cal posted the fastest time in the second-varsity event, winning the first heat in 5:56.777.  Cornell posted a mild upset in the second heat, besting Harvard in 5:59.616.  Washington won the fourth heat by open water over Northeastern with a time of 5:59.406.  

With the conclusion of the repechage races Thursday afternoon, the semifinals are now set for Friday.  Coast is in the first semi at 8:12 a.m. Pacific time.  The top three boats will qualify for the Grand Final on Saturday.  This race promises to be a scorcher.  Harvard's third varsity is in Lane 1, Brown is in Lane 2, Washington is in Lane 3, Cornell is in Lane 4, Coast is in Lane 5, and Oregon State is in Lane 6.  The other semi will have Boston University, Northeastern, Wisconsin, Cal, Harvard, and Princeton.

Coach Larry Moore was pleased with his crew's opening round performance.  "They were very patient," Moore said.  "We talked about some of the tactics the other crews would use and not to get sucked in by them, and they did a good job of rowing their own race.  They stayed long and weren't pushed.  The name of the game is qualifying."

We got an insider's view of the race from Will Prioleau, 2 man in the Pirate boat.  Here's how things looked from the 2 seat:

We had a good race this morning in our heat, finishing second to Wisconsin by about two seconds.  We were able to get a sufficient warm-up by launching 45 minutes before our start.  Off the starting line we were angled a little weird because of the current that was running perpendicular to the course from port to starboard during the alignment at the start.  We had a clean start and recovered our point pretty quickly, staying up on the field with Wisconsin.  Throughout most of the race, we were a couple of seats down on Wisconsin and battling back and forth with Princeton until somewhere in the third 500 when Princeton dropped off the face of the earth.  We took our usual moves during the course of the race and took seats each time.  The rest of the race we were still rowing cleanly and felt relaxed pacing Wisconsin, moving to about even with them at one point and letting them go a little in the last meters of the race.  There was no need for a sprint to win as we were already comfortably in a qualifying position, but we all feel confident that when needed to we can bring up the pace and pass our competition by.  We rowed well together and are very anxious for our next chance to race.  We will be resting at the hotel the rest of the day, eating well and preparing for our next challenge. Thank you for following us and for your support!

GO COAST!

   
Coast gives Wisco a run for its money in heat.

June 4, 2008

Different Kind of Puddles in New Jersey as IRA Approaches

On the eve of the 106th Intercollegiate Rowing Association championship regatta, a warm rain was falling in New Jersey. 

Orange Coast College's crew got in its normal pre-race-day workout Wednesday morning and did a little fine tuning of the Empacher VIII it is rowing.  Reports are that the tuneup on the shell the crew is borrowing from Penn went well and the crew likes the way the boat feels.  The shell is a K85 model and is similar to the "Rob Jordan" and "Blitzachter" Empachers in the Coast boathouse.  

Dan Dahlin, the recipient of the Spirit of Coast Crew award this season, is our guest blogger today.  He sent us this dispatch to give us an idea of how the crew is feeling:

As Wednesday draws to a close the Orange Coast varsity men find themselves on the verge of an exciting and huge Thursday heat. The possibilities know no bounds and the excitement is nearly uncontainable. The men truly believe that this could be the year a Coast boat storms to a win in the second varsity event. After the flight East and some good rowing Monday and Tuesday, the boat loaned to us by Penn feels, and looks, great. For this group of men the end of our time rowing together is rapidly approaching, and a national championship would be an amazing culmination to an already significant season and two years together. Thursday morning will bring with it the nerves and adrenalin that have come all season, and it is our hope that we find ourselves in any way necessary in the grand finals on Saturday. 

The OCC lineup:  Coxswain Mike Hinderberger, Stroke James Long-Lerno, 7 Bobby Jacobs, 6 Steve Oesterich, 5 Erich Hanxleden, 4 Roger Huffman, 3 Dan Dahlin, 2 Will Prioleau, Bow Kelly Hughes. 

  
OCC's crew gets in a pre-race workout on the Cooper River.

June 3, 2008

Pretzels, Peanuts, and Puddles...and IRA Heats Announced

Our guest blogger today is Coast Crew bow man Kelly Hughes.  Kelly will be attending UC Davis next year, but this week he is ensconced at the Residence Inn in Cherry Hill or Camden, N.J., depending on your point of view.  Here's Kelly's take on how preparations for the IRA regatta are going.

Everything is going well in Camden. Today's practice went well, clearing puddles with a lot of run. The weather has been holding up until this afternoon with clouds beginning to roll in. The team's attitude remains positive and everyone resting up, getting ready for our first race. Everyone appreciates the support from home and is grateful. We even have some support on the East Coast.  My Aunt Mary-Kay brought the team a tray of pretzels and some peanuts, while offering to bring the team more food if needed. We have the first heat of our event and we are all looking forward to racing Princeton and Wisconsin.

Roger Huffman carbs up on some soft pretzels.

CHERRY HILL, N.J.--There was no rest for the weary Monday as the oarsmen from Orange Coast College got right to the business of preparing for the Intercollegiate Rowing Association championships after a long flight from the West Coast Sunday night. 

On Sunday morning, the sophomores went for their last row on Newport Harbor as Coast oarsmen and then boarded a plane bound for New York.  After landing at JFK, the crew successfully found its way to Cherry Hill and the Residence Inn by Marriott, where they got a good night's rest. 

On Monday afternoon, the crew went to the Cooper River racecourse and tracked down the Penn boat trailer.  The Pirates will be rowing an Empacher VIII on loan from Penn.  After offloading the shell from the Penn trailer, the Pirates went about rigging the boat and going for their first tuneup row over the IRA course.  For those old oars out there who want to remember what the pre-race taper was like, the crew did the first 500 and last 1000 meters of the race.

Steve Oesterich, who rows from the six seat, will be passing pictures along all week.  Our embedded correspondent said things are going well thus far.  "The flight wasn't all that bad," he said.  "We pretty much just slept through it.  The boat that we got from Penn is working out.  It's nothing like the Butch Pope though.  We went for a little row this afternoon.  The weather is hot and humid.  Other than that, it is just like home."      


Dan Dahlin ready to unload the VIII off the Penn trailer.


Coxswain Mike Hinderberger lends brawn.

 
Seats up in the slings, rigging the Empacher.

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Streaming Live Audio, the "ECAC Call of the Race," will be Available.

106th IRA National Championships
Audio Broadcast Schedule
(All Times are Eastern Time)

Thursday, June 5
Heats: 7:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
Repechages: 3:00 p.m. - 5:36 p.m.

Friday, June 6, 2008
Repechages and Semifinals
Part I: 7:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
Part II: 11:12 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, June 7
Morning: 7:20 a.m. - 11:35 a.m.
Afternoon: 12:27 p.m. - 3:06 p.m.

http://secure.stretchinternet.com/broadcasts.php

To listen to broadcasts over the phone, dial (605) 475-6000 and enter
passcode 698020 (followed by the # key) at the prompt. This service is
available to a limited number of listeners on a first come, first served
basis.

June 1, 2008

Crew Leaves for East Coast, Boathouse Construction Update

Coach Larry Moore and his Orange Coast College crew caught a flight out of Long Beach today at noon, headed for JFK Airport in New York and a date at the 106th Intercollegiate Rowing Association Regatta in Cherry Hill, N.J., Thursday through Saturday.  The Pirates' flight is due to arrive at JFK at approximately 9 p.m., and they should arrive at their lodging destination in New Jersey around midnight.

After racing concludes this weekend, the crew is schedule to arrive at Long Beach Airport at 9 p.m. on Sunday.

Construction on the David A. Grant Collegiate Rowing Center is well underway.  The project will take about a year to be completed.  Dave Grant visited the boathouse a few days ago and provided us with some photos of the progress.  


Work has begun on what used to be the main 8's boat bay.  Nice view with no roof!


Didn't the coaches always want an open-air office?

The boathouse lawn needs a little work.


A dockside view of the boathouse renovation project underway.  

Orange Coast, winner of the WIRA varsity title and the San Diego Crew Classic's Cal Cup, will face some stiff competition for the Kennedy Challenge Bowl for second varsity eights.  OCC is the only community college competing in the event.  Among the 22 crews entered will be Pac-10 champion Washington, Eastern Sprints champion Wisconsin, and Harvard, winner of the second varsity event at the San Diego Crew Classic.

The four heat races for the second varsity event have not been finalized yet, but they are tentatively scheduled for Thursday, June 5, from 5:24 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. Pacific Time.  Four repechage, or second chance, heats will be held Thursday from 1:00 p.m. to 1:36 p.m. Pacific Time.  On Friday, June 6, the four semifinal races are scheduled to go off between 8:12 a.m. and 8:48 a.m. Pacific Time.  Saturday's championship final for the second varsity event is set for 10:09 a.m. Pacific Time.

Stretch Internet will be broadcasting streaming live audio from the IRA regatta.  We will post the link here on our Crew News page.  

Coast was ranked No. 1 in the nation last week in both the novice and varsity divisions of the cMax computerized poll for American Collegiate Rowing Association schools, and the Coast women's novice crew was ranked third.  The cMax poll is released exclusively on row2k.com.  


Larry Moore keeps a watchful eye over the crew as it tunes up for IRA.    

May 18, 2008

Awards Banquet Caps Off Outstanding Rowing Season

James Long-Lerno and Kevin Rickon received recognition from fellow rowers as this season's outstanding oarsmen when the Orange Coast College crew held its annual awards banquet Saturday night at the Student Center on campus.  Long-Lerno, a sophomore from Seal Beach, was voted Oarsman of the Year by his varsity teammates while Rickon, a freshman from San Diego, was named the Outstanding Freshman/Novice Oarsman. 

Long-Lerno, who came to OCC out of the Long Beach junior crew program, stroked the Coast varsity eight to the WIRA championship and a third place finish at the ECAC National Invitational Rowing Championships.  Bound for either Cal or Washington next year, Long-Lerno will lead Coast when it races at the 106th Intercollegiate Rowing Association regatta on the Cooper River in Cherry Hill, N.J., June 5-7.

Rickon stroked the Coast novice crew to a WIRA championship and the championship at the ECAC NIRC regatta.  The Coast novice eight has finished the season ranked No. 1 in the nation among crews not part of the NCAA in the American Collegiate Rowing Association coaches' poll.   

Several scholarships were also awarded to sophomores for academic achievement.  Dan Dahlin, with a 3.82 grade point average in pre-law studies, received the Rob Jordan Memorial Crew Scholarship.  Dahlin, who mans the five-seat in the Pirates' varsity eight, is awaiting word on his admission from Cal and Ivy League schools Cornell and Pennsylvania.  A 26-year-old U.S. Army veteran and Edison High School grad, Dahlin also received the award for the oarsman who best exhibits the spirit of Coast Crew.

Chris Cornell, bound for UCLA with a 3.59 GPA, was the recipient of the Otte Crew Scholarship.  Roger Huffman, who rowed in the four-seat in the Pirate varsity, received the Don McKee Crew Scholarship.  Huffman, with a 3.68 GPA, will attend Wisconsin along with varsity three-man Erich Hanxleden.  Huffman and Hanxleden are both Fountain Valley High School grads.

Andrew Hilton, who came to OCC from the Green Lake crew program in Seattle, was honored with the Walter G. Rolsma Memorial Crew Scholarship.  Hilton has a 3.38 GPA and will continue his education at either UC San Diego or Washington.  Ben O'Connell, who came to Coast out of the Oakland Strokes junior rowing program, was the recipient of the Pete Compton Memorial Crew Scholarship.  O'Connell has a 3.72 GPA and will attend UC San Diego next year. 

Will Prioleau, who came up through the Newport Aquatic Center junior program and rowed in the two-seat of the Coast varsity, received the Robert B. Moore Crew Scholarship, given in honor of the former OCC president.  Prioleau, with a 3.58 GPA, announced he will be attending Cal next year.  




The varsity presented coach Larry Moore with a heartfelt
gift.  "Are we missing an oar?"


Dean Barbara Bond and President Bob Dees listened
intently as the varsity oarsmen spoke fondly of their
time rowing at Orange Coast College.


Friends and Family of Rob Jordan made a special gift
possible for sophomore Dan Dahlin.


Chris Cornell meets the Ottes after receiving the Otte Crew Scholarship.


Larry Moore with President Bob Dees and President Emeritus Dave Grant.

May 14, 2008

Coast Crew Bound for IRA Regatta in June

Orange Coast College has accepted an invitation to compete in the 106th Intercollegiate Rowing Association regatta, June 5-7, head crew coach Larry Moore announced Wednesday.  The regatta will be held on the Cooper River's 2,000-meter course in Cherry Hill, N.J.

Orange Coast will compete for the Kennedy Challenge Bowl, an event for men's second-varsity eights.  Heats have not been released yet, but Coast is likely to face perennial rowing powerhouses Harvard, Cal, and Washington among others.  Coast has raced a varsity schedule most of the year, winning the WIRA championship and finishing third at the ECAC National Invitational Rowing Championships.  However, OCC opened the season by defeating the second-varsity crews from Cornell and Oregon State.

This will be the 14th time Coast has raced at the prestigious IRA regatta.  As the only community college in the country with a complete rowing program, Coast has traditionally competed for the Kennedy Challenge Bowl at the IRA.  Its best finish in the second-varsity event came in 1968, when the Pirates were second behind national champion Pennsylvania.  OCC also medaled in 1987, finishing third.  Coach Moore is no stranger to the IRA regatta.  He guided Coast to its first national championship in the freshman eight category in 1980 when the IRA was held on Lake Onondaga in Syracuse, N.Y.

The crew will be holding its end-of-the-year awards banquet Saturday at 6:00 p.m. in the Student Center on the OCC campus.

May 11, 2008

Coast Crew Novices Bring Home Gold, Varsity Takes Bronze


ECAC NATIONAL INVITATIONAL ROWING CHAMPIONS
(Left to Right) Harrison Taylor, Jeff Powers, Liam Saunders, Patrick Avelino, Tommy Feck, Jonathan Hall, Roscoe Fowler, Kevin Rickon, Dylon Young, and Coach Pat Gleason.

Orange Coast College's men's novice eight-oared crew overcame a false start penalty Sunday to handily win the Eastern College Athletic Conference National Invitational Rowing Championship in Worcester, Mass.  Orange Coast covered the 2,000-meter course on Lake Quinsigamond in 6 minutes, 15.45 seconds as it beat second-place Williams by almost three boat lengths.

Coast's varsity rowed a strong race through a brisk crosswind to finish third and earn bronze medals in the regatta's featured men's event.  Perennial New England power Trinity College of Hartford, Connecticut, held off OCC and second-place Michigan to capture the gold.  Trinity was clocked in 5 minutes, 56.35 seconds despite the crosswind, followed by hard-charging Michigan in 5:58.18 and Orange Coast in 5:59.19.  Fourth-place Williams was well back of OCC at 6:07.15, with Marist placing fifth in 6:09.20 and sixth-place Bates trailing in 6:11.29.           

The novice category is for first-year rowers, regardless of their year in college.  OCC, which came into the regatta as the top-seeded Novice crew, was assessed a false start penalty in the final for locking onto its starting stakeboat less than two minutes prior to the race.  A second false start would have meant disqualification, so the Pirates had to be cautious anticipating the starter's commands.

The Pirates didn't let the false start bother them, though, coming off the line striking 46 strokes per minute to jump out to the early lead, followed by Hobart.  Coast settled in at a racing pace of 35 strokes per minute and asserted itself to take a three-quarter length lead 750 meters into the race.  OCC, rowing long and strong, had open water on the field coming into the final 750 meters.  New England champ Williams was able to get past Hobart for second but couldn't make up ground on Coast.     

Williams' second-place time in the novice event was 6:23.80.  Hobart finished a length behind Williams in third with a time of 6:26.80.  Virginia was fourth in 6:27.53, followed by Trinity in 6:32.11 and Michigan in 6:35.32.

In the varsity eight event, Coast was rewarded for its semifinal win by being placed in Lane 1.  That proved to be somewhat important as the crosswind came up in the afternoon and the lanes were flipped to give the inside lanes some shelter.  Trinity lined up in Lane 2, and Michigan rowed from Lane 3.  Williams, Bates, and Marist drew lanes 4, 5, and 6.

Coast, with a crew made up entirely of sophomores, exploded off the line to take a half deck lead over Trinity.  But the Pirates couldn't shake Trinity, which was rowing with several seasoned upper classmen.  Coast still held a slight advantage coming into the 500-meter mark, but Trinity steadily pulled even with OCC and moved out to a short lead of a couple seats at the race's halfway point.

Trinity methodically built on its lead over the second half of the course, while Michigan made a strong move to stay in contention at the 1000-meter mark and pushed its bowball ahead of Coast's.  Coast responded with its own push in the last 500 and briefly overtook Michigan for second, but the Wolverines finished strong to overtake the Pirates for the silver medal.  Trinity finished two-thirds of a length ahead of Michigan and just under one length ahead of Coast.

Paul Prioleau, whose son Will manned the 2 seat in the OCC varsity, has followed the crew all season and thought the crew looked focused as he watched from the shoreline.  "They had a good go at it but let Trinity slip away," said Prioleau.  "They left it all on the course." 

After talking with the crew, Prioleau elaborated.  "They had a very good start and were stuck right in there up until the 1000," he said.  "They tried a move on Trinity that worked, but Trinity countered with a very good one that netted them more seats.  OCC also got hit with a few wind gusts that they had a hard time with."  Experience may have been a factor.  "I think that they just aren't used to racing a team that can stay next to them," Prioleau said.

"They did a great job," said Coast Coach Larry Moore.  "They were right in it.  They got hit with a few gusts and made a few mistakes, and you can't do that at that level.  They got banged around a little, but the wind blew everybody around.  That's boat racing.  Three boats within a length is great racing.  They tried to go after Trinity with 300 to go and didn't quite make it."


Trinity, Michigan, and Coast varsity crews overlap in ECAC NIRC final.

OCC's Novice 8 easily qualified for the Grand Final with a dominating row in its heat Sunday morning.  With only two boats moving on to the final, Coast blasted off the starting line and asserted itself early.  The Pirates were able to keep an eye on the field behind them and eventually lowered their stroke rate to a comfortable 28 strokes per minute, well below their normal race pace.  OCC's wining time was 6:06.47.


OCC Novice 8 cruises to win in its heat Sunday on Lake Quinsigamond.

Virginia and Trinity qualified for the Novice final from the second heat, with Virginia turning in a time of 6:07.67 and Trinity crossing the line in 6:08.57.  The third heat was hotly contested, and the times reflected the tight racing for the right to move on to the final.  In a mild upset, Hobart, rowing out of Lane 2, edged third-seeded Williams and posted a scorching time of 5:59.84.  Williams was able to edge UC San Diego for the second spot, crossing the line in 6:00.11 while the Tritons crossed in 6:00.34.  UC San Diego went on to win the Petite Final.   


OCC varsity wins a barn burner in semifinal of ECAC NIRC Sunday.

Coast's Varsity 8 advanced to the Grand Final by winning a blistering semifinal race Sunday morning in which No. 1 seeded Virginia was knocked out and relegated to the Petite Final.  Coast's 5:56.65 was the second fastest qualifying time.  In the other semifinal race, Trinity posted the fastest time of the day, 5:52.49.  Michigan showed it would be dangerous, posting a time of 5:57.09 to finish second behind Trinity in their semi. 

In the semifinal race, Virginia, which won the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association title and was ranked higher than Orange Coast all season, blasted off the starting line at 48 strokes per minute to set the early pace.  Coast, however, did not let the Cavaliers get away and edged in front by a bow deck at the Donahue Rowing Center, located about 250 meters into the race. 

OCC settled into its race pace at 36 strokes per minute, and Williams joined the Pirates on the lead.  Virginia could not maintain the pace and eventually dropped back.  Williams actually put its bow ball ahead of Coast's by about one seat at one point, but the Pirates charged back to lead by four seats at the 1000 meter mark and held a lead of half a boat length going into the last 500.  The first four crews finished within one length, with Coast in front of Williams by about eight seats and Bates pushing past Virginia for the final qualifying spot.

May 10, 2008

Coast Varsity Wins Heat, Advances to Tomorrow's Semis at ECAC NIRC

OCC's Varsity 8 posted the second fastest time of the day Saturday to advance to the semifinal round of the Eastern College Athletic Association National Invitational Rowing Championships on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Massachusetts.  The Pirates, seeded third coming into the regatta, won their heat in 6:08.56.  Semifinals and finals will be held Sunday and promise to be hotly contested, with the four heat winners all putting up times within two seconds of each other.

Top-ranked Virginia was the winner of the first heat of the day with a time of 6:08.64.  Second-seeded Trinity had the day's fastest time, cruising to an open water victory in 6:06.66.  Coast won the third heat, while fourth seed Michigan won Heat 4 in 6:08.69.  (See full results of the regatta from Powerhouse Timing.)

Coast rowed a controlled race, taking an early four-seat lead over Bates College and rowing the body of the race at 34-35 strokes per minute, leading by six seats at the 1,000 meter mark.  The Pirates led by a length at one point and watched Bates and Marist stage a dogfight behind them for second place, with Marist eventually rowing through Bates to take the second spot in 6:10.62.  Bates crossed the line in 6:12.07.  All three boats qualified for the "A-B" semi-finals.  The Coast Guard Academy finished fourth with a time of 6:18.36, followed by Hamilton College in 6:31.87 and Colby College in 6:38.19.  

Coach Larry Moore felt his crew's performance was solid, if not spectacular, after traveling across the country mid-week.  "The guys were a little groggy from the travel.  We were in a different boat, in a different place, and it was a little turbulent out there.  It wasn't great, but we led from start to finish and had the second-fastest time," said Moore.  "We were all just pushing and shoving today, jockeying for position.  The next race should be better, and the one after that is the one that needs to be brilliant."  

In the first heat, Ithaca College gave Virginia everything it could handle, but Virginia put together a strong second half of the race to win by one second.  Ithaca and hometown crew Worcester Polytechnic Institute also advanced to the semifinals.

Trinity jumped out to an early lead in the second heat and was never challenged.  The battle was for second place, as Coast's fellow WIRA school UC San Diego came from behind and edged Wesleyan for the second spot.  

Michigan got off to a slow start in the final heat of the day but made a big move 500 meters into the race to take the lead.  The strong second 500 enabled the Wolverines to pull away from the field, and they were able to stay above the fray behind them.  Williams, UC Davis, and Hobart all crossed the line within a second of each other.  Williams and Davis, another of Coast's WIRA counterparts, nosed out Hobart to advance to the semifinals along with Michigan.

In other rowing news, Orange Coast's Novice Women's 8 made the final and finished fifth out of 30 crews at the 70th Annual Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia, the largest collegiate regatta in the country.     


Coast Novices celebrate as Varsity wins ECAC NIRC heat race.

May 8, 2008

Weather Report for Worcester...Keep your Fingers Crossed!

Racing on the East Coast this time of year can be a challenge, as evidenced by the cancellation of last year's ECAC National Invitational Rowing Championships after the heats.  OCC Coach Larry Moore and his crew hope Mother Nature will cooperate this year, especially since the finals will be rowed on Mother's Day!

So far, the weekend weather does not appear too threatening.  Reports call for morning showers on Saturday with highs in the mid 50s and lows in the mid 40s.  Sunday will have periods of sun and cloudiness, with highs in the mid 60s and lows in the mid 40s.  Not exactly Newport in the spring, or Sacramento for that matter, but hopefully the conditions will be good for rowing.

Coast did not trailer its own boats east for this regatta.  That won't be a problem, though, thanks to Coast's longstanding relationship with Harvard.  OCC, which loans Harvard shells whenever the Crimson comes west to race, will be rowing a pair of Empachers on loan from Harvard similar to those the Pirates row at home.

Going into the regatta, OCC's varsity and novice eights maintained their rankings from the previous week in the various national polls.  Highly regarded crews from the University of Virginia, Trinity College, and the University of Michigan are among the nationally ranked teams competing this weekend in Worcester.

May 7, 2008

Call of ECAC Races to be Offered over Internet this Weekend 

Centerville, Massachusetts - The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) has announced that a live audio broadcast of the 2008 ECAC National Invitational Rowing Championships will be available online Saturday, May 10, and Sunday, May 11. Stretch Internet, based in Mesa, Arizona, will be providing the platform for the audio streaming of the "ECAC Call of the Race."

Rowing fans will be able to listen to live racing from 12:45 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Pacific time on Saturday, May 10.  On Sunday, May 11, live racing will be held from 4:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. - 3:40 p.m. Pacific time.  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, on-site spectators will be able to "dial-in" to the audio stream via phone.  Listeners will need to dial 605-475-6000 and use 698020# as a pass code.

The lane draw for Saturday's heats at Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Massachusetts, has also been announced.  Orange Coast will row from Lane 1 in the third of four Men's Varsity 8 heats, scheduled for 2:36 p.m. Pacific time. 

The Coast varsity will have Marist College of Poughkeepsie, New York, next to it in Lane 2, with Bates College of Lewiston, Maine, rowing out of Lane 3.  Lane 4 will be occupied by the U.S. Coast Guard Academy from New London, Connecticut, and rowing from Lane 5 will be Hamilton College of Clinton, New York.  Colby College of Waterville, Maine, will line up in Lane 6. 

Rowing in Heat 1 of the varsity event will be the University of Virginia, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Ithaca College, the University of New Hampshire, and the University of North Carolina.  Heat 2 will feature Trinity College, Wesleyan University, UC San Diego, Rochester Institute of Technology, and the University of Mary Washington.  Heat 4 will have the University of Michigan, Williams College, Hobart College, UC Davis, St. Lawrence University, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Semi-final races for the varsity event will go off between 9:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Pacific time on Sunday.   The grand final is set for 3:10 p.m. Pacific time on Sunday.

Coast has also drawn Lane 1 in the first of three Novice 8 heats at 6:00 a.m. Pacific time on Sunday.  The "A" crew from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) will line up next to OCC in Lane 2.  Ithaca College of Ithaca, New York, is in Lane 3, and Rochester Institute of Technology of Rochester, New York, is in Lane 4.  UMass will row from Lane 6. 

The second heat in the novice event consists of Virginia, Trinity, Marist, Vermont, and the Hobart "B" crew.  Heat 3 has Williams, the Hobart "A" crew, UC San Diego, Coast Guard, Middlebury College, and the Michigan "B" boat.  Since there are only three heats, there are no semi-finals in the novice event.  The novice grand final is scheduled for 11:50 Pacific time on Sunday.     

May 4, 2008

Coast Crew Brings Home WIRA Championship, Heads for East Coast

Executing race plans to perfection, the Orange Coast College crew won three championships Sunday and took the men's overall points title at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association championships on Lake Natoma in Gold River, California.  The Pirates put on a brilliant performance, winning the Varsity 8, Novice 8, and Second Novice 8 events and placing fourth in the Second Varsity 8.

Coast's Varsity 8 and Novice 8 crews will leave Wednesday to take part in the Eastern College Athletic Conference National Invitational Rowing Championships Saturday and Sunday on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Rowing into a headwind, the Coast Varsity 8 used an explosive start to gain early control of the six-boat Grand Final and never relinquished the lead.  OCC finished a little more than one length ahead of its main challenger, Gonzaga, covering the 2,000-meter course in a time of 6:02.8.  Gonzaga was clocked in 6:06.2 to place second and was followed by the University of San Diego in 6:12.5.  Santa Clara (6:14.7), UC San Diego (6:15.8), and defending champion UC Davis (6:18.0) rounded out the field.

"We had seen how close the novice race was with Gonzaga, so we were a little nervous, a little apprehensive, going out there," said varsity coxswain Michael Hinderberger.  "Coach told us they would try to be up on us at the start, but we got up and kept walking.  We stuck with the race plan, and it went flawlessly." 

Coach Larry Moore was pleased with the performance that gave OCC its first WIRA Varsity title since 2004.  "We got them early.  They did exactly what I asked."  Varsity four-seat Roger Huffman, who along with stroke James Long-Lerno and five-seat Dan Dahlin was named to the All-WIRA team, put it simply.  "It was so fun.  Right from the start."

The novice race earlier in the day was a real barn burner.  Coast and Gonzaga had seen each other once before this season, with Coast winning a close dual at Redwood Shores in the Windermere regatta.  Gonzaga came in on the wake of some big wins against East Coast competition and took it right to OCC.  The two crews traded the lead several times and dominated the rest of the field.  Trailing going into the last 500 meters, Coast put on a furious sprint and went through the Bulldogs to win by about eight seats.  Coast finished in 6:08.4 to defend its WIRA title while Gonzaga was timed in 6:10.2.  

"Gonzaga had us by one seat off the line," said freshman coxswain Dylon Young.  "They made a move at 750 and were up by four seats.  We just tried to hold them there.  I was going to take an early sprint, but we started taking seats.  With 250 to go, we were taking a seat a stroke."

Novice Coach Pat Gleason followed the race on his bike and loved what he saw.  "Gonzaga threw everything they had at us.  I was glad our guys kept their composure."

Coast's Second Novice 8 started the day by successfully defending its WIRA title.  The Pirates turned in a time of 6:28.4 to beat second-place finisher UC San Diego (6:31.8) by a length.  OCC's Second Varsity 8 added to the overall team score by putting together its best race of the season in registering its fourth-place finish.  OCC placed 10th in the Pair and 12th in the Novice 4.


OCC's Varsity 8 pulls away from Gonzaga (red) to win the WIRA title.

Gold Medal Varsity 8: Coxswain Michael Hinderberger, Stroke James Long-Lerno, 7-Bobby Jacobs, 6-Steve Oesterich, 5-Dan Dahlin, 4-Roger Huffman, 3-Erich Hanxleden, 2-Will Prioleau, Bow-Kelly Hughes.


OCC Novice 8 rows Blitzachter to WIRA championship over Gonzaga.

Gold Medal Novice 8:  Coxswain Dylon Young, Stroke Kevin Rickon, 7-Roscoe Fowler, 6-Jonathan Hall, 5-Tommy Feck, 4-Patrick Avelino, 3-Liam Saunders, 2-Jeff Powers, Bow-Harrison Taylor.


OCC 2nd Novice 8 crosses the finish line as WIRA champions.

Gold Medal 2nd Novice 8:  Coxswain Brittney Aarons, Stroke Josh Burns, 7-Chris Edmunds, 6-Chris Jackson, 5-James Casey, 4-Travis Wingo, 3-Cole Massey, 2-Rusty Miller, Bow-Kevin Kamashin.

As has been the case all season, Coast had a loud and supportive group of parents, friends, and alumni along the Lake Natoma shoreline.  The group included the Jackson family, who made the trek from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  Patrick and Michelle Avelino teamed up with Paul and Marsha Masse to provide a pasta dinner on Friday and then delicious barbecued teriyaki tri-tip on Saturday and Sunday. 

       
Who knew 50 pounds of tri-tip could go so fast? 
Thanks, Mr. Avelino!

April 30, 2008

WIRA Championship Regatta Up Next for Coast Crew

After taking last weekend off, OCC's crew travels to the Sacramento area this weekend for the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association championships.  The WIRA regatta will be held on the world class 2,000 meter course at Lake Natoma in Gold River, California, and is hosted by the Sacramento State Aquatic Center.  The CSUS Aquatic Center is located 15 miles east of the Sacramento State campus off Highway 50.

Coast will be seeking to defend its championships in the Novice 8, Second Novice 8, and Novice 4 events.  OCC goes into the regatta with the No. 1 ranked Varsity 8 and is seeking its first WIRA title in that event since 2004.  The Varsity 8 event has been very balanced and competitive in recent years.  In the last six years, no crew has won the event in back to back seasons.  OCC and UC Davis have each won twice, and Gonzaga and the University of Colorado have also claimed the title.   

The Coast varsity moved up to the No. 3 spot in the American Collegiate Rowing Association poll released this week on row2k.com.  Virginia and Michigan remain ahead of OCC in the top two spots, while Purdue is now ranked fourth.  UC Davis, which won the WIRA Varsity 8 title last season, is ranked ninth in the poll.  In the US Rowing Collegiate Coaches' Poll, OCC received votes but remains just outside of the Top 20.  Gonzaga is ranked 19th in that poll.  Other WIRA schools receiving votes were UC San Diego and University of San Diego.  OCC held onto its No. 13 national ranking in row2k.com's cMax computerized poll this week.

Coast's Novice 8 also made it into the national polls this week.  In the first ACRA Freshman/Novice 8 poll of the season released on row2k.com, OCC held the No. 4 position behind Delaware, Virginia, and Georgia Tech.  No other WIRA schools cracked the Top 10, but Sonoma State and UC Davis received votes. 
  


OCC's Varsity 8 hopes to celebrate a WIRA title this weekend.

Lane draws were also released today for the WIRA regatta.  Racing begins on Saturday at 8:00 a.m. and the last race of the day is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.  Sunday's finals begin at 8:00 a.m. and conclude with an award ceremony at 12:45 p.m.

In the Varsity 8 event, top-ranked OCC will be racing in Heat 1 Saturday at 10:20 a.m., rowing out of Lane 1.  Santa Clara is in Lane 2, the Cal lightweight crew is in Lane 3, Long Beach State is in Lane 4, UC Irvine is in Lane 5, and San Diego State is in Lane 6.  The top two boats go to the final.

In the Novice 8 event, OCC was awarded the top seed and will be racing in Heat 1 at 11:10 a.m., rowing out of Lane 1.  UC San Diego will be in Lane 2, Sonoma State will be in Lane 3, Colorado will be in Lane 4, UC Irvine will be in Lane 5, Long Beach State will be in Lane 6, and Willamette will be in Lane 7. The top three crews will qualify for the final.  Coast has dominated this event, winning five of the last six seasons. 

The Novice 4 event is an unseeded race, and it will be the OCC men's first race of the regatta at 9:40 a.m. on Saturday.  The Pirates will line up in Lane 3 of Heat 2, with Sonoma State in Lane 1, Pacific in Lane 2, Santa Clara in Lane 4, and UC Davis in Lane 5.  The top two finishers will advance to the final.  This event has had a different champion each of the last six years.

Coast will race in the first heat of the Men's Pair event after the lunch break Saturday, going off at 3:10 p.m.  OCC has drawn Lane 1, with Seattle Pacific in Lane 2, Puget Sound in Lane 3, Loyola Marymount in Lane 4, Washington State in Lane 5, UC Santa Barbara in Lane 6, and Sacramento State in Lane 7.  The top three boats will go to the final.

The Second Novice 8 event will be final only and will start at 9:10 a.m. on Sunday.  Coast is ranked second and will line up in Lane 2.  UC San Diego will be in Lane 1, UC Davis will be in Lane 3, and Washington State will be in Lane 4 in the four-boat final.  Coast has taken the title in this event five of the last six seasons.

The Second Varsity 8 race will be a six-boat, final-only event on Sunday at 10:40 a.m.  OCC is ranked third going into the race and will be in Lane 3.  UC Davis will be in Lane 1, UC San Diego will be in Lane 2, Gonzaga will be in Lane 4, Santa Clara will be in Lane 5, and UC Irvine will be in Lane 6.

Grand Finals in the Pair are slated for 8:50 a.m. on Sunday, the Novice 8 Grand Finals are set for 10:10 a.m., and the Varsity 8 Grand Finals are scheduled for 11:40 a.m.  It should be a great weekend of racing.  GO COAST!!  

 April 23, 2008

Coast Crew Continues to Climb in the Rankings

By virtue of its decisive victory in Saturday's Newport Regatta, OCC's Varsity 8 has claimed the No. 4 spot in the latest American Collegiate Rowing Association poll released yesterday.  The ACRA poll focuses on crews not eligible to compete in the NCAA.      

Virginia, winner of the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association regatta last weekend, sits atop the ACRA poll, followed by Michigan, Purdue, and Orange Coast.  OCC received one first-place vote in the balloting. 

Coast's second win of the season over UCLA Saturday in Newport vaulted the Pirates, who were ranked sixth in this poll last week, over the previously fifth-ranked Bruins.  UCLA falls to No. 6.  One other West Coast school, UC Davis, is ranked in the Top 10.  The Aggies, whom the Pirates will face in the upcoming Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association championships, are listed at No. 8.  UC Davis finished third behind OCC and UCLA in the Cal Cup at the San Diego Crew Classic before being moved to fourth-place due to a lane violation.

In the cMax computerized poll released today by row2k.com, Coast retained its spot at No. 13 in the nation among all heavyweight men's crews.  Wisconsin, coached by Coast alum Chris Clark, took over as the top-ranked men's heavyweight crew in the country in the cMax poll.

In the USRowing Collegiate Coaches' Poll released today, OCC is just outside of the Top 20.  All three collegiate rowing polls can be found at row2k.com/polls.      

Once again rowing under overcast skies on a cool morning, the Coast varsity strengthened its grip on a high national ranking by holding off a UCLA crew determined to avenge a loss to OCC in the Cal Cup at the San Diego Crew Classic.  With a crosswind contributing a slight chop to the water, Orange Coast survived a bit of a rocky start to lead by three-quarters of a length at the 1,000-meter mark.  The Pirates then methodically pulled away from the Bruins to finish almost seven seconds ahead for the victory.  USD and UCSD waged an epic battle for third place, with USD edging out their crosstown rivals at the line.  UCI was fifth.

The Coast Novice 8 blasted off the line and led from start to finish as it posted a six-second win over second-place USD.  In the Second Varsity race, OCC finished third as UCSD and UCLA traded the lead several times, with UCSD nipping the Bruins at the finish line to win.  Coast also finished in second place in the Second Novice 8 race and the Novice 4 event.

Next up for Coast is the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association championships on Lake Natoma outside of Sacramento May 3-4.  The Pirates figure to face a strong challenge from Gonzaga for the WIRA title in both the Varsity and Novice eight-oared events.

The Coast and Gonzaga varsities have not yet squared off this year.  The Bulldogs lost to UCLA in an early season matchup but recently fared well at the George Washington Invitational against highly regarded Virginia and Michigan.  Gonzaga split with Virginia and defeated Michigan on the Potomac River in Washington, D.C.  

In novice racing, OCC and Gonzaga have traditionally had great battles for WIRA supremacy.  This year should be no different.  Coast defeated Gonzaga in a spirited dual at Redwood Shores earlier this season, but Gonzaga has shown it will be tough as it recently beat Navy, Virginia, and Michigan at the GW Invitational.    



Coach Pat Gleason's Novice 8 Turns in a "Sub-Six" Effort to Win

April 18, 2008

Newport Regatta Slated for this Weekend

This weekend marks the 43^rd running of the Newport Regatta, where OCC plays host to UCI, UCLA, UCSD, and USD. This will be 2000 meters raced in Newport Bay , five lanes across, and very similar to last weekend. The teams will launch from the Newport Aquatic Center (1 Whitecliffs Road , Newport Beach , 92660), and will return there for the awards ceremonies after the last race.

Where to watch:

As like last week, the best viewing will be from the OCC boathouse. At OCC, the balcony provides great views down the course, while the docks are good for more close-up viewing. The OCC boathouse is undergoing construction now, and the front lawn is ripped up a bit, so watch your step around there.

Due to the construction equipment, there is essentially no parking in the lot. There may be some parking available on Pacific Coast Highway, but it is being repaved, so this may be restricted. There is also parking in a public lot behind Garlic Joe’s restaurant, which is about 200 yards west of the boathouse on PCH. Make sure to allow plenty of time to get to the boathouse. Bicycles are a great option if you can swing it.

Time         Event             Lane 1 Lane 2 Lane 3 Lane 4 Lane 5

8:10 am   2^nd Novice 8   UCI    UCLA  UCSD  OCC

8:30 am   Novice 8         UCI     UCSD  OCC   USD  UCLA

8:50 am   2^nd Varsity 8   UCLA  OCC   UCSD  UCI

9:10 am   Varsity 8          USD    UCSD  OCC  UCLA  UCI

9:30 am   Novice 4          OCC   OCC    TBD

ECAC Championships – May 10/11

Coaches Larry Moore and Pat Gleason are making plans to take the Varsity and Novice crews to the ECAC National Invitational Rowing Championships in Worchester , Mass., on May 10 & 11. This is the de-facto National Championships for non-scholarship & club programs, and features perennial powerhouses such as Trinity College and Michigan . The team will leave Long Beach at 8:45 PM on Wednesday, May 7th and return 8:45 PM on Monday, May 12. They will be staying at the Residence Inn by Marriott in Worcester (508-753-6300). Time permitting, the team will do a campus tour of Harvard and/or other nearby university campuses.

OCC Crew Banquet – May. 17

Mark your calendars. The end of the year Crew Awards Banquet will be held in the OCC Student Center on Saturday, May 17, at 6:00 pm. This is a nice dinner on campus where we recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of the team. The cost for the banquet is free for the rowers, and $20/person for the rest of us. (This cost will subsidize meals for the team.)

Coast has cracked the Top 25 of the latest cMax Poll, which ranks the top men's varsity crews in the country.  OCC holds the No. 13 position going into this weekend's competition.  The cMax poll can be found exclusively at row2k.com/polls.

April 12, 2008

OCC Downs UC Irvine and Cal State Long Beach

Coast Crew continued its winning ways Saturday, sweeping four races with local rivals UC Irvine and Cal State Long Beach in a tuneup for next week's Newport Regatta.  It was a beautiful sunny morning in Newport with no wind and very flat water. The race course had to be shifted back a few hundred meters due to the temporary docks that were installed for the Newport Boat Show, but otherwise it was perfect race conditions.

 Coast's JV holds off a challenge from UCI Saturday in Newport.

OCC won all four races by fairly comfortable margins, blasting off to strong starts, and then settling in to race pace to steadily pull away from the other crews. The JV race was the most exciting as UCI put up a strong first 1200 meters, trailing the OCC boat by about ¾ of a boat length as they passed the boathouse. The OCC JV’s held their composure, however, and pulled away in the last 500 meters, winning by open water.

In the varsity race, OCC posted a time of 6:00.7 to finish well ahead of second-place Long Beach and third-place Irvine.  Coast won the Novice event in a time of 6:22.4, followed by Irvine and then Long Beach.  OCC took the 2nd Novice event with a time of 6:44.4 as Irvine was second.

Many thanks to Perry and Cindy Skoll, who provided drinks and snacks to the team when the crews returned from battle!

April 10, 2008

Coast Crew Mourns the Loss of a Dear Friend

Joe Thomas passed on yesterday (Wednesday) morning, peacefully.  At present, there are no plans for a memorial service.  He was a very good friend to Coast Crew, having provided, among other support, four eight-oared shells.  His humor, sophistication and enthusiasm for the crew will be sorely missed.

April 6, 2008

35th Annual San Diego Crew Classic at Mission Bay


Coast Crew Varsity 8 hoists Cal Cup trophy in Steward's Enclosure at San Diego Crew Classic.

For the second weekend in a row, Coach Larry Moore's Coast Crew didn't let overcast skies cloud the outcome as the Pirates took home two trophies from the prestigious San Diego Crew Classic.  OCC's varsity 8 led wire to wire and took home the Cal Cup championship for the fourth time, while the 2nd novice 8 won the Novice B event for the second straight season. 

Coach Pat Gleason's 1st novice 8 won the petite final after finsihing third behind eventual champion Washington and a strong Stanford crew in its heat.  Coast's JV 8 finished fourth in the petite final Sunday after going up against powerhouses Harvard and Washington in the heat race Saturday.

Coast has now won the Cal Cup in 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008.  OCC took advantage of flat water and a slight tailwind in the first race of the regatta Saturday morning, setting the pace with a time of 5:56.00 to finish well ahead of second-place Minnesota, which came in at 6:03.44.  In Sunday's final, Coast used an explosive start to gain an early advantage and then steadily distanced itself from the field to win by open water.  Rowing later in the morning on Sunday in choppier water, the Pirates turned in a winning time of 6:01.80, followed by UCLA at 6:12.05.  Minnesota finished third in 6:14.52 ahead UC Davis, Lehigh, and Santa Clara.
  
For full race results, see the Results page of our website.  

Next up:  UC Irvine and Cal State Long Beach in Newport, Saturday morning, April 12.    


Coast's varsity 8 finishing strong ahead of the field in the Cal Cup final.

March 31, 2008

Windermere Pac-10 Challenge Regatta at Redwood Shores

Coast Crew opened the 2008 racing season with a bang over the weekend, turning in a strong performance at the Windermere Pac-10 Challenge Regatta at Redwood Shores. 

It was cold and cloudy Saturday in the Bay Area with a strong headwind blowing that provided for an especially punishing 3^rd 500 meters of the race. Nonetheless, it was a very good day for Coast Crews.

The Varsity won both of their races in convincing fashion, chalking up open water victories over the second varsities from Oregon State and Cornell while also posting some of the fastest split times of the day.

The Novices had a tough race in the morning against a very powerful Cal Freshman team and hung with them for the first 500 meters until the Bears started pulling away for a win. The Pirates rebounded in the afternoon with an exciting 1 length win over Gonzaga, which staged a fierce comeback in the second half.

Sunday brought sunny skies, but the headwind was still stiff on the racecourse.  The OCC novices wrapped up the weekend with a convincing victory over UCLA.  In one of the most anticipated races of the weekend, Coast's Varsity and Cal's highly touted Freshman 8 squared off.  Coast led at the 500 and the 1000 meter marks, but the Bears pulled out the victory in the last 1000.  (For all of the times, see the Results section of the website.) 

The teams were well fed with team dinners provided by Tom Hughes and John Taylor, and by a fantastic lunch for the crews after their morning races set up by Patti Hall. They also had some leftover fruit and water from the bus trip, so thanks to all who helped with that!  Thanks to Paul Prioleau for all his help organizing the parents and taking some great photos of the races.

Coast will now ready itself for the San Diego Crew Classic Saturday and Sunday on Mission Bay.  OCC will be entered in the Cal Cup, the JV 8, the Novice 8, and the Second Novice 8 events.  This year's regatta is the 35th anniversary of the Crew Classic, and it promises to be an exciting weekend.  Coast alums and parents have banded together to sponsor a tent that will serve as a gathering place for Coast Crew rowers, alums, parents, and friends.  Special thanks to Erik Elward for all his hard work getting the tent ready to go.  We look forward to seeing you all at the races! 



Coast leading Cornell by a length at 1000 meters on its way to decisive win.

__________________________________

March 26, 2008

This is Spring Break at Orange Coast College, so the men's crew took advantage of the break and conducted double days on the water in Newport this week to prepare for racing season.  The Varsity 8 and the Novice 8 will cap off the break by taking part for the first time in the Windermere Regatta, hosted by Stanford University at Redwood Shores.  The crews will catch a bus at 4:30 a.m. Friday for the trip north.  They will then row the course Friday afternoon.  Redwood Shores offers Henley-style dual racing, so the Coast boats will have two races on Saturday and one on Sunday.  Coach Moore's varsity will get its first taste of racing Saturday morning against Oregon State's JV crew and will follow that up in the afternoon against Cornell's JV.  On Sunday, the varsity will take on Cal's freshman boat.  Coach Gleason's novice team will meet Cal's frosh 8 on Saturday morning, followed by a matchup with Gonzaga in the afternoon.  The Coast novices will wrap up the weekend against UCLA's novices on Sunday.  Racing should be exciting.  Hope to see a large contingent of Coast fans there! 

March 16, 2008

The entire men's crew traveled to San Diego's Mission Bay yesterday to have a long day of rowing with UCSD, USD & Gonzaga Universities.  We put four eights and a four on the water.  Conditions were breezy in the morning and downright windy in the evening.  The two varsity eights did two eight-minute races and one six-minute race in the morning.  Around 5 p.m. the crews returned to the water and did a series of three full race short sprints.  The four- and three-minute pieces were done down wind in the warm-up area of the SD Crew Classic course.  The two-minute piece was on the course itself.  The wind was gusting up to around 30 mph, but conditions were rowable (barely) and everyone returned safely.  The two Novice eights had a similar workout with the Novice four only rowing in the morning as conditions did not permit them to row safely in the evening.  All crews had a good experience and will have good close racing with the San Diego and Gonzaga teams.

______________________________________________-

March 9, 2008



Coast Crew's Henley-style boat tent at NAC

The crew has moved to NAC as construction has begun at the OCC Boathouse.  The boat and oar racks are up and the teams are settling in.  The athletes are learning to beach launch daily without running aground and getting familiar with the new channel buoys.  Billy Whitford and all his staff have been absolutely wonderful to us and made the transition very smooth.  We are getting ready to travel to San Diego on the 15th for a day of rowing with UCSD, USD and Gonzaga.  We will launch from the UCSD boathouse at 7:30 a.m. and again at 4 p.m.  It should be a good day of rowing for all.



Beaching it at the Newport Aquatic Center 

March 2, 2008

 ALUMNI WEEKEND 2008

Our M.C. for the night, Mr. Joel Kew

Great Scott!  What an alum turnout for the alumni banquet and for the alumni races.  We had about 170 oarsmen and guests in the Orange Coast College Student Center for the event Saturday night.  Jim Jorgensen (68) headed up the team to put the banquet together.  Bob Knapp printed crew posters and banquet programs.  Joel Kew did a wonderful job as M.C.  Matt Chapman (04) and Danny Johnson (04) put together the video and slide presentations.  The ten-minute video featuring Dave Grant and video clips of alums was fantastic.  Alums arrived from all over the U.S. and from as far away as Moscow, Russia.  The alums spanned the years from 1954 to 2007.  The Dean of Athletics, Barbara Bond, and the President of the college, Bob Dees, were  present.  With no surprise, the hit of the evening was the 1968 crew, with seven of the nine athletes participating. 

 
The 1968 crew takes the stage

 The 1988 crew also made a strong showing with Penn coach Fred Honebein and Cornell coach Dan Allen making the trek from the East Coast.  

The 1988 Alums were well represented at the dinner and raced on Sunday

 1958 had a couple of notable guests, with David A. Grant leading the way.  Later in the evening, many alums gathered at Finisterre (Dave's house) for "refreshments" and catching up with good friends. 

Everyone gave David A. Grant a warm reception on his 50th reunion

We had four alum boats and four current Coast boats racing each other today.  A four made up of Jim Jorgensen, Phil Petersen & Geoff Strand (all 68), along with Dr. Chris Drover (67) and a current cox cruised the bay, with Geoff Strand broadcasting live from the water.  Rowing with only one hand at over 40 strokes per minute and using his two-way radio to do color commentary, Geoff and the 68 crew cruised to an easy victory over four eights.  An amazing display of skill and athletic prowess. 

Jim Jorgensen and Geoff Strand (68) ready for action!

  Pat Hadden, our Balloon Lady, was on hand again this morning supporting the activities.  

Dr. Chris Drover (67) and Balloon Lady Pat Hadden (ageless) enjoy the day.

 The 88 crew was pretty much intact rowing in Henley Victory.  There seemed to be a problem with the cox area, as Dan Allen was not able to "squeeze" into the seat.  The whole weekend was a great success and everyone had a great time.  Thanks to all for your help and participation.  A special thanks to Reid Hadley (83) for heading up the alum search and all the alums who helped put together a great weekend.
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February 26, 2008

Varsity

90' long by 20' wide, racks will be built shortly and move in March 3rd.
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February 17, 2008    

                            Sophomores getting the work done


The crew has been pretty good about doing the hard boring work required in January and February.  The work load is about to change as we meet with UCLA this coming Saturday and then Alumni weekend March 1 & 2.   The move from the boathouse to NAC is still on hold.  The new structure to house the men and women at NAC has not been erected yet.  Looks like we will get through Alumni day before moving.  Not much news this week.  Hope to get some of the oarsmen to contribute to this news section shortly. 

                                      Novice Seat Racing begins 

                  Seat racing the German National Team!?
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February 10, 2008

The crew worked very hard this past week.  Last Saturday the men and women had our annual winter scrimmage with UCI.  There were quite a few eights on the North Lido Channel race course rowing in both directions at once.  No damage was reported and all crews had a great workout.  The move to NAC has been delayed a few weeks while our temporary quarters are being built.  In the mean time, construction at the OCC boathouse has been held up pending coastal commission approval and permits.  We hope to continue to row out of the David A. Grant Intercollegiate Rowing Center through Alumni week end.  The crew office, locker room and tool room have been demolished but, we still have water to wash off the boats and racks to store them on.  Alumni weekend is March 1 & 2.  All alums are welcome this year (RSVP on our Alumni Weekend 2008 page) The dinner will be held in the Student Center on campus at 6:30 pm on Saturday evening.  Sunday morning racing will begin about 10:30 am at the boathouse.  For more information, check out the Alumni Weekend page.  In two weeks, the crew will be traveling to UCLA for a Saturday morning scrimmage.  It should get underway about 7:30 am and finish by 9 am or so.

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February 3, 2008
 

Within the next two or three weeks, the men and women will relocate to our temporary quarters at the Newport Aquatic Center.  Demolition has already begun with the office, locker room and tool room having been removed.  This will curtail our operations a bit but, we will adapt and make sure we get all the work done we need both on and off the water.  The following are some  conceptual drawings of the new facility. 

In the image above, oars will be stored behind the roll up door on the left.  The new "Eights Bay" is to the right under the second story erg room and crew offices.  Next to the eights bay is the "Fours Bay" with a crew work shop in the back and to the right of the fours bay is the new sailing work shops.  Upstairs next to the new erg room are the existing class rooms and conference room. 
In this drawing, you are looking at the stairs to the crew offices and behind them is the erg room with the women's locker room in the back.  The two "Chimney" like objects next to the stairs and on the east side of the eights bay are for oar storage.  The men's locker room is located in the back of the eights bay, 

Pacific Coast Hwy. view of the new boathouse.
 
The eights bay on the left with the men's locker room in the back...fours bay to the right of the eights bay with crew work shop in the back and the sailing work shops to the right of the fours bay.  Some eights can be stored in the fours bay.  We will lose some overhead space and shell storage as the eights bay will be just ten feet high and the fours bay a bit lower.  We will lose the lawn and the new first floor improvements will all be on the one level.  Parking will continue to be a problem but the boat house renovation will be a wonderful and welcome upgrade to both the men and women. 
 
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January 27, 2008