OTW with Matt Miller, Part IX: Temple Challenge Cup Semifinal v. ASR Nereus

UVa through Fawley, Temple Semifinal (Photo: Allen Miller)
The UVa men carried a great deal of momentum into today's semifinal v. a talented Dutch crew from ASR Nereus. The Cavs fought well, but when all was said and done, the verdict was 1 length to Nereus, and one of the most successful seasons in the history of the UVa Men's Rowing Program came to a close. On the other side of the bracket, California's frosh eight, coached by UVa alum Wyatt Allen, defeated the Harvard freshmen to reach the final. En route to victory, the Golden Bears broke their own course record to Fawley again. Here's Matt's take on Saturday's racing in Henley:

Saturday at Henley is bustling with energy and spectators. It seems like the number of Virginia fans doubled overnight. We’ve gained the support of a number of eliminated American crews, as well as the English crews we beat earlier in the week. It was great getting so many cheers on our way to the starting line.

This morning’s race against Nereus may have been our best performance here in Henley. Despite our clean start, they were already ahead by the island, and continued moving away through the barrier. We were pushing hard to stay with them, but it wasn’t enough. Although I was disappointed by the loss, it was a good way to go out, ending a great season. I’ve heard rumors that Nereus has beaten the Dutch U23 boat more than once this season. Regardless, they are a very fast crew.

UVa contingent in front of the boat tents (Photo: Allen Miller)
We were on the water to see the finish of the Harvard-Cal race. Cal looked phenomenal. I was impressed by Nereus, but I have doubts that they can hang with the Golden Bears. Racing Sunday would have been a thrill, but we are happy to have set a new standard in overseas performance for Virginia. I think everyone on our team considers the trip a success. -MM

Thanks very much to Matt for all his hard work, getting these stories to us following days of travel and racing, as well as to Allen Miller for his great photography. We hope that this series will be valuable record for Matt and UVa, and that just as UVa has set a new standard for itself overseas, so have we done in our coverage. It was a great ride, and while it's always tough to end the season on a loss, it does mean that the UVa squad will get some well-deserved time to reflect on an outstanding year, possibly over a pint or two. I recommend the Brakspear bitter.

-RR

Popular posts from this blog

The 30 Best Rowing Coaches of All Time, Part 3: The Top 10

Image
The top 10 best rowing coaches, including guess who (Photo © Iain Weir / Rowing Photography ) It's time for the third and final part of our 3-part series on the best of the best in the rowing coaching ranks. These coaches not only command respect based on performance, but have also shown the ability to adapt to new circumstances, build dynasties, and ultimately help shape the trajectory of rowing as a sport. Honestly, it would be easy to extend this series into 10 more posts... But we wouldn't do that to you. As we've said before, the hope is that the following may serve to educate and spark discussion, as both an appreciation of history and of the coaching craft. Also note: As we stated in Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, there are few women in this list, but that is a reflection of a general underrepresentation of women in the head coaching ranks in our sport—and indeed (as has been well documented ) a growing number of NCAA sports in the United States.
Read more

"I Row Crew" — Rowing in 'The Social Network'

Image
Like many of the rowing faithful, I've been keeping up with the saga penned by Dan Boyne about the filming of the rowing scenes in David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin's The Social Network , and I must say I had high hopes going into the film. The first problem I encountered: the phrase, "I row crew." It was uttered so many times before anyone "rowed crew" on the water that I had trouble buying any of it later. It's understandable that the character of Mark Zuckerberg makes that mistake, since he has no idea about the sport. But when the Winklevoss twins themselves utter the phrase several times, one begins to wonder where Boyne was when these lines were not being chopped or changed. Seriously, who says that? As far as the actual rowing goes, the first scene, which has the twins out training in a pair along with the rest of the Harvard squad, is not all bad — it just ends that way. The line, "Those guys are freakin' fast" is certainly every b
Read more

RR Interview: Nick Trojan's New Feature on Yale Men's Rowing

Image
Nick Trojan's latest feature documentary is twice as long as his previous work—but leaves you wanting more, just the same.  There’s a new feature in Nick Trojan’s series, taking an inside look at top-tier college rowing programs in the US. This time, Trojan focused his project on Yale and the legendary coach Steve Gladstone, blending outstanding camerawork with one of rowing’s most compelling stories.  Having uploaded the video to YouTube only two weeks ago, it’s already approaching 70k views. And for good reason.  RR sat down recently to talk through it all with Trojan in an exclusive interview, from origins to development and finally a finished product—as well as what might come next. Here’s what we learned. Navigating shifting waters Elite rower turned filmmaker Nick Trojan’s new feature, titled simply, “Yale Men’s Rowing,” was years in the making.  “The initial idea was to do the same kind of rinse-and-repeat that we had done with Harvard and Cal,” Trojan says, “but I think wha
Read more

Video Of The Week: Holland Beker 2013

This week's video comes to us from the Bosbaan, where the 2013 Holland Beker saw truly elite, international competition over the weekend. Perhaps the most outstanding racing came in the women's single, where the A Final closely mirrored a world championship or Olympic final in recent years—the lineup included two-time Olympic champ Ekaterina Karsten of Belarus, Kim Crow of Australia, New Zealand's Emma Twigg , reigning Olympic champion Mirka Knapkova of the Czech Republic, another two-time Olympic champion (albeit in the women's eight) in Eleanor Logan , and 2012 Olympic bronze medalist (also in the eight) Chantal Achterberg of Holland. As it turned out, the final was a wire-to-wire victory for Kim Crow, who looks to be on top form and may be the athlete to beat in this event for the foreseeable future, holding off both Karsten and Twigg in the closing stretch, with Knapkova finishing fourth. Elle Logan had another solid race in a great field, finishing just over
Read more

Best Rowing Drills: 5 Favorites of Olympic Champion Esther Lofgren

Image
Lofgren training in the single (Photo courtesy of Esther Lofgren) Olympic gold medalist Esther Lofgren is no stranger to success on the water. In addition to her podium-topping performance with the U.S. women's eight in London, Lofgren also won two world titles (2010, 2011), with her first international medal—a bronze—coming in the women's straight four in 2006. Here, Lofgren shares some insight into the drills that have helped her progress technically along the way.
Read more