RowingRelated

Last weekend was jammed with great racing at the junior and collegiate levels, but look no further than these two races for some of the most exciting, and closely fought action on both sides of the Atlantic.

This week's video comes from spring break training camp with our frontrunners for the 2014 ACRA national title, the University of Michigan Wolverines. From the above, it looks as though the Michigan men's squad enjoyed some unfamiliar conditions (sun, warmth), and took full advantage of their camp, on and off the water. The Wolverines are in action this weekend in Philadelphia at the 76th Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta , and having won their heat are well positioned to take a run at the title again this year—their last heavyweight varsity eight victory came in 2012, when they edged FIT by roughly three tenths of a second to claim the crown on the Schuylkill. Other contenders for the men's varsity eight title this year look to be FIT , Bucknell , Grand Valley , Virginia , and defending champions  Drexel —these are probables for tomorrow's final, though there is a tough round of semis coming up on Saturday morning. For live, streaming coverage of Dad Vails, check out ESP...

It's getting to be that time of year—that point in the rowing season where all the winter workouts, all the hours in the gym, all the dark morning sessions and extra weights after practice are distant memories, and championship race day is approaching. This video, which was published earlier this year by Marlow Rowing Club , gets at just what it means to put in the hours that no one sees in order to be at your best when it matters most. From the training, to the coaching, to the experience of racing, this one has it all. (And, it certainly doesn't hurt that it's arguably the most cinematic rowing film on the internet.) There have already been a number of surprises this season at both the junior and collegiate levels, with the Stanford men making their intentions clear in their annual dual with Cal , Marin and Oakland duking it out for supremacy at USRowing Southwest Junior Regionals , and Drexel defending home waters against all comers, including two-time defending ...

The Schuylkill Course (Photo: B. Kitch) The 75th Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta kicks off today, with a ton of teams and a host of races taking over the historic Schuylkill course through Saturday afternoon. There are a number of familiar names that will likely be among the top programs once again this year on both the men's and women's sides, though there are a few upstarts that may just get your attention this weekend as well. And so, without further ado, here are our picks and predictions for the podium (warning—opinions follow):

This year's running of the Aberdeen Dad Vails was, without question, one of the biggest and best rowing events on the circuit, featuring live coverage via ESPN 3, commentary from Keith Russel of ABC (along with Liz Santaniello and Jason Read , who did a great job – even hitting us with a "they were all over that like spiders on a birthday cake" line at one point), interviews – the list goes on. Everyone involved deserves to be commended for their great work – the regatta has done a great deal for the sport in terms of exposure, city-wide involvement, and recognition of all that it takes to make collegiate rowing work. Watching the streaming webcast of the event on ESPN 3, I couldn't help but feel proud of all those competing, and thankful to all those who made the event possible. It's a massive step forward for rowing in the US. Now, let's turn our head to the results. On Thursday, we released our picks for the Grand Final of the Men's Varsity 8 (The Ab...

Apologies for the inconvenience, but Google Blogger is undergoing maintenance and has temporarily removed articles post-dating May 11, 2011. These should be restored shortly, but, in the meantime, Aberdeen Dad Vails are underway, and our picks and predictions (posted Thursday, May 12) look solid so far. In brief, here are our picks once again below, in order of predicted finish: RR Picks for Aberdeen Dad Vails, Men's Varsity 8 Grand Final: Virginia Michigan Temple FIT Delaware Brock/Williams Update from Friday Morning – Two top contenders, Delaware and RR top pick Virginia , were placed in the same heat, with Delaware (a combination lineup of their top heavies and lights) posting the fastest time of the day in the MV8 (roughly 5:52), Virginia a close second at 5:54. The two squads look very strong and there will be some intense racing in the semis. Drexel also posted a solid result, winning their heat in 5:57, while Michigan, Williams, FIT, and Temple won their respec...

It's a huge weekend in US intercollegiate racing this Saturday and Sunday, with Eastern Sprints, Pac-10s, Dad Vails, and the Big 10 Championships all going on at once. Here at RowingRelated, we like knowledge. And, because of our regard for knowledge, we also like to play with that knowledge a little bit. Warning: opinions and predictions to follow. The 2011 Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta boasts a field on the men's side that is more competitive than it has been in years, with many of the teams already having matched up on more than one occasion (often with differing results). Based on all the information that we can compile, here are our picks for the Varsity 8 Grand Final, in order of predicted finish: Virginia Michigan Temple FIT Delaware Brock/Williams We are picking the Virginia men to take the top spot in the Varsity 8. Michigan is certainly very strong, as they proved last weekend at ECACs, defeating a strong crew from Williams for the gold medal. However, Virgi...