RowingRelated

Views from the launch (Screen capture) This week's video offers a skillfully shot and beautifully edited look back at Henley Royal Regatta, plus a quick interview with the filmmaker, Molesey Boat Club's Adam Heayberd.

The calm before the storm in Putney (Photo: B. Kitch) What is supposed to be the annual statement of winter training for most UK clubs has been missing something vital for the past two editions: a completed race! Not deterred by the recent cancellations, 345 crews are scheduled to take to the championship course on Sunday—a figure well down on the 420 who used to fill the entry, however. The fickle nature of exchange rates are thought to be an additional factor in this reduction, as seen by the reduced overseas entries, further to the uncertainty that the recent cancellations have brought.

The first day of the 2014 Henley Royal Regatta is history, and what better time to celebrate the release of Jack Carlson's new book on rowing blazers? Our friends at Hear the Boat Sing recently reviewed Carlson's work, and it's well worth a read. Everyone lining the banks in Henley-on-Thames is donning their colors and supporting their schools and clubs, but as is always the case, the field has already been reduced by half. Let's take a look at how things played out today, shall we?

We were deeply saddened to hear that Beijing silver medalist and two-time Boat Race champion coxswain, Acer Nethercott , has passed away at the age of 35. Nethercott had an extraordinarily successful career in rowing. The above video shows the final strokes of the 2003 Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race (Nethercott's first win in the main event), which was arguably the greatest Boat Race in history. The verdict after 4 and 1/2 miles? Oxford, by one foot. At the 2008 Olympic Games, Nethercott guided the GB men's eight to a close second place finish behind Canada , edging the United States into third place. Acer is Latin for sharp, keen, sagacious . In the words of GB Olympic gold medalist Garry Herbert , "[It was a] privilege to have known him, he lived up to the meaning of his name in every way." The former Molesey Boat Club cox will be dearly missed, but his life and accomplishments will not be forgotten. Read more about Acer's outstanding rowing career on...

Putney Embankment - Finish of the HoRR (Photo: B. Kitch) Last Saturday, the Eights Head of the River Race (HoRR) took place on the Thames, making use of the same course as the Boat Race, albeit in reverse (from Mortlake to Putney). There was quite a showdown between last year's winner Molesey Boat Club, home to one of the biggest names in British Rowing, Andrew Triggs-Hodge. Leander started in second position, based on last year's results, and managed to reclaim the title despite two last-minute changes to their lineup due to injury/illness -- Tom Broadway was replaced by Ben Duggan (of Brown University, and bronze medalist at the 2009 U23 World Championships representing Great Britain), and club captain Rick Egington was replaced by Simon Hislop, fresh from his victory in this year's Boat Race as stroke of the Oxford Blue Boat. While Leander may have lost some horsepower, they certainly had plenty of experience, with 2008 Olympic gold medalist Pete Reed in the 5 seat, a...

Or maybe, don't call it a comeback. RR sources say that Harvard alumnus Michael Blomquist, multiple-time US National Team member, World Champion in the Men's VIII in 2005, and winner of the 2005 Boat Race with Oxford, may be on his way back to the States after leaving Molesey Boat Club  (for the Americans in the audience, that's pronounced 'Mole-Zee') and the United Kingdom for a shot at representing the Stars and Stripes in 2012. Blomquist has had a number of successes at the World level, most recently placing a close fourth at the 2006 World Championships in Eton in the M4- along with Brett Newlin, Matt Schnobrich, and Josh Inman (to see their race, check out the earliest entry in the RR  Video of the Week Archive ). He also represented the US in the 4- at the 2001 and 2002 World Championships (Lucerne and Seville), placing sixth in the event on both occasions. Since his last appearance on the World stage in 2006, Blomquist has continued to train and race for Mole...

Over the past few months and years we have seen a steady decline in the funding and support of 'non-revenue' men's athletics—or 'Olympic Sports' as Steve Gladstone called them while serving as Athletic Director at Cal. This process began with Title IX in 1990, and has recently picked up speed with a number of the state-funded schools experiencing financial setbacks due to the state of the economy. Just recently, we saw the latest victims here in the Bay Area fall to the economic pressures of rebuilding California and restructuring University of California finances, as the Cal Men's Baseball team was cut from the athletics department, along with the Men's Rugby team. Both were programs with a long history of success—the rugby squad was the most dominant such program in the United States, but when it comes time to cut spending, men's athletics are often the first item on the chopping block. In rowing, the few remaining varsity programs on the men's s...