ROWING: Twenty-Two Boats Enter First Set of 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Rowing

Twenty-two boats have entered the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Rowing scheduled for May 12-17 on Lake Mercer in West Windsor, N.J. Referred to as the non-qualified small boat trials, the regatta will feature racing in the men's single sculls, lightweight women's double sculls and lightweight men's double sculls. At the 2007 World Championships, the United States failed to qualify these three boats for the 2008 Olympic Games, so the U.S. must race at a last-chance qualifier to earn a spot in the Olympic Games. The winners of these trials will compete at the 2008 Olympic Qualification Regatta in Poznan, Poland. Qualification spots at the regatta are available to the top three finishers in the men's single sculls, top two finishers in the lightweight men's double sculls and top two finishers in the lightweight women's double sculls. If the U.S. crews finish high enough, they will make the Olympic Games. Nine crews have entered the trials in the lightweight men's double sculls. The California Rowing Club/Potomac Boat Club duo of Michael Aller (Santa Barbara, Calif.) and Gavin Frase (Orinda, Calif.) won the event at USRowing's National Selection Regatta (NSR) #2 held the last weekend of April. Aller is a three-time national team member, last racing for the U.S. at the 2004 FISA World Championships, while Frase is a two-time national team member. The Malta Boat Club/Penn A.C. Rowing Association combination of Bjorn Larsen (Lake Stevens, Wash.) and Richard Montgomery (Batavia, Ill.) finished second at NSR #2. Montgomery, a four-time national team member, won a silver medal in the event at the 2007 Pan American Games, while Larsen, a three-time team member, won silver in the lightweight four at last year's Pan Am Games. Other crews to watch include the USRowing Training Center/Bachelors Barge Club duo of Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Cody Lowry (Bristow, Okla.), who raced in the event at the 2006 World Championships, and the Union Boat Club duo of two-time Olympian Steve Tucker (Mooresville, Ind.) and Aleks Zosuls (Lattingtown Harbor, N.Y.). Tucker has represented the U.S. in the event at the past two Olympic Games, finishing seventh in 2004. Seven crews have entered the lightweight women's double sculls. The USRowing Training Center duo of Jen Goldsack (Henley-on-Thames, United Kingdom) and Renee Hykel (Haverford, Pa.) finished fifth in the open weight double sculls at last month's NSR #2. Goldsack is a veteran of two world championships squads, one for the United States and one for Great Britain, and won the silver medal in the lightweight single sculls for the U.S. at last year's world championships. Hykel is a four-time national team member and a 2005 World Championships silver medalist in the lightweight double. Vesper Boat Club's Carey Brezler (Waynesboro, Pa.) and Wendy Tripician (Needham, Mass.), who finished eighth in the open weight double at NSR #2, were both members of the national team last year. Brezler raced in the lightweight women's quadruple sculls at the world championships, while Tripician raced in the lightweight double. Five other rowers with senior national team experience also are scheduled to race including Michelle Trannel (East Dubuque, Ill.), Melissa Rice (Virginia Beach, Va.), Heather Moon (Windsor, Vt.), Hannah Moore (Niskayuna, N.Y.) and Julie Nichols (Livermore, Calif.). Six scullers have entered the men's single sculls. Two-time national team member Ken Jurkowski (New Fairfield, Conn.), a bronze medalist in the men's eight at the 2006 World Championships, won the single sculls at National Selection Regatta #1 in early April. Bantam Boat Club's Peter Graves (Cincinnati, Ohio) finished third at the same regatta, while New York Athletic Club's James Dietz (Amherst Mass.) and Atlanta Rowing Club's Jordan Smith (Forestville, Calif.) finished fifth and sixth, respectively. Graves and Dietz have international experience at the Under 23 World Championships, while Smith won a bronze medal in the men's pair with coxswain at the 2005 World Championships. Racing begins at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 13, with heats. Finals are held in a best two-out-of-three format, with the first set of finals taking place on Thursday, May 15, beginning at 8:00 a.m. The second set of finals will take place starting at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, May 16, with third finals taking place on Saturday, May 17, if necessary. The start time for Saturday's racing is to be announced. For a complete schedule, please visit http://www.usrowing.org. The second set of U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Rowing will be held June 9-13. Known as the qualified small boat trials, this event could feature racing in the women's single sculls, men's double sculls, women's double sculls, men's pair and women's pair. With all five crews potentially qualifying for the Olympics through the NSR and world cup qualification process, the final schedule of events will be determined on June 2 following the second world cup race in Lucerne, Switzerland. For a complete explanation of USRowing's selection procedures, please visit the following link on USRowing's Web site: http://www.usrowing.org/News_Media/2008OlympicGames/08olselexp.aspx. About USRowing USRowing is a nonprofit organization recognized by the United States Olympic Committee as the governing body for the sport of rowing in the United States. USRowing's Official Sponsor is Johnson and Johnson; its Official Suppliers are Hudson Boat Works, NIKE, Inc., and Rosetta Stone; its Official Patron is Concept2; its Official Electronics Outfitter is Nielsen Kellerman; its Official Timer is Powerhouse Timing; its Official Registrar is RegattaCentral; and its Preferred Printer is Sport Graphics Printing. USRowing also receives generous support from the National Rowing Foundation. About Princeton National Rowing Association Located on the shores of Lake Mercer, the Finn M.W. Caspersen Rowing Center is home to the Princeton National Rowing Association, a world-class training site and racing venue-complete with state-of-the art rowing equipment, a seven-lane buoyed course and well-equipped workout facilities-that uniquely combines youth and masters programs with elite rowing and international racing. The center accommodates USRowing, as well as rowing clubs and schools. It is an official U.S. Olympic Training Site. -30- Media members wishing to cover any of the selection events should contact Brett Johnson, USRowing Communications Director, at brett@usrowing.org for credentialing information.