LionsRC members traveled to Oakland, CA this past weekend to race in USRowing's 2005 Southwest Regional Masters Championships. The event, hosted by Lake Merritt Rowing Association, featured crews from 34 clubs in the Southwestern US.
For the first time in the brief two and a half year history of the Lions Rowing Club, members medaled in every event entered. In the sculling events, LionsRC members Sabrina Aris-Guentz, Jill Austin, and Sara-Mai Conway led a competitive field in all three disciplines of masters, open and lightweight events. In the Lightweight Single, LionsRC scullers Conway and Aris-Guentz finished second and third, respectively, behind Long Beach Rowing Association's Joy Stanton. In the Open Single, new member Jill Austin fought past Bair Island Aquatic Center's Erin Barnhart to claim Gold, with Aris-Guentz rounding out the top three in the Bronze position. In the Master's AA-A Single, Conway placed in the Silver position, second to Bair Island. Aris-Guentz and Conway then teamed up for both the Lightweight and Masters A Double, claiming Silver in the Lightweight category and Gold in the Masters category.
The LionsRC sweep rowing team faired equally well claiming Gold in the Masters A-B Eight with a 4 second win over 2nd place River City Rowing Club and Gold in the Open Eight with an open water win over Boulder Community Rowing Inc. The line-ups included Coxswain Katey Porter, Stroke Kate Donovan, Natalie Beglau, Anna Walther, Lions RC Coach Lori Guerrero, Lions RC Coach Melanie Salter, Sam Dillsi, Sabrina Aris-Guentz and Bow Seat Lori Schaffhauser. Jill Austin replaced Aris-Guentz in the Open Eight lineup.
Rowers in the Eight also doubled into the Masters A Four event, finishing 5 seconds ahead of 2nd place River City Rowing Club to capture the Gold. The lineup was Coxswain Katey Porter, Stroke Natalie Beglau, Kate Donovan, Anna Walther and Melanie Salter.
The final event of the day for the Lions Rowing Club was the Mixed Masters A-B Eight. After a false start from Bair Island Aquatic Center, the event finally took off from the line into a fierce and choppy headwind, through which the LionsRC Eight rowed a powerful 30 stroke rate to pull away from second place Los Gatos Rowing Club and capture the final Gold of the day. Racing for the competition was LionsRC member Patricia Greenfield, who has been rowing with Bair Island while completing a research program at Stanford.
Overall, it was a great weekend for the Lions Rowing Club and an exciting way to kick off the first away event of the summer.
Full results can be found at http://www.racetrak.com/usrowing/swmasters/2005/
Club members previously raced in the June home event, Rumble in the Jungle, and will be traveling again in August to the Canadian Henley and the Lake Merritt Sprints. Look for more news soon. GO LIONS!!
• Women's A 2x - 1st
• Women's Open 8+ - 1st
• Mixed A-B 8+ - 1st
• Women's A 4+ - 1st
• Women's A-B 8+ - 1st
• Women's Open 1x - 1st & 3rd
• Women's AA-J Light 2x - 2nd
• Women's A 1x - 2nd
• Women's AA-J Light 1x - 2nd & 3rd
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