Columbia
Florida Tech (Governor's Cup)
Columbia Rowers Dominate Men's Races in Governor?s Cup
3/23/2008 12:00:00 AM | Heavyweight Rowing, Lightweight Rowing
The March training session concludes with a regatta, the Governor's Cup, pitting Columbia teams against many of the best Florida schools.
Following the 2008 Governor's Cup, the Columbia men's coaches were in agreement: they couldn't be more pleased.
“This was a good end to spring training, a good beginning to the season,” heavyweight head coach Mike Zimmer said. Head lightweight coach Scott Alwin agreed. “This has been a solid week of training,” he said, “and this was a good way to end it. Our guys did a good job.”
Columbia rowers came out on top in every event involving eights. The heavyweights and lightweights each won freshman/novice races against Florida Tech and Rollins, and the heavyweight and lightweight second varsities were 1-2 in the 2V race.
The varsity eights race was looking to be a highly-competitive contest among the Lion heavyweights and lightweights, and host FIT until the latter was forced to retire from the race when its stroke suffered a major injury.
Columbia's only setback was in the Varsity Fours, when Rollins topped two makeshift Columbia boats by substantial margins.
Both coaches had high praise for their freshman eights. Rowing the standard 2000-meter distance for the first time in formal competition ? their fall racing consisted of the much longer head-style races ? they rowed “convincingly”, as Alwin put it.
Although they were matched against heavyweight crews, he added, the lightweight varsity and second varsity “had very solid rows. This was a very solid start to the spring.”
The Columbia heavyweights open their EARC season next Saturday, March 29, against Rutgers for the Collins Cup. In a departure from the practice of the past few years, the regatta will be held on Columbia's Harlem River Racecourse. Starting times will be announced during the week.
The lightweights don't open until the following week, Saturday, April 5, when they row at Princeton with Georgetown. The Columbia women also row at Princeton that day, with Rutgers.
The Governor's Cup
March 22, 2008
Canal 54, Fellsmere, Fla.
I. Men's Freshman/Novice Eights
1. Columbia Lightweights, 6:18.0
2. FIT, 6:51.3
II. Men's Freshman/Novice Eights
1. Columbia Heavyweights, 6:23.8
2. Rollins, 6:57.2
III. Men's Varsity Eights
1. Columbia Heavyweights, 5:57 (approx.)
2. Columbia Lightweights, +10.4
3. FIT, did not finish
IV. Men's Second Varsity Eights
1. Columbia Heavyweights, 6:17.1
2. Columbia Lightweights, 6:23.3
3. FIT, 6:37.7
V. Men's Varsity Fours
1. Rollins, 7:04.2
2. Columbia Heavyweights, 7:15.3
3. Columbia Lightweights, 7:38.0
VI. Men's Freshman/Novice Eights
1. Columbia Lightweights, 6:26.9
2. Rollins, 7:04.0
VII. Men's Freshman/Novice Eights
1. Columbia Heavyweights, 6:30.5
2. FIT, 7:06.3
