World Indoor Rowing Champs Return

The Charles River All-Stars were a bunch of rowing bums
the river started freezing and they did the ergo sums
then headed for the great indoors where there ain’t no
ice and snow
When the weather’s froze,
keep the windows closed and row, row, row
– Zeke Hoskin

Pavel Shurmei of Belarus
© Kirk Bargerhuff

Still known by its original name, CRASH B’s, the world indoor rowing championships will meet again in Boston, United States. This Sunday, starting at 8 a.m. EST the cream of on and off the-water rowers will race the standard 2000 metre distance on the indoor rowing machine as fast as their bodies will let them.

From its humble beginnings in 1982 CRASH B’s now attracts over 2,000 participants and this year 20 countries are participating. The biggest overseas contingent, Great Britain has competitors racing in all classes from juniors through to 81-year-old Denis Melody defending his 2004 gold medal.

Sprinkled in amongst the competitors will be current world record holders including women’s lightweight world record holder Lisa Schlenker of the United States who competed at the Athens Olympics in the lightweight double. At 40 years old Schlenker continues to head the open lightweight section.

New Zealand’s Georgina Evers-Swindell set the open women’s world record in 2002 and since then has gone on to win her second World Rowing Championships title and Olympic gold in the women’s double. Evers-Swindell returns this year to defend her record against a strong showing from new blood on the United States national team squad including Melissa Meritt, Jennifer Kaido and Susan Francia. But Evers-Swindell’s toughest opposition may come from her sister and doubles partner, Caroline.

The lightweight men’s open and masters class includes a reuniting of Athens Olympic doubles rowers. Denmark’s Mads Rasumssen will come up against Greek bronze medallists Vasilis Polymeros and Nikos Skiathitis as well as Germany’s Peter Ording. Ording made a clean sweep last season in the lightweight men’s single by winning every race he entered and earning his first World Championships title.

The competition will also be hot in the masters’ lightweight category when Athens gold medallist Thomas Ebert of Denmark will take on Germany’s Ingo Euler. A veteran of three Olympic Games, Euler returns to Boston after winning the Head of the Charles in October last year. He will also face Olympians Greg Ruckman and Erik Miller of the United States.

Nearly 300 competitors will race in the open men’s event and include participants from as far away as Korea, Australia and Slovakia. This event will see current British champion Graham Benton take on World Under 23 men’s single winner Kristaps Bokums of Latvia. Benton is one of a growing group of indoor rowers who have never set foot inside a rowing boat, indoor rowing being his primary sport.

Also in the open men’s mix is New Zealand‘s George Bridgewater who shot to prominence by finishing a close fourth at Athens in the pair. And back for another year, Pavel Shurmei of Belarus returns to Boston to defend his 2004 first place hammer.

For a full list of entries go to: www.crash-b.org

A live web cast of the races can be seen at:http://www.concept2.com/resources/webcast.asp

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