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Local rowers win regional pairs title

Vancouver Lake Crew members earn trip to nationals

By Paul Danzer, Columbian Soccer, hockey and Community Sports Reporter
Published: May 18, 2010, 12:00am

Brent Eastes and Daniel Mudge earned a trip to the USA Rowing Junior Nationals, highlighting a successful weekend for the Vancouver Lake Crew during the Northwest Junior Regional Regatta.

Eastes and Mudge won the championship in the men’s lightweight double, completing the 2,000-meter course on Vancouver Lake in 7 minutes and 15 seconds. They advance to the national championships in June near Cincinnati, Ohio.

A total of 15 rowers from Vancouver Lake Crew earned medals. The local club had 28 high school students competing in the regatta, which is the culmination of the spring rowing season for most of the competitors. About 1,000 rowers from more than 20 clubs participated in the three-day regatta, which is held annually on Vancouver Lake.

Eastes, a senior at Mountain View, and Mudge, a Columbia River junior, have been with Vancouver Lake Crew for more than three years each. They rowed together for the first time only six weeks ago. Something clicked.

“We never really have a bad row,” Eastes said. “Sometimes it seems like the boat moves effortlessly.”

The effort to qualify for nationals included stroke adjustments at the suggestion of coach Alan Stewart that Eastes said was vital to the pair’s success.

Eastes said he and Mudge had their usual quick start in the regional finals, taking a charge of the race in the first 250 meters, and winning the race by 13 seconds.

“I’m unbelievably happy that Daniel and I teamed up,” Eastes said.

Other highlights for VLC rowers included a fifth-place finish for Nathan Drapela in the men’s lightweight single race, a win for Markus Fuchs and Dylan Dynes in a men’s double third-varsity heat, and a third place in the men’s second-varsity double for Gene Sanches and Dustin Crossman.

In junior varsity competition, several VLC rowers medaled with top-three finishes. In the women’s JV single, Sawyer Schultz and Rachel Lucero placed second and third, respectively. In the men’s JV single, Toresen Golberg placed third.

Seven of the 23 novice rowers from VLC earned medals, including a second place in the men’s novice single for Alec Bittner.

Many members of Vancouver Lake Crew train year round on Vancouver Lake. The high school rowers begin training in February and enter several smaller regattas in preparation for the regionals.

A complete list of the VLC medal winners from the regionals is in the Community Sports Scoreboard.

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Columbian Soccer, hockey and Community Sports Reporter