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Future Olympians?

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Rowing News
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PHOTO: Lisa Worthy.

 

USRowing held the inaugural Youth Beach Sprint National Championships on Lido Beach in Sarasota, Fla, June 17-18. Ophelia Weiss from Next Level Rowing won the women’s single sculls. In the men’s single sculls, Ronan Maher of Oregon Rowing Unlimited clinched gold. In the men’s double sculls, Nicholas Griffin and Harrison Lee claimed gold, thanks to their explosive speed both on land and water. In the women’s double sculls, powering through the conditions led Elizabeth City Rowing Club’s Emma Mayer and Ella McFadden to win gold.

From The Editor: The Best Views

By
Chip Davis
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I didn’t get to Varese, Lucerne, or even Henley this year to see those great regattas in person, but I did spend about a quarter of May in New Jersey witnessing the IRA and NCAA national championship regattas.

For all five regattas, I, like thousands of others, had the best views of the astounding racing, fast times, and remarkable results achieved by some of the world’s greatest rowers.

On both the Cooper River in Camden County and Lake Mercer in Mercer County, you had to be there to appreciate fully how bad the wind and water conditions were—and how well most crews handled them, whether they should have been racing in those conditions, or not. And when you wanted to know what was happening at every point of the racing, all you had to do was look at the huge video screens showing the livestream coverage.

For the European regattas, drones and multiple other camera angles delivered video images even better and more dramatic than you’d see in person and in vivid high-definition clarity. At the World Rowing Cups, drones appeared to fly at, around, and in between the crews as they raced, providing an even better view than that of the coxswains.

From the continued dominance of the Romanian women’s eight at Lucerne to the outrageous and repeated upsets handed out by Finn Hamill at Henley, you could watch, and rewatch, why successful coaches warn their crews about getting overstroked and why the size of the fight in the dog is more important than the size of the dog in the fight.

It’s all possible thanks to the rapid improvements in video coverage, commentary, and digital delivery going on right now in rowing. Never has the myth “it’s not a great spectator sport” been less true.

World Rowing Under 23 Championships Record Entries Racing in Poznan, Poland

By
Rowing News
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U.S. Under 23 National Team spares Pietro Brocca (Northeastern University) and Andrew Soman (University of Wisconsin) at the 2025 World Rowing Under 23 Championships, in Poznan, Poland. PHOTO: Lisa Worthy.

 

The 2025 World Rowing Under 23 Championships, July 23-27, have attracted record entries in the men’s and women’s eights—14 and 10 countries, respectively—in Poznan, Poland. Germany and Italy have each entered crews in 17 of the 18 events contested, including Para rowing PR3 U23 men’s and women’s single sculls. Nearly 700 athletes from 53 nations will compete over five days of racing.

The U.S. has entered nine crews, including men’s and women’s eights and coxless fours. Canada has entered five crews: men’s and women’ eights and pairs, plus a women’s coxless four.

The University of Texas has 14 student-athletes competing at the under-23 worlds, the most of any NCAA program. The University of Washington men and women combined—men race in the IRA, women in the NCAA—have 15 Huskies, racing for six different nations, at the regatta.

“It’s great to see so many of our athletes racing for their national teams this summer,” Texas head coach Dave O’Neill said. “Texas athletes make up a significant portion of the squad for many countries. They’re racing in a variety of boat classes and will go head-to-head in a few occasions. I wish them all the best and look forward to seeing them on campus next month.”

Racing began on Wednesday, July 23 and runs through the weekend, with A finals on Saturday and Sunday.

Livestream  |  Results

CURRENT ISSUE OF THE MAGAZINE

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Rowing News
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New Oarsman Award Salutes ‘Generational Talent’

By
Chip Davis
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Logan Ullrich rowed two seat in the 2025 IRA national champion Washington heavyweight varsity after winning Olympic silver for New Zealand in the four in Paris, and before winning the Lucerne Regatta in the single scull in June. Ullrich, Harvard lightweight Brahm Erdmann, and Division III Trinity's Carr are the first recipients of the Oarsman Award. PHOTO: Lisa Worthy.

 

Washington heavyweight Logan Ullrich, Harvard lightweight Brahm Erdmann, and Division III’s Trinity College captain Jack Carr are the first recipients of the Oarsman Award, the Intercollegiate Rowing Coaches Association’s new honor, meant to emulate the Heisman Trophy.

The Oarsman recognizes a generational talent—a rower whose collegiate record is not only impressive but also unprecedented within a particular program, according to the IRCA.

Ullrich, a New Zealand Olympian who won silver in Paris in the four last July, rowed on this year’s IRA national-champion Washington heavyweight varsity in June and won the Lucerne Regatta in the single later the same month.

“At Washington, we spend a lot of time talking about what it takes to be a ‘true oarsman,’” said UW head coach Michael Callahan. “There’s a lot more to it than simply pulling an oar through the water, and Logan embodies everything that makes the ideal oarsman on and off the water.”

Erdmann was a member of the Harvard lightweight varsity that won Eastern Sprints, the IRA national championship, and the Temple Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta.

“Brahm embodies the industriousness of this program and helped lead it from its lowest point to unprecedented success,” said Billy Boyce, head coach of the Harvard lightweights.

Carr is a four-year letterman on Trinity College’s varsity, two-year captain, and this year undefeated Division III national champion. He routinely held the highest GPA on the team, assistant coach Nate Clark said.

“His preparation was second to none, and his leadership ensured others came with him. He is an outstanding scholar who lived up to the highest academic standards possible,” Clark said.

Eastern Michigan University to Add Women’s Lightweight Rowing

By
Chip Davis
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Photo courtesy of EMU Athletics.

 

Eastern Michigan University will add women’s lightweight rowing as its newest varsity sport, beginning in the 2026-27 school year. This expansion commemorates the 25th anniversary of EMU rowing and will bring Eastern’s total number of varsity sports to 20, including 13 women’s programs. It also represents EMU’s first addition of a women’s sport since lacrosse began competition in 2022-23.

“It’s a privilege to be at a university that truly values rowing and is actively expanding opportunities for the sport and for women,” said EMU head coach Kemp Savage.

The announcement follows the Mid-American Conference’s decision that women’s rowing will become a sponsored MAC championship beginning in 2025-26. EMU will be joined by fellow MAC institutions Toledo and UMass, along with affiliate members Delaware, High Point, and Temple. The first MAC Championship is scheduled for spring 2026.

Eastern Michigan will serve as host of the MAC Championships at the EMU Rowing Course on Ford Lake for at least the first three years. Opened in April 2024, the championship-caliber venue is the result of a partnership between Eastern Michigan, Destination Ann Arbor, Marriott Eagle Crest, and Ypsilanti Charter Township. Designed by Olympic course architect Tim Royalty, the $487,000 submergible course features eight competition lanes, floating launch and recovery platforms, and the capacity to host regional, national, and international events. National competitions have the potential to generate $1.5–$3 million in local economic impact.

Turkey to Host 2025 Beach Sprint Finals

By
Chip Davis
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Beach Sprint rowing races start with athletes running across the beach to get into shells held in the water for them to jump into, row out around buoys 500 meters from the beach, and then back through the breaking surf to hit the beach and sprint o hit a button in the sand. PHOTO: Lisa Worthy.

 

The Mediterranean resort city of Antalya, Turkey—the jewel of the Turkish Riviera and the Turquoise Coast—will host the 2025 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals in early November, after the event was canceled at its original site in Rio de Janeiro.

“The level of interest we received following the Rio cancellation was both encouraging and energizing,” said World Rowing President Jean-Christophe Rolland.

“With the discipline now on the Olympic program for LA28, we felt it was absolutely essential to ensure that the 2025 Beach Sprint Finals could still go ahead. We are deeply grateful to the Turkish Rowing Federation and the local organizers in Antalya for stepping up.”

In Beach Sprint rowing races, athletes run across the beach and jump into shells held in the water. They row to buoys 500 meters out and then back through the surf to the beach, where they sprint to hit a button in the sand.

2025 USRowing RowFest On Ford Lake in Ypsilanti, Michigan

By
Rowing News
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Michigan's Ford Lake, host of the 2025 USRowing RowFest National Championships. IMAGE: Google Earth.

 

RowFest 2025 will take place from July 12-20 on Ford Lake in Ypsilanti, Mich. and will include summer national championships for youth, under 17, under 23, open, and masters age groups. Over 2,500 entries from 138 clubs have already entered, with registration remaining open for some events until July 17. The regatta, which succeeds and combines club, senior, and masters national championship regattas, drew 1,965 entries from 105 clubs to Oklahoma City last year. RowFest will drop time trials for 2025 and shorten racing distances to 1,000 meters in the later days of the nine-day summer regatta.

“We’re thrilled to bring RowFest 2025 to the vibrant greater Ann Arbor community, and the new, innovative Rowing Course at Ford Lake.” said Sarah McAuliffe, USRowing’s Director of Competition. “This is one of the Midwest’s premiere rowing venues, and competing here will be a first for many of our rowing community.”

The newly developed Rowing Course at Ford Lake will host over 350 RowFest races, and with its semi-permanent buoyed 2,000-meter course, eight competition lanes, and floating launch and recovery platforms, is a venue capable of hosting regional, national, and international rowing events.

“Hosting RowFest 2025 at our newly enhanced Ford Lake Rowing Course is a tremendous opportunity to showcase our township’s progress and community spirit. We’re proud to welcome the national rowing community to experience the hospitality and vibrancy that make Ypsilanti Township such a special place to call home,” said Brenda Stumbo, Supervisor of Ypsilanti Township.

New to RowFest will be the International Rowing Challenge, an event dedicated to junior rowing talent from around the world. Youth rowers from multiple nations will compete in this international youth regatta, set to take place July 15-16, during RowFest National Championships. All rowers and coxswains who attend USRowing’s Selection Development Camp will have the opportunity to compete at this event.

“The International Rowing Challenge is a unique opportunity for young rowers to gain international racing experience while competing against the best of their peers,” said Chris Furlow, USRowing Director of Learning and Development.

The International Rowing Challenge is part of USRowing’s Pathways Program and the four-year plan for the U.S. National Team to develop talented junior athletes in both sweep and sculling small boats. It replaces the CanAmMex regatta.

RowFest will stream live on Overnght.com.

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