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 Elliot Skopin and Terrence Word training in the pair on Big Hosmer earlier this summer.
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Graves brothers victorious!06.Aug.2010 The last two days of racing at Canadian Henley have been exciting ones for the Small Boat Training Center. Singles, pairs, and doubles have all seen action, although the Champ events have not yet started and the 8+ is waiting for its debut. Elliot Skopin and Terrence Word were first up on Thursday, racing in the opening heat of the U23 men's pair. They finished second in their heat in 7:07, behind a pair from Mendota Rowing Club who covered the course in seven minute flat. With their performance Skopin and Word advanced to the semis on Friday. Next up was Johnny Hood in the semifinal of the Under 23 men's single. Hood also rowed to second, finishing in 7:16 to the winner's 7:13. He nabbed a spot in the final, and then rested up, because this was just his first race of the day. Tom and Peter Graves won their semifinal of the senior men's double in convincing fashion, beating the next closest competitors by eight seconds. While they easily advanced to the final, they were in the slower of the two semis. However, anyone who knows Peter and Tom knew that they would step it up when the competition got tougher. Thursday's last race was Hood's second of the day, the final of the senior men's single. After what he described as a "crazy" semifinal, Hood was elated just to be in the final of the prestigious senior event, and coach Larry Gluckman told him to treat it as "the icing on the cake". After a strong start, Hood faded to fifth, finishing in 7:21, a ways out from the winning time of 7:05. However, Hood was the top American in the race, and was still thrilled with his performance. On to Friday. The SBTC scratched its U23 men's 4, so racing kicked off with Nick Trojan in the champ men's single. Racing in the first heat, Trojan finished 5th of 7 boats, 13 seconds off advancing to the semis. His time of 7:29 was twenty second behind the winner. Next up were Word and Skopin, who were competing in the semifinal of the U23 men's pair. They needed to finish first or second in their heat to advance to the final, and after a strong effort ultimately came up short by just a second and a half. Their time of 7:07 put them in third place, perhaps the most frustrating place to finish given the circumstances. Hood raced in the final of the U23 men's single. Perhaps his five previous races caught up with him; Hood finished 6th, with his slowest time of the regatta so far, 7:27. Like on Thursday, the last race of the day was also the most prestigious: the final of the senior men's double. The Graves brothers came into the race with high expectations, and disappointed nobody, winning the race by a whopping eight seconds. Their time of 6:16 gave them the win in their first race since a disappointing US Nationals performance, and is all the more impressive because Peter was recently sidelined with a leg injury. We're thrilled that the brothers are back to their winning ways! Congratulations to Tom and Pete, and all the other crews! Racing continues Saturday and Sunday, so keep checking in for more results. Links: |