July 7, 2008
MUSTANGS WIN HISTORIC REGATTA IN ENGLAND
Western's men's 8s rowing team defeated Trinity College of Hartford by two and three-quarter lengths in the Temple Challenge Cup championship final on a rainy day in Oxfordshire, England on July 6.
The Royal Henley Regatta is regarded as the one of the biggest international rowing events and runs July 2-6, 2008.
The team, which clocked a 6:42 time in the final race, includes rowers Sean Addison, Nick Chisholm, Mike Huurman, Andrew Jago, David Lamb, Matt Lunt, Danny Matthews, Peter McClelland, Christopher Morris and Aubrey Oldham, and cox Genna Wood. The coaching staff is made up of Head Coach Volker Nolte and Assistant Coaches Dan Bechard and Chris McCully.
The Mustangs first arrived in Europe on June 24, training in Hannover, Germany.
Previous to winning the Royal Henley Regatta, Western won the Essen Regatta June 28-29, the German qualifier for the European University Championships. Western competed in Essen as an exhibition team.
Western defeated Harvard in the July 5 semi-final, Durham University (Great Britain) in the July 4 quarter-final, and both the University of Birmingham (Great Britain) and the University of Witwatersrand (South Africa) in preliminary races
With a clean start for both crews in the high 40s for the championship race, Western took a slight, early quarter-length lead. Western built the lead to almost a full length before the halfway point looking comfortable. Coming up to the three-quarter mark, Western carried the full-length lead and began to increase their stroke rate and move forward with powerful strokes in the final quarter of the race to build their lead and hold on for the historic victory.
Western won both the Canadian university and college national title and Ontario University Athletics provincial championship in 2007.
Like other competitors, including Oxford and Cambridge, the Mustangs were required to adhere to a special Henley dress-code. Specially tailored white blazers and purple ties were part of the exclusive, original Mustangs attire designed by a local tailor.
Very few Canadian crews get the honour to attend the Henley, and no Canadian university crew in recent time has attended (only one or two other Canadian universities have previously attended in the 169-year history of the event).
Many U.S. college teams and British universities compete along with other boats from European countries, such as France, Holland, Croatia and Germany, and crews from as far away as Australia and South Africa.
The Henley Regatta was first held in 1839 and has been held annually ever since, except during the two World Wars. Originally staged by the Mayor and people of Henley as a public attraction with a fair and other amusements, the emphasis rapidly changed so that competitive amateur rowing became its main purpose. The 1839 Regatta took place on a single afternoon but proved so popular with oarsmen that the racing lasted for two days from 1840. In 1886, the Regatta was extended to three days and to four in 1906. Since 1928, its increased popularity meant entries exceeded the permitted numbers in several events, and so Qualifying Races are now held in the week before the Regatta to reduce the number of entries to the permitted maximum.
Western was awarded one of 20 exemptions from Qualifying and a special invitation to attend Henley by virtue of winning the Canadian university and college title.
In 1986 the Regatta was extended to its present duration of five days, with an increase in the maximum entry for certain events. More information on the Royal Henley Regatta can be found at www.hrr.co.uk.
Read updates from the team at www.oarscoaching.com/.
Source: Andy Watson, University of Western Ontario
The Royal Henley Regatta is regarded as the one of the biggest international rowing events and runs July 2-6, 2008.
The team, which clocked a 6:42 time in the final race, includes rowers Sean Addison, Nick Chisholm, Mike Huurman, Andrew Jago, David Lamb, Matt Lunt, Danny Matthews, Peter McClelland, Christopher Morris and Aubrey Oldham, and cox Genna Wood. The coaching staff is made up of Head Coach Volker Nolte and Assistant Coaches Dan Bechard and Chris McCully.
The Mustangs first arrived in Europe on June 24, training in Hannover, Germany.
Previous to winning the Royal Henley Regatta, Western won the Essen Regatta June 28-29, the German qualifier for the European University Championships. Western competed in Essen as an exhibition team.
Western defeated Harvard in the July 5 semi-final, Durham University (Great Britain) in the July 4 quarter-final, and both the University of Birmingham (Great Britain) and the University of Witwatersrand (South Africa) in preliminary races
With a clean start for both crews in the high 40s for the championship race, Western took a slight, early quarter-length lead. Western built the lead to almost a full length before the halfway point looking comfortable. Coming up to the three-quarter mark, Western carried the full-length lead and began to increase their stroke rate and move forward with powerful strokes in the final quarter of the race to build their lead and hold on for the historic victory.
Western won both the Canadian university and college national title and Ontario University Athletics provincial championship in 2007.
Like other competitors, including Oxford and Cambridge, the Mustangs were required to adhere to a special Henley dress-code. Specially tailored white blazers and purple ties were part of the exclusive, original Mustangs attire designed by a local tailor.
Very few Canadian crews get the honour to attend the Henley, and no Canadian university crew in recent time has attended (only one or two other Canadian universities have previously attended in the 169-year history of the event).
Many U.S. college teams and British universities compete along with other boats from European countries, such as France, Holland, Croatia and Germany, and crews from as far away as Australia and South Africa.
The Henley Regatta was first held in 1839 and has been held annually ever since, except during the two World Wars. Originally staged by the Mayor and people of Henley as a public attraction with a fair and other amusements, the emphasis rapidly changed so that competitive amateur rowing became its main purpose. The 1839 Regatta took place on a single afternoon but proved so popular with oarsmen that the racing lasted for two days from 1840. In 1886, the Regatta was extended to three days and to four in 1906. Since 1928, its increased popularity meant entries exceeded the permitted numbers in several events, and so Qualifying Races are now held in the week before the Regatta to reduce the number of entries to the permitted maximum.
Western was awarded one of 20 exemptions from Qualifying and a special invitation to attend Henley by virtue of winning the Canadian university and college title.
In 1986 the Regatta was extended to its present duration of five days, with an increase in the maximum entry for certain events. More information on the Royal Henley Regatta can be found at www.hrr.co.uk.
Read updates from the team at www.oarscoaching.com/.
Source: Andy Watson, University of Western Ontario