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Rowing Hosts Head of the Spokane Saturday
Oct. 23, 2008
SPOKANE, Wash. - The Gonzaga University men's and women's rowing teams hit the water for their first outdoor competition of the 2008-09 season Saturday when the Zags welcome Washington State University to the Gonzaga Boathouse near Upriver Dam for the Head of the Spokane. Racing begins at 9 a.m. It's also Alumni Weekend and Fall Family Weekend at Gonzaga and the Bulldogs will host Class Day Races at the Boathouse on Sunday beginning at 10 a.m. Dan Gehn, Director of Rowing and 15th year men's head coach, along with second-year women's head coach Melissa Flint couldn't be more excited about this weekend's events. "Fall racing is very important for many different reasons," stated Gehn. "Fall racing mimics our training mode, including lower stroke ratings and longer piece work. It keeps our student-athletes interested and focused in on rowing. It also is different racing than what we do in the spring. No less competitive than the spring, just a different format." Flint and her women's team are also looking forward to finally getting outside on the water to compete. "I feel like we're getting what we can out of our practices and now need that competition to keep learning," explained Flint. "You learn the most about yourself when you figure out how to handle things under pressure." Both teams had strong seasons in 2008. The Zag Freshman 8+ closed out their season winning the final two races at the IRA National Championships to finish 13th in the nation. The Bulldogs, appearing in the IRA's for only the second time in school history, won the 3rd Level Final. The Varsity 8+ boat, who made their inaugural appearance in the IRA's last season, placed third in the 4th Level Final to rank 21st in the nation. Prior to the IRA's, Gonzaga claimed silver in two events and a bronze in another at the WIRA Championships. The Bulldogs took second and earned a silver medal in both the Varsity 8+ and Novice 8+, while the Junior Varsity 8+ took third in the Grand Final to claim a bronze medal.
The Bulldog women captured their 11th West Coast Conference Championship in 12 years, winning all three races. Gonzaga went on to win gold in the Varsity 8+ and Second Varsity 8+ and silver in both the Varsity 4+ and Novice 8+ at the 2008 WIRA Championships. The Zags, competing in the Pacific-10 Championships, also placed fifth in the Novice 8+, sixth in the Varsity 4+ and eighth in both the Varsity 8+ and Second Varsity 8+. As is the case with races at Upriver Dam, racing is done in flights with boats sent off the start line in intervals. Placing is determined by time after all the boats in a class have crossed the finish line. Boats will be sent down the river at shorter intervals, resulting in less time between flights. The first flight beings at 9 a.m., with the last flight set to head down the river at 11 a.m. Head of the Spokane Schedule 9:30 a.m. 10:00 a.m. Direction to Gonzaga Boathouse From Gonzaga University From I-90 from West From I-90 from East |
