Former Badger rowers hope for Olympics
When the 2004 Summer Olympics are held in Athens, Greece in August, upwards of a half-dozen Badgers may be on hand for the competitions in rowing. At the 2004 National Selection Regatta, held in West Windsor, N.J. last weekend, seven former UW rowers began their quest to take part in the summer games. Two of the seven captured the top spots in their events.
Victories in the pair events for two former Badgers bode well for their Olympic hopes. Beau Hoopman raced for the Princeton Training Center with Bryan Volpenhein in the men’s pair race. The duo finished in 6:36.22 and won the event. Hoopman raced for Wisconsin from 1999-2003 and captained the team in 2002.
Wisconsin’s other victory came in the women’s pair race, where Katie Hammes, also racing for the Princeton Training Center, performed well. Katie and Lianne Nelson, who represented the U.S. in the event at last year’s world championships, won the women’s pair in a time of 7:13.58. Katie graduated from Wisconsin in 2000.
Former Wisconsin rowers Brian McDonough, Eric Mueller, Paul Daniels, Matt Smith and Ryan Torgenson also competed in the regatta. McDonough raced with Princeton Training Center D and placed third in the men’s pair final race B. The tandem placed third and finished in 6:39.57, only .83 seconds behind first.
Torgenson also raced in the men’s pair final race B for Princeton Training Center G. Torgeson, a three-time member of the U.S. national team, finished in fourth place with a time of 6:40.96.
Daniels competed for Princeton Training Center J in the men’s pair final C. Daniels rowed as a Badger from 1999-2003. Mueller, a 1996 Olympic silver medalist in the quadruple sculls and 2000 Olympian, raced in the men’s single final C for the Princeton Training Center B and placed sixth. Matt Smith, racing for Sigma Nu B in the Lightweight Single C, placed sixth.
Besides the 2004 National Selection Regatta, the alumni have competed in numerous other national and international regattas in the past year.
McDonough, Torgenson and Hammes all competed in the 2003 FISA World Rowing Championships on the Idroscalo in Milan, Italy. McDonough helped the men’s four with coxswain to gold, while Torgenson and Hammes aided the men’s eight and women’s pair to silver medals, respectively.
McDonough was also a member of the U.S. ‘B’ boat entry in the Head of the Charles regatta and won the prestigious Championship Eight. On the women’s side, Hammes and the U.S. ‘A’ team finished second. Also racing in the Head of the Charles competition were Mueller, Hoopman and Daniels. Finally, Hoopman and Daniels raced in the eight and four at the 2003 Pan American Games, winning gold and silver medals, respectively.
Results from last weekend’s national selection regatta are a just one step in Olympic selection by USRowing. Those results, coupled with results from the second national selection regatta held April 23-25, will add to performance in national team testing, performance in international competition and compatibility with other rowers on the team in the selection for the big boats including the men’s and women’s eights.
To make the small boats that the United States has already qualified for the Olympics, candidates submit erg scores to go along with results in the national selection regattas, performance in the Munich World Cup, held May 28-30, as well as Olympic trials, held June 26-July 1, if necessary.
To make the five small boats, the U.S. has yet to qualify for the Olympics, similiar qualification requirements for the previous small boats are in order, along with Olympic trials set for May 18-23. Those that are selected for the U.S. boats must then qualify directly for the Olympics at the FISA Lucerne Olympic Qualification Regatta later this spring.
-compiled from staff reports.