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  Eric Degerman is SportsTriCities.com's managing editor. Eric is a longtime Tri-City Herald sportswriter who spent several years covering a variety of sports, including the Tri-City Americans and golf. Eric now produces a regular Web-based sportscast that focuses on Mid-Columbia sports. Have a question for Eric? Click here to e-mail him |
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Tuesday, Mar. 11, 2008
Update: WSU rowers practice in Tri-Cities (w/ video)
By Eric Degerman, Herald staff writer
Washington State University is on spring break this week, and the men’s varsity crew will spend much of it on the water.
It’s no vacation, though. And they will be rowing on the Columbia River in the Tri-Cities rather than the Snake River near the Pullman campus.
The WSU men’s crew is practicing with eight- and four-man hulls near the WSU Tri-Cities campus through Wednesday. The group of about 40 rowers and six coaches will stage a brief exhibition race at 3:30 p.m. today, followed by a meet-and-greet with the community at 3:45 p.m.
Today’s wind prompted rowing coach Arthur Ericsson to move the race from Howard Amon Park to the pump house on the shoreline below the WSU Tri-Cities campus, 2710 University Drive. This is along the bike path at the end of Sprout Road.
The Columbia River is too choppy for the boats to venture far from the campus, Ericsson said.
“It was beautiful last night. We rowed for miles and miles — the water was perfect,” Ericsson said. “We knew the wind was coming. It’s windy today in Pullman, too.”
The teams practiced on the river for about three hours early this morning, but ended early because of the rough water.
Ericsson said the team, which includes five women who serve as coxswains, plans to leave the Tri-Cities at about noon Wednesday.
“There used to be races on the Columbia years ago, some regattas in the early 80s,” Ericsson said.
Team members include Hanford High School graduate Andrew Winters.
“We were going to stay at his house, but that was going to be really crowded,” Ericsson said with a chuckle. “His parents are going to feed us (Monday) and show us where Badger Mountain is because we are going to work out there (Tuesday).”
Winters’ parents, John and Maggie Winters of Richland, WSU alumni and several area businesses — including Roundtable Pizza owner Chuck Stack — are sponsoring the visit.
The Cougars’ annual Alumni Class Day will be Saturday at Wawawai Landing near Pullman. The annual WSU vs. Washington duals are set for April 12 in Seattle. And the Pac-10 Championships run May 17-18 at Lake Natoma in Sacramento, Calif.
Men’s crew is listed as the oldest sport club at WSU. See www.row.wsu.edu or www.CougarCrew.com for more details.
For more information, call 509-372-7250 or see www.tricity.wsu.edu.
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