Old Dominion Boat Club Rowers Turn in Solid Performance in First Regattas of the Fall Crew Season

The men and women of the Old Dominion Boat Club (ODBC) Select Crew Team kicked off the fall rowing season this past weekend with two Washington, D.C., regattas, races that saw the ODBC rowers go up against one of the top clubs on the East Coast and turn in a very solid performance along the way.

On Saturday, the ODBC men competed in the Head of the Anacostia Regatta, a contest sponsored by the Capital Rowing Club and raced on a 2.5-mile course on the Anacostia River in Southeast D.C. On Sunday, the ODBC women joined the men for the 32nd Annual Charlie Butt Scullers' Head of the Potomac Regatta, a competition sponsored by the Potomac Boat Club and raced on a 2.8-mile course in Georgetown.

Both regattas - like all regattas during the fall rowing season - are head races. In these events, crews compete not so much against each other as against the clock, with boats being launched in 10- to 15-second intervals and the winner being the crew that makes it down the course in the shortest period of time. Because head races take place over longer distances and on courses that can have twists and turns, endurance and strategy are two important qualities that are critical to success of any crew. They are also qualities the ODBC men and women exhibited this past weekend.

At the Head of the Anacostia, the ODBC men raced in two events - the Junior 4 and the Junior 8 competitions. In the Junior 4 competition, the ODBC men raced two boats, both of which made their presence known by finishing with some of the top times of the day. One boat finished in third place with a time of 16:51. The other boat finished in second place with a time of 16:31, which was only one second off the winning time of 16:30 by Sarasota Crew, a program that has captured the Florida state championship over the past two years and is regarded as one of the toughest rowing clubs on the East Coast. In the Junior 8 competition, the ODBC men finished with a time of 16:20, behind Sarasota Crew's winning time of 14:16.

At the Head of the Potomac the following day, the ODBC men's Junior 8 made their way down the course with a time of 15:29.6, which placed them 12th out of 22 boats and about 90 seconds behind Sarasota Crew. In the Junior 4 competition, the ODBC men turned in another solid showing, finishing in fifth place out of 19 boats with a time of 16:41.5, which was 50 seconds off the pace from winner Sarasota. The Old Dominion Boat Club women also turned in a solid showing in their first race of the year, coming away with two top 10 finishes in Georgetown. The ODBC Women's Junior 8 "A" boat finished in eighth place out of 23 boats behind winner Sarasota Crew with a time of 17:05.3. Competing in the same race, the ODBC Women's Junior 8 "B" boat finished in 10th place with a time of 17:16.3.

Members of the ODBC Select women's rowing team include: Rosa Procaccino, Gabriella Salcedo, Alexandra Lemke, Nadia Magallon, Katie Pickup, Rebecca Gehring, Caroline Olsson, Maeve Bradley, Claire Embrey, Kathrina Policarpio, Chloe Reynolds, Kate Arnold, Allyson Emblom, Jazmin Calderon, Natasha Magallon, Taylor Sanders, Rachael Vannatta, and Roxet Romero. The ODBC women are guided by Head Coach Steve Weir and Assistant Coach Patrick Marquardt.

Members of the ODBC Select men's rowing team include: Jason Filios, Madison Weitekamp, Carter Weitekamp, Chris Porter, Mark Comey, Dru Hodges, Ripley Carroll, Chris Dobson, Ray Rhatican and Greg Montenegro. The ODBC men are guided by Head Coach Jaime Rubini and Assistant Coach Lexye Hearding.

The ODBC Select Crew's next race is this coming Sunday, Oct. 7, at the Occoquan Challenge.

The ODBC Women's Junior 8 heads toward the starting line before the start of their race at the Head of the Potomac Regatta in Georgetown. Pictured are (from front to back): Coxswain Rosa Procaccino and rowers Gabriella Salcedo, Alexandra Lemke, Nadia Magallon, Caroline Olsson, Roxet Romero, Jazmin Calderon, Rachael Vannatta, and Claire Embrey.

The ODBC Men's Junior 4 rows toward the Key Bridge before the start of their race at the Head of the Potomac Regatta in Georgetown. Pictured are (from front to back): Rowers Chris Porter, Madison Weitkamp and Greg Montenegro. Not shown are rower Carter Weitekamp and Coxswain Mark Comey.

ODBC Rower Tasha Magallon shares a laugh with Head Women's Coach Steve Weir after her race at the Head of the Potomac Regatta in Georgetown.

Additional photos from the 2012 Head of the Potomac can be found on Facebook.