Kent Mitchell Club masters: they just keep rowing along
kyeb...@hotmail.com
March 29, 1999
It's no secret that the Sunday afternoon races between the Cals, Penns and
Washingtons are the most appealing events to the spectators who line Mission
Bay's Crown Point Shores for the annual San Diego Crew Classic.
But the race of the day yesterday might have been the less prestigious
morning race between men who are old enough to be the fathers of the young
men and women who occupy elite collegiate crews.
The Kent Mitchell Rowing Club crossed the line in 6 minutes, 55.8 seconds in
the men's Master D final, nipping runner-up Pocock Rowing Club (6:56.39) in a
thrilling race that left spectators cheering for minutes after it ended.
The Kent Mitchell Rowing Club, and clubs like it, are masters rowing at its
best.
The Kent Mitchell Club is a loose-knit group of successful career
professionals from the Bay Area. Kent Mitchell, the club's namesake, won the
bronze in 1960 and the gold in '64 in the Olympics pair-oared shell with
coxswain events and was at the Crew Classic yesterday.
The average age of the Kent Mitchell crew is 46. The crew includes a vice
president of Bank of America, a personal trainer and an acclaimed San
Francisco attorney. The crew that won yesterday morning's race included seven
former world masters champions, five former Olympians and three former
Olympic medalists.
"You just stick to something you're good at," said Kirk Krappe, an English
masters champion and VP at the Bay Area-based company Oracle who rows in seat
No. 6. "The benefits are that it slows your aging. When you're in a boat that
is moving well over the water, you just crave that more and more. There's
nothing like it. We are all just a bunch of guys who have lived all over the
world and who like to row together."
Krappe works 12-to 14-hour days but wakes up at 4:45 a.m. to row before
heading to the office.
"We all just eat our Wheaties," said No. 2 seat rower Skip Spiering, 52.
"It's a great way to keep in shape and keep in touch with buddies. It's fun,
but when we hit the water it's competition."
Close call
Perhaps the most courageous performance of the weekend was by the USC women.
On the way to the Crew Classic on Friday, the two vans carrying the team were
involved in a six-car crash on the 405 freeway in Fountain Valley.
Both vans were totaled.
Miraculously, no one was seriously hurt.
"Once the paramedics checked everyone out and said everyone was OK, nobody
wanted to turn around," coach George Jenkins said. "So we came here and rowed.
Everyone was definitely a little sore, but we don't want to use that as an
excuse."
The varsity eight finished fourth in the Jessop-Whittier Cup after being in
second early in the race. Regardless, it continued a remarkable turnaround for
the Trojans. Two years ago, they were in the consolation final of the Cal Cup.
Last year, they won the Cal Cup. This year, they made the final of the Jessop-
Whittier Cup and were competitive.
Sister act
Mary Whipple is the coxswain for the Washington crew that finished first
(7:24.8) in the women's collegiate novice event. Her sister, Sara, is the
coxswain for the UC Davis crew that took fifth (7:53.74) in the same event.
Odds and ends
For the second straight year, the Washington women swept the varsity, JV and
novice titles . . . The USC women had a new boat donated by Dale Norris, who
splits time between Leucadia and Hawaii. It continues a long legacy of the
Norris family and USC crew -- his grandfather, Ken, was the main benefactor of
USC crew from the 1950s through the 1980s . . . Fred Honebein coached the
Washington novice men to the Derek Guelker Memorial Cup. Twelve years ago,
Honebein was on the Orange Coast College novice crew that won the inaugural
Guelker Cup here.
http://www.uniontrib.com/sports/aztecs/990329-0010_1s29crewnote.html
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Edward Walkley
Mens' Masters D ?
Does anyone have the results of the Saturday heats and masters races.
Row2k has Sunday but the Sat link only has some collegiate
Ted Walkley
Rainier Rowing Club