The Puget Sound varsity men’s team heads into the spring season with an eye towards defending its Northwest Collegiate Rowing Conference title from last year, while striving to improve upon past success at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) championships in May.

The Logger varsity men have been training full-time since the end of January, spending much of the early season erging, lifting weights, and running hills. For the past several weeks, we’ve been spending lots of time on the water, either rowing two eights or breaking up into smaller boats for technique work. Spring Break approaches, which brings with it five days of heavy training, including a few unique events. This year, in keeping with recent tradition, the top men’s 8+ will be heading up to the University of Washington to participate in a scrimmage. Also this year, the men’s team will be participating in a volunteer service project during break. The first team erg-a-thon will take place on Monday, March 15th, as the entire program will have the ergs spinning from 9am-5pm in order to raise funds for equipment upgrades and travel expenses.

The men’s racing schedule is similar to last year’s, as outlined below. Check back soon for more updates about spring training, race results, photos, and video!

March 27th: Daffodil Cup, American Lake
April 3rd: NCRC Invitational, Vancouver WA
April 10th: Western Washington Dual, Lake Samish
April 17th: NCRC Championships, Vancouver WA
April 24th: Meyer/Lamberth PLU Dual, American Lake
May 1st/2nd: WIRA Championships, Lake Natoma CA

The men’s and women’s varsity crews are in the midst of fall training, gearing up for racing season which begins October 17th at Head of the Silcox on our own American Lake. This marks the first time in several years that Puget Sound rowers will be able to compete on their home course during the fall season. The race will consist of a four kilometer head race, followed by a sprint final between the top two finishers from the head race.

Later in the season, the varsity men will head to Lake Union for Head of the Lake, competing against major college programs from across the Northwest and Canada, such as University of Victoria, Washington State, and University of British Columbia. Also racing will be Puget Sound alumni boats.

The varsity teams seek to replicate last year’s success, culminating with a 5th place finish at NCAA nationals for the women and a sweep of the Northwest Collegiate Rowing Conference (NCRC) championship by the men. Meanwhile, the novice men and women, led respectively by Coaches Alex Morray and Erika Kercher, are staying busy with erg sessions, stadium runs, and afternoon rows on American Lake.

The entire team will head to Vashon Island for the annual team retreat on October 24th, a trip which will include a scenic bike ride, plenty of raucous field sports, and a sizeable bonfire.

As a whole, the Puget Sound Crew program is looking forward to an exciting fall, as well as the purchase of a brand new 8+ shell for each team. Please visit our “support” page to find out how you can be part of our fundraising efforts - your support is greatly appreciated. Also, check out the new Puget Sound Athletics website at loggerathletics.com.

Bill Kalenius, the founder and president of the Vancouver Lake Crew rowing club, died on Wednesday after a six-year battle with colon cancer. He was 57.

Kalenius discovered his passion for rowing at Western Washington University in the early 1970s. He rowed two years for the Vikings and graduated from WWU in 1974 with a bachelor of arts degree in accounting before going on to coach at the University of Puget Sound. He was the head coach at Puget Sound from 1974-1976, during those years he coached the men to their first Meyer Cup victory.  He has been a strong supporter of the program throughout the years. Here is a piece written by one of his rowers for the University of Puget Sound newspaper in 1975. He helped found the Olympia Area Rowing Association and was involved with rowing clubs around Puget Sound.

An accountant with a lumber company, Kalenius moved his family to the Portland area in 1987 and was active in expanding several clubs along the Willamette River. The desire to share his passion for rowing motivated Kalenius to form the Vancouver Lake Crew in February of 2002. He remained the club’s president and head coach until this summer. In 2007, he was voted one of the Top 10 “Most Caring” coaches by USA Today.

As a competitor, his successes included winning the four consecutive lightweight doubles championships with partner Roger Payne at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta from 1980-1983. Kalenius also won a Canadian national championship in lightweight singles. He and Payne also were frequent winners at regional regattas.

When the Vancouver Lake Crew suffered significant tornado damage in January of 2008, Kalenius called on his ties within the rowing community to save the club. Since the founding of Vancouver Lake Crew, Kalenius worked to try to find a place where the club could establish a long-term home instead of relying on a year-to-year lease. That dream came true this summer when the Vancouver Lake Crew moved to a new home just south of Vancouver Lake Park.

Kalenius is survived by his parents, his wife of 35 years Mary Kay, daughter Kara Novak, and son Will Kalenius III. The family requests that memorial donations be made to Vancouver Lake Crew, 8612 N.W. Erwin O. Rieger Memorial Highway, Vancouver, Wash. 98660.

A memorial Mass is planned for 1 p.m. on Oct. 3 at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Vancouver. A public reception will follow. That morning, Vancouver Lake Crew rowers will participate in the annual Head of the Dog Regatta on the Willamette River.

Interest Meetings will be held 7PM Thursday, September 3rd & 7PM Tuesday, September 8th. Meetings are in McIntyre 103. Come and learn about the team, talk to varsity rowers, and get important information for the beginning of the season. Anyone interested in rowing or becoming a coxswain is encouraged to attend!

University of Puget Sound Rowing is a varsity program comprised of passionate, talented, and dedicated student-athletes. Rowing offers a unique opportunity to be part of a highly competitive intercollegiate crew program without prior rowing experience.

Whether you are an experienced rower or hoping to start in college, we invite you to consider our truly unique team. The University of Puget Sound rowing team is consistently one of the top Division III programs in the country, posting impressive results not only in the Northwest, but nationally at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships, the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) Championships, and NCAA Nationals. Best of all, the vast majority of our rowers are walk on athletes with no prior rowing experience before college!

The advantages of University of Puget Sound Rowing over like institutions in the region are many. We are a small college, but we take a big-program attitude to our rowing. As we field a team of 70+ athletes, we boat varsity and JV eights and fours for men and women. We own a number of pairs and fours to use for small boat training to complement the work we do in eights. We have 18 model C ergs in our own erg room on campus to facilitate land training and full use of the school’s weight facility and gym. We also believe in maximizing racing opportunities for all of our athletes and work to get everyone boated for every regular season race.

Our rowers are highly committed and disciplined athletes, yet they are also exceptionally balanced and well-rounded individuals. As students at a challenging liberal arts university, their academics play an important role in their success. Puget Sound rowers succeed on the water, but also endeavor to experience other aspects of collegiate life, such as study abroad, Puget Sound Outdoors trips, and work-study jobs.

If you have prior rowing experience, we highly encourage you to begin a dialogue with the varsity coaches by filling out the following questionnaire:

http://www2.ups.edu/athletics/crew/form.htm

We look forward to talking with you about our program. Thank you for your interest in Puget Sound Rowing!

The Logger women finished their season strongly on Saturday with a fifth-place standing in the team competition. Puget Sound was the only crew from the West Coast in the Grand Final, and also the only crew from the West Coast in the team standings.

The Loggers started out the day in the Third Final as the 2V8+ took second over crews from St. Lawrence and Smith to pick up three points in the team standings.  The 2V finished in 7:04.81 to finish about five seconds back of Washington College (Md.).

Without a crew in the petite final, the Loggers turned their attention towards their top boat and the Grand Final.  In the final DIII race of the championships, the Loggers battled it out with the second boat from Williams, finishing with a time of 6:47.47, their fastest time of the season.  Defending champion Williams took home their fourth national title, winning the gold medal with a time of 6:28.04.

Final Team Standings

The Varsity 8+ is on to the grand final, having pulled an impressive 6:57.96 to earn a third place position in the grand qualifier. They will race tomorrow in the grand final along with: Williams I, Ithaca, Trinity, Williams II, and Bates. The second Varsity 8+ is on to the third final, racing against Washington (MD), Smith, and St. Lawrence. Their time (6:58.44) in the petite qualifier was also very impressive, putting them only 1/3 of a second behind third-place Willamette. Racing continues tomorrow.

In the first round of racing this morning on the Cooper River, the women’s varsity 8+ took second in a competitive heat with a time of 7:19.52. They will be racing in the grand final qualifier at 2.45 this afternoon. A top-3 result in that race would give the logger women a place in the grand final. The second V8+ took fifth in their heat, and are moving on to the petite qualifier, which will take place at 2.30 this afternoon. All races can be watched live ! Good luck, loggers!

CHERRY HILL, N.J. - For the seventh straight season, the Puget Sound Loggers will be rowing for a national title as they take to the water at the 2009 NCAA Rowing Championship at Cooper River Park in Cherry Hill, N.J.  In addition to the seven teams and two individual boats that will be competing for the Division III title, the regatta will also feature the best that NCAA Division I and Division II have to offer.

The Loggers will help open up the competition bright and early on Friday morning as the second V8+ boat takes to the water at 8:00 a.m. EDT while the first V8+ boat will race at 8:15 a.m. in the second of three heats.  The top boat in each heat will automatically advance to Saturday’s Grand Final.  The second and third place finishers will advance to the Grand Qualifier on Friday afternoon while the remaining teams will advance to the Petite Qualifier.

For more information on the 2009 NCAA Championship, hosted by Villanova, including lane assignments, live results and live video, visit NCAA.com.

For the seventh consecutive year, the Puget Sound Loggers have rowed their way to the national championships, earning a selection to the 2009 NCAA Women’s Rowing Championship, as announced by the NCAA on Tuesday afternoon.

Puget Sound earned their selection after finishing the 2009 regular season on top of the Pacific Region rankings that were compiled by the NCAA.  The Loggers collected second place at the Northwest Collegiate Rowing Conference Championships in April, finishing only behind four-time DII champion Western Washington.

The Loggers, who took third at the 2008 NCAA Championship, are one of seven teams who earned selection to the championship on May 29-30 at Cooper River Park in Cherry Hill, N.J.  Joining Puget Sound at the Championship will be Bates, Ithaca, St. Lawrence, Smith, Trinity (Conn.) and Williams.  All seven teams will be sending two boats to the 2009 Championship as they contend for the team title.  A single boat each from Washington (Md.) and Willamette will join the field in the chase for the individual title.

Puget Sound’s best finish at the national championship came in their first appearance as they took second in the 2003 Championship.  The Loggers have finished fourth on three occasions, never finishing worse than sixth.

Go to the NCAA Rowing Championships Website for more information.

Thanks to rowers and friends for a great selection of pictures. Check out the updated galleries for NCRC Invites, WWU Duel, NCRC Champs, and WIRA 2009.

Here are a few highlights from WIRA: