News Archive from the 2010 - 2011 Season

Rivergate Park Officially Opened -- Ribbon Cutting

May 17, 2011: The Cleveland Rowing Foundation (CRF) held a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open the facility, expose the park to local dignitaries and press, and also recognize those that made the project a reality.

Local dignitaries included Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson and Ward 3 Councilman Joe Cimperman. Both elected officials have been strong advocates of the project and were on hand to congratulate CRF. Keynote speeches were given by various folks from CRF, but also from Councilman Cimperman and representatives from The Trust For Public Land (TPL). Rivergate Park is a partnership between CRF and TPL to provide public Cuyahoga River access -- something that was distinctly lacking in Cleveland until now.

During the ribbon cutting itself, coaches from each program plus the assembled dignitaries participated in the photo op. Representing Case Crew was Patty Wolford and Tim Marcovy representing SARA.

Rivergate Park Ribbon Cutting Photo Gallery

Women's Varsity Pair in First-Ever Vail Final for Case Crew

The moderate weekend weather did not hold out for Katie & Caitlin's final -- rain greeted them at the start. The final played out as the heats and finals indicated with Case finishing 6th in a gutsy race. They battled a strong crew from Georgia Tech next to them in Lane 5, but just could not quite hang on finishing 2 seconds behind. Overall the crew finished 6th out of 28 teams and it by-far the best result ever for Case Crew.

2011 Dad Vail Women's Varsity Pair of Katie Puttmann '11 (bow) & Caitlin Bowerman '13 (stroke)
© Sport Graphics

This year's event was well attended by a number of current team members, alumni and both current coaches. Plus the number of alums watching the video stream and posting on Facebook was the most ever. Sophomore Anna Czekaj drove to Philly with Katie and Caitlin to watch in person and provided the following perspective from the race:

As the team's coxswain, I can honestly say that I have reached maximum adrenaline rush from the many close races we've had these past two years (the ones where you win by a bow ball or lose by a stroke). I never would have guessed that I could get the same feeling for a race that I was watching and not even in. This weekend's performance by Caitlin and Katie had me on my toes the entire time. From preparing for the race the day before to discussing the game plan before launching, there was NEVER a dull moment where my heart wasn’t racing (and I wasn’t even competing!)

I guess you can say that Dad Vails is known for having this effect on people. Going on this trip with the pair gave me that missing feeling of recognition. Granted, we are Case and we’ve grown to accept that people don’t always know about our school, but this past weekend our position for acknowledgement was quite different. It was during the second race that I stood up and prepared myself to scream as loud as I could no matter how much it hurt. I let out the first cheer calling for Katie and Caitlin to pull ahead after the 500 meter mark. I followed it by screaming a loud and proud “Let’s go Case!” The best feeling was that the second I focused on the crowd’s cheering instead of my own, I heard people cheering for our boat. When I looked to see who the mysterious voices belongs to, I was shocked to see it was from people I’ve never even met. Man, did it felt great!!

To be the first boat from Case to make it to the finals is quite the accomplishment. I have watched Katie and Caitlin from the start and they have not only grown as pair partners but as friends as well. I can still remember when I dragged Caitlin to the Crew booth at the Student Activities Fair and made her join the team with me. It’s crazy to think that she’s done so much in such a short span of time. As crew president, she really stepped up the game and organized the team to a new dimension (Doug Brubaker, you have quite the shoes to fill next year). If it was going to be anyone that made it to the finals, I’m BEYOND glad it was Katie and Caitlin. Their devotion, commitment, and passion toward crew and the team stand out with everything they do. I’m so glad I was there to be part of the reward for their hard work.

Race results can be found HERE.

2011 Dad Vail Regatta Photo Gallery

Cleveland Rowers Compete for National Selection

May 12-13, 2011: Case Crew alumna Miranda Cullins and St. Ignatius alumnus Aaron Marcovy (former team coach & SARA Board member Tim Marcovy's son) both raced in the National Selection Regatta II (NSR II) on Mercer Lake in New Jersey. Both Aaron and Miranda competed in the double sculls with partners from USRowing. After a time trial on Thursday morning to seed lanes, Miranda and her partner Laura Nicholson finished third in their heat to qualify for the semi-finals. Aaron and his double partner finished fourth in their Thursday heat to claim the last semi qualifying spot.

In the semi-finals on Friday Miranda and Laura finished one place out of qualifying position for the A-level final. Aaron and his partner also missed the A final finishing 5th in their heat with only 3 to advance. Each crew lined up Saturday morning for the B-level final with each race streamed online. Aaron and his partner were first up in the men's double. There was nothing in the race for the entire 2000m distance and they ended up in second (8th overall) by only 0.21 seconds. Miranda was the next race down the course. After a strong start Miranda and Laura just couldn't quite hang onto the leader and finished 5th (11th overall) and 1.5 seconds off the winners.

The National Selection Regattas help the coaches gage athlete progress at the beginning of the annual cycle, and the winners get funded to attend the summer World Cup events in Europe. NSR II is generally used to select the doubles and pairs. Bigger, Olympic-class boats are chosen by the national team coaches.

Race results for the 2011 event can be found HERE.

Case Crew Brings Home 7 Medals from Charleston

The Men’s Varsity 4+ of Brubaker (4), Wilson (3), Moss (2), Miller (1) and Czekaj (cox) rowed a strong race but under tough competition finished 6th/6.

The women’s pair of Caitlin Bowerman (stroke) and Katie Puttmann (bow) was excited to race future Vails competitors Penn State; however 20 minutes before launching Penn State pulled out of the race. To provide competition Mallory Miller (S) and Coach Patty Wolford (B) jumped in the positive alpha pair and provided some fun competition. Ultimately the experienced pair of Bowerman and Puttmann won the race. The Novice men’s and Women’s 4+s rowed hard races but both finished 6th/6.

To create some strong competition, the Men’s Varsity fours from Case and CSU combined forces to form a Men’s Varsity 8+ combination. Racing the Marcovy Resolute 8+, the men finished strong in 2nd of 6 in the 2000m race beating out fellow rivals John Carroll and other strong teams such as West Virginia and Ohio University. Turning right back up river the men entered the 500m dash. The race started slow with the men in 5th place. However, around the 350m mark the composite boat picked up the power and started walking on the leading 4 boats to finish 3rd in the dash.

Full results from this year's race can be found HERE (html).

2011 West Virginia Governor's Cup Photo Gallery

Alumna Miranda Cullins Competes in National Selection Regatta I

April 21-22, 2011: Case Crew alumna and former coach Miranda Cullins competed this weekend at the USRowing National Selection Regatta (NSR I) in Lake Mercer, New Jersey. The annual selection process for the national team starts with NSR I and runs throughout the year with the fastest and best athletes garnering a seat at the World Championships to be held in Bled, Slovenia. The Bled Worlds will be held from August 28 to September 4. The NSR progression saw each sculler race on Thursday in a time trial (TT) format. The fastest 18 would then go into a heat & semi format, and Miranda placed 17th. Those finishing outside of the top 18 were placed into D, E, etc. finals. Miranda's 17th position in the TT was just over 5% off the winning time -- improving on her 7% margin from the 2010 NSR I finish. Having qualified for the heats she now had to finish in the top four of a 6-boat side-by-side race on Lake Mercer to proceed to the semi-finals. The heats took place on Thursday evening -- the same day as the TT. Miranda's sixth place finish in this heat qualified her for the "C" final on Friday where she then finished in 5th place for 17th place overall.

The National Selection Regattas help the coaches gage athlete progress at the beginning of the annual cycle, and the winners get funded to attend the summer World Cup events in Europe. NSR I is generally used to select the single scullers and the May NSR II selects the pairs & doubles. Bigger, Olympic class boats are chosen by the national team coaches.

Race results for the 2011 event can be found HERE.

Strong Showing for Alumni at 2011 Alumni Regatta in Cleveland

April 9, 2011: Over 20 Case Crew alumni converged on Cleveland to race and hang out at Great Lakes Brewery during our 6th annual alumni regatta. A number of Case Crew parents also were in attendance to watch their children row. Alumni and parents came from as far away as Minnesota, Chicago, North Carolina, Baltimore, Boston and Philadelphia. The events keep getting better year after year.

The day started out a quick boathouse tour and then all of the alums introduced themselves to the parents and rowers. Then a little overview of the race format and onto the water! Seven races were held between alumni and current team members with winning in four events. And of course, none of the events were stacked in the alumni's favor.

Alumni posing with the newly christened sagamore. From left to right: Chris Bowley, Nina Ma, Kate Menosky, Meg Grady, Lauren Boucher, Patty Wolford, Cheryl Thompson, Rebecca Carter, Nate Uber, Chris Shoemaker, Doug Rathburn, Fraser Hewson, Tim Marcovy, Brian Chorney, Tom Hudak

The first race of the day was the men's pair -- a three abreast affair on a tight stretch of river under the red swing bridge. It ended up being the longest event of the day at 1000m, and fitness played into the student's advantage. Nicholas Miller and Adam Wilson have been training and racing the pair all spring, but an outside lane and some tough steering proved too much to counter the efforts of Doug Brubaker and assistant coach Bob Gannon. The raced was Bob's first ever in the pair and he and Doug had just taken the boat out the first time that morning. Not to be outdone, Tim Marcovy and Doug Rathburn had their practice row on the way to the start. After a bit of oar clashing through the tight stretch each crew took a wide birth around the bend in front of the boathouse with Doug B. and Bob ultimately prevailing.

The middle of the day's programming was stacked with fours races. Alumni were given a crack at both the varsity and novice fours from both the men's and women's sides. The first fours race had the alumni women's crew of Patty Wolford, Cheryl Thompson, Meg Grady, and Lauren Boucher with Nina Ma coxing up against the Case novice women. With a solid stroke set be alumna and current head coach Patty Wolford, the alumni women looked comfortable in their win over the novices.

Kate Menosky (cox), Patty Wolford (s), Cheryl Thompson (3), Meg Grady (2), and Lauren Boucher (b)

The alumni men proved dominate in the fours with most still either rowing or posting lots of meters on the erg. In different line-ups the alumni men were able to prevail over the students in both races. Against the Case Crew varsity four the all-star line-up of Brian Chorney, Tom Hudak, Chris Bowley, and Chris Shoemaker with Rebecca Carter coxing pulled away from the start and never looked back. Against the novices Tim Marcovy, Bob Gannon, Brian Chorney, Nate Uber with Nina Ma coxing proved experience can trump desire on most days. The novice men's four from Case this spring had a couple true novices and the crew looked good coming down the course. Hopefully the alumni regatta experience will show them what a lifetime sport rowing can be.

The most anticipated event of the day was the alumni women up against the Case varsity four. Much trash talking could be heard throughout the day regarding experience and youth, but ultimately the crew that placed 2nd at URAs proved too strong for the alumni line-up of Patty Wolford, Cheryl Thompson, Meg Grady, and Lauren Boucher with Katie Menosky steering.

Engine room of the alumni men's 8+: Chris Shoemaker (2), Chris Bowley (3), Tom Hudak (4), Fraser Hewson (5), Tim Marcovy (6), Brian Chorney (7)

For the last women's race of the morning, head coach Patty Wolford pulled in friend Kate Beckenbach into the pair to test their mettle against 2011 URA conference champs Katie Puttmann and Caitlin Bowerman. Kate B is an alumna of Case, but didn't row for the team. Hey, she's part of the SARA family now... Kate and Patty tried valiantly to hang on to their younger rivals, but Katie and Caitlin's form proved formidable crossing the finish nearly six seconds ahead.

Due to an unscheduled high school event also occurring at the boathouse, timing became tight near the end of the day. Therefore, we decided to shorten the racing schedule and pit the alumni men in an 8+ against the mixed 8+ from Case. The student assured us this was a fast line-up given the number of "true" novices on the team that started rowing a couple months prior. The mixed crew put up a fight with a great start, but just could not hang with the alumni men after about 200m. The alumni men's 8+ has raced in roughly this line-up for a few years now and all that practice must be paying off. Somehow in our mind's eye we were better than we ever were! ☺

After racing finished, the entire group gathered for a short shell christening and then the alumni convened the SARA annual membership meeting. This spring SARA donated a brand new Peinert X25 single for lightweight women, and you can see more of the dedication here At the membership meeting the President and Treasurer gave their reports followed by new business and fielding questions from the membership. Also at the meeting, Meg Grady (left) and Lauren Boucher (right), both class of 2009, were elected to the SARA Board of Directors. If you would like to read minutes from the meeting please click here. In general, if you would like to help please simply consider updating your information, particularly your email address, and encouraging people you used to row with to stay in contact. Our email list is deep, but it's still incomplete. So please send a note to your friends asking if they're getting the email updates.

The evening was capped off by alumni-student mixer at Great Lakes Brewery. Alums Eric Matyac and Jason King weren't able to make it to the racing, but joined us in the evening to catch up. Eric also stepped up to sponsor a seat in the new four! The last piece of the Alumni Victorious Campaign is now underway thanks to Eric's leadership.

This year's event was one of the most heavily photographed events in Case Crew's history. Thanks to Danette Bush, Anna Czekaj and Erynn Rathburn for providing all of the photos. Please take a moment to view the photo album, and if you haven't done so put next year's event on your calendar!

Full results and lineups from this year's race can be found HERE.

2011 Alumni Regatta Photo Gallery

Puttmann & Bowerman Conference Champs in the Pair!

The women's team wasn't done capturing medals after the pair. The varsity 4+ line up of Grace Eder (b), Ruth Dickey (2), Mallory Miller (3), Katie Puttmann (s) & Anna Czekaj (cox) took home a silver medal behind Rochester and ahead of rivals Carnegie-Mellon. Then everyone jumped in an eight and took third behind the varsity and JV line-ups from Rochester and beat a crew from New York University.

Nicholas Miller (b), Adam Wilson (2), Matt Moss (3), Doug Brubaker (s), and Anna Zekaj (cox) in the Men's Varsity 4+

The men's team struggled to find their form a bit at this year's race. The team size is a bit larger this year which enabled them to enter an eight for the first time in ages. However, this depth includes a few true spring novices and this race was their first test off the home waters of the Cuyahoga. The early spring experience in Butler will hopefully prove useful for the men as the season progresses.

Mallory Miller's mother was at the race and took hundreds of photos of all the crews -- mostly from the chase launch. Be sure to check them out!

Full results from this year's race can be found HERE (html).

2011 URA Championship Regatta Photo Album

JCU Wins Cleveland Collegiate Cup; Case Takes WV4+

March 26, 2011: The ninth annual race between Cleveland colleges was renamed the Cleveland Collegiate Regatta this year. The scrimmage formerly known as the Home Schools Regatta featured Cleveland State, John Carroll and Case Western Reserve racing down the winding Cuyahoga River in a heat and final format. Seven races were run in fours and eights with JCU winning all races except the women's varsity 4+ that was won by Case. With such a dominating performance from John Carroll this year they took home the cup for the 5th time since 2003.

The race was held without incident, but the infamous Cleveland weather and Cuyahoga River conditions did its best to hamper racing. The first race was at 8am with 22 degree weather (felt like 13). However, the sun was shining a bit and around 1pm the temperature rose to about 30 degrees (felt like 23). There was a little bit of barge traffic and lots of debris, but no major delays to racing.

Caitlin, Katie, Ruth, Mallory, and Anna taking gold in the women's "A" final

Full results from this year's race can be found HERE (html) plus a nice YouTube video of some of the racing.

2011 Cleveland Collegiate Regatta Photo Album

Fresh Water Cleveland Article Features Case Crew President

March 24, 2011: A recent article on Fresh Water in Cleveland featured rowing at the new Rivergate Park. The article also quoted current Case Crew president, Caitlin Bowerman, about what it's like to row on the Cuyahoga. Many alums out there will identify with her comments regarding rowing past the lake freighters:

The other day we spent time waiting for the Pathfinder to go by. The first time you sit through that experience, it's a little scary.

You can read the article online at the Fresh Water web site or here in PDF format

Case misses Hammer Cup by 1 Point; Overall Series Now Tied

The fastest women's time was posted by Katie Puttmann with 7:44.7, which garnered her a bronze medal. Not far behind was her fall season pair partner Caitlin Bowerman with the time of 7:47.9. On the lightweight side, Mallory Miller posted a 8:13.8 to win her event. The novice women's team also performed well with bronze medals for Rachel Wilson in the open novice event and Anise Grant in lightweight novice race.

On the men's side, varsity lightweight rower missed out on bronze in his event by 7.5 seconds with a time of 7:20.8. In the lightweight novice event Case Crew hit the trifecta taking home all three medals: John Enevoldsen gold, Mayank Saksena silver, and Jeffrey Chin bronze.

Due to the previously noted injuries and absences, coaches Patty Wolford and Bob Gannon were pressed into service for the 6-person relay. As part of the relay each team member pulls 500m and then hands off the machine to the next person. This year Case took 2nd place behind Cleveland State by less than 4 seconds.

Race results from the 2011 event can be found HERE.
A summary of results from all 17 years of the Hammer Cup can be found HERE.

2011 Hammer Ergatta Photo Gallery

Alumni Break 1 Million Meters for Second Straight Year

Plain Dealer Highlights Projects Totaling $2B in the Flats

January 30, 2011: An article in this morning's Plain Dealer details over $2B in investment for the Flats along the Cuyahoga. Included in the plans are a casino, aquarium and commercial developments. Also, mentioned in the article is the Cleveland Rowing Foundation's Rivergate Project.

Click here for the html version or here for a PDF version of the article.

Mid-winter Tune Up in Pittsburgh

Race results can be found HERE (html).

2011 Pittsburgh Indoor Sprints Photo Gallery

Case Women Take Bragging Rights in Head-to-head Challenge

On the men's side, personal bests from a couple rowers were not quite fast enough to win over a quick squad from University Heights. The men's squad was heavy with novices competing in their first ever erg competition. May it be the first of many... The JCU men posted 4 times under 23 minutes for the 6k piece with the winner, Miles Nevin from JCU, pulling 22:19. Doug Brubaker led the Case men with a time of 23 minutes flat.

The event is a fun tune up for both teams. Next up for Case is the Pittsburgh Indoor Sprints next weekend and then the Hammer Ergatta on February 13. If you're around please go and cheer the students on!

Race results can be found HERE.

2011 JCU 5k/6k Erg Challenge Photo Gallery

Golden Finish to 2010 Fall Season in Hamilton, Ohio

Next, the varsity men’s line up of (4) Adam Wilson, (3) Nick Beese, (2) Matt Moss, (1) Nicholas Miller and (cox) Anna Czekaj took to the water. After racing the past two weekends and feeling like they had more to give, the men powered down the river and finished second getting edged out for first by a little over a second from Cincinnati Juniors.

The women’s pair promised a strong performance after taking gold at Speakmon. The lineup of Caitlin Bowerman at stroke and Katie Puttmann in bow arrived at Hamilton to find no competition in their race. Determined to make their last pair head race fun, the ladies focused on having fun and finishing cleanly before going to collect their gold medal. The women’s varsity 4+ also felt the nostalgia as it was seniors Elizabeth Brott and Kathleen Puttman’s last fall head race. The line up of (4) Katie Puttmann, (3) Elizabeth Brott, (2) Mallory Miller, (1) Grace Eder, and (cox) Anna Czekaj pulled power tens for their seniors to pass Dennison before the 1000m mark and finish 1st.

Wilson & Miller - Varsity Pair Gold

The last race of the day was definitely the most anticipated for Case Crew. The men’s masters/open 2- race included 2 entries for Case. The “A” entry of Doug Brubaker (stroke) and Nick Beese (bow) raced the positive α and finished 3rd. The “B” entry of Adam Wilson (stroke) and Nicholas Miller (bow) started 4th in the race but by the time they reached the finish line the men were in first place and gaining ground. Looking solid in the kaizen, Adam and Nicholas easily took gold to round out the day.

Alumni Compete in Boston - Cullins Takes 3rd in Champ 2x

October 23, 2010: A number of Case Crew alumni competing in this year's Head of the Charles in Boston, MA. Alumni racers were in the Women's Club 4+, Men's Club 4+, Women's Championship 2x and Grand Master Single.

The women's club 4+ entry for SARA consisted of Lauren Boucher '09 (cox), Katherine Allen '06 (stroke), Anna Foster (3), Cara Murphy (2), and Monica Ionescu '10 (bow). Cara and Anna are friends of the team and substituted in at the lst minute for other alumnae that couldn't attend.

SARA Women's Club 4+ passing under Elliot Bridge • © row2k.com

Lauren Boucher '09 provided this account of their race:

We went out and practiced on Friday with Brian Chroney '07 in bow. On Saturday it was sunny and rather warm for Boston but very windy. The first half mile of the race was a little rocky as we battled high winds and settled into a rhythm but the boat pulled it together. For a boat with four rowers who never rowed together and despite the strong winds, the boat was able to have several strong stretches of power and walked through several boats. In the last third of the race, a boat from Sydney started to pass and took the inside lane. Rowing through Eliot bridge we had a slight clash of oars as we were determined not to let them pass and moved up on their stern as they were trying to clear us. While they eventually passed us, we hung onto their stern all the way through the finish. We finished 46 of 52. Endicott College, the team Chorney coaches, finished 7 seconds ahead of us in 45th place. The wind played a big role in racing as the winning time was over 20 minutes while on Sunday, when the there was no wind, several course records were broken.

Solid Results at 2010 Speakmon Regatta in Columbus

October 16, 2010: The 27th running of the Jack Speakmon Memorial Regatta strayed from its usual end-of-October date this year. The event on Griggs Reservoir in Columbus, Ohio is typically the last one of the fall season for the team. However, with five weekends in October this year and other hallmark races shifting around as a result, the organizers at GCRA picked the mid-month date in 2010. The team is now planning on wrapping up the fall season in Cincinnati at the Hamilton Fall Classic.

The mid-October date proved a blessing given the great weather for the race. It has been known to snow in late October for those of you out there that remember...

Full results from this year's race can be found HERE (html).

2010 Speakmon Regatta Photo Gallery

New Competition Coming to the Cuyahoga

October 15, 2010: Notre Dame College in Euclid, Ohio announced today the addition of women's varsity and men's club rowing to their athletics program. The women's team will become the first varsity rowing program in northeast Ohio, and the team will only the fourth varsity program in Ohio behind Ohio State, Dayton and Marietta. The Falcons have hired Cleveland rowing stalwart Russ Eckles to lead both the varsity and club programs. Russ has coached almost every scholastic and adult program in Cleveland. The Falcons will begin recruiting immediately for the inaugural season, which is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2012. Click here to view a copy of the press release (html) or here (pdf).

WV4+ & WV2- Bring Home Hardware from Pittsburgh

October 9, 2010: On a glorious October day in Pittsburgh the Case women brought home bronze in the Women's Open 4+ and combination of Caitlin Bowerman and Katie Puttmann brought home silver in the Open Pair. On the men's side, the open 4+ finished in 13th place and the men's pair of Doug Brubaker and Nick Beese just missed the hardware by finishing fourth. Head Coach Patty Wolford raced in the women's master 4+ finishing third and in the mixed double with assistant coach Bob Gannon to finish in fourth.

The excitement for the day surely was in the women's open 4+. The women's crew of Katie Puttman (stroke), Elizabeth Brott (3), Mallory Miller (2), and Grace Eder (bow) with Anna Czekaj coxing left Pittsburgh thinking they had finished in 10th place. Tenth place was respectable given that 24 crews had entered the race and they got passed by Alexandria Community Rowing pretty early after the start. However, the timers at the regatta were in error and posted incorrect times. In fact, our women finished in third! The crew that passed them early had won the entire event. It wasn't until the day after the event that women were notified of their tremendous result! Case Crew has only medaled in the Open 4+ event two previous times in history: 2005 & 1994. Behind them were a number of crews from varsity programs. Great job ladies!

Case's Women's Varsity 4+ crossing the finish line at the 2010 Head of the Ohio

In the women's pair, Caitlin Bowerman sat at stroke in the pairing while Katie Puttmann in bow held a great line down the course according to Coach Wolford. The crew held off WRRA down the last 1000m calling almost continuous power 10's. Ultimately, WRRA finished in first but the Case ladies beat out the line up from varsity program Duquesne.

The men also had a good showing in Pittsburgh. The men's open 4+ line-up of Adam Wilson (stroke), Nick Beese (3), Matt Moss (2), Nick Miller (bow) with Anna Czekaj at cox felt it was their best row to date in this configuration. The men's pair of Doug and Nick finished with a very respectable time given the fact that this race was their 4th or 5th time in the boat.

Full results from this year's race can be found HERE (html).

2010 Head of the Ohio Photo Gallery

2010 Head of the Cuyahoga Recap

September 18, 2010: The 15th edition of the Head of the Cuyahoga marked the last time the race would be hosted at the Carter Road location. With the acquisition of the new, permanent site next year's race will be held further down river. The weather also cooperated this year with sunshine, mild wind and temperatures in the low 70's -- perfect fall rowing weather. This year's race marked the 7th year since Case Crew alumni began entering the race. This year's race saw alumni from Columbus, Pittsburgh and Raleigh, North Carolina joining the local Cleveland contingent. The students also took home two medals from the women's open 4+ and 2x events, and all Case Crew entrants raced in SARA shells! Nick Beese led everyone off the dock in the morning in the Men's Open 1x. Nick picked up sculling over the summer utilizing the new SARA singles. He faced some stiff competition from Maine, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh to finish 4th overall.

The first event involving alumni of the morning pitted Tim Marcovy, Tom Hudak and Doug Rathburn against each other in the Men's Master Single. Twenty-one scullers completed the 4000m Cuyahoga River course with Tom taking top alumni honors in 7th place overall. Doug pipped Tim by time, but ultimately finished behind after Tim's handicap was applied.

Click here for race results plus a Plain Dealer Article about the regatta.

2010 Head of the Cuyahoga Photo Gallery

Cleveland Rowing Foundation Buys Site on Cuyahoga River

September 13, 2010: The Cleveland Rowing Foundation (CRF) in partnership with Trust for Public Land (TPL) has acquired a seven acre commercial riverfront site in the Flats. The new site will create a public park and preserve public access to the Cuyahoga River for healthy, people-powered activities such as kayaking, canoeing, rowing and dragon boating. Rivergate is expected to open to the public in the summer of 2011.

"Today marks another giant step in the revitalization of our downtown, " commented Bob Valerian, Cleveland Rowing Foundation's President. "Rivergate will become a magnet bringing thousands to the Flats to enjoy the increasing natural beauty of our river."

Over 850 people, including eight local high school and college crew teams, kayakers and dragon boaters, regularly use CRF's current boathouse. However, the fate of the current facility became doubtful with the passage of the recent casino initiative which included the leased boathouse property in its footprint.

"CRF approached The Trust for Public Land to help negotiate and secure a new site and TPL was delighted to assist," remarked Bill Carroll, TPL's Ohio State Director. "Rivergate presents a rare opportunity to create a park and recreational gem on the banks of the Cuyahoga River in the center of downtown Cleveland."

Rivergate also affords the space to create a world class water sports venue capable of hosting national regattas. "We hope to bring exciting new events to the Cuyahoga which will attract thousands of visitors to our city, "remarked Theresa Gang, CRF's Executive Director. Gang also noted that the new site provides space for expanded programming including learn-to-row programs for urban youth which have been successful in Boston, New York and Philadelphia.

Rivergate enjoyed broad-based support from the community, including government, foundation, corporate and individual donors. According to Sarah Ott-Hansen, CRF's Development Director, "Raising funds for a capital project isn't easy in this economic environment, but Rivergate resonated with donors."

The Cleveland Foundation, The George Gund Foundation, Metlife Foundation and other local foundations made significant gifts. In addition, a major catalyst was Peter B. Lewis who made a $250,000 challenge grant that spurred new donors including Paul Buchheit, a recent Case Western Reserve University graduate ('98) and early Google employee, who joined the university and the Spartan Alumni Rowing Association to make a significant gift. The Lubrizol Foundation, Scranton Road Development Corporation and Forest City were among the many others who helped meet the Lewis challenge grant. Finally, Parker Hannifin Foundation's contribution days before closing along with a bridge loan from Huntington Bank enabled Rivergate to become a reality.

CRF's work will not end with the acquisition of the Rivergate site. The organization will immediately begin making modest renovations to existing buildings on the site, move the 120 boats from its current facility and installing docks, undertake a site master planning effort and initiate the process of converting the vacant concrete-covered site into a public park and vibrant recreational center in the Flats.

CRF will work with ParkWorks, a local non-profit engaged in reclaiming urban green spaces to convert the vacant, concrete-covered site to park and recreation space.

CRF is a twenty year old non-profit organization, dedicated to promoting low impact use of the Cuyahoga River and preserving public access to the river for healthy, people-powered activities. CRF is committed to making the river accessible to all individuals regardless of race, gender, religion, socioeconomic background, ethnicity, or physical disabilities.

The article made the front page of the Plain Dealer's Metro section: Cleveland.com or click here for a PDF Version.
Crain's Cleveland Business also featured the purchase: online article or click here for the PDF Version.

Alumnus Paul Buchheit '98 Donates to Rivergate Project

August 26, 2010: Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) graduate Paul Buchheit today joined with the university and the Spartan Alumni Rowing Association (SARA) in announcing a $100,000 gift for a permanent boathouse site in Cleveland.

The donation to the Cleveland Rowing Foundation (CRF) will support its Rivergate Project, and will be used as matching funds for the challenge grant philanthropist Peter B. Lewis made to the CRF. Buchheit, a 1998 graduate of Case Western Reserve and Silicon Valley technology entrepreneur, rowed as a member of the university’s crew club during his time as a student.

“To have the support of someone who rowed in Cleveland more than a dozen years ago highlights the positive impact of the sport and the sense of community it helps to create,” said Jon Adams, co-chairman of CRF’s Rivergate Fund. “All of us are grateful to Mr. Buchheit, SARA and Case Western Reserve.”

CWRU students have rowed on the Cuyahoga River since 1991, the year they founded their club at the university. In 2003 graduates came together to found SARA; since then the alumni group has funded the acquisition of several shells and a trailer. The organization also is providing Case Crew member Miranda Cullins a rowing shell and oars while she is training with the U.S. Rowing Women’s National Team in Princeton, N.J.

“Rowing is a lifelong sport that changes every person who participates,” said SARA President Doug Rathburn, a 1997 CWRU graduate. “We are profoundly grateful to Paul Buchheit for his support of this important project.”

Buchheit earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science from Case Western Reserve in 1998, and then went on to work for Intel Corp. for one year. In 1999 he became the 23rd employee of Google, and ultimately served as the lead developer for Gmail. Google’s free email system that today numbers more than 170 million users. Buchheit retired from Google in 2006, and the following year founded FriendFeed, a service that allows users to share information – links, photos, videos and messages – online with select individuals. Facebook acquired FriendFeed in 2009.

“The Rivergate Project is a promising one for Cleveland, Case Western Reserve and for our student athletes,” said Barbara R. Snyder, CWRU’s president. “We are pleased to be part of this effort, and honored by the ongoing engagement of our graduates in the university and community.”

Click here for various articles regrading the donation: The Observer, Case Daily, or the offical CWRU Press Release.