Teen Rowers Compete in Ergathon

San Diego Junior Rowers to Compete in 90-Mile Race

at Westfield UTC to Raise Awareness of Their Sport

San Diego’s future Olympic athletes will be rowing 90 miles -- the equivalent of a race from San Diego to Catalina – in the middle of Westfield UTC Mall, raising awareness of their sport and funds for a new racing boat.

Joined by an Olympic gold medalist, three teams of high school rowers from the San Diego Rowing Club will be competing in the special event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, February 8, 2014, in the mall, in front of the Forever 21 store.

An estimated 80 rowers will participate in a three-hour test of their mind, body and spirit as they go head-to-head in an all-out effort to win their race on Concept II rowing machines. They will be cheered on by dozens of teammates, family, and friends as they compete in SDRC’s Third Annual Erg-a-thon.

Come meet Olympic Gold Medalist Susan Francia, SDRC’s Women’s Varsity Coach, who will be cheering on the team and sporting her medals for inspiration. Francia is a two-time Olympic champion, with gold medals in the Women’s Eight at Beijing in 2008 and at London in 2012.

The San Diego Rowing Club’s Juniors Program offers one of the premiere places to learn to row, developing athletes who go on to compete on college crew and national teams each year. The club trains students from dozens of high schools across the city, who compete in races across the state.

Rowing is an NCAA-sanctioned women's sport. Crew provides opportunities for college recruitments for men’s and women’s teams at some of the nation’s best colleges and universities. It is a sport that can be pursued not only in high school and college but over a lifetime, as proven by members of SDRC’s Masters Program.

To further promote the sport and develop future Olympians, the San Diego Rowing Club will hold rowing camps for all ages this summer at its Mission Bay boathouse. Camps are open to middle school and high school students of all levels, including beginners with no previous rowing experience. Information will be available at the Erg-a-thon.

San Diego is acknowledged as one of the nation’s best places to row and train. San Diego is also home to the San Diego Crew Classic each April on Mission Bay. The event brings to San Diego major U.S. and international college rowing powerhouses, including teams from UC Berkeley, whose longstanding rivalry with the University of Washington crew team is depicted in the New York Times bestseller "The Boys in the Boat" by Daniel James Brown.

Editors: Video and interview opportunities include stationary rowing competition (Erg-a-thon), competing athletes, 2012 Olympic gold medalist Susan Francia, a 26-foot boat on site, and Rowing Club members. 

Contact: Chris Callaghan, - chris@sandiegorowing.org. SDRC's website, www.sandiegorowing.org; and SDRC's Juniors website, www.sdrcjrs.com