California Rowing Club Athletes Preparing for Beijing

OAKLAND, Calif.--(EON:Enhanced Online News)--Three athletes from the California Rowing Club (CRC) are preparing to leave the Golden State for Beijing, China on Saturday, July 26, where they will continue to train for the 2008 Olympic Games. Elliot Hovey, Wes Piermarini, and Scott Gault will travel to the Olympics with their coach, Tim McLaren. Olympic rowing competition will commence on Saturday, August 9 at Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park in Beijing.

“It’s a particularly nice accomplishment since we’re a new club and this is our first full year in operation. Coach McLaren is an expert and the athletes are dedicated.”

Athletes from across the state and country are drawn to the CRC’s elite-level training program and top flight coaching. In the CRC’s first full year of operations, three athletes and the coach have earned a place on the US Olympic Rowing team. They are as follows:

Scott Gault is a resident of Piedmont, Calif., who rowed for the University of Washington, arrived at the CRC in 2007. Scott’s accomplishments with the CRC and the US National Team include winning a gold medal at the 2008 Rowing World Cup in Lucerne, Switzerland on June 1. Gault was the stroke, or first position nearest the stern, of the winning US quadruple scull. The victory is significant as the US men’s quad beat the defending champions, for a first-ever US win in this event in Europe. This is Gault’s first year on the US National Team and first trip to the Olympic Games.

Elliot Hovey of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass., attended the University of California, Berkeley and successfully rowed for Cal Crew. Hovey currently resides in Alameda. His rowing successes include the 2006 Pac-10 and IRA National Championships. In his first year with the California Rowing Club, Hovey won the 2007 Canadian Henley men’s double scull event with fellow CRC oarsman, Mike Holbrook. Hovey and rowing partner Wes Piermarini earned a place on the US Olympic rowing team by winning the Olympic selection regatta in June. This is Hovey’s first year on the US National Team and first trip to the Olympic Games.

Wes Piermarini, a native of West Brookfield, Mass., discovered rowing during his freshman year at the University of Massachusetts. He has enjoyed success in club rowing, both in the United States and Canada. In early July, Piermarini and Hovey traveled to England to compete in the Henley Royal Regatta, where they won the Double Sculls Challenge Cup. This is also Piermarini’s first year on the US National Team and first trip to the Olympic Games.

Tim McLaren, is the head coach of the CRC and is the former Australian national rowing team head coach. He has won six Olympic medals, including a silver medal as a competitor in the men's quadruple sculls from the 1984 Olympic Games, and five medals as a coach in different boat classes at the past four Olympic Games. McLaren has also coached several medal-winning crews at the Under-23 (years of age) level in both sculling and sweep rowing. McLaren served as director and head coach of the University of Technology Rowing Club in Sydney (UTS), which has produced 30 Olympic representatives over three Olympic cycles.

“We’re very happy to have three of our athletes and Coach McLaren selected to the US Olympic Rowing team,” says Rich Hallock, executive director and CFO of the CRC. “It’s a particularly nice accomplishment since we’re a new club and this is our first full year in operation. Coach McLaren is an expert and the athletes are dedicated.”

About the CRC

Located in Oakland, Calif., the California Rowing Club (CRC) is a national training center for elite-level rowers who compete at World Cup, World Championship, and Olympic levels. The CRC works closely with other rowing organizations, including USRowing and the US National Rowing Team. The CRC works to augment the national system and support the participation and success of US athletes in the highest levels of domestic and international competition. The CRC is a 501c3 non-profit organization, dedicated to improving the sport of rowing. Please visit the CRC online at www.CaliforniaRowingClub.org.

For more information, please contact Rich Hallock, executive director and CFO directly at tel: (510) 899-7906 or e-mail: Rich.Hallock@CaliforniaRowingClub.org.

High-resolution, digital photos of the California Rowing Club are available on request.

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