Okay, this wouldn't be so funny, if it weren't for the determination. This was a KU womens rowing crew this last weekend at the Frostbite Regatta in Wichita, Ks. My daughter is a member of Tulsa Rowing Club and said this was about 200 meters from the finish. This link was emailed to me this morning.
Determination (//%22http://picasaweb.google.com/OpenAccess2/FrostbiteRegatta2007/photo#5129246665267757698%22)
I was yelling (in my head) for the front weight to abandon ship. I guess I don't watch enough rowing, but is that a not-uncommon event for one to get swamped like that?
You can scroll forward through the photos. Apparently, they hit a bridge. When they pulled the shell out, there was about an 8 to 10" section missing off the bow.
Rowing shells usually don't sink, they flip...but a cracked shell would definitely cause one to sink. Since the rowers shoes are bolted into the boat, I hope they got their feet loose before the thing went under!
Random thoughts:
The coxwain faces forward so the rowers don't have to worry about steering and bridges.... In the Navy, a captain would lose his commission for running the ship aground. What happens to coxwains who crash into bridges?
The winning crew team traditionally throws their coxwain into the water after a race. I'm not sure what the tradition is in this case...maybe they whack the coxwain with their oars?
My daughter had ankle surgery in early Sept. so she's coxing for the fall season and likely will be back to rowing in the spring, and hopefully on a scholarship in the fall on the OU women's team in the fall (becomes a scholarship sport at OU fall '08).
She mentioned as much that the coxswain would get a lot of crap over it. In the year she's been rowing, I haven't seen them throw the cox in the water yet, might happen @ nationals. She was in competitive gymnastics for ten years prior. She needed a lower impact sport. She's a total jock and I'm jealous.