INTERNATIONAL FIELD SET FOR C.R.A.S.H.-B. SPRINTS

INTERNATIONAL FIELD SET FOR C.R.A.S.H.-B. SPRINTS

Boston University’s Agganis Arena to host Olympians among 2,000 athletes for the World Indoor Rowing Championships

February 11, 2010 (BOSTON, MA) – The 29^th annual C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints will take place on Sunday, February 14 at Agganis Arena. Athletes from a diverse collection of nations including Egypt, Hungary, Peru, and Angola will vie for the famed “Hammer” trophy on Concept2 Model D Ergometers (rowing machines).  The consistency and exacting simulation of the rowing stroke on these machines, have made them the gold standard for indoor rowing training for all athletes particularly at the Olympic level, in health clubs, and for physical rehabilitation.

The United Kingdom, with 34 male and female rowers, has the most foreign entrants, while Germany and Denmark are next with 21 and 19 respectively. The United States has 1,778 rowers entered in the regatta.  Community Rowing, Inc. in Brighton (MA) has the most competitors from any one club with 39.

Racing 2,000 meters against the clock, rowers will compete in several categories including Men’s and Women’s Open, Lightweight, Under-23, and Junior (eighteen and under) divisions. There are also Master’s and Veteran’s brackets for older competitors. Competitors range in skill/accomplishment levels from Olympic and world-class athletes to first-year rowers at the club and student level.

The heats begin at 9:00 AM and conclude by 5:30 PM. Admission for spectators is free.

Eskild Ebbesen from Denmark and Julia Levina from Russia, rowers at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, join Ron Harvey, Emma Preuschl, and Laura Schwanger of the United States Paralympic Team as featured competitors. Ebbesen is a four-time Olympian who has earned three gold medals and one bronze; Levina is a three-time Olympian and won a bronze medal at Sydney 2000; Preuschl, a silver medalist at Beijing 2008, is also a Dad Vail bronze medalist; Schwanger, a four-time multi-sport Paralympian, is a bronze medalist from Beijing 2008.

A special feature of this year’s C.R.A.S.H.-B. program is the inclusion of mentally and physically challenged athletes for the first time. Forty-four people from the adaptive program at Community Rowing, Inc., the Paralympic Military Program, and other local and international organizations will row 1,000 meters on Concept2 Ergometers adapted to meet their individual needs.

The C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints originated in 1982 when a group of Boston rowers, many of whom were members of the United States National and Olympic Rowing teams training out of Harvard University’s Newell Boathouse, named themselves the “Charles River All-Star Has-Beens” and organized the first indoor meet of its kind. Today, the C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints are recognized as the premier indoor rowing regatta in the world.

Please direct media inquiries to Linda Muri, president of the C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints, via email: lindamuri@crash-b.org.

For further information, visit the official web site for the event at http://crash-b.org