The Chicago Rowing Union (CRU) participated in the annual Chicago Indoor Rowing Championships (CIRC) on Feb. 25 at Chicago State University. The event featured more than 20 club, high school and collegiate teams.
Nine CRU members participated, including Bill Moudry, Matthew Honaberger, Travis Paul, Justin DiGiamberdine, Joshuah Thurbee, Adam Boltz, Lucie-Ann Chen and Craig Wu. CRU entered into several events, including the 2,000-meter men's veterans, the 2,000-meter men's masters, the 2,000-meter men's open, the 2,000-meter women's open, the 1,000-meter coxswain open and the 500-meter men's open sprint.
"Overall, CRU did very well," Wu said. "Several rowers competed for the first time, while others beat personal best records and some beat their times from last year.
"Like many competitions, there were a lot of nerves, but once the race started, all went away and [the team] did great. This event is good for individual reasons because it gives one a baseline mark for the 'industry standard' for the 2K test—the fastest that one can row 2,000 meters at full race pressure."
Finishing in fewer than 7 minutes in the 2K test is the "gold standard" in the rowing world, said Wu, who finished in 7:02.4.
"For the 500 meter sprint, the idea is to just row as fast and hard as you can until you finish," Wu said. "If, at the end of the races, you feel like you are going to collapse, you did what you were supposed to."
CRU members have spent the off-season training for this event and the upcoming season. The season begins on the water in mid April. The first regatta of the 2012 season is in late-May in Washington D.C., the Stonewall regatta.
"Overall, CRU did very well [in the CIRC]; I am proud of everyone who competed," Wu said. "Considering how we performed [in the CIRC], it promises to be a very successful season for CRU."
