Local rowers trade novice tag for national acclaim

By Bill Stewart

The Lake Oswego Review, Jun 28, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009

ADVERTISEMENTS

What do you get when you take some skilled athletes, then add liberal doses of hard work and excellent coaching? In the case of the Lake Oswego Community Rowing program, it resulted in some championship caliber performances.

The LOCR is only in its second year and yet the program qualified two doubles teams for the U.S. Rowing Junior Nationals, which were held three weeks ago in Cincinnati.

The club’s best showing was turned in by the men’s lightweight doubles team of Thomas Cameron and Pryce Waites. They finished seventh overall in their division after winning the petite, or consolation, final. In addition, Meredith Miller and Meaghan Pearson claimed 12th place in the women’s lightweight doubles division.

It was an incredible performance considering the fact that all four of the LO competitors were novice rowers just a year ago.

“It was a fantastic showing. It really was,” coach Lisa Schlenker said after the team’s return from Cincinnati.

If anyone would know about success it would be Schlenker, who is a longtime member of the U.S. Rowing team. She’s won enough medals to fill a trophy case, including three silver medals at the World Championships.

Just the rise of the LOCR program is a success story in itself. It was started by Stacey Borgman, a former national teammate of Schlenker’s. The program drew 20 participants the first year. Now, under the direction of Schlenker and James Rawson, that number has grown to 48.

“The program has really boomed over the last two years,” Schlenker said. It helps when “you create an environment where it’s fun to learn.”

It also helps to draw competitors with athletic backgrounds. Cameron is one of the most versatile in that regard. Before taking up rowing, he was a skilled squash and soccer player and an avid skier.

But getting those novice rowers up to speed required a lot of hard work.

“That’s always difficult,” Schlenker said of the effort that was needed.

“They spent a lot of time with us … but first and foremost, it had to be fun,” the coach said. “For me, it’s fun or I wouldn’t be doing it.”

1 | 2 Next Page >>