I started rowing as a Freshman at Case in 1993. Case Crew goes to many of the same races year after year, and I've tried to win medals at each one of them. Up to this point, the only race where a medal had eluded me was the Head of the Ohio. After moving to Britain in 2000, I started rowing for the City of Bristol Rowing Club in a pair with Ashley. We trained quite a bit and both had wanderlust so I brought up the idea of heading over to the States to do some racing and conquer my nemesis. We made a bit of a holiday out of it, which allowed Ash to see a bit of the States he had and eat some of my mum's great cooking. We ate a lot!!!
We started off by taking a day trip to Niagara Falls. We parked the car in New York and walked across the Rainbow Bridge to Canada. Above you can see Erynn and Ash posing at the international border between the US and Canada. At the other end of the bridge, Erynn decided to make a run for it. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my passport, but Ash did. It took a bit of persuading, but the border patrol lady eventually stamped his passport.
The picture on the left shows the American Falls from the Canadian side of the river. I liked this photo because you can see the falls, the Rainbow Bridge, and an actual rainbow in the foreground. The picture on the right shows Erynn and Ash posing in front of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls.
After our short jaunt up north, it was time to get down to business and race. The Head of the Ohio is one of the biggest head races in the country, and the venue (downtown Pittsburgh) can't be beaten. Here you can see Ash and I launching in our borrowed Hudson Boatworks pair with Pittsburgh in the background. Hudson loaned us the boat for the day, and in my opinion they make the best shells.
Ash and I ended up taking 2nd place behind Princeton. The 3rd place boat ended up winning Dad Vails that year so it was a good result. Plus, I finally got the monkey off my back. I now have a medal from every race that Case Crew traditionally attended. In the photos above, Ash and I are posing with my parents and in front of the regatta trophy table.
It just so happens that Ash grew up a huge American football fan. In particular, he liked the Washington Redskins. Unfortunately, our trip didn't coincide with a Redskins game anywhere near by. However, we did end up going to a Cleveland Browns game, which is who I grew up cheering for. The experience was close enough for Ash, and he had a great time in the Dawg Pound.
© 2001-2005 Doug Rathburn