-Oakland Strokes’ women win major East Coast regatta

Oakland Strokes Rowing Club Press release Oct. 23, 2011

Boston — The Oakland Strokes Rowing Club women’s varsity eight took first place out of 75 boats Sunday in the youth eights women high school category at the nation’s largest rowing race, the Head of the Charles Regatta on the Charles River.

The Oakland team powered through the three-mile course in 17 minutes, 12 seconds – nine seconds ahead of its closest competitor, the Marin Rowing Club.  In a sport long dominated by East Coast rowing teams, the one-two finish by Oakland and Marin was a major surprise.

In the Strokes’ boat were Sara Cratsenburg, Orinda (Miramonte High School); Alia Shafi, Lafayette (Acalanes); Alexandria Ohman, Oakland (Bishop O’Dowd); Kristen Lukins, Lafayette (Campolindo); Corinne Bozzini, Lafayette (Campolindo); Lauren Dahlberg-Seeth, Orinda (Miramonte); Brittany Presten, Orinda (College Prep); Michelle Popelka, Alameda (Moreau Catholic), and coxswain Amanda Rutherford, Piedmont (Piedmont).

Five of the girls have committed to Division I universities: Preston (Stanford), Dahlberg-Seeth (Dartmouth), Bozzini (Harvard), Lukins (Princeton), Ohman (University of Michigan).

“We thought we were second or third,’’ Rutherford said. “We didn’t know we had won until we got back to our dock and the coach (Derek Byrnes) said, ‘You guys know you won, right?’ At first we didn’t believe him. Then we all started screaming and crying. We got our medals around 4:30 p.m. They’re really big and gold and round.’’

The win was the first ever in the women’s portion of the regatta for a West Coast rowing team.

The regatta is the second largest two-day regatta in the world, attracting almost 9,000 athletes in 61 events. Some 300,000 spectators packed the shore and the four bridges that span the twisting course.

Oakland Strokes, a 200-member junior rowing club for middle and high school students, has sent countless student-athletes to college rowing programs across the country. Each year the Strokes competitive boats place strongly in local, regional and national championship regattas. Its boathouse is on the Oakland estuary near the High Street Bridge.

Photo caption, The Oakland Strokes women’s eight won the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta. Left to right: Coach Derek Byrnes, Sara Cratsenburg, Alia Shafi, Alex Ohman, Krissy Lukins, Amanda Rutherford, Corinne Bozzini, Lauren Dahlberg-Seeth, Brittany Presten, Michelle Popelka, Coach Cass Cunningham

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For more information contact Diane Moe at 925-377-0255 or 925-878-1677