-Oakland Strokes' varsity women shine in Newport

Oakland Strokes Rowing Club Press release November 6, 2011

Newport Beach — The Oakland Strokes Rowing Club women’s varsity eight and four both took first place in the women’s high school category at the Newport Autumn Rowing Festival, Sunday.

The eight boat sped through the 4,500-meter course in 17 minutes, 33 seconds, while the four boat clocked in at 19 minutes, 35 seconds. Among the eights, the Strokes women had five boats in the top 13 finishers.

“We’re really happy with all five eights,” said coach Cass Cunningham. “This kind of performance really shows the team’s depth, because anyone in the seventh or eighth boat is pushing the performance of the women in the one, two or three boats.” 

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

The first-place four boat was manned by Rutherford, Popelka, Dahlberg-Seeth, Bozzini and Ohlman.

The rowers weathered rainy, blustery conditions at the festival, a head race in which boats are started at 10-to-15 second intervals and race against the clock. “It got pretty windy,” said Rutherford, “but we just rode through it. We started in sixth position and we walked through (overtook) the fifth, fourth and third boats, and were coming up on the second position boat when we crossed the finish line. We were pretty excited.”

Five varsity boats represented the Strokes’ men’s team. The “A” boat finished fourth in 16 minutes and 13 seconds.

Oakland Strokes, a 200-member junior rowing club for middle and high school students, represents 29 Bay Area high schools and has sent countless student-athletes to college rowing programs across the country. Each year the Strokes’ boats place strongly in local, regional and national championship regattas. Its boathouse is on the Oakland estuary near the High Street Bridge.

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