David VanBolt helped carry the boat out of the water, took a cool-down dip in Lake Natoma and savored a good morning for his Washington Huskies.
VanBolt's varsity four boat closed fast to nip Cal by one-tenth of a second Thursday, capping a good first day for Washington at the 107th Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships.
The Huskies advanced to the finals in men's varsity eight, men's second varsity eight, men's freshmen eight, men's open four and men's varsity four under cool, cloudy and breezy conditions.
"Washington and Cal are usually never in the same heat," said VanBolt, whose boat had beaten the Bears twice earlier this season before Cal juggled its lineup.
"With one (boat) going to the final, this was a really big race for us. It was really nice to come out on top."
Even if rowing into a headwind added to the difficulty of racing for 2,000 meters.
"The water wasn't bouncy at all," VanBolt said. "Just a little extra effort, raced a little longer.
"I think that favored us a little bit. One of our strengths is base fitness."
Washington enjoyed a good overall start, but it was Cal that posted the fastest qualifying time in men's varsity eight, the marquee race of the regatta.
The Bears won their heat in 5 minutes, 51.50 seconds, with Washington (5:57.00), Harvard (5:53.65) and Stanford (5:58.30) also winning heats. Cornell (5:53.96), Wisconsin (6:02.70), Brown (5:55.72) and Boston University (6:04.67) finished second in their heats to advance to today's semifinals.
"Each race is a little more difficult," Cal coach Mike Teti said. "I don't think there were any surprises."
Northeastern, Dartmouth, Syracuse and Columbia didn't advance out of the heats but won repechages (second-chance races) in the afternoon to earn spots in the varsity eight semifinals.
"We just knew we had to go out and win the race, live to fight another day," Northeastern coach John Pojednic said of the repechage. "The extra race here could help. We have a young bunch of guys."
With a cool breeze giving way to a warm, calmer afternoon, the estimated several hundred spectators who lined the beach enjoyed relatively mild conditions.
Many came from other parts of the country to root for one of the 22 schools in the event, which serves as the national collegiate championship for men and lightweight women.
"It's a crew community," said Larry Lombardi, 57, who travels around the country from his Mt. Laurel, N.J., home to watch his son, Mike, row for Princeton.
"People bond together. ... It's an all-day get-together."
Jenifer Breyer, 66, said she'd never seen a rowing event before Thursday. But a colleague convinced the Syracuse University development officer for the College of Engineering to swing by Sacramento while on a work trip to the Silicon Valley.
Meeting members of Syracuse's 1978 varsity eight national champions only sweetened the experience.
"What impresses me is it's a whole culture," Breyer said. "I've met the parents. The first group of guys I met were from that (national championship) team.
"I love Sacramento. I'm in and out of Folsom all the time."
Call The Bee's John Schumacher, (916) 326-5523.
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