The Colby College men's crew advanced at the Henley Royal Regatta for the first time ever during June 29th opening round competition and then lost during the second round on June 30.

Colby's varsity 8 started the Temple Challenge Cup regatta with a victory over Isis, the jayvee boat for Oxford University. The Mules covered the 2,112-meter course in six minutes, 45 seconds to defeat the Oxford boat by one-half length. Colby's time was second best of the day behind Manchester University's clocking of 6:43.

In Thursday's second round, University of West England's varsity 8 boat finished with a time of 6:56 to defeat Colby by just over one length.

Colby's crew included: coxswain Michelle Easton '08 (Andover, Mass.), Ted Farwell '05 (Madison, Wisc.), Jon Ferris '07 (Pittsford, N.Y.), Rob Zondervan '07 (Claremont, Calif.), Tim Roberts '05 (Schuylerville, N.Y.), Nathaniel Hulme '05 (Framingham, Mass.), Stephen Whelpley '05 (Mequon, Wisc.), Kevin Selby '05 (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) and Wally Sedgewick '08 (Washington, D.C.).

The Temple Challenge Cup was instituted in 1990 at the Henley Royal Regatta for boats of single colleges, of smaller college boat clubs and for schools unable to enter the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup by reason of age.

Colby's second varsity 8 boat also made the trip to England and just missed qualifying for the Temple Challenge Cup.

The Colby men last competed at the Henley Royal Regatta in 2000. The Colby women's crew, the 2003 NCAA Division III champions, competed at the event in 2000 and 2004.

Men’s crew did its share in helping the Colby crew program win the Presidents Cup with wins over Bates and Bowdoin. The Mules also took seventh place at the New England Rowing Championships, their best finish since 1999.

The 2003-04 season was built on the foundation the men's crew laid in the weeks and months before racing began. The highlight of the fall season was the varsity eight's finish at the Head of the Charles Regatta, which secured the team a coveted guaranteed entry for the 2004 regatta. This accomplishment has become a symbol of pride for one year's team to leave the next. Indoor training saw the entire team achieve unprecedented fitness levels leading into the spring racing season. A 10-2 dual racing season record included victories over rivals Bates, Bowdoin, the Coast Guard, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Colby won the Colby-Bates-Bowdoin (CBB) President's Cup for the fourth straight year.

As captains for 2004-05, Jeff Sparrow '05 and Ted Farwell '05 will lead a team that graduated only one senior and which welcomes a spirited and talented group of sophomores onto the varsity team. The crew also looks forward to the contributions of some talented first-year students who will be arriving on Mayflower Hill.

Program Overview

Crew is the oldest intercollegiate sport in the nation and for almost 20 years it has grown in size and increased in speed at Colby. The College's crew rows on nearby Messalonskee Lake at the Colby-Hume Center. The center features a recently expanded boathouse and seven miles of sheltered water.

The Colby crew believes that a student athlete's education can be significantly enhanced outside the classroom. Our rowers accomplish this with the commitment they make to one another, to the team, and to the process of attaining athletic excellence. Through year-round training we maximize cardiovascular conditioning, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, rowing technique, and psychological preparation. The combination of training and racing provides our students with a rich collegiate experience.

To meet their goals the crew uses the fall to redefine technique, create a base of fitness, and gain valuable racing experience. The winter schedule consists of indoor training crucial to success in the spring. In February the crews return to the water for the challenge of the spring racing season. Each weekend in April includes races against crews from across New England, including the New England Rowing Championships and the ECAC National Invitational Rowing Championships.

About the Colby-Hume Center

Women's Crew