Updates from Selection Camp: The U.S. Men's Eight
The above video comes to us courtesy of California Rowing Club head coach Bernhard Stomporowski, and shows the athletes at the eight camp in the final stages of selection–a process that is due to end with the announcement of the eight for Lucerne on Monday, April 30th. Among the many faces present at the camp are a number of Beijing Olympians, including David Banks, Giuseppe Lanzone, Brett Newlin, Steve Coppola, Dan Walsh, and Josh Inman (Banks, Lanzone and Newlin rowed on the M4- in 2008, while Coppola, Walsh and Inman won a bronze medal in the eight). There are also a number of athletes with national team experience, if not Olympic experience, challenging the more established résumés and looking to make a name for themselves. The camp has reached the point where there is a great deal of parity among the athletes, and the final selections will no doubt be extremely difficult for the coaching staff–however, Mike Teti has been in this position before, and we're confident that the eight that emerges will be one capable of qualifying, as well as challenging for a medal in London.
-RR