Pirates head to N.J. for nationals

The Orange Coast College men's crew team will compete in the Intercollegiate Rowing Assn. National Championship Regatta today through Saturday on Cooper River in New Jersey.

This will be the first year the Pirates will compete IRA regatta.

The crew decided to schedule the trip to New Jersey on very short notice, after a disappointing cancellation of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) regatta in New York last week, due to high winds and unsafe rowing conditions.

"We were the No. 1 seed in the Novice Eight event … and the No. 2 seed and the defending champion in the 2nd Novice Eight," OCC Coach Larry Moore said. " … It was very disappointing for the crew to say the least."

The IRA National Championship Regatta holds legendary rowing competition from schools such as Harvard, Yale, Brown, Pennsylvania, and Princeton to name a few.

"This is the National Championship Regatta," OCC Coach Pat Gleason said. "All of the best crews in the country will be attending.

"With such an exceptional group of student-athletes we decided that they deserved the opportunity to prove how good they really are by racing … against the best colleges crew has to offer.".

Unfortunately, the last minute decision to compete in the IRA National Championship Regatta has resulted in a bit of a budget strain for the program. The crew team is contributing its own money to help cover expenses for the trip. Any alumni or members of the rowing community are urged to make a donation to help make this trip a success.

To make a donation to the crew, please make checks payable to OCC Foundation, Men's Crew, IRA. Mail to: Orange Coast College Foundation, 2701 Fairview Rd., Costa Mesa, CA 92628. Donations are tax deductible.

The crew members racing this weekend are: In the First Novice Eight: Kelly Hughes, Erich Hanxleder, James Long-Lerno, Michael Verdone, Steve Oesterich, Michael Hindenberger (coxswain), Dan Dahlin, Bobby Jacobs, and Roger Huffman. In the Novice Four: Will Priolieu, Katie Scott (coxswain), Andrew Hilton, Marcell Stiffey, and Dave Northup.

— From staff reports