Craftsbury, Vt. (July 1, 2010) – Rollins College rower Johnny Hood came home third at this year’s U23 World Championships’ Trials in the Open Men’s single in a time of 7:04.8.

Hood opened racing in Mercer on Wednesday the 23rd, with a second in his heat, forcing him to go through the repechage round. Easily qualifying for the finals, he opened that race with an impressive surge, leading the pack down the course before giving way in the later stages of the race.

“John’s race was the most bittersweet in that he rowed a race that would have won him a spot last year, but not quite good enough this year,” coach Gluckman explained when asked about the event. “John has made a nice improvement in this month and really learned how to race the single again. He rowed very well, beat a guy who had beaten him in the heat, and after facing him earlier this year at Collegiate Nationals, John cut the gap to (1x winner Brendan) McEwen down to 5 seconds in only a month of training. While it wasn’t the result we may have hoped for, I was very pleased for him.”

Hood and the rest of the SBTC have returned to Craftsbury and have resumed training for their next big objective, Royal Canadian Henley the first week of August.

You can find full results from the U23 Trials at www.powerhousetiming.com.

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The Craftsbury Small Boat Training Center is a program at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center, Craftsbury Common, Vermont, designed to be a bridge from collegiate rowing to the US National Team, with a focus on smaller boats. The program offers coaching, boats and some support for races such as:  U23 World Trials, Senior Nationals, Senior Team World Trials, World Championships (U23 and Senior) and Canadian Henley. Beyond their athletic goals, participants will be expected to join in one or more projects that contribute to Craftsbury's mission of promoting lifelong sports, sustainability and conservation.

We'd be happy to help you with any additional questions about the event or any other part of our programming. Drop us a line at smallboats@craftbury.com or call 802-586-7767.

Story courtesy of Sheldon R. Miller - Craftsbury Outdoor Center