By Lynn Saternow
Herald Sports Editor
While rowing doesn’t get a lot of top coverage at the Olympic Games, many Mercer County residents were keeping an eye on the results because of a familiar name — Winklevoss — in the “pairs without coxswain” event.
That’s because twins Cameron and Tyler, sons of 1961 Mercer High and 1965 Grove City College grad Howard Winklevoss, were competing in the event.
The twins, who hail from Greenwich, Conn., did an outstanding job in finishing 6th in the finals. A duo from Australia won the race, followed in order by Canada, New Zealand, Germany, South Africa and then the U.S. pair.
During the Olympics, Howard and his wife Carol kept up with friends in the county by e-mail from Beijing.
Following are some of the e-mail comments from the proud parents prior to the finals:
“They've been working on this full time for the last 4 years since graduating from college, and it's an event that boils down to 6 1/2 minutes, with generally a second or two between boats. In other words, you can't really recover from even the smallest mistake — and it's difficult to explain why one boat goes faster than another — because it's not directly associated with how hard one pulls on the boats. Sure, pulling your guts out is a requirement, but there's a lot more to it than that. One Olympian told me it took 6 years of rowing 3-hours a day to finally start ‘feeling the connection between the oar and water’ and to begin understanding how to make the boat run fast. ...
“So the boys have their hands full. They've been rowing the pair for 2 years, whereas their competition has probably been rowing it since 9th grade (10 or more years). Not trying to make any excuses here, just letting everyone know the realities of their event. The boys are cool with this, are delighted to have made the U.S. team, and will surely give it all they have. ...
“Computer access here is tough, but the hotel finally set up a couple of terminals in a conference room (and of course everyone at the hotel wants to use it at the same time!). ...
“Weather conditions here are the worst possible. Hot and VERY humid. Can't imagine exercising in this weather — let alone racing. I don't think it's pollution as much as just extremely high humidity. Can’t see more than a football field or two in front of you due to fog (or smog, or whatever it is). And haven't seen the sun (or a blue sky) since we arrived! ...
”The Beijing Olympic ‘Here's China’ thing is kind of silly. They’ve ordered most cars off the roads (which is good) but they have also closed off just about everything except the traditional tourist boats. For example, I went to a small town near the hotel (which itself is 25 miles outside of downtown Beijing) and all I was allowed to do was walk down the main street (about 2 blocks) because they had all roads leading off the main street blocked with police guards. In other words, tourists are blocked from seeing the ‘real China.’ Everything that you see is clean and nice, and there's no poverty and so forth. I expect that our news coverage will be fairly critical of this at some point.”
The twins had to battle to reach the finals. They lost their first heat, but came back to win the “repechage” which is “second chance” in French. From there they advanced through the semis to become one of the 6 finalists.
“Reaching the A-Final is a monumental achievement for these guys,” writes Howard. “And while learning how to compete against the best international crews isn't something that's supposed to be learned during the Olympics, they seem to be up to the task and even enjoying it! ...
“But whatever the outcome, these guys have represented the US A in a most honorable fashion and can be very proud of their achievement. And we appreciate all of the support you guys have given them (and us). Wishing them God speed.”
While the twins didn’t quite reach the medal stand, all of Mercer County can feel proud for the sons of a native son!
Sports
Related Photos
-
MUSTAFA OZER
Winklevoss Olympians are sons of Mercer High graduate
- Sports
-
-
PIAA Track: Hickory's Bell, Lubarski, Regginello grab gold
SHIPPENSBURG — There’s a big difference between being seeded 1st and finishing 1st — Matt Bell can attest to that.
After settling for silver last year, the Hickory High senior put the shot 59 feet, 6 3/4 inches Friday afternoon to garner gold at the annual PIAA Track & Field Championships at Shippensburg University. -
WM to play for D-10 baseball title; GC, Sharon, Sharpsville lose
Four area baseball teams were in action on Friday in the District 10 semifinals as the squads battled to compete for District 10 championships on Monday.
West Middlesex rolled past error-prone Linesville, 8-0, in Class A action at Slippery Rock University’s Jack Critchfield Park.
In Class AA, both Sharon and Sharpsville suffered 2-1 losses. The Tigers fell to Saegertown at Ainsworth Field in Erie while the Blue Devils lost to Titusville at SRU.
In Class AAA, the Grove City Eagles were denied the chance to defend their D-10 crown after suffering a 6-3 loss to Warren at SRU. -
Farrell volleyball falls in D-10 semifinals
The Farrell High boys volleyball team suffered a 2-0 (25-15, 25-12) loss to Saegertown on Thursday night in the District 10 semifinals at Meadville Area High’s “House of Thrills.”
“This was the first year we made it out of the first day (pool play) of the playoffs,” said Steelers’ coach Dan Dragicevic. “I’d like to cite my seniors (Eric Demus, Anthony Perkins, Jaylen Chambers and Lawrence Hughes). -
Locals ready to go for gold at Shippensburg
Now that Mercer County is on the map, it’s incumbent upon the area aggregation to chart a course for the ultimate destination — Seth Grove Stadium’s medals stand — during this weekend’s PIAA Track & Field Championships.
Led by West Middlesex High sprinter Clay Allen, many Mercer Countians are seeded at or near the top of their respective events for the annual 2-day marathon at Shippensburg University, which commences 9 a.m. Friday. It will continue beginning 9 a.m. Saturday. -
D-10 Playoffs: Local teams go 6-for-6
ä Grove City 1, Harbor Creek 0 — At Slippery Rock University’s Jack Critchfield Park, what the Grove City Eagles couldn’t accomplish themselves, the Harbor Creek Huskies unwittingly did for them.
Unable to plate runs themselves, Torin Smith scored the Eagles’ only run when teammate Tyler Devine’s seeming inning-ending pop-up to left field was dropped by Harbor Creek’s Chris Merritt in the bottom of the 7th inning of Tuesday’s tourney opener. -
Great year for WM track; local qualifiers listed
It’s been a big year for the Big Reds.
Though there’s no official documentation, the 2011-12 academic year may be the most successful in West Middlesex High’s athletic annals. -
SPORTVIEW: Local names Kroko, Lutz, Kareklas in news elsewhere
IT’S ALWAYS GOOD to hear of former area people who have gone on to athletic success in other areas, or the family of former area residents. Following are a few of those stories:
ä Bob and Betty Kroko of Sharon are avid followers of professional baseball. No, not necessarily the Pittsburgh Pirates or Cleveland Indians like many local fans.
The Krokos keep a close eye on the Austria Major League! -
Petty an all-around great athlete in track and gymnastics
When Mercer County’s contingent convenes at the annual PIAA Track & Field Championships this weekend, it will be well represented
Clay Allen, Matt Bell, John Yohman, Johnathan Jacoway, Jeremy Jansco, Nico Zahniser, DeShawn Coleman, Dan Jaskowak, et all, should haul home some hardware. But with all due respect, the aforementioned young men may or may not be best athletes in the area’s aggregation that will assemble this weekend at Shippensburg University. -
Lubarski, Richards, Petty, Allen shine at D-10 Track Championships; Hickory girls, WM boys team champs
Hickory High’s high-jump state champion Lauren Lubarski suffered a severe blow to open her competion at the annual District 10 Class AA Track & Field Championships Saturday at Hickory HIgh Stadium.
She failed to qualify for state in the event she had won the previous year. -
Baseball, softball D-10 playoff pairings
The District 10 pairings for the baseball and softball playoffs have been released. Five area baseball teams and four (possibly 5) softball squads have qualified.
- More Sports Headlines
-
