British Crew Interest Resurfaces at San Diego Regatta

The British National Rowing Team filed into Friday’s press gathering for the San Diego Lowenbrau Crew regatta today on Mission Bay.

Adorned in dark blue blazers and light blue ties, everyone’s hair was cropped short and everyone’s clothes were cropped tight. On the lapel of their jackets was a patch depicting the Union Jack. They moved about in unison with two notable exceptions.

Two of Britain’s best did not wear the dark blue blazer of the British Nationals. They wore jackets of an even higher authority--the sea green of Cambridge University.

A week ago, Paddy Broughton and Steve Peel rowed for the Cambridge Eight in its annual battle against Oxford. In front of a national television audience, Cambridge easily won the 4 1/2-mile race down the Thames River to end Oxford’s 10-year winning streak in the most traditional of all collegiate rowing rivalries, its history dating back almost 150 years.

“You prepare for 10 months just for that race,” Peel said. “You build up a lot of tension before it starts because there’s so much media attention. It’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever been a part of.”

Indeed, the Oxford-Cambridge battle down the Thames is the pinnacle of college rowing in Britain. But that’s the problem. It has become so popular that teams like the British National Eight, which will row today in the Borthwick Cup Final at 2:30, do not receive much attention. “I do not regret the coverage the Oxford-Cambridge race gets, but we’ve got to create some more interest in our national team,” Britain’s Coach David Tanner said. “A lot of people in Britain think that rowing begins and ends with that one race on the Thames.”

The situation is somewhat similar to the one in San Diego. For today, at least, crew is in the limelight, but not many people know when San Diego State’s next regatta is, for instance.

“This San Diego regatta is something that even the people back in London know about,” Tanner said. “We were here in 1984 to have our workouts for the Los Angeles Olympics. You don’t have to try too hard to convince anybody back there to come out here for this race.”

The British Eight finished seventh in the world championships a year ago and will be matched today against the Canadian National Team and two international-caliber teams from the United States, among others.

In three weeks, Britain’s crew will travel to West Germany. The team is ultimately preparing for the world championships in Nottingham, England, on Aug. 10-24.

“We’re all looking forward to (today’s) meet because it has such an international flavor,” Broughton said. “It was a big thrill to beat Oxford, but this is important, too.”

Almost as important as those sea-green jackets?

“Actually, even though they look green, the color is called Cambridge Blue,” said Broughton, setting the record straight. “They are very difficult jackets to get. I’m proud to have one.”