Junior Rowing: State well represented at worlds

Jennifer Cromwell is enjoying her time in Amsterdam for the FISA World Rowing Junior Championships, but if the Sammamish High School graduate starts to feel homesick during this week's competition, she won't have to look far for a reminder of her home state.

In fact, Cromwell, who also competed at the junior worlds last year, wouldn't have to get out of her boat. Four of the eight rowers on the women's eight call Western Washington home.

Adrienne Mecham of Lake Stevens, Sarah Gribler of Marysville, Katelin Kelley of Seattle and Cromwell are four of the eight local rowers competing in the Netherlands this week. Kelley and Cromwell row for the Pocock Rowing Center in Seattle, while Gribler and Mecham row for the Everett Rowing Association.

"When they announced the team I looked at it and thought, wow, we have such good representation from Washington," said Cromwell, the daughter of Seahawks receivers coach and former Pro Bowl safety Nolan Cromwell. "To know that we were selected from around the whole country to represent the nation is something we take pride in."

More than 650 athletes from 52 nations are entered in this year's Junior Championships, which run today through Saturday.

Of the 22 female competitors representing the United States, seven are from Western Washington. Haley Johnson of Woodway is competing in the women's four and Michaela Strand of Seattle will row in the women's pair. Lindsay Meyer, a senior at Holy Names, is competing in the women's single sculls.

Tom Kicinski of Vashon Island is the only male from the area competing in Amsterdam, rowing in the men's eight.

Meyer, who rows for the Pocock Elite, has had a successful summer. She took gold at the USRowing Youth National Championships in Cincinnati. She later won gold in the women's intermediate single sculls and the senior single sculls, and took silver in the elite/open single sculls at the USRowing National Championships in Indianapolis.

Her coach, former Olympian Conal Groom, says the competition will be tough for Meyer this week.

"In Europe, everything changes," he said. "Everyone there learns to scull first, which is the opposite of most everyone here. It will be a challenge, but she's risen to the occasion every time she's been asked. I sent her to nationals to try to get her humbled, to let her know she's not the best. Obviously that didn't work out."

The women's eight also had success in Indianapolis, winning the elite/open title. Cromwell and Kelley were also members of the Pocock team that won the women's eight at the Youth Nationals.

Cromwell, who will row at the University of Virginia in the fall, was a member of last year's junior team that finished fourth at the World Championships in Brandenburg, Germany.

All of the medals, travel and recognition were not what Cromwell expected when she took up the sport as an eighth grader after watching older brother Lance compete.

"Basically, I went to his regattas and thought it looked really fun," she said. "When you start, you go to some local regattas, maybe travel to Canada, so there was a little bit of traveling, but I never thought it would take me all the way to Europe. It's awesome the way the sport has opened up doors for experiences like these."