The crew program at UCI was
founded in 1965, the year the university opened, by Duvall Hecht, who won
an Olympic gold medal in 1956 as a member of the United States’ rowing
team.
Some of the best-known graduates
of the crew include Brad Lewis, a gold medalist in Olympic double sculls;
Greg Springer, an Olympic medalist who competed in the 1984, 1988 and 1992
games, and Bruce Ibbetson, a 1984 Olympic silver medalist in eight-with-coxswain
rowing.
Practice Starts at 5:30 in
the morning 6 days a week with weight lifting and conditioning workouts
in the afternoon.
In the fall we begin racing
in what are called "head races" that range between 4 to 5,000 meters. Each
crew starts alone with competition in front and behind in a race against
the clock. 5,000 meters typically takes a crew between 16 to 20 minutes.
Spring racing begins in February
with some scrimmages against local crews and our opening day is on the
first weekend in March against. During our spring racing season all races
are 2,000 meters, which takes about 6 minutes. Our regular season ends
at the end of April and if we qualify, the championships are the second
weekend in May.
