Unionville's Sabine Sellers prepares for a heat during the World Indoor Rowing Championships in Boston. Despite facing a field including Olympic medalists, she placed fifth overall.
BOSTON – Unionville High School Junior Sabine Sellers brought home fifth place at the 31st annual World Indoor Rowing Championships, known as the C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints, in Boston this weekend. The Championships were held at Boston University’s Agganis Arena before a record crowd of 7,000. Competitors from around the globe gathered, including World and Olympic medalists, to compete in 2,000 meter races against each other and against the clock.
In a field of 100 lightweight junior women athletes from around the globe, Sellers, of Birmingham, finished with an impressive time of 7:40 for her 2,000 meter race. She narrowly missed 4th place by just .01 second. Sellers recently took first place in her division in the Mainline Slide, Philadelphia’s Indoor Rowing Championships. Additional photos of Sellers and the Championships are posted at www.newportrowingclub.org.
Sellers rows for Newport Rowing Club and travels each weekday to the boathouse on the Christina River with other Kennett and Unionville rowers for training. “This weekend was such an amazing experience,” recounted Sabine. “It was so cool to compete with all of the different athletes from the international community.”
NRC Coach John Cohn agreed, “Sabine’s results are only a surprise to those who may not see her putting in the hours of work daily at the boathouse. Her attitude and work ethic are exemplary. It’s a treat to see her get the recognition she deserves and I know I speak for all of the coaches at Newport RC when I say how proud we are to coach Sabine.” Cohn and Sellers are hosting an open house and rowing information session for Spring Rowing at Unionville High School this Thursday, February 23 at 7:00 p.m.
The C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints originated in 1982 when a group of Boston rowers, many of whom were members of the United States National and Olympic Rowing teams training out of Harvard University’s Newell Boathouse, named themselves the “Charles River All-Star Has-Beens” and organized the first indoor meet of its kind. Today, the C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints are recognized as the premier indoor rowing regatta in the world.
Located along the Christina River, the Newport Rowing Club (NRC) was created in July 2010 to train young athletes and promote competitive and recreational rowing as a lifetime sport. By working with local businesses and area schools, the Club’s focus is to develop a state-of-the-art rowing center and nationally recognized competitive rowing program. More than 60 area high school students head down to the Christina River most afternoons to hone their rowing skills and work together to become smoother, faster and more competitive in the water. For more information, visit the Newport Rowing Club website at www.newportrowingclub.org.
