Your guide to the region's top events, mixed with some commentary about life, media, gossip and politics in Washington, DC.
|
Locals Head for the Olympics
By
John Mulligan
Published Thursday, August 07, 2008
Stitt, second from left above, and Lanzone, right, are going to Beijing. Photograph courtesy of USRowing
The Washington area seems to have grown into a swimming powerhouse, what with Beijing Olympians Katie Hoff, Kate Ziegler, and Michael Phelps all calling the area home. Now Washington may be adding a second water sport to its Olympic holdings: rowing. Two former McLean students will be competing for medals at the newly built Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park in Beijing. Sam Stitt, 27, a local legend in high-school rowing, took up the sport as a sophomore at McLean High School, just one year after the program started. He later rowed at Rutgers and at the prestigious Henley Royal Regatta in Henley-on-Thames. After college, he returned to coach McLean’s freshman boys crew team.
At McLean High and Rutgers, Stitt rowed mostly in eight-man shells where the style of oar is sweep. Sweep rowers pull one oar apiece, alternating port or starboard side down the length of the boat. After college, he gravitated to sculling (one oar in each hand) in two-man and four-man shells—doubles and quads, as they are called. At the Rowing World Cup in June in Switzerland, Stitt’s boat won the gold medal for men’s quad by passing defending world champion Poland in the race’s final moments. Joining Stitt in China will be a younger McLean alum, Giuseppe Lanzone, 25. Lanzone has a spot on the men’s four, where the style of rowing is sweep as distinct from the sculling style of Stitt’s quad. At the World Cup event in Lucerne, Lanzone’s four finished in third place to bring home the bronze medal. Related: Where to Watch the Olympics This article first appeared in the August 2008 issue of The Washingtonian. For more articles like it, click here. More>> Capital Comment Blog | News & Politics | Society Photos
|
Comments
Your article contains significant mis information. The real story is that Sam amd Giuseppe rowed together in high school and every summer during their college careers. They returned from Rutgers and UW and rowed the double and the quads together (sculling). They won numerous US National Chmapionship titles and Canadian Henlye Titles: including 3 consecutive Senior B titles Double B titles (sculling). While Sam did race in the Royal Henley, it was against Giuseppe’s UW boat that won the Ladies Plate that year. Giuseppe was a Washington Post All Met selection. You missed the true story here in that is was the effort the two of them together that allowed them obtain the honor of representing the US in Beijing. Further Sam and Giuseppe were very accomplished in both sculling and sweep rowing from highs school and on. Thanks for higlighting the boys but you should have looked into the real story here..
Posted by: Truth in Rowing, Aug 08, 2008 02:06:59 PM
Actually, Baltimore is part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan area. I’ve had many a colleague who lived in one and commuted to the other.
Posted by: Broader View, Aug 08, 2008 08:20:05 AM
Such audacity!
Michael Phelps owns a house in a historic area in downtown Baltimore and just last week spoke of "coming home" to Baltimore.
Posted by: Natty Boh, Aug 07, 2008 09:17:33 AM
Michael Phelps and Katie Hoff do not call Washington home. They’re from Baltimore.
Posted by: Baltimorean, Aug 07, 2008 08:32:52 AM
|
Post a comment
Feel free to leave a comment or ask a question. Because of the prevalence of spam, we ask that you fill out the code in the image below to help us eliminate spam comments. By posting here, you affirm that you are 13 years of age or older. Washingtonian.com reserves the right to remove or edit content once posted.
|
|
A new craft cocktail happy hour, a chocolate-themed happy hour, journalists rocking out, and a, er, pantless Metro ride. All this and more in your deliciously busy weekend nightlife picks.
more
|
Share
| Print |
Posted at
10:45 AM/ET, 08/07/2008 in
Scene | Permalink
| Comments (4)
| TrackBacks(0)
| Washingtonian.com Blogs
