The Women’s Crew
A few boats of women’s 8s in the fall dwindled down to an openweight 4 by the time racing season came around. The “survivors” were in it to win it!
The Women’s Crew Boat Lineup
Women’s 4
Cox Helen Curiel
Stroke Suanne Starner
3 Margy Marshall
2 Kathy Roberts
Bow Lori Johnson
Women’s Team Racing Season 1978
In the spring, the women’s team rowed in any race Rich could find for them. They rowed practice races at Stanford, Santa Clara, and the Oakland Strokes. And they traded shirts with a few of the teams.
UCD Team Shirt Front
UCD Team Shirt Back
Traded Shirts
Women’s Team, Pete MacRostie, Chip Brown, and Rich
The following are diary entries from Don Starner (Suanne’s Dad) regarding the UCD men’s and women’s races he attended in 1978:
- 04/01/78 – Police Academy at Lake Merced. The men’s shells raced about 9 am. Davis men’s lightweights beat the Davis heavyweight boat, with the police shell last. Then mixed shells of four raced – two women and two men in each shell. Suanne’s boat led, had to avoid a sailboat, causing another rower to catch a crab and they dropped back. Fun anyway.
- 04/08/78 – Races in Sacramento against Humboldt State. The men’s 8s couldn’t agree to start due to the wind. Finally, the women’s 4s started. Humboldt beat Suanne’s shell to the halfway point where the wind almost swamped them. They stopped the race then called off the men’s races too.
- 04/16/78 – Races on Lake Merritt in Oakland against St. Mary’s in between showers. Falling behind, Womens Crew boat put on a burst and finally won by a couple of lengths. Their first win against “legitimate” competition!
- 04/28/78 – Davis crews are staying at a parents’ home in Los Gatos tonight before racing tomorrow.
- 04/29/78 – 9 am races on Lexington Reservoir. Davis men beat two Santa Clara boats and then Suanne’s shell beat the two Santa Clara women’s boats. The women’s crew and Rich (coach) came to our house for dinner.
- 04/30/78 – The crew drove from Los Gatos to the Oakland Estuary to race against the Oakland Strokes (a women’s post-college club team). Davis women lost the race by a boat length. The crews exchanged crew shirts after the race.
- 05/11/78 – The Davis crews started from Davis at 3:00 pm with racing shells on a truck. Broke down near the 680 turnoff from Route 80 (near the Budweiser plant) so they have to sleep at a gas station overnight.
- 05/12/78 – Suanne’s crew arrived in Los Gatos at 10:30 am. The two hour trip had become a 19 hour trip. Staying at Pete MacRostie’s house tonight and tomorrow night in Los Gatos near Lexington Reservoir, where they’ll race.
- 05/13/78 – The Davis crew team spent the day at Lexington Reservoir even though the women’s 4 drew a bye into Sunday morning’s finals at 8:45 am. Not enough women’s 4s at the meet of 600 rowers.
- 05/14/78 – In the final women’s four, Davis came in second behind Santa Clara. Calm, beautiful day there.
What a first year it was!
Getting Ready to Race at the Western Sprints
(L to R: Helen Curiel, Suanne Starner, Margy Marshall,
Kathy Roberts, Laurie Johnson)
2nd Place!
Watching the Races
(L-R Lori Johnson, Suanne Starner Chuck Nichols, Barbie Engleman)
Next Up – Seth Weil UC Davis Olympian and World Championship Medalist