Washington, California renew rowing rivalry

Two reasons why Saturday morning's annual Washington-California rowing smackdown (starting at 9 a.m. on Montlake Cut) carries extra sizzle this year:

One, it marks the 100th meeting of the men's varsity boats, a rivalry that dates to 1903; and two, the crews are the nation's top-ranked teams: UW at No. 1, Cal at No. 2.

And there's more: Cal is the defending national champion after upsetting a top-ranked UW crew last year at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association national championship by a blink — 0.263 seconds.

A year earlier, Washington staged a dazzling come-from-behind sprint to nip Cal by a second.

The two programs own four of the past five IRA men's varsity 8 titles. UW won in 2007, Cal in 2006.

It's not much different for the women: Cal's V8 is ranked No. 4; UW's No. 7. Cal's women have won the past seven regular-season V8 dual races. Washington leads the overall series (first contested in 1977) 22-12.

Washington's men have won four straight V8 battles and lead overall 69-29-1. So while this may be a regular-season dual race, it's a big deal for the rowers and scores of graybeard alumni who travel long distances to attend this event.

"These are important races," said UW men's coach Michael Callahan, who never lost to Cal while rowing for the Huskies (1993-96), going 3-0 in the varsity boat.

"It's one of the greatest college rivalries out there," he said. "We benefit a lot by having each other. When you have a great opponent, it makes the victories that much more important.

"You work very hard because you know they're very good," he said of Cal. "Our guys understand that they bring the best out in us, and we hope we do the same for them. I don't think I need to overhype it to them."

Notes

• Callahan tries to keep the race in perspective. "It's a midseason race for the Schoch Cup," he said. "It has historical value to both teams, but the national championship will be decided on the last day of the season. Still, we'll be going at it pretty hard."

• Callahan, understanding that many spectators are emotionally invested in the rivalry, said rowers do a good job of maintaining focus and avoiding trash talk. "It's a pretty civil thing," he said. "You want to express yourself with your oars."

• Callahan knows wacky things can happen in big races. In 1996, Washington's varsity 8 saw a large lead dwindle when the rollers on UW's No. 6 seat locked up. "Our rower had to keep pivoting his body as far as he could to make his stroke," he said. "He couldn't make full use of his legs. We were able to hold on, but it was a bit nerve-wracking."