MADISON, Wis. – For the first time in school history, the Wisconsin women's openweight rowing team is set to race at the Windermere Cup, one of the world's premiere rowing events, on Saturday, May 4, in Seattle on the Montlake Cut.
Before they hit the water, here are f(oar) things to know:
1 - WINDERMERE CUP HISTORY: Both the Wisconsin women's and men's rowing programs are set to compete at their first Windermere Cup in the event's 38-year history.
Known as one of the world's premiere rowing events and a staple of Seattle's rowing community, the Windermere Cup began in 1987, when Windermere Real Estate founder, John Jacobi, joined up with the University of Washington to create the annual rowing event. Each year, athletes from various collegiate programs and national teams from around the world compete for the coveted title of Windermere Cup champions.
The annual spring rowing event on the Montlake Cut is held in conjunction with the Seattle Yacht Club's Opening Day parade, which signals the beginning of boating season in Seattle. There are multiple rowing-related events held in the week leading up to the Windermere Cup, such as the annual "Party at the Cut" on Friday night. During the party, all of the Windermere Cup crews will compete in the annual Twilight Sprints, a race from the traditional Montlake Cut finish line to the eastern end of the Montlake Cut.
To learn more about the event, visit its official website here.
2 - STORIED COMPETITION: The Badgers will race against crews from host-school Washington and the Italian National Team.
The competing teams are reminiscent of those visited in the recently released "Boys In the Boat" movie following the 1936 University of Washington men's rowing team that competed for gold at the Summer Olympics in Berlin. The University of Washington and the Italian National Team were the respective gold and silver medalists at those Olympics.
Future Big Ten conference-opponents Washington and Wisconsin have a long history, with the 1984 Olympic gold-medal winning women's eight crew featured women from both the Wisconsin and Washington programs. Yasmin Farooq, current Washington women's head coach, is also a former Badger and Olympian, as well as a Wisconsin Athletics Hall of Famer. In addition, men's crews from both programs have been competing for the W Cup every year since 1993.
3 - B1G EVENT COMING SOON: Wisconsin is set to host the 2024 Big Ten Rowing Championships held at Devil's Lake State Park in Baraboo on Sunday, May 19.
The Badgers will welcome all eight Big Ten rowing teams with crews from Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State and Rutgers set to participate in races of various boat classes.
Racing is set to start at 9 a.m. central time with awards scheduled for 12:30 p.m. The full tentative schedule and spectator information can be found on the Big Ten Rowing Championships Central web page.
4 - FOLLOW ALONG: Live results for this weekend's event can be found here.
Windermere Cup
Saturday, May 4
Montlake Cut
Seattle
2000 meters
SATURDAY, MAY 4 (Times are PT and subject to change)
Wisconsin, Washington, Italian National Team
10:53 a.m. - Women's Collegiate Varsity 4+
11:10 a.m. - Women's Cascade Cup (2V8+)
11:30 a.m. - Women's Windermere Cup (V8+)
