SEATTLE – Washington Rowing and Windermere Real Estate announce a change in the field for the 2016 Windermere Cup, as the Russian Men's National Team and the Cambridge University Women's Boat Club (CUWBC) will be the headlining opponents for their respective races.
The Cuban Men's and Women's National Teams originally announced faced difficulty in completing the trip to Seattle, as its Olympic hopefuls face qualification and an already busy schedule ahead of the 2016 Rio Games. Cuba expressed interest in participating in a future Windermere Cup.
“We completely understand Cuba's desire to focus on the upcoming Olympic Games,” Washington Rowing men's head coach Michael Callahan said. “This is another page in our pursuit of Cuba and we hope to see them on the Montlake Cut in the future. That being said, Russia and the CUWBC are among the best crews in the world and are fitting opponents in this historic year for the Windermere Cup.”
The Russians will bring a boat with the majority of its members having won a bronze medal at the 2015 U-23 World Championships in the eight.
The Russian Men's National Team's participation in the 30th annual running of the Windermere Cup is historically significant, as the former Soviet Union was the first team to face the Huskies in the Cup's history 30 years ago in 1987.
This will be fourth appearance for Russia at the Windermere Cup. Russia won the first-ever Windermere Cup in 1987 as the Soviet Union. Russia took third place in 1996 and also participated in 2006, taking first place over UW and Michigan.
“The very first Windermere Cup in 1987 saw the former Soviet Union take on the UW in an epic matchup that would ultimately make international sporting history,” said OB Jacobi, president of Windermere Real Estate. “Bringing Russia for the 30th anniversary is as close as we can come to recreating that celebrated first race of this storied event.”
Cambridge will make its fourth Windermere Cup appearance in team history, the last time in 2011 when Cambridge took third place. Cambridge beat the Huskies and took second place in 1990, falling to first-place China, and also took third place in 1992.
The Stanford men's crew and San Diego women's crew will round out the field as initially announced. The 2016 Windermere Cup will take place on Saturday, May 7.
Washington's men's and women's crews each have 21 first-place finishes in their respective races at the Windermere Cup.
Windermere Cup History & Information
The Windermere Cup got its start 30 years ago when Windermere Real Estate founder, John Jacobi, joined up with the University of Washington to create the annual rowing event. They wanted to bring the best team in the world to Seattle's Montlake Cut, which at the time was the Soviet Union. That occasion marked one of the few athletic competitions for the Soviets inside the U.S. in 25 years, since relations were strained during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. The Soviet Union brought both its men's and women's crews and won both races in convincing fashion. After that, the precedent was set for what has become one of the world's premier rowing events, and certainly a staple of Seattle's rowing community.
The 2016 Windermere Cup will include a number of events during the week leading up to race day. The Seattle Yacht Club's Opening Day parade through the Montlake Cut will immediately follow the racing. Further details will be announced at a later date.
