World Records Fall at Sarasota Crew Ergathon

SARASOTA - Proving that rowing may be the ultimate team sport, five world records were either set or broken on Sunday during the Sarasota Crew’s 2011 Ergathon.

Surrounded by parents, volunteers, coaches and interested onlookers, 164 Sarasota Crew rowers took to stationary rowing machines outside of downtown’s . In addition to toppling records recognized rowing equipment manufacturer Concept2 and Guinness, they aimed to generate funds for the program’s scholarship endowment and contribute to All Faith’s Food Bank.

When Sunday’s eight-hour span ended around 4pm, it was a successful day on all fronts for the youth rowing organization that will celebrate its ninth anniversary in July.

“A truck has been by our site (at Historic Spanish Point) picking up barrels of food for the past three weeks, which is the most we’ve ever raised for the food bank,” Sarasota Crew head coach Casey Galvanek, said. “Monetarily, we have raised $45,000 to date. This is our annual fundraiser and the biggest thing that we do.”

Along with 183 middle school or high school students, Sarasota Crew also has a masters program with 26 participants. The purpose of Sarasota Crew’s scholarship endowment is to defray equipment costs and regatta travel expenses for student-athletes.

“I don’t want to give a number, but we have a large number of scholarship athletes,” Galvanek said. “Every time that we do a fundraiser like this, it enables us to take on another athlete who may not be able to participate because of funding.”

While funding may be an issue for some Sarasota Crew rowers, effort was not on Sunday. The varsity girls racked up 100,000 meters in five hours, 36 minutes and 54 seconds to set a Concept2 world record for the fastest 100,000 meters rowed by a Women’s Junior small team. The time of 5:36:54 broke the previous Concept2 world record for the fastest 100,000 meters rowed by a Women’s Junior large team by more than 17 minutes and broke the previous Concept2 world record for the fastest 100,000 meters rowed by any aged Women’s small team by nearly 10 minutes.

A team of five boys rowers and five girls rowers smashed the previous Concept2 world record for the fastest 100,000 meters rowed by a Mixed Junior small team by 88 minutes and 55 seconds with a time of 5:37:47.

Sarasota Crew closed out the day by setting a Guinness World Record for most people to row 100 meters on a Concept2 rowing machine in 60 minutes. After 154 rowers completed 100 meters, parents and coaches finished out the hour and contributed to a new Guinness World record of 165.

“We put a bunch of different teams together to break records,” said Galvanek, whose rowers fell 20,000 meters shy of breaking a world record for most meters completed on a stationary rowing machine in 24 hours during last year’s Ergathon. “The men’s small team missed out on their record by one minute and 35 seconds. The large mixed team missed out on its record by six minutes and seven seconds. Everyone on the team got to participate. Middle school rowers participated in the Guinness World Record attempt so did the parents and coaches.”

Sarasota Crew used the services of county commissioners and other volunteers to help verify the breaking of Concept2 and Guinness-recognized world records. The verification process for Concept2 and Guinness also requires the submission of erg-machine memory cards and video proof.