David Rurik prepares for his biggest regatta to date

Gig Harbor rower heads to junior nationals

Marques Hunter

of the Gateway

David Rurik joined the Commencement Bay Rowing Club because his friends said it was cool. It was the kind of peer pressure worthy of buying into.

After three years of training, Rurik has the biggest regatta of his short but fun-filled rowing career this weekend.

At the Northwest regional competition last month, he and six other members of CBRC qualified for the junior national competition, which is being held at Harsha Lake outside of Cinncinati, Ohio from June 12-14.

Rurik began the long process of trying to master rowing — a sport similar to kayaking — that doesn’t receive a great amount of recognition. After playing club soccer nearly his entire life coming into his sophomore year at Bellarmine Prep High School, he decided to put the ball in the garage and pick up an oar.

“It came fairly quickly,” Rurik said about picking up the sport. “It’s a long, lasting process to get good.”

The Gig Harbor family had dabbled in water sports, which isn’t surprising considering their proximity to water. It wasn’t a huge adjustment for Rurik when he began rowing in it.

It’s been nine years since the club has advanced athletes to the national regatta, said CBRC Head coach Kattie Baurichter. The regatta features more than 1,300 athletes from 140 programs competing in 18 events.

Baurichter said she was the last person to have advanced to the junior nationals when she was in high school.

With a year under her belt now, Baurichter is looking to continue working at CBRC and send more athletes to the national competition on a more consistent basis. Rurik said having Buarichter on board has changed the attitudes of the 11 CBRC members.

The club is taking two boats to Harsha Lake. Rurik will be competing in the pair class, which consists of two rowers. He will be joined by his partner Joe Connelly, another Bellarmine Prep student.

“It was a foreign thought,” Rurik said about going to nationals. “We hadn’t done well in the previous two years.”

Six of the club members — which are more than half the club total — will compete at nationals. The other boat is a men’s lightweight four, which means each rower must weight less than 155 pounds.

At the regional competition last month, Rurik and Connelly finished third with a time of 7 minutes, 33.8 seconds. The top three teams from each boat class in the Northwest region qualify for the junior national competition.

It’s the first time US Rowing, which is the governing body, has allowed paired rowing as part of the junior national competition.

“We don’t have times to look at,” Rurik said about having an idea as to what is an honorable finish.

“We have no idea who we are racing. We don’t know what to expect.”

Baurichter believes they must drop about 15 seconds in the 2,000-meter sprint course to finish high enough to earn a medal. Rurik and Connelly will get to race at least twice at nationals.

“I’m just excited,” Rurik said about heading to nationals. “It’s going to be fun to represent the club.”

Getting a hold of his Type 1 Diabetes

Rurik was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes during his sophomore year.

He doesn’t let get to him, so he regularly packs a granola bar in his boat. And when he’s not competing, he has the necessary tools to check his blood sugar any time throughout the day.

Rurik said being physically active — especially with the rigorous workouts in the water — actually helps remedy the diabetes.

When he’s not on the water, Rurik continues to support the Junior Diabetes Research Foundation by helping with fundraisers. He recently took part in a clinical research study that requires blood donations from people with diabetes.

For Rurik, the junior nationals will be his last rowing competition, unless he decides to compete in a masters division when he gets older.

He plans to attend Whitworth University in Spokane, which doesn’t have a rowing program. Although his career in rowing will be put on hold, he has benefited greatly from the experience, both mentally and physically.

The CBRC — a non-profit organization — trains six days a week for a total of about 18 hours. They train at American Lake, where on a busy day can often lead to rowing in choppy waters as a result of recreation boating. It was founded in 1992.

Want to learn more about CBRC?

The Commencement Bay Rowing Club is hosting a summer program.

Time: 10 a.m. to noon

Date: July 13-17 and Aug. 10-17

Location: Commencement Bay Boathouse at Harry Todd Park on the American Lake in Lakewood (Tillicum)

Cost: $125

For more information on CBRC go to www.combayrow.net, e-mail info@combayrow.net or call 253-512-0628.