SECUINFRA Eight successful in the German Rowing League 2018

A steady rise in the ranks
Last Saturday, the SECUINFRA Eight Rüdersdorf traveled to Werder (Havel) for the second day of the German Rowing League 2018, which was once again expected to have its ups and down. Nonetheless, there was reason to celebrate in the end.
Not everything went as planned for the SECUINFRA Eight Rüdersdorf team. And yet the day had started out so well. During the last training session at 8 am, everything was still going smoothly. Conditions on the Havel were prime, and the high temperatures that had been forecast had not yet arrived. Two hours later at the start of the time trials, things had taken a dramatic turn: the eight Pirna-based colleagues rowing for the Rüdersdorf team did not stand a chance against the Bremen Eight. To make things worse, the team’s rowing time was just barely enough to land the 14th spot in the overall rankings. Tim Bartels explained the debacle: “The team couldn’t seem to get it together during the first race.” Not exactly a good start on competition day. Heads were hanging low on the Rüdersdorf team, but the situation was looking up again soon enough.

During the round of 16, the team went up against the TK Eight from Dresden – an unpredictable opponent. Last season, the team from Dresden came in last in the second German Rowing League. With the newly formed team, however, they succeeded in making the leap to the top five on competition day in Frankfurt/Main. But this was hardly enough to put off the Rüdersdorf team. During a tense race, the tip of their boat pushed past the Dresden team and across the finish to win the round of 16. Now that they were back on their game again, they were able to move to the quarterfinals. And awaiting them was a true force to be reckoned with: Berlin’s sprinters, who claimed second place in the first German Rowing League last season. Here it was clear early on that this would be one very tough nut to crack for the SECUINFRA Eight. And unsurprisingly, the Berlin team secured a victory, coming in three seconds ahead of the competition. “Nothing unexpected there. The Berlin team is simply on top form today,” explains a humbled Tim Bartels. This was something the other teams were also able to witness for themselves, with the team from the capital ultimately landing the victory at the competition in Werder.
In the subsequent semi-finals against the Köpenick Eight, the Rüdersdorf rowers had to rotate positions in the boat once again. Tim Bartels was out, and Matthias Mehl-Uderhardt stepped in for an injured team colleague from Pirna. But the switch was nonetheless in vain, with the Rüdersdorf team being defeated again by the Köpenick Eight. The final round for seventh place offered a chance to see some familiar faces: the sprinting team from Mühlheim. At the past competition day in Frankfurt/Main, the two teams faced off against each other in the final round, with Mühlheim coming out on top. And the sprinter team from Mühlheim managed to capture a win yet again, reeling in seventh place with a two-second edge. At the end of the day, the Rüdersdorf team ultimately had to settle for eighth. Despite mixed performances in the races, the day was still a success for the team – the Rüdersdorf team’s direct competitors in the standings did not have ideal match-ups either, and were likewise unable to garner many points. A stroke of luck for the SECUINFRA Eight, which managed to move up a position to ninth in the ranking – a trend they hope to maintain in the coming days of the competition! Next stop is Minden in four weeks. Then this year’s German Rowing League season will be half over.
Text: Julia Hilpert, Rüdersdorfer Ruderverein Kalkberge e.V.