The Washington women’s crew team celebrate after winning the women’s Windermere Cup last year. (Karen Ducey / The Seattle Times)
The Washington women’s crew team celebrate after winning the women’s Windermere Cup last year. (Karen Ducey / The Seattle Times)
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By
Scott Hanson
Special to The Seattle Times
The British are coming!
They are coming for a battle, but this one will be on the Montlake Cut.
The Great Britain men’s and women’s rowing teams are coming for the 40th Windermere Cup on May 2 and figure to give the Washington Husky crews good fights. Also competing in the event will be the Canadian women’s team and the Northeastern University men.
The Great Britain men, who won the gold in the eight at the 2024 Paris Olympics and were second in the 2025 World Championships, will be making its second appearance in the Windermere Cup, having previously won the event in 2014.
Michael Callahan, coach of the two-time defending champion UW men, said he talked to Great Britain about sending a “developmental eight, like a U-23 boat.”
“It’s my understanding that they are sending their best eight,” said Callahan, who expects many from Great Britain’s team at the World Championships will make the trip to Seattle. “That wasn’t my original intention, but I think it is a nice sign of respect.”
The Northeastern men are coached by Alex Perkins, who was the stroke rower on Washington’s national title teams in 2013 and 2015.
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“I’m sure it will be fun for him to bring his crew, and it will be fun to have him here,” Callahan said. “He was one of the better strokes we have had here over my career, and it’s good to see him coaching at this level. He’s an interesting guy. He loved fishing and would go spear fishing in the Puget Sound.”
The Washington women are coming off a season in which it won the Big Ten championship (becoming the second team to sweep the final in all seven races) and finished fourth in the NCAA championships.
Husky women’s rowing coach Yaz Farooq said she expects Great Britain to bring a group of college graduates who are trying to make the top team.
The Great Britain women have been to the Windermere Cup four times, winning in 1998 and 2022, finishing second in 2014 and third in 2002. The Canadian women will be making their first appearance in the Windermere Cup (the Canadian men have not competed in the event).
The Canadian women have become an international powerhouse in the eight, winning the gold medal in the 2020 Olympics and a silver medal in the 2024 Games. Farooq said she expects some rowers from Canada’s top boat to compete, but not the entire group.
“I think it will be a very strong boat,” Farooq said. “Both teams will be very tough. I could not tell you who is going to win — hopefully us — but it is going to be an incredible challenge.”
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Callahan and Farooq are bullish on their teams, at least in the short term. In the wake of the approval of the House settlement in June that allowed schools to directly give up to $20.5 million to student-athletes (none of that money is going to rowers at UW), roster sizes for both programs were trimmed.
Callahan said his roster has gone from 59 rowers last year to 47. Farooq said her roster has gone from 100 to 80 and that it will eventually get to 68.
“We have the right people in the boat house,” Callahan said. “We have a really strong senior class of 12 people. When we graduate them, then we are going to be looking at recruiting classes that are between 10 and 11 people every year. The question then will be: Do we have enough retention? Do we have enough good people coming in to keep everyone here or do we have a lot of attrition? The margin for error is much, much narrower now.”
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Farooq said her rowers “are highly motivated and they’ve got a lot of power.”
“I think we have done a good job of recruiting, and the goal is to be in contention for the top of the podium (at the NCAA championships),” Farooq said. “That’s going to be our goal every single year, but these new challenges make it difficult.”
Scott Hanson.
The Washington women’s crew team celebrate after winning the women’s Windermere Cup last year. (Karen Ducey / The Seattle Times)
Skip Ad
By
Scott Hanson
Special to The Seattle Times
The British are coming!
They are coming for a battle, but this one will be on the Montlake Cut.
The Great Britain men’s and women’s rowing teams are coming for the 40th Windermere Cup on May 2 and figure to give the Washington Husky crews good fights. Also competing in the event will be the Canadian women’s team and the Northeastern University men.
The Great Britain men, who won the gold in the eight at the 2024 Paris Olympics and were second in the 2025 World Championships, will be making its second appearance in the Windermere Cup, having previously won the event in 2014.
Michael Callahan, coach of the two-time defending champion UW men, said he talked to Great Britain about sending a “developmental eight, like a U-23 boat.”
“It’s my understanding that they are sending their best eight,” said Callahan, who expects many from Great Britain’s team at the World Championships will make the trip to Seattle. “That wasn’t my original intention, but I think it is a nice sign of respect.”
The Northeastern men are coached by Alex Perkins, who was the stroke rower on Washington’s national title teams in 2013 and 2015.
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“I’m sure it will be fun for him to bring his crew, and it will be fun to have him here,” Callahan said. “He was one of the better strokes we have had here over my career, and it’s good to see him coaching at this level. He’s an interesting guy. He loved fishing and would go spear fishing in the Puget Sound.”
The Washington women are coming off a season in which it won the Big Ten championship (becoming the second team to sweep the final in all seven races) and finished fourth in the NCAA championships.
Husky women’s rowing coach Yaz Farooq said she expects Great Britain to bring a group of college graduates who are trying to make the top team.
The Great Britain women have been to the Windermere Cup four times, winning in 1998 and 2022, finishing second in 2014 and third in 2002. The Canadian women will be making their first appearance in the Windermere Cup (the Canadian men have not competed in the event).
The Canadian women have become an international powerhouse in the eight, winning the gold medal in the 2020 Olympics and a silver medal in the 2024 Games. Farooq said she expects some rowers from Canada’s top boat to compete, but not the entire group.
“I think it will be a very strong boat,” Farooq said. “Both teams will be very tough. I could not tell you who is going to win — hopefully us — but it is going to be an incredible challenge.”
Advertising
Skip Ad
Callahan and Farooq are bullish on their teams, at least in the short term. In the wake of the approval of the House settlement in June that allowed schools to directly give up to $20.5 million to student-athletes (none of that money is going to rowers at UW), roster sizes for both programs were trimmed.
Callahan said his roster has gone from 59 rowers last year to 47. Farooq said her roster has gone from 100 to 80 and that it will eventually get to 68.
“We have the right people in the boat house,” Callahan said. “We have a really strong senior class of 12 people. When we graduate them, then we are going to be looking at recruiting classes that are between 10 and 11 people every year. The question then will be: Do we have enough retention? Do we have enough good people coming in to keep everyone here or do we have a lot of attrition? The margin for error is much, much narrower now.”
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Farooq said her rowers “are highly motivated and they’ve got a lot of power.”
“I think we have done a good job of recruiting, and the goal is to be in contention for the top of the podium (at the NCAA championships),” Farooq said. “That’s going to be our goal every single year, but these new challenges make it difficult.”
Note
Both teams begin the spring season on March 21 in the 125th annual Class Day Regatta. The UW women face opposing teams for the first time March 28-29 at the San Diego Crew Classic. The UW men travel to Florida to face Stanford and Harvard on March 27, then compete in the Sarasota Invitational on March 28.Scott Hanson.
