Andover teen one of nation's top rowers

August 06, 2009 04:59 am

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Fifteen-year-old Andover resident Elinor Hannum, earned a silver medal at the most prestigious club-rowing event in the country, US Rowing's Club National Championships, according to her club Essex Rowing.

The five-day event, held in Oak Ridge, Tenn., featured over 1,300 athletes representing 82 rowing clubs in 29 states and three countries. Participants competed for 67 national titles in junior, intermediate and senior-level events. Hannum took second in the Women's Junior B Single 2000-meter sprint.

"Before the race we talked about where to move and when," said Hannum's coach, Travis Gardner of Essex Rowing in Methuen, in a release. "The plan was to establish a controlled, comfortable rhythm in the first half and begin to press in the last 900 meters as the other girls fatigued."

Hannum raced to plan, pushing into third place as she passed the 1,500-meter mark and ultimately finishing second with a time of 8:59.88. The first-place finisher, from Boston Rowing Club, took gold with a time of 8:49.20.

"The start of the race was good," said Hannum. "But I wasn't really fast. As I moved through the thousand-meter mark, I started to press my legs harder. Once I got to the 250 mark I thought, 'I'm not finishing third, I'm finishing second' and I just booked it."

For Hannum's event, 27 athletes competed in multiple heats, followed by the semi-finals with the top six advancing to the finals. When asked how it feels to be the second fastest Junior B sculler in the country, Hannum, who is entering her junior year at Andover High School, simply responded, "Surreal."

Also racing for Essex Rowing at Club Nationals were Andover residents Catherine Hannum and Jennifer Johnson in the Women's Junior A Double event. Sean Fanning of North Andover raced in the Men's Junior A and Intermediate Lightweight Single events, and Anthony Curro, also of North Andover, raced with Travis Gardner in the Men's Intermediate and Senior Pair event.