Unique - there is no other way to summarise the third day of racing in the German Rowing League last Saturday. This time it was in Minden in East Westphalia. And a very special experiment by the league organisers awaited the athletes and spectators there. The race day in Minden is also half-time in the league. Also for the SECUINFRA eight from Rüdersdorf. The objective for the half-time break was to maintain ninth place in the table and thus keep up with the leaders. This time, however, it was closer than ever before - but not from a sporting perspective.
There are race days in the German Rowing League that are special and there are race days that are simply spectacular. Like the third race day in Minden, a tranquil little town in East Westphalia. Who would expect that this small town of all places would host a Bundesliga race day that has never been seen before? The venue: the waterway junction in Minden. This is where the Mittelland Canal crosses the Weser. In a 24 metre wide trough bridge, 13 metres above the busy river. A challenge for every helmsman, as the race course was particularly narrow this time. The eights had just 2 metres of space between the quay wall and the chain of buoys. Steering errors here could have meant enormous damage to their own boat and even their opponent's boat. "I think everyone was expecting a material battle in the run-up to the race and which team might be hit. But thank God nothing happened," summarised Christian Nowak from SECUINFRA-Achter Rüdersdorf at the end of the day. The last day of racing in Werder an der Havel on their home turf did not go as hoped for the men from Rüdersdorf and their co-operation partners from Pirna. Although they moved up two places in the standings, the team was not completely satisfied from a sporting point of view. They wanted to do better on this day. Benjamin Kawalle, Tino Töpfer, Matthias Mehl-Uderhardt, Christian Nowak and Mirko Leiste were supposed to help this time. But things turned out differently than planned.
A real Herculean task awaited them in the time trials: the capital city sprinter from Berlin. Winner of the previous race day and leader of the standings together with the host eight from Minden. The Rüdersdorf team led by captain Benjamin Kawalle knew before the start that it would be tough! They were proved right. The race went to the capital city sprinter with a lead of three seconds. And not only that. The time of 1:02 minutes was just good enough for 14th place out of 18, and it was clear to everyone that a victory in the round of 16 was absolutely essential if they wanted to be among the front runners at the end of the day. The opponent in the round of 16 was once again TK-Achter from Dresden. A déjà vu, as they had already faced the team from Dresden in the round of 16 in Werder. The SECUINFRA eight came out on top there. Right from the start, both boats were evenly matched. Once again, it was going to be a tough battle. But then Tino Töpfer lost grip on his oars, pulled the proverbial "crab" and got stuck in the water with his oars. This time the winner of the duel was TK-Achter from Dresden. The disappointment was written all over the faces of the men from Rüdersdorf. But it didn't help, because the Emscher-Hammer eight from Wanne-Eickel/Hamm awaited them in the quarter-finals. An opponent that is beatable, but not to be underestimated. However, luck was not on the side of the Rüdersdorf team here either. The SECUINFRA eight also had to concede victory in the quarter-finals to their opponents. By now at the latest, it was clear to everyone that they would not go far forward today. The only glimmer of hope: the Weserbergland eight from Hameln. Their opponents in the semi-final are fighting for the red lantern in the Bundesliga table. This time, the Rüdersdorf team were the favourites and were able to live up to this. The first victory of the day for the SECUINFRA eight. Too late, because in the final it was now only a question of 15th place. The Travesprinter from Lübeck was waiting there. An opponent that was already at the bottom of the 2nd Bundesliga table last season. With a lead of 2 seconds, the Rüdersdorf team gave their opponents no chance. A victory in the final after all. At the end of the third day of racing, the SECUINFRA eight from Rüdersdorf finished in 15th place. Not enough. "We missed our chances of a good position right at the start. We were able to make up some ground towards the back, but only because our opponents were no longer among the best either," says team captain Benjamin Kawalle, summarising the situation. The winner of the race day was once again the capital city sprinter from Berlin. They were able to extend their lead in the standings with this victory. For the SECUINFRA eight, on the other hand, things are going downhill. The team from Rüdersdorf were unable to maintain their good ninth place after the previous race day in Werder. Instead, they dropped back to 11th place. At the next race day in Leipzig, it's back to square one. The men from Rüdersdorf still have two race days to work their way up again. Despite the poor performance on this day, the team from Rüdersdorf is delighted with Minden. "The setting here is simply unique. Especially because the spectators stand on the quay wall right next to the race course. In Hamburg on the Binnenalster, the proximity to the audience is already enormous, but here it's even more extreme," says Benjamin Kawalle enthusiastically, adding with a wink: "Nowhere else do you launch your boat 13 metres below the race course. That is also unique in Minden".
Julia Hilpert
Rüdersdorfer Ruderverein Kalkberge e.V.