Camp Sherman rowers take second

Bethanne Kronick and Kelsey White teamed up for a second-place finish in last month's "Race for the Cure" rowing event held in Portland.

Competing in the two-person Open category, the pair covered the three-mile course in 24:56. The race started in downtown Portland and ran on the Willamette River to the Freemont Bridge and back on an overcast day.

"The water was calm, and that's the more important factor for rowers," said Kronick. "This was an awesome rowing time for 16-year-old Kelsey's first race."

"They were racing goddesses!" said Lyle Miller, Bethanne's husband.

The pair used a 31-foot Ron Owen double racing shell.

"It was real exciting at the start line," said Kelsey, a junior at Sisters High School.

Donors sponsored 300 racers to the tune of $30,000. The event, which supports efforts to find a cure for breast cancer, has taken place for 13 years.

First place finishers in the Open competition were Lisa Schlenker and Stacey Borgman, both Olympic rowers. Commenting after the race on Kronick and White's performance, Schlenker said, "They looked good."

The pair work out weekends on Suttle Lake.

"We'll continue there until weather stops us," said Kronick, "and pick up again late spring of next year."

Both women also work out at Sisters Athletic Club with weight training and aerobic exercise.

White is keeping her options open for college and rowing competition at that level. Kronick normally competes in the Masters rowing level.