University of Kassel sets the tone at the German University Rowing Championships 2023 in Cologne

In the Novice class races on Saturday, the men's four with coxswain, consisting of Pascal Schmidt, Björn Simon, Jonathan Bering, Maximilian Rohner and cox Simon Nowak, showed great sporting spirit and achieved a respectable fifth place in the final B round.

The two women's four with coxswain from the University of Kassel also attracted attention over the 500m race distance in the Novice class. The crew led by helmsman Simon Nowak, consisting of Carina Kirch, Elke Hafermann, Valerie Gunzenhäuser and Stine Böcher, achieved first place in final round C. The second Kassel boat, led by helmsman Sven Becker and consisting of Friederike Kadelka, Therese Kistner, Jannina Reimann and Lisa-Theres André, finished less than a second later and therefore ended up in second place in final round C.

On the same day, Samira Boddin, Clara Fahrenbach, Nele Fuchs and Nele Siebert secured a well-deserved silver medal in the women's coxless four in the Challenge category after 1000m of racing. Karoline Gudella and Vanessa Dörfler also made the University of Kassel team proud by winning the bronze medal in the women's double sculls in the Challenge category. This placing was also made possible by the cooperation with the Kurhessen-Cassel rowing club, which provided one of its boats.

The mixed races on Sunday were also exciting: in the mixed four with cox in the novice category, the boat consisting of Sven Becker, Fabienne Jensen, Jonathan Bering, Valerie Gunzenhäuser and cox Simon Nowak showed promising potential over a 500 m race distance and won the C final round. Another Kassel crew, consisting of cox Karoline Gudella, Carina Kirch, Stine Böcher, Maximilian Rohner and Björn Simon, achieved a respectable fifth place in the final round D. The two boats competed against a large field of 29 teams.

In the mixed coxless fours competition in the Challenge category, the Kassel boat, consisting of Samira Boddin, Vanessa Dörfler, Pascal Schmidt and Timo Baierl, showed admirable teamwork and determination, which earned them a well-deserved silver medal.

Probably the most exciting race was the mixed eight in the Challenge category, in which the Kassel team, consisting of Julia Hädrich, Sven Becker, Pascal Schmidt, Samira Boddin, Clara Fahrenbach, Nele Fuchs, Timo Baierl, Maximilian Rohner and cox Simon Nowak, demonstrated their skills and determination in the final sprint. They fought fiercely and secured an exciting silver medal, behind the Hanover team and ahead of the Marburg eight.

Furthermore, Nele Fuchs, a highly motivated rower from the University of Kassel, delivered a remarkable performance in the women's single scull competition in the Challenge category. She finished just 0.3 seconds behind fourth place and thus achieved a respectable fifth place.

While some of the Kassel rowers completed months of training and a training camp in preparation for the competition, many of the Kassel boats - like many athletes in the Novice class - only took their first strokes in a rowing boat in the spring. So we can hope for many more successes in the future.

All in all, it was a thrilling weekend and for many an unforgettable first regatta on one of the most beautiful regatta courses in Germany. Despite the exertions caused by the heat, everyone showed full commitment - both in rowing and in the organizational side of things, such as loading and unloading the trailer. The unsurpassable commitment of the coaches Simon Nowak, Alexander Sander, Sven Becker and Florian Wilhelm during the months of preparation for the competition as well as on site with the organization, logistics, emotional support, cheering, steering and even rowing themselves made this year's DHM a complete success for the University of Kassel and a regatta worth remembering.