Mike Berardino
Staff Writer
Article dated June 27, 1995

The Canadian National Rowing team needs a place to train for the 1996 Olympics. Langley Pond could be that place.

Fresh off a strong guest showing at the U.S. Rowing Championships over the weekend, the 43-person Canadian contingent made the trip over from Gainesville, Ga., on Monday night. Tuesday morning the rowers toured the facilities at Langley Pond on U.S. Highway 1 between Aiken and Augusta.

Assistant coach Howie Campbell called the facilities ``Spartan'' and ``very basic'' but said the rowers' main concern was finding a place to acclimate themselves to the region's heat and humidity in the weeks leading up to next summer's Olympic competition.

``Other rowers tell us it was unseasonably cool in Gainesville, but we're getting a taste of the heat today,'' Campbell said with a laugh. ``Our major concern is to find someplace where our athletes are comfortable as they get ready for the race of their lives.

``We need a place that's accessible with as many amenities as we can get. Some places in Europe, you walk out of the hotel room, jump into a boat, row and come back. So far, we haven't seen a site where we can do that.''

Brian Richardson, head coach of the Canadian team, also toured several other potential training sites. Campbell said the staff hoped to have a final decision on a site by this fall.

``We have to make a decision before too many teams decide to come in here and it's closed as an option,'' Campbell said. ``Right now, our options are still open and we're still going to look around.''

Langley Pond and the Savannah River already serve as home for the National Sculling Center, where U.S. scullers have trained since February 1994. Also committed to train at the site are the Ukrainian national rowing and canoe/kayaking teams from the Ukraine, Finland and Norway.

Rolf Saeterdal, former coach of the Norwegian national team and now a member of his country's Olympic committee, arrived in Augusta on Tuesday for his own two-day tour of the facilities.

``Word is starting to get around about Langley,'' said Dr. George Frye, pre-Olympic training coordinator for area rowing sites. ``It's a real good combination. You have long distance combined with a controlled buoy course. We have a real jewel here, something that everybody wants.

``But too many launches can lead to a bad situation. If you get too many teams out there at one time, it's like rowing on the open sea.''

The Russian rowing team recently inquired about training slots for 50 athletes, but Frye had to turn that group down.

``We have hit a point that if there are too many people on the pond, there's no way for everyone to get quality training,'' Frye said.