|
| Silberberg part of winning crew By Mark Foyer--[ markf@hmbreview.com ] Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, June 20, 2007 3:25 PM PDT Daniel Silberberg didn't know how well his rowing team did in the finals of the 2007 Youth National Rowing Championships. He figured his team, the Pacific Rowing Club, based at Lake Merced in San Francisco, did pretty well though. PRC got out to a fast start and had an open-water lead halfway through the 2,000-meter race June 10 in Cincinnati. Another boat made a move but it wasn't enough as PRC claimed the title. Silberberg, a Montara resident and recent graduate from the School of the Arts in San Francisco, at first didn't realize his team had won. "It was so loud at the finish that I didn't hear the horn," Silberberg said. "When my teammate behind me started to scream, I knew we had done it." The win was made all the more special because PRC didn't have everyone at practice most of the time. "We either had someone hurt, sick or gone because of a family commitment," Silberberg said. "Every race we had a different lineup." Silberberg played sports while attending Cunha Intermediate School, but his first passion was music. He started playing an instrument while in the fourth grade at Farallone View Elementary School. His passion for music carried over to high school and he enrolled at school of the arts. He plays a small tuba called the euphonium, along with the tenor and bass trombone. He plays the latter instrument for the Peninsula Youth Symphony. While attending high school in San Francisco, he still needed to take some sort of physical education. That's when a classmate suggested he look into joining the crew. "A friend said I would be great at this sport," Silberberg said. "I gave it a try my sophomore year." Instantly, he was hooked. He didn't mind that practices took place six times a week. Four of those practices started at 4 p.m. "It's the perfect sport for me," Silberberg said. "It's a low-impact, non-contact sport." Only once would he have to get up real early, as practice began at 4:45 a.m. The sixth practice started at a more reasonable hour - 6 a.m. on Saturdays. "The sport is year-round," Silberberg said. "You couldn't afford to miss a practice." Despite the illness, injuries and whatnot, PRC finished second in the regionals in Sacramento, qualifying for the nationals. PRC finished second in its heat to advance to the semifinals. "That was a hard race," Silberberg said. "We were tired. We were still recovering from our jet lag." The crew won its heat in the semifinals, though its time was the third-fastest overall. "Going into the final race, we all knew we had to get a fast start," Silberberg said. PRC did just that, having an open-water lead at the midway point of the lead. "We were getting 48 strokes per minute," Silberberg said. "We usually get 42 strokes per minute." One team, Green Lake Crew from Seattle, made a run at PRC. But it wasn't enough as PRC won. He continues to train, partially to stay in shape and partially to get ready for his new team. Silberberg will participate on the crew at the University of Washington. He still plans on playing music in college while studying to be a nurse. |