A Gold Medal in Rowing for USA Women's Eight

Esther Lofgren was overwhelmed with emotion when she didn't qualify for the 2008 USA women's Olympic rowing team and emotions boiled over today when the US women's eight team won the Olympic gold medal. An emotion Lofgren told the media, "It's been a dream since I was a little girl to go the Olympics. This is so special. It means so much to me.” "I'm going to give her the medal. I'm going to give her a big hug. This one's for her,” Esther said of her mother, Christine Lofgren who was a member of the 1984 women's quadruple sculls Olympic team. The United States has been successful in every race since the Lucerne World Cup event in 2009. They've picked up six consecutive World Championships since the 2006 Worlds on Dorney Lake. Team USA consisted of Lofgren, Erin Cafaro, Caryn Davies, Susan Francia, Eleanor Logan, Caroline Lind, Meghan Musnicki, Taylor Ritzel and Mary Whipple and these ladies were successful in rowing for the gold. Coxswain, Mary Whipple also led the US team to victory in Beijing. "I just felt so much power," Whipple said. "When took our stride, that was beautiful. …I just told them to breathe, enjoy this moment and feel each stroke. Just be present. We were present that whole time. "We got into a rhythm, and it was just a crushing rhythm. It was relentless. It was exactly what we envisioned and practiced. The last 300 (meters) was a little rough, but we sold it, and did what we needed to do. We just kept motoring to that line. … At the end, I am in awe of my teammates in what they can endure."