Posted February 19, 2014
Hammers, PR’s, and Inspiration for All: Row New York’s Trip to the C.R.A.S.H.-Bs
Last weekend, Row New Yorkers braved the snow on their quest for success at the C.R.A.S.H-B’s World Indoor Rowing Championships. Not only the most prestigious indoor rowing championship, C.R.A.S.H-B’s uniquely awards the hammer: a token of recognition to the top finisher in each category. Row New York came home with its first ever hammer in the event for Junior Men LTA with an Intellectual Disability. Gustavo Perez, a member of Row New York’s Recreational Para-Rowing Program, raced for the first time this weekend and blew the competition out of the water…or, in this case, off of the erg! Gustavo is a World Champion!
Leading off the day alongside Gustavo were RNY’s para-rowers: Margaret Rajnic, Maria Bournias, Soo Lee, Kylie Schalz, Jessica Delarosa, Eric Navarro, Luther Moran and Lorin Campos (representing for Initiative for Women with Disabilities and RNY). While Margaret, Lorin, Soo, and Jessica are C.R.A.S.H.-B veterans, Eric, Maria, Luther, and Kylie made their inaugural appearances at Crash-Bs. It was high fives and smiles all around after the adaptive races were complete. And half of our competitive para-rowers achieved personal records!
The Queens varsity crew enjoyed their trip to Boston with successful performances in tow. Kassandra Nevarez raced in the Lightweight Junior Women’s Category and rowed a strong and consistent race, placing 54 out of 89 amidst a strong high school field. Joy Ene raced in the Junior Women’s Category and placed 46 out of a whopping 239 racers. C.R.A.S.H-B’s proved to be an inspirational event for all; varsity rower Chloe Rosario notes her favorite part of the weekend was “cheering at Crash- Bs and visualizing myself being there next year.”
The Row New York Manhattan varsity crew enjoyed equal success at C.R.A.S.H.-B’s. Athletes Yrma Alvarez, Julia Saltonstall, Betsy Yang, Juan Graciano, Kenny Gil, and Xander Fong competed for the first time at this event. Both seniors and captains, Xander and Betsy relished the experience and put together solid pieces. Though neither achieved a personal best, they appreciated the event and were happy with what they were able to do. Our only C.R.A.S.H.-B veteran, Ally Cipolla, demonstrated her maturity, leadership and focus throughout the trip, and her ability to fight through a tough piece. Julia Saltonstall raced well and managed to set a new personal record, four seconds faster than her previous. Juan Graciano and Kenny Gil both placed in the top third of their event; a great accomplishment in a large, talented field. Oliver Chemtob, the sole novice competitor, had a solid performance as well, placing 55 out of 173 competitors.
Row New York’s master rower Marianne Bers stepped up to the C.R.A.S.H.-B challenge, as the sole master representing RNY, she competed in the women’s lightweight category and placed a respectable 7th out of 14. Marianne is a dedicated member of the RNY community and volunteers with our para-rowers.
C.R.A.S.H.-Bs proved to be a tough but inspiring event. For many of our student-athletes, the weekend in Boston didn’t stop at athletic feats; our rowers learned about the next level of athletic and academic performance on their tours to Harvard and Northeastern University.
On Sunday, Row New York juniors met with Northeastern’s Coach Joe Wilhelm, who answered questions about rowing in college and how his athletes balance the rigor of collegiate study with Division I rowing. On Monday, Row New Yorkers made their way to the Weld Boathouse to meet with senior Harvard lightweight rower Elizabeth Lenczowski. Elizabeth shared her personal experiences and wisdom with the group. Perhaps her best piece of advice was to test each prospective college by using the “broken leg test.” If you broke your leg and were unable to row, would you still want to attend that school? The students left these visits with a key insight into their personal college selection processes for the future.
The long weekend was a great trip for our student-athletes in all facets of Row New York’s programming. They participated in the world’s most competitive indoor rowing event, they learned from knowledgeable coaches and student athletes about college, and they grew closer as a team. Fun times were had by all!
A special thanks goes out to the Northeastern and Harvard University teams for letting Row New Yorkers learn about (and aspire to) competitive collegiate athletics and academics. We’d also like to thank Row2k and Margaret Rajnic for the stunning photos!
