Spring Season has Arrived (sort of)

Row New York girls, go here to register:
SPRING REGISTRATION

New Novices

Welcome to our newest group of novices! Just in time to get on the water with us next week!

Greetings from Oklahoma

Previn here saying hello from Oklahoma City! I'm down here for a couple of reasons: 1) to tag along during the visit of RNY's own Felicia Crowder to Oklahoma City University, and 2) to do a little reconnaissance on a city that has developed it's community into a major rowing hub.

On the first count, things are going very well. Novice coach Melanie Borger has laid out the red carpet for Felicia. When asked what she likes to do, Felicia said she enjoys softball, and within hours she was batting on a field with team members. It's great to see that our athletes really do reap the benefits of their hard work. This is certainly a sport that rewards patience and discipline over time.

On the second count, the visit has been eye opening. Tens of millions of dollars have been poured into the development of several boathouses servicing the various universities as well as the community. In addition to a community center, OKC is home to a national training center (where, incidentally, I bumped into Jeremy Ivey, the former Smith College Asst. Coach of Simone D'Abreu RNY '07, and Aaron Marcovy, a former athlete of mine at Columbia...small world). Hopefully, New York City will take note of the benefits of expanding municipal support for community rowing!

Final fun fact: I had a good time when people, sensing my California accent and my New York roots, asked me whether this was my first time to Oklahoma City. "My second" I'm telling them. "I was born here."

RNY Rows With the National Team

On Saturday, a literal bus load of Row New York girls traveled to West Windsor New Jersey's Caspersen Boathouse to trade pieces with Tom Terhaar's senior national team training squad. Taking turns with, in many cases, world and Olympic champions, our athletes pushed themselves to the limit on a series of four minute pieces. All of this was followed by, of course, food!

Thanks to Tom and the senior team for opening your doors! And special thanks to Erika Long for making this visit possible!

Please go here to see pictures:

Row New York Rows With National Team

Row New York Seniors' Dinner

We hosted our first Women's Dinner for the Row New York seniors last night. The evening began with meet and greet skills, was followed by dining etiquette (who knew you were supposed to pass to the left?), and ended with some hilarious role playing for interviews and recruiting visits.

College acceptances are beginning to come in, making next fall seem suddenly not that far away. We are proud to be sending this wonderful group off into the real world, but we'll miss you!

NY Times Article Supports Girls' Involvement in Sports

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/15/as-girls-become-women-sports-pay-dividends/?emc=eta1

We don't need a lot convincing at Row New York, we are all believers in the power of sports participation to transform girls' lives. After all, we see the change on a daily basis, but it doesn't hurt to see articles like this one.

Bridges in Boston: Racing and Touring

Row New York took twenty-four girls to Massachusetts this past weekend. Five girls competed in the CRASH-B World Indoor Rowing Championships, and all attended a spectacular tour of six institutions: Simmons College, Northeastern University, Boston University, Harvard University, Mt. Holyoke College, and Smith College.


The rowing went well, led by Felicia Crowder, whose 7:41.8 was good enough to finish 87th out of 174 in the Open Women’s category—an event that included collegiate and international elites. Tiffany Ryan scored a personal best with a 7:53.1, taking 81/219 in the Junior Women. Veronica Castillo performed admirably, as did Jessica Levy and Jareline Guerrero, both who broke eight minutes just two weeks ago.



The tours also went well. Our athletes learned as much about the college process as they did about the schools themselves. They explored the distinction between large schools and small, urban and rural, Division 1 and Division 3. During this cycle, they learned a lot about themselves and the types of places they could picture occupying in just a few years.


But perhaps the story of the weekend can be entitled “Bridges”. Not only was this a story of current Row New Yorkers but former ones. At half of the schools, RNY alums gave tours of their own institutions: Amanda Pfabe showed us her campus at Harvard, Amber Roman and Simone D’Abreu showed us their houses at Smith College, and Olivia Orlando walked us down Commonwealth, the main drag of her new home—Northeastern University. Even at the CRASH-Bs, our athletes cheered on alum Charlotte Rendon, who sported a RNY uni-suit, on her way to breaking 8:00 in the collegiate lightweight women’s category. Seeing RNYers in the real world was both nostalgic and inspiring. Our athletes couldn’t help but think, “I miss you” but also “I want to join you.”

NO PRACTICE FOR NOVICES TODAY! SNOW DAY!!! VARSITY CHECK IN WITH PREVIN!

Row New York Spring Tryouts

The next generation of Row New Yorkers...

Monique Carter Featured on Row 2K!

This is a great article about Monique Carter. Monique is a 2007 graduate of Row New York now rowing on a full scholarship at Michigan State University in their varsity eight. Previn and I met Monique when she was a freshman at Flushing High School. Tall and skinny she lacked a bit of coordination in the boat, but certainly not enthusiasm. By the time Monique graduated from high school she was one of the best junior rowers in the country, but Monique is more than a phenomenal athlete, she is also one of the kindest, most inquisitive, and wonderful people I've ever known.

http://www.row2k.com/features/features.cfm?action=read&ID=450

OPEN TRYOUTS FOR GIRLS TODAY!

Who: 7th-10th Grade Girls From New York City
When: FEBRUARY 5th @ 4:00PM
Where: Flushing YMCA (138-46 Northern Boulevard), Flushing
Contact: 718-433-3075 or info@rownewyork.org
No Experience Necessary
www.rownewyork.org

Row New York Medals at Strong Island Sprints!

Congratulations to the Row New York girls for a great showing at the Strong Island Sprints Indoor Championships on Sunday. Felicia Crowder took the bronze medal in the varsity high school event at 7:36, Emma Buford won the novice event in 8:00, and Shannon McCann took 4th in the freshman event-- all events were large and competitive. In addition, Jareline Guerrero and Jess Levy entered an elite club by breaking 8:00. Tiffany Ryan celebrated her birthday by breaking 8:00 again.