News From Fort Schuyler

March 25, 1998 - Volume 2, No. 15A

Tim Peters, Class of 1994, the coach of the SUNY Maritime College Crew Team this semester, asked me to post his newsletter so that word gets out about the activities of this nationally-rated team.

This is the first time I have sent out something other than my newsletter. Let me know if an occasional posting of this sort, in addition to the regular "News from Fort Schuyler," is all right or not.

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NEW YORK MARITIME CREW

As the winter months begin to fade, and the warm air of spring returns, there is a feeling of excitement at Maritime College. This season, the Maritime College Crew Team will strive to continue its successful tradition.

SPRING 1997

As many of you have heard, spring 1997 was record breaking, and the most successful season to date for the Maritime College Crew Team. Early in the season, the team won the point trophy at the Grimaldi Cup. As the season went on, Maritime continued to dominate local teams, winning the point trophy at the Metropolitan Championships for the third consecutive year. Each year, the Met's becomes more competitive, with this race consisting of 22 collegiate programs. The season culminated in Philadelphia on May 10, at the Dad Vail Regatta, small school national championships. Our Men's novice four won gold metals, defeating 50 boats in their race. The men's novice lightweight eight was also impressive, taking the bronze metal, and finishing just 2.1 seconds behind the champions.

FALL 1997

The fall of 1997 was also an exciting season filled with numerous accomplishments. At the Head of the Charles Regatta, in Boston, the men's club four took 15th out of 58 boats. Their finish time was in the top 5%, giving Maritime an automatic seed in the 1998 regatta. This is impressive considering the Head of the Charles is not only an international regatta, but also includes all of the collegiate teams in the Ivy League. Later in the season, the team won the point trophy at the fall Metropolitan Championships.

COACHING

Coach Rick Smith has decided to pursue a dream of his and is currently sailing as Master of the 350,000 DWT Tanker "Pherkad Star". We would all like to wish Rick the best of luck in his new pursuit. We all know and appreciate the outstanding service and achievement that Rick has given to the Maritime College Crew Program. Since starting to coach in 1986, Rick Smith has brought numerous boats to victory on the local, regional, and national levels.

Rick has turned the helm over to myself, Tim Peters, graduating class of 1994, for the semester. I, having been coached by Rick for 4 years, am motivated and driven to keep this team the top local team and competitive at the national level this spring. Rick plans to be home in April, and we will welcome his assistance. Donna Manoli, graduating class of 1989, will also be assisting this season. She will be concentrating on our women's team, and on nutrition, as she is a certified nutritionist.

NEW EQUIPMENT

The crew team is happy to announce the purchase of a new Vespoli, millennium class, four-man shell. This shell, designed for lightweight man and open women, replaces the "Alumni Spirit", a 10 year old Schoenbrod. The new shell should arrive in early April and will be christened at the Metropolitan Championships on April 25 at Orchard Beach, New York. The "Alumni Spirit" is now for sale, along with the 1985 Vespoli Heavyweight 4, the "Bregs". As we retire these two boats, Maritime Crew would like to thank the alumni who helped purchase the "Alumni Spirit", and Tom & Joe Breglia, whom purchased the "Bregs". Both of these boats have brought many great memories to the Maritime Crew Tradition, having won many races over the past decade. With this in mind, anyone who may know of a college or high school program looking for a used boat, is encourage to call me for details. We also just purchased 4 new ergometers, model c. This gives us a total of 8 new style ergs to train on, and allows us the opportunity to have land training with a complete boat. We now have 3 model B ergs for sale at $350 each. Once again we encourage you to call us for info.

SPRING 1998

Spring 1998 will be another exciting season for Maritime Crew. The team of 35 rowers will be led by Captains Will Frohne 1/C (Hvy), Nils Kohlmyer 1/C (Lt), and Charlotte Pittman 1/C (W). As you can see from the attached schedule, there will be a mix of local and distance races. The entire team will train on the Occoquan Res. for four days in early March. Later in March, the varsity team will travel to Augusta, GA for the first time in several years. The local races will see several combinations of rowers in different races, as usual. However, at the larger races, we will concentrate on the most competitive boats. Early season predictions look like we will enter the Women's Varsity Lightweight 4, Men's Varsity 4, Men's Pair, Men's Varsity Lightweight 4, Men's Novice Lightweight 8, and Men's Novice Lightweight 4. A Women's Novice 4 will also compete.

ALUMNI SUPPORT

All alumni and friends are encouraged to attend races in your area. Anyone, who has interest in helping the team on race day with food, lodging, etc, is encouraged to call me anytime. The Delaware Valley Chapter has done an excellent job in supporting us at the Dad Vails. Furthermore, we want to thank each and every alumnus who supports the team financially. Without you, the supporters of the Maritime College Crew Team, we would not have an opportunity to be as competitive as we are.

The team is looking forward to meeting Alumni at races throughout this season. I remember, as a rower, enjoying the stories of teams from the past, from Coach Lynch's Chuckwagon to the always-impressive lightweight program. Feel free to contact the team for any questions or info on used equipment at:

Tim Peters, Crew Coach
SUNY Maritime College
6 Pennyfield Ave.
Fort Schuyler, Bronx, NY 10465
718-409-7287/7286 (school)
718-829-9349 (home)

The team will be selling Maritime Crew long sleeve shirts ($25) at the regattas. These shirts are available to rowers, family, and Alumni only.

Thanks and we look forward to seeing you on the water this spring.

TIM PETERS '94

VARSITY CREW TEAM SCHEDULE

March 21, 1998 Augusta Invitational - Augusta, GA
March 28, 1998 Grimaldi Cup - Orchard Beach, NY
March 29, 1998 Manhattan Invitational - Orchard Beach, NY

April 4, 1998 SUNY Albany Regatta - Hudson River, Albany, NY
April 18, 1988 LaSalle Invitational - Camden, NJ
April 25, 1998 Metropolitan Championships - Orchard Beach, NY
Christening Ceremony for New Vespoli 4

May 3, 1998 Mid-Atlantic Championships - Springfield, VA
May 8-9, 1998 Dad Vail National Championships - Philadelphia, PA
May 10, 1998 Champion International Collegiate Regatta - Worchester, MA