Libby Hughes, who is originally from Orient, has returned to her alma mater, William Smith College in Geneva, N.Y., to serve as the interim assistant coach for the Heron rowing team, head coach Sandra Chu recently announced. The former Heron rower has spent six months as a rowing coach at Radnor (Pa.) High School. (more…)
Tag: rowing
RACHEL YOUNG PHOTO | East End Rowing has a new home in downtown Riverhead. Riverhead Town Councilwoman Jodi Giglio joins (from left) East End Rowing co-founder Co Rentmeester, webmaster Dan Jablonski, vice president George Woodhull and president Bill Hale.
If it weren’t for the 27-foot-long, 11-inch-wide racing scull in the front yard, the brown-shingled house at 30 McDermott Ave. in downtown Riverhead probably wouldn’t get more than a passing glance.
But this property isn’t just any abode — it’s the new home of East End Rowing and, after spending more than a decade on a chunk of land in Flanders without a structure to store their equipment, the group and its 35 members are happy to be there.
“There was no indoor anything in Flanders,” said club member Dan Jablonski, who manages East End Rowing’s website. “It was 12 years without a roof, basically. So when [storms] Irene and Sandy came, all the members went down there and had to make sure the boats were tied down and far enough away from the water.”
RACHEL YOUNG PHOTO | The building also has workout space for its members, including rowing machines.
Fortunately, that sort of hassle is now a thing of the past. In May, East End Rowing entered into a licensing agreement with Riverhead Town that gives the club rent-free use of the McDermott Avenue house. The five-room house was purchased by the town earlier this year for $160,000 and is now the property of the town sewer district, said that district’s superintendent, Michael Reichel.
Mr. Reichel said the town bought the house with the intention of demolishing it to make way for a new pump station, but he does not anticipate that occurring for at least another two years. In the interim, East End Rowing is responsible for paying all utilities at the house, he said.
“There have been so many different locations proposed for the boathouse,” said Riverhead Councilwoman Jodi Giglio. “Now, with the sewer district getting this property, it just made sense to put it here.”
This isn’t the first time local government has stepped in to assist the club. A few years ago, East End Rowing was awarded a $90,000 grant from Suffolk County. Part of that money was used to put build a new floating dock on the Peconic River.
“It was just in time because the old wooden ones had given up,” club president Bill Hale said.
The new dock was a plus, but East End Rowing, which was founded in 2001 by Co Rentmeester, Michelle Knox Zaloom, Dan Johnson and Alice and Marty Golden, needed a home base. Club members had hoped to build a boathouse in the form of an addition to the East End Arts building on Riverhead’s East Main Street, but that didn’t pan out, Mr. Hale said.
Now that East End Rowing has a house, Ms. Giglio said town officials are also working on an easement that would allow the town to purchase a pre-fabricated boathouse to put in the home’s backyard. In the meantime, East End Rowing members can store their sculls outside and take a hot shower in the home’s second-floor bathroom after rowing the Peconic River. There are also two rowing machines in an upstairs room, where members can train during the winter.
Club members agree the timing was just right to help firmly establish themselves in downtown Riverhead, which is enjoying a revitalization that East End Rowing hopes to be part of.
“Rowing is exploding across the U.S. right now,” said Mr. Hale. “I think people are finding that they can do it all their life, like golf.”
East End Rowing expects to draw a crowd of at least a thousand people when it hosts its annual Snowflake Regatta on the riverfront Nov. 10. Participation at last year’s event was negatively affected by superstorm Sandy, but 2011’s regatta included 108 entries from 14 rowing clubs.
And when rowers are doing their thing on the Peconic River, Mr. Jablonski said, all eyes are on them.
“Everybody’s got a big old motorboat,” he said. “When you’re rowing a 27-foot-long, 11-inch-wide boat, everyone’s watching you.”
WILLIAM SMITH ATHLETICS PHOTO | Libby Hughes of Orient.
WOMEN’S ROWING: Orient woman on top team The William Smith College varsity eight, including Libby Hughes of Orient, captured its third straight Liberty League Crew of the Year award. The varsity eight was ranked in the top five in the nation all spring by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association. At the Liberty League Championships, the Herons bested the field by more than 13 seconds to secure the program’s sixth title in 10 seasons.
RUNNING: Shelter Island race on Saturday The 34th annual Shelter Island 10K Run is scheduled to start on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. in front of Shelter Island High School. Simon Ndirangu of Kenya set a course record last year with a time of 28 minutes 37 seconds. He snapped three seconds off the previous mark that Alena Reta of Ethiopia set in 2010 when he won the race for the second time in four years. A Moroccan, Malika Mejdoub, won the women’s race in 34:28.
SOCCER: Summer program North Fork United Soccer Club will host a summer soccer program for children ages 4 to 11 on evenings from July 8 to Aug. 8 at the Cutchogue East Elementary School. E-mail [email protected] or call Lisa Fox at (631) 834-1685 for registration information.
GIRLS GYMNASTICS: Team holding fund-raiser Members of the GymNation gymnastics competition team will hold a car wash fund-raiser on Sunday to raise money to help cover coaching costs and entry fees for the USAIGC World Gymnastics Championships in California at the end of the month. The car wash at the Cutchogue Fire Department will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. A bake sale and a 50/50 raffle are also planned.
WILLIAM SMITH ATHLETICS PHOTO | Libby Hughes of Orient won a gold medal as part of the William Smith College varsity eight.
Orient rower wins gold For the second year in a row, the William Smith College varsity eight won a gold medal at the New York State Collegiate Rowing Championships over the weekend on Lake Whitney. The Herons, who include senior Libby Hughes of Orient, earned a spot in Sunday’s grand final with a nearly six-second victory over second-place St. Lawrence in Saturday’s heats. William Smith posted a winning time of 7 minutes 6.4 seconds, which was 5.9 seconds better than the Saints. In the grand final, the Herons put even more space between themselves and the field, beating second-place Ithaca by 6.84 seconds. William Smith logged a winning time of 6:50.46 to secure the gold. The Herons will be back in action on Sunday when they compete in the ECAC National Invitational Rowing Championships on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass.
COLLEGE BASEBALL: Strong outing by Ascher A four-run seventh inning for SUNY/Oneonta and the pitching of sophomore Steve Ascher of Mattituck proved to be the difference in a 7-2 win over Brockport on April 26. Ascher pitched eight and one-third innings, allowing five hits and two runs while striking out six hitters en route to picking up his fourth win of the season.
BILL LANDON PHOTO | Bishop McGann-Mercy senior Danielle Gehring has signed to play basketball for Chestnut Hill College (Penn.).
COLLEGE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Gehring signs with D-II school Bishop McGann-Mercy senior Danielle Gehring signed a letter of intent to play for Chestnut Hill College, a Division II Catholic college in Germantown, Penn.
Gehring did not play basketball for McGann-Mercy her senior season. She instead opted to spend the season working out with the boys’ varsity team. She also took part in clinics, worked with basketball, speed and agility trainers and former professional players.
Gehring was McGann-Mercy’s most valuable player her junior season, averaging 12 points, 5 assists, 5 blocks and 3 3-pointers per game. She was an all-league selection.
Gehring and her younger sister, Caroline, will travel to Austria and Germany in June to represent the United States in an international basketball tournament. Her two older sisters play basketball for DeSales University, a Division III school that is a 45-minute drive away from Chestnut Hill.
Gehring said, “I visited Chestnut Hill and fell in love with the school.”
COLLEGE WOMEN’S GOLF: Accolades for Santacroce Marie Santacroce of Mattituck, a sophomore at Flagler College (Fla.), was recently named to the All-Peach Belt Conference First Team. Santacroce finished in fourth place in the conference and led Flagler in tournament scoring average this year. She was also named Flagler’s most valuable player. Santacroce ended the season with eight top-10 finishes, three top-five finishes and one first-place finish during season.
COLLEGE MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD: Clancy sets personal records SUNY/Oneonta sophomore Michael Clancy of Shoreham recorded two personal-best marks recently in the discus and hammer throw at the Upstate Track Classic. He took third place in the discus with a toss of 136 feet and fourth in the hammer throw with a distance of 150-2.
COLLEGE WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD: Two firsts for Riley UConn freshman Melodee Riley of Jamesport had a big weekend for the Huskies in an invitational meet at Brown University in Rhode Island. Riley took first place in both the long jump (5.41 meters) and the triple jump (11.90).
COLLEGE WOMEN’S ROWING: Orient rower helps league champions For the third time in as many seasons, William Smith College captured the Liberty League championship with a dominating performance on Fish Creek in Saratoga Springs. Libby Hughes of Orient competed on the varsity eight team that defeated St. Lawrence, RIT, Skidmore and Union for the title. In calm, flat conditions, William Smith’s varsity eight, ranked third in this week’s CRCA/USRowing poll, defended its league title with a 2,000-meter time of 6 minutes 44.0 seconds. It is the sixth overall league championship for the Herons.
For the third time this spring and the seventh time this year, the William Smith varsity eight was named the Liberty League Women’s Rowing Boat of the Week by the conference office.
BASEBALL: MLB pitch, hit, run competition A free Major League Baseball pitch, hit and run competition for area youths will be held May 11 at 4 p.m. at Tasker Park in Peconic. Boys and girls in four age divisions (7/8, 9/10, 11/12 and 13/14) will have the chance to advance through four levels of competition, including team championships at major league stadiums and the national finals at the 2013 MLB All-Star Game. The individual pitching, hitting and running champions, along with the all-around champions in each age and gender group at the local competition, will be awarded and advance to the sectional level of competition. All participants must bring a copy of their birth certificate and have a parent or guardian fill out a registration/waiver form prior to the start of the competition. For more information, call Brian Hansen at (631) 553-3940.
RUNNING: 5K for moms The For Our Moms 5K will be run on May 11 in Cutchogue. A fun run for kids will begin at 8:30 a.m., followed by a 5K run/walk at 8:45 a.m. Registration will start at 7:30 a.m. The pre-registration cost is $25. Day-of-the-race registration costs $30. The fun run fee is $10. To register, go to www.active.com. For more information, call (631) 680-9223. All proceeds from the event will benefit Danielle Fogarty’s Campaign for the Long Island Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
WILLIAM SMITH ATHLETICS PHOTO | Libby Hughes of Orient was part of the William Smith College team’s varsity eight that was named Liberty League Boat of the Week.
COLLEGE ROWING: Orient woman on boat of week The William Smith College team’s varsity eight, including junior Libby Hughes of Orient, was named the Liberty League Boat of the Week on Monday. It is the second time the Herons have earned the award this spring and the sixth time this year.
William Smith defeated all of its Division III opponents this past weekend on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass. On Saturday, the Herons, ranked fourth in the nation in this week’s CRCA/USRowing poll, covered the 2,000-meter course in 6 minutes 50:53 seconds. William Smith fought back from a one-length deficit in the final 1,000 meters to almost catch Division I host Holy Cross. The Herons ended up finishing 0.93 seconds behind the Crusaders.
On Sunday the Herons swept the field, finishing 7.73 seconds ahead of No. 9 Tufts, with a winning time of 6:45.7. William Smith crossed the line more than 47 seconds ahead of third-place Skidmore.
COLLEGE WOMEN’S TENNIS: Bundrick makes honor roll Erica Bundrick Mattituck, a first-year player for Saint Michael’s College (Vt.), was named to the Northeast-10 Conference Weekly Honor Roll for the week ending on April 14. Bundrick was 4-2 at No. 2 singles and No. 3 doubles. Bundrick has gone 9-5 in both singles and doubles during her rookie campaign.
Saint Michael’s (12-5, 10-2), which was seeded third in the Northeast-10 Conference Championship, saw its season come to an end with a 5-0 loss at No. 2 Stonehill College during last Thursday’s semifinals. Saint Michael’s appeared in a semifinal for the 14th straight year, remaining the only program in NE-10 history to qualify for the semifinals every year since a team tournament format was instituted in 1999-2000. The Purple Knights are ranked eighth in the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association and NCAA regional polls.
Bundrick and sophomore Caroline Toutoungi dropped an 8-5 decision at No. 3 doubles. In singles play, Bundrick fell at the second position.
LACROSSE: ‘Lax for a Smile’ Boys and girls PAL teams and Riverhead’s varsity teams will be involved in a lacrosse fund-raiser, “Lax for a Smile,” on May 4 at the Pulaski Street School fields. The event will raise funds for Michael Hubbard, a boy who was critically burned about one and a half years ago. It will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The day will finish with Riverhead’s boys varsity lacrosse team playing its Senior Day game against North Babylon.
PAL FOOTBALL: Registration info The Riverhead Police Athletic League is accepting registrations for football players ages 7 through 12 and cheerleaders who are grades 2 through 6 for the 2013 season. To register by mail, go to www.townofriverheadny.gov, Local Links, Hot Links, go to Juvenile Aid Bureau, drag the side bar down to Registrations, print the necessary forms and mail to the PAL office. Forms are also located at the PAL office at 210 Howell Avenue in Riverhead. The registration deadline is tomorrow.
FISHING: Flounder season opens May 1 The recreational fishing season for summer flounder will open May 1 and remain open through Sept. 29, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced Monday. The flounder size limit is 19 inches and there is a four-fish bag limit. Anglers are reminded to register with the Recreational Marine Fishing Registry, which is required for fishing in the Marine and Coastal District. No fee is required.
New York was faced with a shorter season or increased size limits for 2013 due to federal landings data for 2012. The DEC said it worked with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission in January to avoid restrictions that would have reduced the length of the season and increased the size limit which the DEC determined was unnecessary given the healthy condition of the stock. Several of the east coast states underharvested their quotas in 2012, which allowed them to catch more fish in 2013.
Through a change spearheaded by the DEC to the ASMFC Fisheries Management Plan, these states agreed to share some of their unharvested fish with New York and New Jersey in 2013. This change was approved by the ASMFC Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Board recently.
“The improvements to fluke fishing is good news for New York anglers and the saltwater fishing industry who have been shortchanged for many years by an inadequate quota relative to the size of the fishery in New York,” the DEC commissioner, Joe Martens, said in a press release. “These are the same anglers who are struggling to get back on their feet after the impacts of Hurricane Sandy. DEC will work with a subcommittee of key states and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council to find a long-term solution to the inequity New York fishermen have faced for over a decade with fluke management.”
The black sea bass fishing season will run from July 10 to Dec. 31, with a 13-inch minimum size and an eight-fish bag limit. These limits are better than previously thought since all states were originally required to take a 32-percent reduction in 2013 harvest, but an analysis of new data shows that only a 24-percent reduction is needed.
The scup (porgy) fishing season will also see an improvement for 2013 with a 10-inch minimum size, 30-fish bag limit and a season from May 1 to Dec. 31 for all anglers. Party and charter boats will have a bonus of a 45-fish bag limit from Sept. 1 to Oct. 31.
A team of former collegiate rowers featuring two current and one former North Fork resident finished first in the 60-and-older division of the 48th Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston Saturday.
The Motley Rowing Club senior masters eight team included 67-year-old East Marion resident Joe Townsend, 54-year-old Greenport resident Rob Buchanan and 65-year-old former Greenport resident Dick Curtis, currently the varsity rowing coach at Salisbury (Conn.) School.
The Motley crew finished the three-mile course on the Charles River in 16:49.47, placing ninth overall in the 50-and-older division, which was won by the Palm Beach (Fla.) Rowing Association in 15:49.78.
It should be noted, however, that the average age of the Palm Beach crew is 50, while the average age of the Motley crew is 61. No other 60+ team finished inside the top 20 teams in the 50+ race.
Townsend and Curtis rowed at Boston University; Buchanan at Princeton.
GARRET MEADE FILE PHOTO | Mattituck first singles player Molly Kowalski lost in the first round of the Division IV tournament to top-seeded Aimee Manfredo of Shoreham-Wading River.
HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS TENNIS: Local players bounced No Mattituck or Southold/Greenport players survived the first day of the Suffolk County Division IV Tournament at William Floyd High School on Saturday.
The top seed in the singles competition, Aimee Manfredo of Shoreham-Wading River, had a bye in the first round and then defeated Molly Kowalski of Mattituck, 6-0, 6-1, in the second round.
Alexandra Small of Southold/Greenport lost her second-round match, 6-0, 6-0, to No. 2 Jackie Bukzin of Eastport/South Manor. Bukzin had a first-round bye.
Sophie Volz of The Ross School defeated Kate Freudenberg of Mattituck, 6-2, 6-0, in the first round.
COLLEGE WOMEN’S ROWING: Hughes on boat of week The William Smith College varsity eight, which includes junior Libby Hughes of Orient, was tabbed the Liberty League Women’s Rowing Boat of the Week for the second straight week. The Herons defended their title at the Head of the Genesee in Rochester on Saturday. They finished first in the 17-crew field with a cumulative weighted time of 33 minutes 54.52 seconds, which was 24.39 seconds ahead of second-place Hamilton.