Binghamton Crew Traditions

Feel free to e-mail historian@binghamtoncrew.org to submit any traditions that we are missing!

Breakfast at Dickinson Dining Hall

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and without a doubt that definitely holds true for us. After every weekday practice, all the squads gather for a team breakfast at Dickinson dining hall. There, we consume about 100 servings of eggs, french toast sticks, and as much oatmeal we can fit in our bowls. Waiting for us at Dickinson is our favorite Sodexo employee, Ruthie. No matter how hard practice was that day, you can never hold back a smile from Ruthie's warm "Good morning! Good morning!" greeting. Ruthie has been with Dickinson dining hall since 1985 and says that she can't remember the dining hall without us. Although our team had not started until 1988, Ruthie has always been a familiar face since our humble beginnings.

Novice & Varsity Barbecue

At the beginning of each Fall semester, the Varsity squads host a barbecue in a warm gesture to welcome the novice to the team. This tradition started with former-Team President Mike Mohr in 2005.

Triathlon

This grueling workout-turned-tradition is the brainchild of Kai-Yu Liu. Fittingly, Kai is second to Shaun Brown '07 in holding Varsity Men erg records for the 500m and 2000m. This workout started as a challenge to one of then Varsity men Coach Hogan's workouts, when Coach Hogan was referred to as the "terminator." Only on this team could this 7500m row, 3 "brains", and 10 library towers have been well received. Starting in the late 1990s, this tradition still holds to this day. The first in each squad to complete this grueling triathlon receives the Golden Hammer as an award at the end-of-season team banquet. Starting Spring 2010, a Golden Wrench will be awarded to the fastest male and female coxswains.

Paper Plate Awards

At the annual team banquet, the Captain(s) of each squad distribute the humorous Paper Plate Awards. These awards are received by every member of the team and are meant to illustrate the close-knit spirit of Binghamton Crew. It's been said that this tradition began in 2001, but no one knows for sure. Needless to say, it's still a tradition that is done to this day.

Dan A. Hogan Award

The Daniel A. Hogan award was an idea conceived by Coach Bob Emerson from his rowing days at Purdue. There, the Boilermakers awarded the "Hovde" award to an outstanding member of the team. For Binghamton, the Dan Hogan award was done in a way to honor long-time Varsity Men coach, Dan Hogan, for his unparalleled service to the crew club. Recipients of this award are team members who have gone above and beyond the duties of their position(s) and have made great advances in the betterment of this team.

The first recipient of this award was Team President (2000-2001), Jess Terry, who graduated in 2001, in honor of all her hard work in attaining a brand-new 4 boat named "President Lois B. DeFleur".

Other recipients are:
2002 Vicki Realmuto
2003 Laura Eason, Novice Women Captain 99-00, Treasurer 00-01, President 01-02, Novice Women Coach 02-03
2004 Donica Nalbert, Vice President Spring 2005
2005 Donica Nalbert, President Spring 2005-2006, Vice President Fall 2004
2006 Michael Mohr, President 2005-2007, Treasurer 2004-2005
2007 Michael Mohr, President 2005-2007, Treasurer 2004-2005
2008 John Bruno, President 2006-2009
2009 Michael Eichler, Vice President 2008-2009, McKenna 5K Committee Chairman 2006-2009, Varsity Men Captain 2006-2007
2010 Denise Aquino, Novice Women Co-Captain 2007, Historian 2009-2010

OUR HISTORY IS OUTDATED!

The team is looking for alumni who were on the team from 2000-2009 to help update this page. If you would like to contribute, please contact the Executive Board using the Contact Us page on this site. Thanks!

1989	N.D. Chen, Tom Stauble, and Jen Clouting founded the SUNY-Binghamton Crew team. They purchased an eight oared shell and oars from Jan Rogewicz, who also provided advice and encouragement. It was stored and launched from the backyard of Ward Wilson who lived at the foot of Avon Road on Binghamton's West Side. Ward also provided a motorboat and donated $15,000 for rowing ergometers and equipment. The team practiced on the Susquehanna River in the shallow area near Lourdes Hospital. There, the brave few made their own docks out of oil cans. Kurt Coutts, the coach of the women's tennis team was instrumental in the purchase of a rowing ergometer which was housed in a cage in a corner of the indoor track (now the batting cage) in the West Gym.

1989

N.D. Chen, Tom Stauble, and Jen Clouting founded the SUNY-Binghamton Crew team. They purchased an eight oared shell and oars from Jan Rogewicz, who also provided advice and encouragement. It was stored and launched from the backyard of Ward Wilson who lived at the foot of Avon Road on Binghamton's West Side. Ward also provided a motorboat and donated $15,000 for rowing ergometers and equipment. The team practiced on the Susquehanna River in the shallow area near Lourdes Hospital. There, the brave few made their own docks out of oil cans. Kurt Coutts, the coach of the women's tennis team was instrumental in the purchase of a rowing ergometer which was housed in a cage in a corner of the indoor track (now the batting cage) in the West Gym.

1990	Bought a four oared shell from Rogi for a song and had our first two races. This relic had been fashioned by removing the middle 4 seats from an old wood 8 and gluing the bow and stern sections together. It was raced twice. The results have mercifully been lost, but the program was underway. In the spring, John Spencer came forward on behalf of the Owego Marketplace, who had purchased at auction, Hiawatha Island, for $400,000 and offered the crew the use of the island easement on Marshland Rd. Mike Courtney, the current president recognized the potential and we had a home. The boats and oars were stored on the ground covered by a plastic tarp. The snakes and other critters had to be chased in order to take possession of the equipment each day. Today this area is referred to as "Hickories." It was barren, muddy, and primitive, but it was home.

1990

Bought a four oared shell from Rogi for a song and had our first two races. This relic had been fashioned by removing the middle 4 seats from an old wood 8 and gluing the bow and stern sections together. It was raced twice. The results have mercifully been lost, but the program was underway. In the spring, John Spencer came forward on behalf of the Owego Marketplace, who had purchased at auction, Hiawatha Island, for $400,000 and offered the crew the use of the island easement on Marshland Rd. Mike Courtney, the current president recognized the potential and we had a home. The boats and oars were stored on the ground covered by a plastic tarp. The snakes and other critters had to be chased in order to take possession of the equipment each day. Today this area is referred to as "Hickories." It was barren, muddy, and primitive, but it was home.

1991	Les Wagner cleared a plot and cut a narrow path to the water. He also fabricated and donated boat racks to get the equipment off the ground. The crew purchased 2 Sulivan dock sections and used a launch from 1948. It had a motor that ran for 5 minutes a day and had a gaping hole just above the waterline. It also had water skis. Dan Hogan tried to coach but couldn't get the motor to run. No one noticed. Eventually the boat and motor were stolen, only the skis were left behind. Every morning these docks had to be put in the water before the boats could be brought down. This was due to the unpredictable water levels of the Susquehanna. Although time consuming, the team quickly got in a routine of putting these docks in as little time as 15 minutes. With increased funds from the Student Association, the crew bought a four from Lehigh, an eight from Colgate (The Seven Oaks), and a trailer and some oars from Rutgers. The trailer cost $1,500. Six years, countless hours in the boathouse, and over $2,000 later, it would be on the road. For now, boat transportation comprised of cutting a boat into pieces, loading it on top of 12-passenger vans, and transporting it to each regatta. The most memorable race day event in 1991 was the men's eight that flipped at the dock.

1991

Les Wagner cleared a plot and cut a narrow path to the water. He also fabricated and donated boat racks to get the equipment off the ground. The crew purchased 2 Sulivan dock sections and used a launch from 1948. It had a motor that ran for 5 minutes a day and had a gaping hole just above the waterline. It also had water skis. Dan Hogan tried to coach but couldn't get the motor to run. No one noticed. Eventually the boat and motor were stolen, only the skis were left behind. Every morning these docks had to be put in the water before the boats could be brought down. This was due to the unpredictable water levels of the Susquehanna. Although time consuming, the team quickly got in a routine of putting these docks in as little time as 15 minutes. With increased funds from the Student Association, the crew bought a four from Lehigh, an eight from Colgate (The Seven Oaks), and a trailer and some oars from Rutgers. The trailer cost $1,500. Six years, countless hours in the boathouse, and over $2,000 later, it would be on the road. For now, boat transportation comprised of cutting a boat into pieces, loading it on top of 12-passenger vans, and transporting it to each regatta. The most memorable race day event in 1991 was the men's eight that flipped at the dock.

1992	The crew bought a new launch and motor, a second used eight and a megaphone for the new coach, Dan Hogan. He joined Michael Courtney and Malcolm Faulds who had been handling the coaching duties. The General Electric Elfun Society, a community service club, donated $4,000 to the crew. The money from GE was used for boat racks and twelve new oars. In the summer, Les Wagner designed our boathouse, convinced the zoning board that it was a picnic pavilion, purchased all of the material and with Joe Shortino and other employees of Wagner Lumber, the boathouse was built. Les also cleared and graded the area, widened the ramp to the water, cut a road into the property and spread fill throughout the to get us out of the mud. That December, the roof was put on by Matt and Mark Myette, John Spencer, Dave Pruden and Dan Hogan. It snowed before all the screws were in. They still aren't.

1992

The crew bought a new launch and motor, a second used eight and a megaphone for the new coach, Dan Hogan. He joined Michael Courtney and Malcolm Faulds who had been handling the coaching duties. The General Electric Elfun Society, a community service club, donated $4,000 to the crew. The money from GE was used for boat racks and twelve new oars. In the summer, Les Wagner designed our boathouse, convinced the zoning board that it was a picnic pavilion, purchased all of the material and with Joe Shortino and other employees of Wagner Lumber, the boathouse was built. Les also cleared and graded the area, widened the ramp to the water, cut a road into the property and spread fill throughout the to get us out of the mud. That December, the roof was put on by Matt and Mark Myette, John Spencer, Dave Pruden and Dan Hogan. It snowed before all the screws were in. They still aren't.

1993	During the fall, Sean Hartzell, a recent graduate of Cornell, coached the women. Binghamton High School allowed us to use their rowing ergometers during the winter. In the spring, Suzanne Myette joined the team as a coach. A second megaphone, along with another launch was added to our equipment inventory. Her husband, Matt, contributed his skills as a trainer for our injured athletes. As we were about to get on the water in March, the large amounts of snow melted suddenly, and we had six feet of water in the new boathouse. That Spring, we had only 10 workouts before the State championships at Cazenovia and still managed to get two crews to the men's varsity finals.

1993

During the fall, Sean Hartzell, a recent graduate of Cornell, coached the women. Binghamton High School allowed us to use their rowing ergometers during the winter. In the spring, Suzanne Myette joined the team as a coach. A second megaphone, along with another launch was added to our equipment inventory. Her husband, Matt, contributed his skills as a trainer for our injured athletes. As we were about to get on the water in March, the large amounts of snow melted suddenly, and we had six feet of water in the new boathouse. That Spring, we had only 10 workouts before the State championships at Cazenovia and still managed to get two crews to the men's varsity finals.

1994	Another donation by Les Wagner allowed for the purchase of twelve new oars. Steve Gladstone, of Brown University, sold us two workboat fours for half of what they were worth. Two reconditioned Schoenbrod eight's were purchased from Manhattan College, thus allowing us to give The Seven Oaks an overdue burial. The Manhattan coach, Tom Delaney, in addition to giving us a good price, deferred the payments to make the purchase possible. Tony Westbrook, a local lawyer and Albany rowing grad, joined the coaching team as a mentor of the novice men. Kathy Hogan, a graduate of the SUNY-Buffalo program, coached the novice women. The Office of Campus Recreation (OCR) provided funds to put siding on the boathouse. Several work parties later we had walls thanks to Tony, Dave Pruden, John Spencer and several of the oarsmen and women.

1994

Another donation by Les Wagner allowed for the purchase of twelve new oars. Steve Gladstone, of Brown University, sold us two workboat fours for half of what they were worth. Two reconditioned Schoenbrod eight's were purchased from Manhattan College, thus allowing us to give The Seven Oaks an overdue burial. The Manhattan coach, Tom Delaney, in addition to giving us a good price, deferred the payments to make the purchase possible. Tony Westbrook, a local lawyer and Albany rowing grad, joined the coaching team as a mentor of the novice men. Kathy Hogan, a graduate of the SUNY-Buffalo program, coached the novice women. The Office of Campus Recreation (OCR) provided funds to put siding on the boathouse. Several work parties later we had walls thanks to Tony, Dave Pruden, John Spencer and several of the oarsmen and women.

1995	In the early spring, vandals and high water cooperated to liberate the docks and send them twenty-five miles down the Susquehanna. Kurt Vieten, a co-worker of Hogan's, piloted an airplane to look for the docks, locating them several miles south of Sayre, PA. By the time a work party got there to retrieve them, a riverside resident had dismantled one and hidden the other. With Office of Campus Recreation Director, Judy Browne, and several members of the crew, negotiations were conducted and most of the parts were recovered. Aaron Gowan, owner of a Home Central Hardware in Owego, donated the use of his lumber truck and driver to retrieve the remains. The remainder of the Spring and beginning of the Fall was spent dockless and knee deep in water. Eventually, the crew used some of its budget to buy material to rebuild the docks. The crew, let by Scott Muller, Ian Kalmanowitz, Andy Rees, Mike Koval, Jeff Kelley, and others, painted the siding before going home in the Spring. Our lightweight four easily reached the finals of Dad Vails and finished fourth. In addition, Kathy Hogan lent her time and expertise in coaching the women.

1995

In the early spring, vandals and high water cooperated to liberate the docks and send them twenty-five miles down the Susquehanna. Kurt Vieten, a co-worker of Hogan's, piloted an airplane to look for the docks, locating them several miles south of Sayre, PA. By the time a work party got there to retrieve them, a riverside resident had dismantled one and hidden the other. With Office of Campus Recreation Director, Judy Browne, and several members of the crew, negotiations were conducted and most of the parts were recovered. Aaron Gowan, owner of a Home Central Hardware in Owego, donated the use of his lumber truck and driver to retrieve the remains. The remainder of the Spring and beginning of the Fall was spent dockless and knee deep in water. Eventually, the crew used some of its budget to buy material to rebuild the docks. The crew, let by Scott Muller, Ian Kalmanowitz, Andy Rees, Mike Koval, Jeff Kelley, and others, painted the siding before going home in the Spring. Our lightweight four easily reached the finals of Dad Vails and finished fourth. In addition, Kathy Hogan lent her time and expertise in coaching the women.

1996	Our Office of Campus Recreation benefactor, Judy Browne left for Connecticut, but not before arranging the purchase of a Schoenbrod eight in excellent condition from the Kent School. Larry King became Director of Club Sports and soon asserted his support of our program. Michael Eng, an original member of the BU crew, returned to coach the novice women. After the spring season had come to a close, Suzanne Myette decide to concentrate her efforts on training for the Ironman Triathlon and Coach Eng assumed the reins of the women's crew in Suzanne's absence. Somehow this was a signal that we had arrived. Again, the lightweight men's 4+ finished fourth at Dad Vails, and the heavyweight men and women's 4's also made good showings. Returning to rowing in the fall, the crew was greeted with the news that the Rees Family had contributed two brand new eight oared shells to the program. The Fall program was very successful with strong showings at the Stonehurst, Head of the Fish, and Erie Head races.

1996

Our Office of Campus Recreation benefactor, Judy Browne left for Connecticut, but not before arranging the purchase of a Schoenbrod eight in excellent condition from the Kent School. Larry King became Director of Club Sports and soon asserted his support of our program. Michael Eng, an original member of the BU crew, returned to coach the novice women. After the spring season had come to a close, Suzanne Myette decide to concentrate her efforts on training for the Ironman Triathlon and Coach Eng assumed the reins of the women's crew in Suzanne's absence. Somehow this was a signal that we had arrived. Again, the lightweight men's 4+ finished fourth at Dad Vails, and the heavyweight men and women's 4's also made good showings. Returning to rowing in the fall, the crew was greeted with the news that the Rees Family had contributed two brand new eight oared shells to the program. The Fall program was very successful with strong showings at the Stonehurst, Head of the Fish, and Erie Head races.

1997	1997 marks a milestone in the history of Binghamton Crew. In February, Cornell picked up our new shells (the Busfields) in New Haven and brought them to Ithaca. In the early spring, Jim Tornillo, who had hauled our boats away to be stored last year, lent his time and truck to pick up our new shells. Before the start of the spring season, the two shells were christened in a joyous ceremony at our boathouse. The two Vespoli shells were named the S. Fenton Busfield and Ethel S. Busfield in honor of the contribution made by the Busfield/Rees family to the program. In addition to the Busfield boats, the crew purchased a used lightweight Vespoli four from George Mason University. Edward Ide and his son Brian, a varsity rower, added a top rack to our existing trailer to provide for our expanding fleet of boats. It may seem like a small matter, but Larry King arranged with the University electrician to wire the boathouse. Now we can finally see in the morning.

1997

1997 marks a milestone in the history of Binghamton Crew. In February, Cornell picked up our new shells (the Busfields) in New Haven and brought them to Ithaca. In the early spring, Jim Tornillo, who had hauled our boats away to be stored last year, lent his time and truck to pick up our new shells. Before the start of the spring season, the two shells were christened in a joyous ceremony at our boathouse. The two Vespoli shells were named the S. Fenton Busfield and Ethel S. Busfield in honor of the contribution made by the Busfield/Rees family to the program. In addition to the Busfield boats, the crew purchased a used lightweight Vespoli four from George Mason University. Edward Ide and his son Brian, a varsity rower, added a top rack to our existing trailer to provide for our expanding fleet of boats. It may seem like a small matter, but Larry King arranged with the University electrician to wire the boathouse. Now we can finally see in the morning.

1998	After the snow had melted and the ice broke, Binghamton Crew took delivery of a red Chevrolet pickup for towing our trailer. The purchase was a collaborative effort between the crew, the University and Miller Dodge. A very deserved thank you to Charles Rosenthal, the Binghamton University Foundation and Student Association, Larry King, Todd Skorupski and Miller Dodge. Our sister organization, the Hiawatha Island Boat Club, assisted in alleviating our equipment constraints by purchasing a heavyweight Dirigo four and twelve new oars. The spring of 1998 also marked the birth of BU's own home regatta. Named in memory of S. Fenton Busfield, the Busfield Memorial Regatta is an annually occurring collaborative effort between Binghamton Crew and RIT Crew. At the close of the spring season, Michael Eng said goodbye to the team in the name of education. He was relieved by Matt Haas and Kai Yu Liu, who assumed the reins of the novice women's and men's teams respectively.

1998

After the snow had melted and the ice broke, Binghamton Crew took delivery of a red Chevrolet pickup for towing our trailer. The purchase was a collaborative effort between the crew, the University and Miller Dodge. A very deserved thank you to Charles Rosenthal, the Binghamton University Foundation and Student Association, Larry King, Todd Skorupski and Miller Dodge. Our sister organization, the Hiawatha Island Boat Club, assisted in alleviating our equipment constraints by purchasing a heavyweight Dirigo four and twelve new oars. The spring of 1998 also marked the birth of BU's own home regatta. Named in memory of S. Fenton Busfield, the Busfield Memorial Regatta is an annually occurring collaborative effort between Binghamton Crew and RIT Crew. At the close of the spring season, Michael Eng said goodbye to the team in the name of education. He was relieved by Matt Haas and Kai Yu Liu, who assumed the reins of the novice women's and men's teams respectively.

1999	The winter of 1999 saw the addition of four new ergs, as well as a new home in the West Gym for the ergs. The spring saw the arrival of two new launch motors and a brand new lightweight Vespoli four. This financial undertaking could not have been possible without the generosity of Larry King, Club Sports and the Student Association, and the time and effort of the crew's E-board. The new boat was christened Daniel A. Hogan in appreciation for his many years of faithful service to the team. The coaching staff in the spring was further bolstered with the addition of Darius Penikas, yet another crew alumni. The fall saw the return of Tony Westbrook to the coaching staff, as well as a new addition by BU professor Bob Emerson, to replace the voids left by Mr. Haas, Mr. Liu and Mr. Penikas.

1999

The winter of 1999 saw the addition of four new ergs, as well as a new home in the West Gym for the ergs. The spring saw the arrival of two new launch motors and a brand new lightweight Vespoli four. This financial undertaking could not have been possible without the generosity of Larry King, Club Sports and the Student Association, and the time and effort of the crew's E-board. The new boat was christened Daniel A. Hogan in appreciation for his many years of faithful service to the team. The coaching staff in the spring was further bolstered with the addition of Darius Penikas, yet another crew alumni. The fall saw the return of Tony Westbrook to the coaching staff, as well as a new addition by BU professor Bob Emerson, to replace the voids left by Mr. Haas, Mr. Liu and Mr. Penikas.

2000	December 1999 was a tumultuous time to say the least. As the impending New Year approached, Y2K trumpeted fears of Armageddon, as well as, the dawn of something new, fresh and exciting. With Y2K turning out to be nothing more than a non-event, it was time to start anew. Hey it was the beginning of the next Millennium. Keeping the prior in mind, the Crew started winter training with vigor and tenacity. Training proved beneficial upon transition from land to water. For the third year-in-a-row the team made their way to Virginia for Spring Break. The men's and women's squads, including the novice, logged over three hundred miles combined. Soon training gave way to racing. In addition to racing, Binghamton Crew quickly learned that they had much to be happy about. The first, as of Fall 2000, squad members would receive physical education credit for their participation on Crew. The second and certainly not of lesser importance was the news of a new boathouse. Details concerning a new location and structure first broke in early 1999 under the administration of Les Wagner, Dan Hogan, Erik Limpitlaw, Hannah Perkins, Dan Anderson and Todd Skorupski. However plans, permits and litigation halted construction for a year and a half. Then on an autumn morning construction began on a seventy-foot cement retaining wall. The wall will serve an aesthetic purpose, in addition to its function as a structural anchor for the two, forty-foot docks. Additionally, grading of the property and its surrounding areas began. Full details concerning the boathouse, its dimensions and incorporated facilities are still in planning stages. The project is tentatively scheduled for completion around the end of the spring 2001 racing season.

2000

December 1999 was a tumultuous time to say the least. As the impending New Year approached, Y2K trumpeted fears of Armageddon, as well as, the dawn of something new, fresh and exciting. With Y2K turning out to be nothing more than a non-event, it was time to start anew. Hey it was the beginning of the next Millennium. Keeping the prior in mind, the Crew started winter training with vigor and tenacity. Training proved beneficial upon transition from land to water. For the third year-in-a-row the team made their way to Virginia for Spring Break. The men's and women's squads, including the novice, logged over three hundred miles combined. Soon training gave way to racing. In addition to racing, Binghamton Crew quickly learned that they had much to be happy about. The first, as of Fall 2000, squad members would receive physical education credit for their participation on Crew. The second and certainly not of lesser importance was the news of a new boathouse. Details concerning a new location and structure first broke in early 1999 under the administration of Les Wagner, Dan Hogan, Erik Limpitlaw, Hannah Perkins, Dan Anderson and Todd Skorupski. However plans, permits and litigation halted construction for a year and a half. Then on an autumn morning construction began on a seventy-foot cement retaining wall. The wall will serve an aesthetic purpose, in addition to its function as a structural anchor for the two, forty-foot docks. Additionally, grading of the property and its surrounding areas began. Full details concerning the boathouse, its dimensions and incorporated facilities are still in planning stages. The project is tentatively scheduled for completion around the end of the spring 2001 racing season.

2009	The 2009 Spring season started off with a bang. Rowers and coxswains medaled at the Bucknell Erg Armageddon. In our 3rd McKenna 5K, the team was finally able to put down a deposit on the brand new Vespoli Heavyweight 4+. On March 28, 2009, over 500 runners and volunteers gathered to witness this momentous ceremony of the McKenna family christening the boat. By far this was our biggest turnout for the event. Soon after, the team made another huge stride in attending Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia for spring training. This was the first time the team had ever been to this facility. It was host to the rowing events at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Needless to say, it was a beautiful facility with an equally beautiful bus driver, Jerry. Upon our return from Lake Lanier, we had our 12th Busfield Regatta. For the second year in a row, the weather conditions could not have been nicer. With a dozen opposing teams and dozens of alumni, it was easily our biggest Busfield yet. Both men and women's teams performed very well on this sunny day and many coxswains got to see what lies under the Susquehanna river. The team's performance at the Metropolitan Regatta and NYS Championship regatta was great. For the 2nd years in a row, the Men's Lightweight 4+ finished in first place at NYS Championship. Varsity women erg records were rewritten thanks to Grace Noack, a senior rower and team member of four years. Dad Vails was a very interesting experience. Because of the high water level, the 6-lane race became a head race down the Schuykill. This was due to the extremely high water levels and the amount of debris that resulted. Rowers were astonished how high the water surface was to the lane numbers. One rower recollects, "you could stand on your slide and reach the lane number." But for the first time, Dad Vails didn't mark the end of the Spring season for the crew team. Fourteen rowers and 3 coxswains stayed to compete in the American Collegiate Rowing Association Championship on May 23-24 in Oak Ridge, Tenessee. Thanks to Coach Emerson and Mike Morrill '10, transportation was possible. As a result from acquiring a USRowing membership, the team was afforded an invitation to this event. Former men coach, Dan Hogan, remarks that acquiring the USRowing membership "was the best move" that this crew club had made. Even though our numbers as a team were small, our 2- medaled in their heat, thus putting our name in a nationship light. At the end of the Spring, the team said goodbye to 13 seniors and friends. Three of these seniors were John Bruno (President from 2006-2009), Kait Sweetman (Secretary 2006-2009), and Mike Eichler (Vice President 2008-2009, McKenna 5K Committee Chairman 2007-2009). Mike Eichler received the Dan A. Hogan award, the 2nd non-president to do so. He also fired up a storm with the fundraising efforts, which led us to earn the XCELsior award for Outstanding Fundraising Effort of the Year (Year-Long Effort) among other XCELsior awards. Our Fall semester started off with an additional executive board position, Historian. After almost 3 years of development, this position was finally implemented. Another new change was with the novice mentor position(s). Members were now allowed to run either alone or as a pair. As a result, we had two novice men mentors and one novice woman mentor. Also, thanks to our dedicated team members, the Varsity men's coach position was filled since the absence of Dan Hogan. Andy Davis '10 stepped up to coach the Varsity men and Bryan Kallen '10 coached the Novice men. From recruitment efforts at University fest, Communiversity fest, GIMs (general interest meetings), and Facebook, the team once again exceeded 100 members. Our 2nd Rent-a-Rower day was held on October 3 with much success, and our annual swim test was held the day after on October 4. For the 3rd year now, the team held it's t-shirt fundraiser. However, this year was the first time a contest was held to pick the shirt design. With over 300 t-shirts sold, this contest was a success. Thanks to Alex Chan, former team member, for the design. Also, a candy fundraiser was held but with not much success. To start our racing season a little differently, invitations were sent out to the parents for the first time. As a result, we had many fans (and much food) at our regattas this season. To our delight, our alumni raced at the Head of the Fish (October 24-25) and surprised us with a donation of new shoes for one of our racing shells. These shoes are now in the Lois B. DeFleur. Both our lightweight men and women medaled at this race. Our lightweight women 4+ finished 2nd in their heat and the lightweight men 4+ finished 3rd in their heat. Because of the economy the Frostbite Regatta was moved from the usual Schuykill river in Philadelphia to Cooper River Park in Camden, NJ. Nevertheless, the support we received was still strong. Our heavyweight men 4+ finished in 1st place. Notably, this was the first time the new rowing shell John J. McKenna IV medaled in a race. Our alumni followed us in Philadelphia at the Braxton Regatta on November 15 with a new pair of slings. We were very thankful for their generosity this semester. After our racing season, fundraising efforts still followed. On November 18, the team had a fundraiser at Moe's Southwest Grill. The Java Joe's fundraiser again was held and was developed with an online link on the crew website. The semester ended with the calendar fundraiser.

2009

The 2009 Spring season started off with a bang. Rowers and coxswains medaled at the Bucknell Erg Armageddon. In our 3rd McKenna 5K, the team was finally able to put down a deposit on the brand new Vespoli Heavyweight 4+. On March 28, 2009, over 500 runners and volunteers gathered to witness this momentous ceremony of the McKenna family christening the boat. By far this was our biggest turnout for the event. Soon after, the team made another huge stride in attending Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia for spring training. This was the first time the team had ever been to this facility. It was host to the rowing events at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Needless to say, it was a beautiful facility with an equally beautiful bus driver, Jerry. Upon our return from Lake Lanier, we had our 12th Busfield Regatta. For the second year in a row, the weather conditions could not have been nicer. With a dozen opposing teams and dozens of alumni, it was easily our biggest Busfield yet. Both men and women's teams performed very well on this sunny day and many coxswains got to see what lies under the Susquehanna river. The team's performance at the Metropolitan Regatta and NYS Championship regatta was great. For the 2nd years in a row, the Men's Lightweight 4+ finished in first place at NYS Championship. Varsity women erg records were rewritten thanks to Grace Noack, a senior rower and team member of four years. Dad Vails was a very interesting experience. Because of the high water level, the 6-lane race became a head race down the Schuykill. This was due to the extremely high water levels and the amount of debris that resulted. Rowers were astonished how high the water surface was to the lane numbers. One rower recollects, "you could stand on your slide and reach the lane number." But for the first time, Dad Vails didn't mark the end of the Spring season for the crew team. Fourteen rowers and 3 coxswains stayed to compete in the American Collegiate Rowing Association Championship on May 23-24 in Oak Ridge, Tenessee. Thanks to Coach Emerson and Mike Morrill '10, transportation was possible. As a result from acquiring a USRowing membership, the team was afforded an invitation to this event. Former men coach, Dan Hogan, remarks that acquiring the USRowing membership "was the best move" that this crew club had made. Even though our numbers as a team were small, our 2- medaled in their heat, thus putting our name in a nationship light. At the end of the Spring, the team said goodbye to 13 seniors and friends. Three of these seniors were John Bruno (President from 2006-2009), Kait Sweetman (Secretary 2006-2009), and Mike Eichler (Vice President 2008-2009, McKenna 5K Committee Chairman 2007-2009). Mike Eichler received the Dan A. Hogan award, the 2nd non-president to do so. He also fired up a storm with the fundraising efforts, which led us to earn the XCELsior award for Outstanding Fundraising Effort of the Year (Year-Long Effort) among other XCELsior awards.

Our Fall semester started off with an additional executive board position, Historian. After almost 3 years of development, this position was finally implemented. Another new change was with the novice mentor position(s). Members were now allowed to run either alone or as a pair. As a result, we had two novice men mentors and one novice woman mentor. Also, thanks to our dedicated team members, the Varsity men's coach position was filled since the absence of Dan Hogan. Andy Davis '10 stepped up to coach the Varsity men and Bryan Kallen '10 coached the Novice men. From recruitment efforts at University fest, Communiversity fest, GIMs (general interest meetings), and Facebook, the team once again exceeded 100 members. Our 2nd Rent-a-Rower day was held on October 3 with much success, and our annual swim test was held the day after on October 4. For the 3rd year now, the team held it's t-shirt fundraiser. However, this year was the first time a contest was held to pick the shirt design. With over 300 t-shirts sold, this contest was a success. Thanks to Alex Chan, former team member, for the design. Also, a candy fundraiser was held but with not much success. To start our racing season a little differently, invitations were sent out to the parents for the first time. As a result, we had many fans (and much food) at our regattas this season. To our delight, our alumni raced at the Head of the Fish (October 24-25) and surprised us with a donation of new shoes for one of our racing shells. These shoes are now in the Lois B. DeFleur. Both our lightweight men and women medaled at this race. Our lightweight women 4+ finished 2nd in their heat and the lightweight men 4+ finished 3rd in their heat. Because of the economy the Frostbite Regatta was moved from the usual Schuykill river in Philadelphia to Cooper River Park in Camden, NJ. Nevertheless, the support we received was still strong. Our heavyweight men 4+ finished in 1st place. Notably, this was the first time the new rowing shell John J. McKenna IV medaled in a race. Our alumni followed us in Philadelphia at the Braxton Regatta on November 15 with a new pair of slings. We were very thankful for their generosity this semester. After our racing season, fundraising efforts still followed. On November 18, the team had a fundraiser at Moe's Southwest Grill. The Java Joe's fundraiser again was held and was developed with an online link on the crew website. The semester ended with the calendar fundraiser.

Thank you to Todd Skorupski and Denise Aquino for providing the history of Binghamton Crew.

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