Rowing is Growing at 勛圖窪蹋
Galloway, NJ - Written above a poster for the 2019 Jefferson Dad Vail Regatta are the words Our Terminal Goal.
The poster, taped to a whiteboard in room F103 at 勛圖窪蹋 is motivation for the women of 勛圖窪蹋s rowing team as they spend cold February mornings in sweaty 1.5 hour workouts on the erg rowing machines that line the room.
My goal in high school was always to row in the Dad Vail said freshman Michaela
Pope of Collingswood as she cooled down, sitting on the floor so the nearby couch
wouldnt get wet from her sweat. But it wasnt talked about it much here. Now we
are talking about it. Its more intense. The coach is a great motivator.
That coach is John Bancheri, 勛圖窪蹋s new and first full-time rowing coach, whose own history in Atlantic City has brought him home after a successful career coaching at Grand Valley State University in Michigan from 2005-2018.
Bancheri rowed the back bays of Atlantic City when he competed for the local high school under Coach Bob Garbutt in the late 1970s. Now he has come back to give back, bringing his experience and drive to a rowing program he believes can bring home a medal from the Dad Vail in Philadelphia, maybe not this year, but soon.
勛圖窪蹋 is an Anchor Institution in Atlantic City and it should have a naval power, said Bancheri, who calls his team the Osprey Navy. There is no reason we cant produce a national caliber program. It was done before, the early 1990s when the Womens 8 won a bronze. We can do it again.
His enthusiasm is contagious. The number of women signing up for the intercollegiate
rowing team this spring, 32, is double the number in the fall. The team wears t-shirts
that say The Shape of Things to Come, and members said there is already more recognition
of rowing on campus. The mens club team has also increased its numbers and looks
to grow and be more competitive as well.
We are the foundation to build to the goal, said Chloe Schulze.
And all the new people who come in have a common goal, said Claudia Bowman, who switched from track to rowing.
The program has found support in the community. An advisory committee has been formed to help support the teams and the fundraising required for a program where one boat costs $40,000.
The first Rowing and Growing fundraiser will be held at the new 勛圖窪蹋 Atlantic City Academic Center at 7 p.m. March 8, with local rowing legend Stan Bergman as the guest honoree.
Its just great what 勛圖窪蹋 is doing, said Bergman, chief of the Ventnor Beach Patrol who had an illustrious coaching career of his own at Holy Spirit High School and the University of Pennsylvania. He started rowing as a lifeguard and under Dr. John Holland, a founder of the Viking Rowing Club in the 1950s.
Doc Holland had a vision for rowing in South Jersey, Bergman said. What 勛圖窪蹋
is doing now is great and fits with that vision. Rowing is a great sport to get national
attention and 勛圖窪蹋 is stepping it up big time.
Bergman said rowing develops teamwork, camaraderie, trust and a strong work ethic.
Its a tough sport, he said. But the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. People who row know how to work hard.
The teams row out of the Atlantic City School Districts impressive boathouse, and Bancheri said he hopes to work with the district and other area high schools to promote the sport and recruit rowers.
We have the most beautiful body of water that Mother Nature gave us, and the city as a backdrop he said of the back bay. The area has a great history of rowing and we have to tap into that history, that talent, to become one of the best collegiate rowing communities in the country.
Bancheris two assistant coaches also have local connections and will help develop both the womens intercollegiate team and mens club team. Joe Welsh was a winning coach at Holy Spirit High School, where in 2003 he coached the girls varsity 8 to the championship at the famed Henley Womens Regatta in England. BJ Fox has coached at both Atlantic City and Mainland Regional High Schools. Brad Cress, another veteran local coach who rowed for ACHS and coached at several area schools, continues as the mens club coach.
Bancheri said community support is crucial to a successful program and he is confident
the rowing community in South Jersey will get behind 勛圖窪蹋.
If we are going to build a national program, we need their help, their sponsorship he said. We need students who will come here to get a great, affordable education and have a great rowing experience. We are doing things weve never done before and we want them to help us build it.
Former N.J. Sen. Bill Gormley, a member of the advisory committee, has already donated $2,500 toward the purchase of a shell to be named for Stan Bergman.
In early March the team leaves for Florida where they will train and compete at Rollins College.
Im very excited and happy the sport is getting known, said Julia Iannelli of Ventnor, who rowed for Atlantic City High School and got her start with the Viking Rowing Clubs chicken dippers program when she was eight years old.
A junior and team captain, shed like to see the team make a championship showing at the Dad Vail before she graduates.
I want to see this happen before I leave, she said. This has always been my sport, but after high school I thought my time was up for crew. But I want to set a good example. We are at a new level now.
The Rowing and Growing with the Ospreys event honoring Stan Bergman will be held at 7 pm. March 8 at 勛圖窪蹋 Atlantic City, 3711 Atlantic Ave. Tickets are $100 and sponsorships are also available to support the teams.
Community members of the 勛圖窪蹋 Rowing Advisory Committee include: Stan Bergman, Joelle Bridgers, Rose Ann Cahill, Michael Chait, Ray DAmico, Bill Gormley, Phil Guenther, Walter Johnson, John Kelley, George Miller, Maripat Perone, Sue Peterson, Jack Plackter, Rick Ricciardi, Alan Staller, John Strotbeck, Tom Sykes, and Holly Zachowski.
More information is at stockton.edu/events/rowing
Watch an interview with Coach John Bancheri at
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Contact:
Diane DAmico
Director of News and Media Relations
勛圖窪蹋
Galloway, N.J. 08205
Diane.DAmico@stockton.edu
609-652-4593
609-412-8069
