Great Start for Blue Devil Crew
The spring season has started off well for the Huntington High School crew team. Blue Devil rowers medaled at their first two regattas at Port Washington and Bayville. Team members are seeing the fruits of their hard work during the off-season months.
The Blue Devils have been gathering on the beach for their competitions beneath their new team tent, which was donated by the Huntington Booster Club. Emblazoned with the Blue Devil logo and the words "Huntington High School" and "Huntington Crew" on it, the tent is both attractive and functional and has been looked at with envy by opponents.
The Huntington coaching staff expressed its appreciation for the Booster Club's "generous" donation. "We've always been proud to represent Huntington High School and now the school has even greater visibility," said Marc Jensen, one of the team's longtime coaches.
At the North Hempstead Beach Park in Row for Autism, Nicole Caputo and Sara Totura and Amber Lindner and Jesse Feldman-Stein won gold medals. The regatta, sponsored by Town of North Hempstead in partnership with Port Rowing and lead sponsor U.S. Rowing, raised funds to benefit an adaptive rowing program for teens with disabilities.
"It was rewarding to participate in this first event of its kind hosted by Port Rowing on a harbor that was a new venue for our team," assistant coach Tom Kowalski said. "We applaud the spirit behind Row for Autism and we look forward to participating in this worthy effort in the years to come."
Earlier this month, Blue Devil crew joined more than 1,000 rowers from 33 high schools and clubs competing at the Long Island Junior Rowing Championship at Centre Island Beach in Bayville. Huntington rowers medaled in four of the races they entered.
"As coaches we were pleased with the professionalism and success our young and developing squad demonstrated," assistant coach Amanda Meyer said. "We salute our hosts, the Sagamore Rowing Assn. for running a great regatta that has experienced continued growth and is building interest in rowing on Long Island."
Huntington's Boys' Novice 4 placed third in its race at Centre Island. Competing in their second regatta of the year and winning bronze were Jimmy Ferraiolo, Brandon May, Brian McConnell (coxswain), Matt Rosenbauer and Greg West.
The bronze medalists rowed in a recently purchased boat. A team goal since last fall, acquisition of the boat was made possible through generous donations from Huntington crew families, friends, and the community at-large during fund-raisers held by the team at Applebee's, Tropical Smoothie Cafe, 34 New Street and the Huntington Yacht Club.
In other action, racing against some tough competition at Long Island Junior Rowing Championship, Huntington's two Girls' JV 4s both won bronze. In one boat were Claire Beach, Sabrina Blakley (coxswain), Pauline McGlone, Haley Miller and Alex Stahno and in the other were Alyson Baker, Jane Donnovan (coxswain), Alexa Gorzycki, Summer Rudish and Kim Smith.
The Blue Devils Girls' JV Double comprised of Nicole Caputo and Sara Totura also took bronze with a solid performance.
As the season races along, Huntington crew hopes to extend its string of successful performances and burnish its reputation as one of the most competitive programs in the region.