Binghamton Crew
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Contents |
[edit] General Info
Binghamton Crew is a student run club sport team at Binghamton University. The Crew competes against varsity collegiate rowing teams on a national level. Consisting of both men's and women's teams, having novice and varsity squads, Binghamton Crew launches out of the boathouse at Les Wagner Rowing Center in Owego, NY.
[edit] History
[edit] 1989
N.D. Chen and Jen Clauding 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. Kurt Coutts, the coach of the women's tennis team was instrumental in the purchase of a rowing ergometer.
[edit] 1990
The team bought a four oared shell from Rogi for a song and had their first two races. In the spring, John Spencer came forward on behalf of the Owego Marketplace, who purchased Hiawatha Island, and offered our first boathouse site. It was barren, muddy, and primitive, but it was home.
[edit] 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 docks and used a launch from 1948. With increased funds from the Student Association, the crew bought a four from Lehigh, an eight from Colgate, and oars and a trailer from Rutgers. The trailer cost $1,500. Six years and over $2,000 later, it would be on the road.
[edit] 1992
The crew bought a new launch and motor, and 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 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 to get the crew out of the mud. That December, the roof was put on by Matt and Mark Myette, John Spencer, Dave Pruden, and Dan Hogan.
[edit] 1993
During the fall, Sean Hartzell, a recent graduate of Cornell, coached the Women. Binghamton High School allowed the crew to use their rowing ergometers during the winter. In the spring, Suzanne Myette joined the team. A second megaphone, along with another launch, was added to the equipment inventory. Her husband, Matt, contributed his skills as a trainer for injured athletes.
[edit] 1994
Another donation by Les Wagner allowed for the purchase of twelve new oars. Steve Gladstone, of Brown University, sold the crew two workboat fours for half of what they were worth. Two reconditioned Schoenbrod eight's were purchased from Manhattan College. The Manhattan coach, Tom Delaney, in addition to giving them a good price, deferred the payments to make the purchase possible. Tony Westbrook joined the coaching team as a mentor of the novice men. The Office of Campus Recreation (OCR) provided funds to put siding on the boathouse. Several work parties later, they had walls thanks to Tony, Dave Pruden, John Spencer and several of the oarsmen and women.
[edit] 1995
In the early spring, vandals and high water combined to liberate the docks and send them twenty-five miles down the Susquehanna. Kurt Vieten 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 Judy Browne, then director of Club Sports, and several members of the crew, negotiations were conducted and most of the parts were recovered. Aaron Gowan donated the use of his lumber truck and driver to retrieve the remains. In addition, Kathy Hogan lent her time and expertise in coaching the women.
[edit] 1996
OCR 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. Coach Eng assumed the reins of the women's crew in Suzanne's absence. 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.
[edit] 1997
A milestone in the history of Binghamton Crew, in the early spring, Jim Tornillo lent his time and truck to pick up two 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. With the assistance of Larry King, much-needed electrical service was brought to the boathouse. Edward Ide and his son Brian, a varsity rower, added a top rack to our existing trailer providing for our expanding fleet.
[edit] 1998
After the snow had melted and the ice broke, Binghamton Crew took delivery of a 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 2001
Our new boathouse, the Les Wagner Rowing Center, is finally opened. The facility is shared with our friends, the Hiawatha Island Boat Club.
[edit] 2005
A record number of novice rowers turn out for the fall season. As the organization grows, so does its popularity. Ambitious young athletes, experienced coaches, and an efficient executive board keep the team’s success at an all time high.
Please help to keep BU Crew's history up to date by editing this page with any pertinent information.
