Contributed by Tom McGinley:
My first rowing experience occurred in the fall of 1986.
Myself and a couple of other freshman students were driven down to
Washington's Landing by a group of upper classmen. When we
arrived, I remember Tony Pfiefer (team captain) picking the lock of
a parked tractor trailer on what then was a deserted island.
Tony had forgotten the key to the trailer we referred to as our
"boathouse". Within the trailer, there were two very old
wooden four-man boats and eight matching oars. I'm not sure,
but I think these boats may have belonged to TRRA, before the
boathouse was built. I remember walking this boat into
belly-high water in the channel, attaching the oars and then jumping
in. Looking back it seems so primitive. In those days,
there was no coach (at least not at any of the practices I went to.)
There was no real routine. It was just a bunch of Central guys
who liked the idea of taking a long, strange looking boat on a row
down the Allegheny River.
Over time, a coach named Charles Bonavita entered into the picture.
Charles operated a boathouse in Verona called the Silvam Boat Club.
Things were better because at least we could say we had a coach and
some sort of boathouse. I rowed off and on during my sophomore
and junior years at Central. The promises of being competitive
and rowing in regional races seemed to seldom surface however.
We would truck out to Charles' boathouse in Verona only to end up
running around the neighborhood and taking turns on his 1 erg.
During my Senior year, I approached some of my schoolmates about
moving the team to TRRA's new boathouse on Washington's Landing.
I remember the day that my friend Aaron Mutscheller and I approached
Mike Lambert, then President of TRRA about rowing at his new
boathouse. The place wasn't even completed at the time.
I think there were people painting in Mike's office when we went in
to speak with him. We expressed our interest in possibly
moving the team and he asked us about our current coaching
situation. We told him of our discontent; Mike walked us out
to the bay of the boathouse to meet Beth Marks.
Beth and her husband Ted were rowing addicts too. Beth let us
know that she would be happy to coach us if we could show some
commitment from the team and a willingness to have her coach.
Aaron and I went back to Central and rounded up a dozen or so guys
who would soon become addicts too.
Contributed by Beth and Ted Marks
1989/1990
In Steptember 1989 two Central Catholic students, Tom McGinley and
Aaron Mutscheller, approached Mike Lambert, the Executive Director
of TRRA, about moving the Central Catholic Crew Club to TRRA.
Mike asked Beth Marks if she was interested in coaching the Central
crew. At a meeting with a core group of interested students
and their moderator, Mr. Napavanic, it was determined that the
members were interested in participating in a competitive program
and doing the work needed to achieve this goal. Twenty
students came out for the team and 12 remained dedicated throughout
the season. In an agreement with TRRA to help Central Catholic
Crew get started, members individually joined TRRA and trained and
rowed using TRRA equipment. We also acquired an old Pocock 8+,
the Reefer, that the club had when it rowed out of the Allegheny
Boat Club. The team, Ted and Beth sanded off the old finish,
did some minor repairs and gave it a new coat of varnish. This
old boat was never a great boat, but served us well for training
novies (we actually did row some races in it.)
After learning to row in the fall and training indoors all winter,
the team had a very successful racing season. The priority
boat for the Central Crew was the novice 4+. The first year
was truly a building year for the club. We put procedures in
place, made contacts with the Central Catholic administration,
including Brother Martin, and made slings. We traveled to
races in 8 man vans, atop of which we put the boats.
Beth and Ted Marks were both active members of TRRA and each served
on the Board of Directors. Beth started rowing as a fresman at
Syracuse University, where she rowed for four years (1979-83.)
In 1982, she was invited to the Woman's National Lgihtweight Rowing
Team selection camp and was chosen to row in the second boat.
After college she sculled for several years out of Riverside Boat
Club in Boston, MA. In 1988 Beth taught sweep rowing at Boston
University during their summer rowing program. After moving to
Pittsburgh in 1988, Beth was an assistant coach to the North
Allegheny High School program. Beth has a M.S. in exercise
physiology, was certified in CPR and first aid, and has
certification as a Level 1 Coach by the United States Rowing
Association. While coaching at Central Beth worked as a
research associate in the Department of Neurosurgery at the
University of Pittsburgh.
Ted began rowing in high school at the West Side Rowing Club in
Buffalo, NY and continued rowing at Boston University (1978-82.)
He was selected to row on the Men's National Lightweight Rowing Team
in 1982 and 1983. In 1982-83 he was an assistant rowing coach
at the Belmont Hill School in Boston, MA. Ted began sculling
after college at the Riverside Boat Club and won numerous medals at
Nationals and in other sculling events. Ted was a member of
the TRRA Board of Directors and ran sculling clinics for the club.
While coaching at Central, Ted was a sales representative for
Scientific Systems Services, a custom software company.
|
| |
