Nyack and New City Rowers Make RRA Proud

• The 'Recreation Sports Notebook' is published each Friday. Please send items of interest to marcmaturo@aol.com.

The only way to go out in better style might have been an outright victory, but state runners-up Stephen St. Denis of New City and Benjamin DiRocco of Nyack are voicing nary a complaint in the wake of their final spring-season race representing the River Rowing Association (RRA).

Paired as a Juniors Team in the Boys Lightweight shell, St. Denis, a senior at Clarkstown South, and DiRocco, a sophomore at Nyack High, overtook Pelham to place second at the NYS Scholastic Rowing Championships in upstate Sarasota Springs.

Their effort helped to highlight an outstanding effort by the Nyack-based rowing club, which had nine of its 14 entries reach the final, and which earned one gold, and three bronze medals in addition to the silver brought home by DiRocco and St. Denis.

This year’s NYSSR Championship regatta drew 570 entries from 74 clubs, representing 53 cities and towns from across the state.

The RRA’s youth program, which has blossomed under outgoing coach J.D. Mallace, and Oksana Tsimbalova, comprises students from Clarkstown, Nyack, Pearl River, Tappan Zee Middle and High Schools and, from New Jersey, Northern Highlands, Northern Valley, Old Tappan, and St. Joseph Regional.

“Across all of our programs we have about 150 (racers),” said the well-respected Mallace, a Syracuse University alum, and competitor, who soon will end a three-year tenure at the club in order to attend graduate school. “The high school program has 45 … it has been fairly stable the last couple of years. Everything else has grown, but it [HS] has grown in other ways—in quality and competitiveness. Overall, all of our programs have seen at least a small amount of growth.”

The programs, which have been bolstered by a  college team at Dominican College, are more than a mere lark, a day at the beach.

“It’s tougher physically, for sure,” offered DiRocco, who also plays the midfield position in soccer and stays in shape by running and going to the gym when he is not playing soccer or rowing. “Soccer is more like a game, it’s more fun; rowing is really competitive.”

St. Denis, who is bound for SUNY New Paltz (which has no crew program), is a seasoned young vet with three years of rowing under his belt with RRA, but said he did not expect to do as well as he did at the state competition.

“I didn’t think we would do as well as we did, but I guess we did [do well],” said St. Denis, adding that he will not compete over the summer.

DiRocco, who recalls being drawn into crew by his friends the summer going into eighth grade, was buoyed by the second-place finish to a team from Sagamore Rowing Association.

“The water was really rough; the conditions were not good, and we didn’t have the best start,” DiRocco said. “But we stayed with them [Sagamore] until the last 500 [meters], and passed Pelham to take second.”

Asked to assess DiRocco, Mallace said “He’s great… incredibly strong for his size. He has a lot of potential. The stern [Benjamin’s seat in the shell] requires strength, and a lot of athleticism, which he has in abundance.”

And as for St. Denis, Mallace said “For the past three years he’s always one of our top boats. He’s been an integral part of the high-end aspects of our high school program.”

The RRA now looks to the Independence Day Regatta in Philadelphia, the largest summer club regatta in the U.S. Scheduled July 2-4, the event is organized by Schuykill Navy.

A five-member Masters national championship team from RRA will not race on Saturday at Indian Well Park in Shelton, CT, instead opting for bigger and tougher competition.

“They’re moving on to more competitive races in Europe, and the Royal Canadian Henley,” said Mallace.

Peter Klose, Ivan Rudolph-Shabinsky, Tom Chyla and Joe Devoe, all of Nyack, and Ron Linhart of Congers are expected to compete at the Henley Royal Regatta, scheduled June 29-July 3 in Oxfordshire, England, and the 29th annual Royal Canadian Henley, set for August 2-7 in St. Catherine’s, Ontario.

The River Rowing Association (www.riverrowing.org) was founded for the advancement of the well-being of the residents of Nyack, and surrounding areas, through the sport of rowing. For further information contact Sue DeMocker, director, at susan@riverrrowing.org.

NYS Scholastic Rowing Championship, Saratoga Springs

RRA Novice Team:

Boys Freshman 4: Matt Gelman, Clarkstown; Seth Prisament, Nyack; Evan Kearney, Pleasantville; Dylan Markowitz, Pearl River – 6^th place, 6:51.77; Girls Freshman 4: Tess Kelly, Nyack; Caty Gackowski, Midland Park, NJ; Shannon Pritzker, Clarkstown; Tomi Petersen, Northern Valley, N.J. – 5^th, 6:50.79; Emma Foti, Tappan Zee; Rebecca Pritzker, Clarkstown; Ellie Kitman, Tappan Zee; Jaclyn Wecht, Tappan Zee – 6^th, 6:53.13.

RRA Juniors Team:

Boys Lightweight 2: Benjamin DiRocco, Nyack; Stephen St. Denis, Clarkstown – 2^nd, 5:24.62; Boys Junior 4: Liam Cronin, Nyack; John Witkowski, Northern Highlands, NJ;  Jeremy Kleiman, Clarkstown; Graham Ginsberg, Tappan Zee – 3^rd, 5.17; Girls Junior 4: Marisa Braca and Emily Quaglia, Clarkstown; Mary Vermazen and Samantha Anderson, Nyack – 3^rd, 5:54.51; Boys Junior 2: Sam Trow and Dillon Boyle, Clarkstown – 5^th, 6:17.63; Girls Junior 2: Carolyn Mazzie, Northern Valley, NJ; Anna Gackowski, Midland Park, NJ – 1^st, 6:04.83; Boys Senior 4: Luke Warren and David Foster, Nyack; Rainier Printemps, St. Joseph Regional, NJ; Jake Gelman, Clarkstown – 3^rd, 5:03.48; Girls Senior 4: Kelsey Labosco, Clarkstown; Maggie Hylas, Northern Highlands, NJ; Mia Connell, Tappan Zee; Rebeca Linhart, Clarkstown – 4^th, 5:59.10.

Stick to it

Tappan Zee varsity head coach Jim Ardizone, North Rockland varsity offensive coordinator Kenny Rose, and an experienced staff led by Villanova University all-American Brian Karalunas (recently drafted by Long Island  Lizard of Major League Lacrosse) are again offering Dip N Dunk Lacrosse to youngsters from kindergarten through senior class in high school (campers in K through 2^nd grade are offered a half-day option).

Three weeks of camp are scheduled: June 27-July 1 at Tappan Zee HS (boys and girls); July 11-15 at North Rockland HS (boys only); and July 18-22 at Tappan Zee HS (boys and girls).

“As local camps go, we’ve been pretty successful,” said Ardizone. “We draw from Nyack, Clarkstown, Pearl River, Scarsdale and Horace Greeley in Chappaqua … we haven’t hit New Jersey yet.”

The Dutchmen’s coach said his staff has “vast experience, a lot of counselors. The ratio is almost too much, about eight (campers) to one (counselor).”

For further information, including fees, contact Ardizone at 914-261-1245, Rose at 845-641-8834, or access www.dipndunklacrosse.com.

Here and there

• It’s not too early to mark the dates for the Town of Orangetown’s free series of Friday night concerts at Veterans Memorial Park in Orangeburg (in case of inclement weather, all concerts are moved indoors at the air-conditioned Pearl River HS auditorium): July 8, Disco Unlimited; July 15, Risky Business; July 22, Tommy Dunn & Jan Lynch Band; July 29, TBA; August 12, Mystical Majesty Band. Call 359-6503, or 359-5100, ext. 2233.
• Members of the Pearl River HS wrestling staff will conduct a summer wrestling club in the school’s wrestling room. Grades 4^th-7^th are scheduled Monday and Wednesday, July 6-27, from 7 p.m.-9 p.m.; grades 8^th through 12^th are scheduled Tuesday and Thursday, July 7-28, from 7 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Contact the Orangetown recreation department at 359-6503 for further information; or access www.orangetown.com.
• Registration closes Monday, June 6, for the inaugural Nyack Indians Summer Camp, sponsored by the Rockland County Y. The first week is scheduled August 1-5; Week 2 is scheduled August 8-12. The camp is open to all students in the Nyack School District, entering grade 4 through grade 8. The camp will be held at Nyack High School. Contact Maria Giannattasio, Rockland Y fitness director, at 845-358-0245.
• Final registration is scheduled Wednesday, June 8 for Camp Nyack. Registration for children in the district is available from 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m. at the Nyack Center, 58 Depew Avenue. The Nyack Center administers the program for the Village of Nyack. The camp runs from June 28-August 5, Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Field trips have been a regular part of the camp, now in its 25^th year, including pool visits three times each week. Breakfast and lunch is served. Scholarships are available on a sliding scale, notes Kim Cross of Nyack Center. For information call 845-721-5514.