Congratulations on surviving the first week back. While we have a lot of work to do before October's races, the efforts and improvements from the summer are evident both on the water and on the erg. Below are the top finishers of Erg Test#1. Erg test #2 is scheduled for September 29th.
Girls
1. Nicole DiTamaso 21:17.1 avg split 2:07.8
2. Katie Ely 21:42.4 avg split 2:10.2
Boys
1. Jim Howley 19:06.9 avg split 1:54.7
2. Nick Herceg 19:29.8 avg split 1:57.0
Captains
Below are the essays submitted for the 2011-2012 captain positions. Please take the time to read over each essay and select 2 boys and 2 girls who you feel would do an exemplary job leading Haddon Township Crew through another successful year. We will vote on Monday.
Nick Herceg
Since I have been rowing for Haddon Township, I have seen multiple captains come and go. Each has made a distinct impression that coaches and other rowers remember years later. I have seen changes occur due in part to what the captains inspire all other athletes to be. Only one captain remains from last season which leaves multiple slots open for the job of “inspiration.” However, I believe that a captain, as a job, is meant not to directly inspire the other rowers. A captain must be a person with ambition, a person looking toward, not just the future of his or herself, but to the club as a whole. A captain must conduct his or herself in the utmost respectable manner toward coaches, teammates, parents, officials, other clubs, and all other people invested in the team's progress. A captain must be able to hang their head high in victory or defeat. Most importantly, a captain must have the ability to encourage fellow rowers to compete with their teammates, especially the captain, for seats in a boat, in racing around the Cooper, on the fields of frisbee, and to become the best athlete on the team. If a captain can show all of these traits, then inspiration will become a byproduct of the effort captains put into this team. I look to leave a footprint as a captain of the Haddon Township Crew Club. I believe I exhibit these abilities and am able to inherit the throne of male captain from great rowers and men like Greg Cuneo. I also firmly believe that there a number of athletes on the team that possess these qualities, and if I do not advance to the position as captain, I will conduct myself in a gentlemanly manner, I will will hold my head high, I will look toward the future still and encourage others to become like me. I hope that the team can accept my leadership and my contributions to them.
Emily Donovan
When I think of a leader or a captain, I picture someone I can look up to. Someone who is fair and kind, who knows what she’s doing and how to achieve goals. Being a leader and setting an example is a challenge, one that I know I’m ready for. Over the summer I’ve done my own work outs and had enough self-discipline to complete them all with determination and focus every day. I wish to share my enthusiasm with the team and bring everyone closer because a team should be a second family; one that encourages and passes along knowledge gained from experience. I run on creativity, and I know doing similar captain practices can get a little tiring. That’s why I think my ideas for changing the workout would be good for the team.
I hope to lead by example, and help both the incoming rowers and experienced rowers reach their full potential.
Ryan Clark
I believe being a captain at Haddon Township Crew Club would be another amazing experience to add to the many that I’ve had already. I love to see others enjoy crew just as much as I do. Haddon Township crew consists of a fantastic group of people that are always excited for new experiences. I would like to build upon the already strong bond we all have together. My goal will ultimately be to welcome the new recruits, be there for anyone who needs help, has questions or needs advice. I will also work with the other captains to organize outside activities everyone will enjoy, strengthen the bond as a whole, and be a mentor for those who are just beginning the HT journey. In order to continue our drive toward success we all have to work hard, but as we all know, it pays off and we’ll all have fun together along the way.
I would be honored to be a Haddon Township Crew Club captain.
Katie Ely
I have always been taught that in order to be a "captain" or a leader, you have had, at one point, to be the follower. My first three years on the Haddon Township Crew team, I was a follower. Because I was inexperienced in the world of crew, I stayed silent, and listened to the more experienced members on the team. Even my freshman year when I was coxswain of the novice eight, the sole person that is supposed to have the command in a sweep boat, I took direction from the stroke seat, repeating everything she said into my microphone. As I listened and watched, however, I learned more about crew than if I had gone into the sport pretending to know everything. My years on the crew team can be described as a "slowly, inching up process." I learned quickly that in order to reach a goal, every part of your body and mind must want to get there too. That is the main belief I would want to instill in current and future members of the Haddon Township Crew team. Every captain we've had has shown great loyalty to the team, and they are the core of why our team is so great. Now, three years later, I have learned that dedication and passion is what drives this team to be the best and it would be a privilege to be one of its leaders.
Cassidy Leyendecker
Crew is like no other sport. It solely relies on each and every team member. A boat can only be as good as their weakest rower. Being a captain is no different. They need to be a leader and be able to take charge; they must also be supportive and able to keep the team going at the hardest of times, even during an erg test or the ever popular 4x8. I’ve been on the team for 4 consecutive seasons now and truly understand how being part of the crew team is an emotional roller coaster. My highest and even some of my lowest moments were on the erg as well as the water; but joining crew was probably the best decision of my life and the one that changed it the most. As captain of the crew team, I would always try my hardest to push and provide for the team in any way possible. I’m determined and hardworking and would help you with any problem that might arise. Being part of the crew team is no easy feat, but as captain I’d like to make the experience more enjoyable for all.
Jim Howley
I'm applying for a captain position because over the years the HT Crew program has done a lot for me, has been a huge part of my life, and being a captain would help give back to the team that's given me so much, including many opportunities colleges i never would have had otherwise. I pride myself on being pretty outgoing, and one of the main reasons i stuck with crew after my brutal 1st season was the friendliness of the upperclassmen. They were always willing to give me pointers or just help with whatever needed to get done (some names that come to mind: Emily Davis, Caley of course, Greg Cuneo, Ryan Rousseau) and i would want to emulate them to help keep the team's numbers up, as well as spreading the word to get new recruits. I remember i held some position where some friends and i came before school to a small gettogether with kids who were having a tough time integrating into high school, and it we just listened and tried to find simple solutions to any kind of problem, be it social, educational, or some other kind of difficulty. Being a captain would involve some of those skills i aquired. I feel like i have a lot to offer to the Novices in terms of rowing, even after my relatively short career. After all, when i was a novice i was a middle-of-the-road rower. It wasn't until the middle of my sophomore year that i turned into the brilliant paragon of rowing i am today. Clearly, HT crew has also helped augment my modesty a lot. In all seriousness, however, I would have no problem doing a little extra work in the name of the team and i absolutely want the accumulative success we've had over the past few years to continue stronger than ever, even with the loss of Scott. I had some fresh ideas for captains practices, one of which would be to have some sort of joint practice with another HT team, i was thinking Cross Country, and some others to be worked out if i become captain. I think this year the captains roles will be more important than ever, and i am more than willing to step up to the challenge, we will need more coordination between captains and what i think is a delicate but ideal mix of authority, caring and friendliness. In the immortal words of Michael Scott from the Office: "Would i rather people fear me or love me? Easy, both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me." This should be the motto of a captain and is what i strive to obtain.
Sara Rosenberg
Crew is not just a sports team; it is a family. The team grows and bonds over the hard work, sweat, and pain, but by the time the season is over we are all just as close as a family. It is the captains’ duty to facilitate the team’s bonding and to help ensure that everyone on the team is getting the most out of crew that they can. However, crew is not just about getting close to one another because if that was the case we could all join a book club. We are all here to work hard and become great rowers. The captains have the responsibility of Saturday’s practices, which will put them in charge of the team members’ athletic well being (at least for the day).
I would be a good captain because I am a generally happy, easy to talk to person. If someone needed to talk to me about a problem that they didn’t want to go directly to Coach Annie and Coach Katie with, I would be happy to talk to the coaches on their behalf and hopefully find a solution. Also, if anyone just needed someone to talk to about something that dealt with crew or even school, I would be more than happy to lend a listening ear. The offer, by the way, still stands even if I don’t become a captain, especially for the novices. Captains need to set an example by working hard and giving all that they have at practice. I know that putting everything into workouts and races is what it takes to be good at crew and I am trying my best to do that so I can help inspire others to push as hard as they can. A captain also has to be responsible and be able to organize events well, which I believe that I have shown over the past year that I have rowed. I am willing to look past just my own goals and look at the teams’ goals and to foster them just as I would with my own. Crew is a great team sport that deserves the best captains to help run the team and I know that I can be one.
Mandi Fry
This is my fourth year and ninth season with Haddon Township Crew. For the past fall and spring seasons, I was a team elected captain. I've planned workouts and lead them, helped the coaches, and spread last minute information to the team. I know what the job requires, and what to expect from the coaches and other team members as a captain. I work my hardest every practice, no matter what we're doing, and try and encourage others to do the same. I want to be captain because I want to help the team in anyway I can, and this is one way I can help. I also have a lot of experience, both as a rower and as a captain. I love this team, and I want to help it be the best it can possibly be!
Nelson Remetz
I have rowed with Haddon township crew for 3 years and in my time here, I’ve seen what qualities make someone a good, or bad captain. Leadership is one quality that all good captains have, and I have more than enough experience in leadership. When I was young I did Karate. After climbing through the ranks, I became a black belt and had to lead by being at each class and teaching every kid with equality and patience. Once I got old enough, I joined the boy scouts. I’ve lead dozens of boys of all ages, either in small groups, or when I was elected to be the leader of our entire troop. Currently I’m finishing up on achieving my Eagle Scout award, which focuses almost solely on leading others, as I did when I had a group paint and build shelves for a food pantry in my town. The other quality is being able to welcome everyone. I have always dealt well with younger kids. Whether it be as simple as giving them rides home or as important as bonding with them through the crew wing nights, pasta parties and get-togethers that I have been organizing for the past few years.
I don’t have to promise I will be a good captain, because instead, I can prove that I have the leadership skills, mentoring skills, and drive to be a great captain because I have been exhibiting those skills for my entire life. Ask Danny Woods, Will Baggs or Luke Evans (three novices who just joined). They will explain how well I lead, encourage and welcome people because they are examples of how I have bonded with kids of all ages for my entire life.
I have been functioning as a captain on this team for the past year without the title, and now, it is my chance to be a captain, just like all the people I looked up to as I grew up in HT crew.
