The Anthony Wayne girls rowing crew received no respect when it held
its first practice on August 24, 1998. The nine member crew - eight
seniors and a junior - had no experience in propelling a 60-foot racing
shell through the water. Neither a team nor a club, they even lacked
official recognition from Anthony Wayne High School. But, "We're
determined. We want to show the school we're serious," said rower
Libby Carruth. Mission accomplished. The girls are off to a
successful season.
In September they competed in their first regatta, the Head of the
Cuyahoga, in Cleveland, and finished third in their division. A few
weeks later, they finished second in their novice division at the Head of
the Ohio Regatta in Pittsburgh, competing against 19 other boats.
And on October 10, at the Three Rivers Regatta in Dayton, they took first
place out of a dozen boats.
The rowers still have no official recognition from the school, but
hopes are high that the board of education will accord club status to
rowing next year. The Ohio High School Athletic Association does not
recognize rowing as a sport. "We have to be able to walk before we
run," said Paul Holan, Anthony Wayne's athletic director, in explaining
the rowers' lack of official credentials. His daughter, Abby, is a
member of the crew. "Right now, the school has nothing to do with
it. But next year we may go to the board and ask to be made a club."
With eight members of the crew graduation in June, will there be a next
year for Anthony Wayne rowing? Aaron Zdawczyk, the girls' coach,
said that he believes so. The girls' success has generated a lot of
interest, he said, even from boys who want to form their own crew.
The girls and their families and supporters pay all the expenses of the
rowing crew - about $500 a member, exclusive of the donations from
supporters in Waterville, Maumee, and Ypsilanti, Michigan. Their
boats and oars belong to the Toledo Rowing Club and St. John's Jesuit High
School, whose rowers are coached by Rod McElroy, the dean of local rowing
and a former member of the Harvard team. Practice is held on the
Maumee River everyday, from the club's facility at International Park.
"They're so full of enthusiasm," said Mr. McElroy, whom the girls give
great credit for helping them get started. But they have a big
advantage over other first-year rowers, he said: their size.
"Because they're juniors and seniors, they're big. Once a program is
established, the novices are typically freshmen and sophomores.
They're racing against freshmen and sophomores in the novice class."
The girls said they plan to practice hard for the rest of the season, then
come back with a vengeance for spring rowing. Senior Jackie Kirby
wants to row in college. "I've got the bug," she said.
The Anthony Wayne girls rowing team is made up of Nikki Bailey, Emily
Plews, Ruth Holland, Jackie Kirby, Jess Tapula, Andrea Benner, Abby Holan,
Libby Carruth, and Melissa Wunderly.
Copyright © 1998 The Toledo Blade Company
Record Number: 9810280300
