College crews and coaches reunite in A.C.

Oct. 4, 2004
By ROB SPAHR For The Press, (609) 272-7210
ATLANTIC CITY - The back bays of Ventnor and Atlantic City were the site of the first Shore Boys Open College Regatta on Sunday, but one of the event's founders says it might as well have been called the Shore Boys Homecoming Regatta.

The event got its Shore Boys name because the coaches of the three participating teams are former local high school oarsmen: John Bancheri (Atlantic City HS), who heads Marietta College's crew program; Drexel University's Lou Renzulli (Holy Spirit HS); and Lehigh University's Paul Savell (Holy Spirit).

"We came up with the idea sometime over the winter because we thought that it would be a great experience for our teams," Bancheri said. "I always bring some of my team members out here to practice during our fall break, so I figured why not schedule the regatta for the same time we were already scheduled to be here."

The weather was "lousy," he said, but the landscape makes it a "perfect rowing area." The layout allowed the teams to have a 2.8-mile head race and a 1,000-yard sprint, the same format for some major collegiate regattas.

"Plus the locals always enjoy watching the sport," Bancheri said. "It seems like everyone has maritime spirit."

The race began at Atlantic City High School boathouse, near the Albany Avenue Bridge, and traveled through Ventnor before finishing at the old Viking Rowing Club on Harvard Avenue.

It was not an official NCAA race, but the coaches were excited about the opportunities it provided.

"We have a lot of kids from the area on our team, and I think that they were excited for the opportunity to compete on their home turf," Renzulli said.

Savell said, "I don't know of any other regions in the country that have as many high school crew teams in such a close radius of each other as this one does.

"You could take a look around the crowd that came to watch the event and mixed in with families of team members, there is a ton of local crew athletes who could be making a difference for one of our program one day."

Marietta seniors Rob Johnson (Margate/Atlantic City HS) and Chuck Gowdy (Egg Harbor Township/Holy Spirit HS) were only two of six local members of the Pioneer Navy.

"It was great to be back here because three miles in Ohio is a lot more repetitive then three miles here," said Gowdy, who competed for Atlantic City this summer in lifeguard competitions.

Johnson said, "We had to tell all the coxman about the area before we came because of all the things that can play a factor in the races. On a course like this there are people swimming, Jet Skiers, and bridges opening. There is a lot to look out for."

Absegami High School graduate and Lehigh senior Katie LeVerde was excited about the exhibition because it gave her a chance to see friends and family.

"I didn't row in high school, so rowing here was a new experience for me," she said. "But I still got to come here compete against people I know, so it was all pretty exciting."

To e-mail Robert Spahr at The Press:

RSpahr@pressofac.com