Marty Crotty was inducted into the Canisius High School Athletic

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Marty Crotty was inducted into the Canisius High School Athletic Hall of Fame on November 1st. Marty
was part of two IRA national championship crews at Princeton as well as an Eastern Sprint championship.
Marty also earned silver medals in the Pan American Games as well as the U23 World Championships.
Marty has served as head coach of the Men’s Jr. National team, assistant heavyweight coach at Princeton and
currently head coach of the Princeton Men’s Lightweight Crew.
Emily Regan (Nichols, Michigan State) was a member of the US Women’s four that won a silver medal at the
2014 World Championships in Amsterdam. Tom Terhaar coached the US Women’s eight to their ninth
consecutive world title.
WEST SIDE STORY
Winter 2014
Check West Side’s Website WWW.WSRC.ORG
Published twice annually for the benefit of those who are
interested in the activities at the West Side Rowing Club.
Ashley Johnson was named Prep Talk Rower of the year by the Buffalo News. Ashley, a graduate of
Clarence High School, was a member of West Side’s High School varsity four that won a NY State
Championship and a bid to the US Rowing Youth National Championship. Ashley is currently a member of
the Syracuse University Women’s crew.
Upcoming West Side Events
Shuffle Off to Buffalo Erg Race, Sunday February 15, 2015
John Bennett Regatta , Sunday May 3, 2015
Fontana All High Regatta, Monday May 25, 2015
ROWING REPORT
This year’s rowing season was the story of the cancelled regatta. Of the five regattas that West Side hosts
each year 3 were cancelled or abbreviated due to weather conditions. The John Bennett was cancelled due
to ice in the channel, July’s Invitational Regatta was delayed and ultimately cancelled due to high winds and
thunderstorms and the Hogan Fries Novice event cancelled due to high winds and frigid temperatures.
In spite of Mother Nature’s issues, West Side had one of the largest groups of rowers we’ve had in years in
all our summer programs. Vice President for Rowing Joel Furtek put together an outstanding coaching staff
for both our Junior and Senior programs featuring college level coaches. Our summer learn to row crew
camp, ably lead by Miles Schwartz had 190 campers in two sessions. Diane Quart led our adult programs;
learn to row, adult recreation and masters, whose members also provided valuable assistance at our home
regattas.
Each summer at the steak roast following the Canadian Henley, West Side presents awards to individual
rowers for rowing excellence, leadership and dedication to West Side. The Cotter Award, presented annually
by Bill and Mary Ellen Cotter was awarded to Emily Evans (City Honors, Columbia). The Irv Truebel award
for the outstanding coxswain was presented to Vince Faruggia (St. Joe’s). The James B. Schaab award,
presented by Jim Schaab to the outstanding high school oarsmen was presented to August Cudeck (St. Joe’s)
and John Corr (Canisius, Hobart). The Mary Clare Kane award for achievement and dedication by a
coxswain was presented to Hannah Blum (Nardin, Canisius College).
Snowvember Storm Approaches West Side
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The Melissa Hale Spencer Award, presented each year by Bill and Mary Ellen Cotter to the outstanding Club
oarswoman, was given to Hanna Victor (UB). The Michael Broderick Plate, for character, leadership, and
sportsmanship was presented to Pierson Janes (Canisius College).
Willie Hutch Jones Educational & Sports Programs (WHJSC), in offering a free 7 week swim lesson
program to youth between the ages of 12-18. This past spring WHJSC contributed two superb certified swim
instructors, while City Honors School and the Belle Center assisted with the use of their pools.
West Side Officer awards, presented for outstanding commitment to the West Side mission, were awarded to:
Rick Stoll (Kenmore West), Brett Lawhon (Hobart), J.P. Scaduto (Boston College), Claire Conrad (Buffalo
Seminary), Alissa Miller-Gonzalez (Mt. St. Mary), Theresa Rusch (Mt. St. Mary), and Leah Shatkin (City
Honors).
David M. Zak Sr. 3/26/39- 6/10/14
Adaptive, or para-rowing, is gaining widespread popularity in the United States, with some 60 rowing clubs
offering or planning to offer competitive and recreational adaptive programs. West Side is among the first in
Upstate NY to have rowers in competition. Our adaptive rowers Jake Hipps and Andy McLellan competed in
the Henley and the Head of the Niagara regattas this season. Both rowed doubles partnering with Eric
Johnson and Bob Gunn and ably coached by Tom Jakiel. The team is rounded out with adaptive rower Josh
Karczewski and volunteer, Angela McClellan-Desai. The team had a busy summer and fall, rowing together
in both a quad and four w/ cox, and with the Adult Rec 8 on several occasions. Masters Coach Dan Sullivan
and Rec. Coach Diane Quart provided invaluable assistance throughout the season.
His rowing career started when he was a student at Technical High School and continued after he graduated
in 1956. His timing was perfect in that he rowed in boats with Bob Sauerwine and Chick Hewson, resulting
in Henley and US national Medals. His coaching career led him to St. Joe’s in the 1960’s. Dave’s crowning
achievement was in 1967 when his St. Joe’s eights won both the US and Canadian senior events at St.
Catharines. The dual event was held in Ontario as part of the provincial Centennial celebration.
Dave’s close association with his St. Joe’s rowers lasted the rest of his life. David’s memorial mass at St.
Joseph’s Cathedral was filled with his former oarsmen with John Hart doing the first reading and Dr. Frank
Schreck delivering the eulogy. The mass was followed by a reception at West Side on August 1st. The
members of the 1967 crew have fond memories of their coach. One of the most startling things about Dave’s
life was his emphasis on religion as the years went along. He attended mass daily.
Frank Schreck recalled Dave not just as a rowing coach but also as a life coach. John Hart described Dave as
colorful and Mike Moore recalled the tortuous multiple runs around the sewage disposal plant that would
start with one lap and end up with six.
HEAD OF THE CHARLES
John Schnabel 3/11/36 – 7/16/14
West Side’s Jr. Women’s 4+ finished 22nd out of 84 crews in a time of 20:48.7 at this fall’s Head of the
Charles in Boston. Members of the crew were Eliza Oak (Nichols), Clare Cotter (Buffalo Seminary), Chloe
Keating (Nichols), Kendal Smith (Park), and coxswain Clare Conrad (Buffalo Seminary). Ted Marks and son
Graham did well again this year in the Parent Child double event. They finished fourth out of 39 teams. Rob
Baker finished 30th in the Men’s Veterans single event.
John died as the result of injuries sustained when his private plane crashed July 5 as he was taking off from
Royalton airport in Gasport. John was a member of the 1955 Pan American Games crew which earned a
silver medal in Mexico City in March of that year. West Side’s facility at Ferry St. was for the most part
unheated so the training was done in a fire hall on Niagara St. which is now part of Rich Products.
The crew left a few days early in order to spend time in Denver to become acclimated to the air they would
encounter in Mexico City. John spent 29 years in the US Military and 30 years as an American airlines pilot
achieving the rank of captain. His wife Karole and four sons as well as a daughter survive as well as 14
grandchildren.
ADAPTIVE ROWING
TEAM BUILDING AT WEST SIDE
The “team-building experience” at West Side is a Corporate Rowing Program developed under the leadership
of Barb Johnson. The program is designed for business groups to learn in one day the skills both on and off
the water to achieve a common goal: to work together to row an eight oared shell down the Black Rock
Channel. This team building experience is designed to challenge participants both mentally and physically,
emphasizing trust, communication to achieve a common goal. Joel Furtek and Tony Brach both led the
coaching staff, and by all reports to rave reviews from the local companies who participated.
SWIM PROGRAM
Barb Johnson, our Director of Fundraising and Recruiting has spearheaded a community outreach program
this year, addressing a health and safety issue amongst our Buffalo Public School/Erie County Youth - the
inability to swim. The past two years West Side was awarded an increased number of Grant Scholarships to
our summer Learn to Row Camp, but it has been a growing challenge to identify youth who know how to
swim to accept our rowing scholarships. So Barb partnered with a long time WSRC supporter and friend
Bob Uhl
Bob Uhl passed away December 11, 2014 in Florida after a long illness. Bob rowed with many of the great
West Side Crews of the 1950’s. He served as treasurer of the Club for 16 years. After the fire in 1975 Bob,
along with Bill Fleming and Doc Schaab, was indispensable in the construction of the temporary Blue
Building as well as the new club. Bill Cotter recalled after the iron work was erected for the Blue Building it
was discovered to be slightly out of plumb. Bob’s solution was to tie a rope from the iron work to the old red
truck and give it a tug. It worked perfectly.
Elections
The following were elected to terms on the West Side Board of Directors for the term 1/1/2015 to
12/31/2017: Ed Huntley, Joel Furtek, Cathy Pitek, Richard Schaus, Dan Sullivan, Maryalice Victor and Paul
Kolkmeyer.