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Varsity Crew Hits the River Sporting New Racing Shells

After securing more than $55,000 in financial support from philanthropic members within the Ranney community during the past year and half, Ranney’s varsity crew program has since expanded to include an increased number of participants along with one additional coach, who now have access to four new racing shells — bearing the last names of several major donors — life vests, radios, and slings and racks for storage.
After securing more than $55,000 in financial support from philanthropic members within the Ranney community during the past year and half, Ranney’s varsity crew program has since expanded to include an increased number of participants along with one additional coach, who now have access to four new racing shells — bearing the last names of several major donors — life vests, radios, and slings and racks for storage.

In preparing to launch its four new Win Tech Racing shells out of Red Bank Marina this spring, the varsity crew team spent the fall 2011 season not only completing 6k tests (about 3.73 miles) on indoor ergs every other week, but also learning a new rowing technique known as sweeping. While the program’s previously rented boats from the Navesink River Rowing Club required that team members use two 12-foot oars for sculling, Ranney’s new shells now require one nine-foot oar for sweeping — a technique more commonly used by collegiate level crew programs.

“This season, our main goal will be teaching both novice and varsity team members the proper method for sweep rowing,” said head coach Christine Repoli. “With help from myself and assistant coach Josh Prown, our returning varsity rowers are quickly adapting to this new technique, and we are hoping to compete in at least two regattas this spring.”

Assistant coach Prown comes to Ranney with a tremendous amount of experience both coaching and rowing out on the Navesink. According to Director of Athletics Thomas Moriau, he is a dynamic individual with a wealth of knowledge that students will undoubtedly benefit from. “Josh’s down-to-earth demeanor and coaching ability will be very valuable to our rowing program,” said Mr. Moriau.

The sport of crew offers its participants an exceptional, low-impact, full body workout that not only strengthens team work, but also provides the opportunity for skilled athletes to compete at the collegiate level. While Ranney’s crew program has already seen two alumnae, Kathryn Lowry ’08 and Katherine Rennie ’08, receive Division I athletic scholarships in rowing, current senior Craig Slater will also row for the Division I Harvard University Crimson this upcoming fall. As sophomore crew team member Steven Parlamas begins his college search, he says he too is paying particular attention to those colleges that host competitive crew programs. “Being a part of my high school crew team may make all the difference as to whether or not I gain acceptance at such colleges as the University of Pennsylvania, Brown University or Georgetown,” said Steven.

It is the unyielding support of Ranney parents throughout the community that inspires scholar-athletes to succeed in their athletic pursuits. Not only has interest in this competitive sport spread throughout Ranney, whose crew team went from 12 rowers in 2009 to 23 rowers this spring, but it has also become an increasingly popular program in high schools and colleges across the region. The purchase of four new boats and other equipment allows Ranney’s crew program to accommodate this growing number of participants, presenting more opportunities for larger numbers of children to attend practice sessions out on the river. “Owning our own boats will advance our team to the next level,” said third-year varsity rower Jordan Hesslein ’13. “These boats will allow us to extend our focus beyond just speed, to both the speed and technique needed to do better at regattas,” added another third-year varsity rower Kendall Torpey ’13.

The varsity crew team would like to extend a special thank you to those individuals whose philanthropy has propelled the crew program forward to where it is today. “This is one of the few sports I fell in love with, and because of their generosity, I am now confident the crew program will continue to grow in the future,” said four-year varsity rower Yasmin Meleis ’12.

Ranney’s Athletic Department would like to acknowledge the following crew program philanthropists:
Mr. Eric Abraham and Mrs. Regina Carroll
Dr. Stephen Dudick and Dr. Catherine Dudick
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hesslein
Dr. and Mrs. M. Michael Jones
The Martin Family
Dr. and Mrs. Mohamed E. Meleis
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Nicholson
Mr. and Mrs. Markos Parlamas
Dr. and Mrs. Brian Torpey
Dr. and Mrs. Scott Woska
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Ranney School

235 Hope Road
Tinton Falls, NJ 07724
Tel. 732.542.4777
Our mission is to know and value every child, nurturing intellectual curiosity and confidence, and inspiring students to lead honorably, think creatively, and contribute meaningfully to society.