OBHS Crew Team Update

By Giselle Grassi​    

     Starting in the fall of 2015, the Oyster Bay High School crew team has continuously worked hard to achieve goals that are new to our high school's list of athletic accomplishments. This 2016 fall season has Oyster Bay lined up to compete in many races, otherwise known as regattas, in New York, Massachusetts and New Jersey. 

​     Our varsity boys Chris Kreinbihl (team senior) and Mike McGee brought home their first medal in the varsity double race. Two other varsity rowers placed at the Tail of the Fish: Steven Mushorn, who took second place in his men's varsity single race, and Arianna Paone, who placed third in her women's varsity single race. Arianna Paone is also the first females to win a medal for the Oyster Bay Crew. 
    In Boston, MA, junior varsity rower Karina Paone was selected for the singles only race named The Head of the Quinobequin, along with multiple other Oyster Bay rowers. Out of those who attended, Karina Paone won second place in her single and was able to grab some great pictures with former Olympic medalists Laura Schmetterling and Gevvie Stone!
     The Head of the Fish in Saratoga Springs, NY on October 29-30th was another race that Oyster Bay Crew was lucky enough to attend this season. We were not able to bring home any fish heads (the first place prize), but the experience that comes along with this chilly regatta is one of a kind. A big thanks to Oyster Bay coach Kevin Coomney for chaperoning this exciting event!                          
     Everyone is now in the final sprint to the finish line for our last race of the season, our home regatta, The Long Island Frostbite, on November 6th! As an experienced rower on the team, I can confidently say that everyone has been working extremely hard to meet his or her full potential, and all of us together have created common goals to push this team to a new level of success at practice and at larger regattas.
     As a crucial member of the team, junior Arianna Paone says, “Our team is fairly new, and I know we can make it as big and successful as any other team out here on Long Island. We just need to stick together and never give up on each other. We need to take every challenge and work off of it to become better people and better rowers.”
    Rowing is definitely a sport that has been underappreciated; it's a sport that deserves to be revered, for it requires constant dedication, hard work and motivation from the team and the coaches. So, for all Oyster Bay rowers who won medals on November 6th (almost everyone), great job! This eventful fall season has demonstrated the unbelievable growth in the athletes on Oyster Bay Crew.
    As a final thought, most people ask rowers why we row backwards, and a pretty good quote that answers this question is: “In rowing, we face backwards in order to see how far we have come instead of how far we have left to go.”