16 May 2024
By Barney Karol
Inspired by Tom Weil’s account in these pages (March 16, 2023) of the Yale lightweight 100-year celebration, the New York Athletic Club marked its storied history of 150 years of rowing on October 7, 2023 with a celebratory dinner not to be forgotten. Over 200 past and present NYAC rowers and friends jammed the ballroom at the NYAC Travers Island clubhouse overlooking the famous Orchard Beach race course. The event began with a cocktail hour that stretched the definition of the word “hour” as teammates and seat rivals reunited and relived momentous victories and memories.
The room was star studded with past and present Olympic team members, world and national champions, Head of the Charles winners and the hierarchy of the US rowing establishment.
Among the notables were two winners of both the world sculling championships and Henley Diamond Sculls: Don Spero (1965) and Jamie Koven (1997); Olympic medal winners Jason Read (gold M8-2008); Kevin Still (coxed pair bronze 1984); former Olympians Don Spero (1964); Jim Dietz ( 1972, 1976, 1980*); Tom Auth (1996, 2000); Jamie Koven (2000); Tom Paradiso (2008); Row2K editor John Flynn; USRowing Chair Nobu Ishizuka; USRowing CEO Amanda Kraus; high performance coaches Michael Martinov and Angelo Rubbo; and two legendary NYAC rowers who later went on to make substantial contribution to FISA (now World Rowing), Paul Fuchs (materials) and Jo Hannafin (medicine).
The highpoint of the evening was the presence of many members of the 2024 USA Olympic team who are also NYAC members, underscoring the NYAC’s continued contributions to Team USA, including Charlotte Buck, Claire Collins, Madeline Wanamaker, Alina Hagstrom, Olivia Coffey, Brooke Mooney , Liam Galloway and Sam Melvin. (Charlotte, Madeline, Brooke, Claire and Olivia also competed in Tokyo and Olivia stroked the Cambridge boat to victory in the 2018 Boat Race.)
Keynote speaker Jim Dietz regaled the crowd with memories of legendary coach Jack Sulger and a rowing era never to be repeated. Especially poignant were his memories of Larry Klecatsky, the winningest rower in US Rowing history. Klecatsky and Dietz were famous for their domination of the HOCR championship doubles for over a decade, typically followed by an individual victory by each of them later in the day in the lightweight and championship sculls, respectively. Jack’s son, Frank Sulger, Vinnie Ventura, both former NYAC rowing chairmen and Rob Milan, chairman since 2013 each followed with remarks. The evening also remembered and celebrated the journey of the NYAC to fully embrace women’s rowing, a pillar of the current program.
A special part of the evening was a collection of videos and photos which recounted the NYAC history and is available here.
It is worth repeating Tom Weil’s call to arms in these pages in the hope that further rowing anniversaries will be properly celebrated.
“The recognition of an institutional anniversary provides an opportunity not only to celebrate history, but to focus upon and memorialize it. ….
So, herewith a shout out to those in the rowing community who have the opportunity to celebrate a significant program anniversary (and rowing historians take note): beyond the enjoyment that can be experienced and the program funding support that can be generated from a very successful event, the excitement shared by generations of participants can be effectively taken advantage of to make a significant step forward in gathering and recording an institutional history that may otherwise escape capture.”
Well said, Tom, and thanks for the inspiration.
