How We Began...

In February 2007, GSU Crew Historian Katie Gerber ’08 contributed an article to the Conesus Lake Association’s 75 th Anniversary The Diamonds Are Dancing—A History of Conesus Lake coffee table book. The article focuses on the Crew Team’s history and what Conesus Lake means to the team, although the article was thoroughly revised for the purposes of this website. If you would like a full copy of the article, please contact the crew team at crew@geneseo.edu, and if you would like a copy of the book, please contact info@conesuslake.org.

The Geneseo Crew Club is possibly most known on Conesus Lake for its alarm-clock qualities; their coxswains wake up residents every morning with their loud, intense calls for “hard tens.”* They row five days a week, weather permitting, from 5:30 to 7:30 A.M. up and down Conesus Lake, launching from the boathouse (one of the remaining historical buildings) at Long Point Park. They lease the boathouse from the town of Geneseo, a harmonious endeavor for over fifteen years. From the boathouse they row toward the South end during the fall season, and toward the North end in the spring. The South end lends itself to longer rows that best suit the rowers for the team’s long-distance fall races, while short interval work can be achieved in some of the coves toward the North in preparation for the team’s spring sprint season.

The Geneseo Crew Club was established in 1990 as a club sport at the collegiate level and is comprised of college students from SUNY Geneseo. With only a few students, namely Karen Rollek McDonnell ’92 and Steve Molloy ’93, under the dedicated leadership of Dr. John Hoey, a SUNY Geneseo English Professor who taught until 1994, the Crew Team was launched. During Dr. Hoey’s ambitious years at Geneseo, he gave his never-ending support to the Club. Stefanie Svoren ‘04, the team’s first historian, initiated Dr. Hoey’s return from Lakeland, Florida in the summer of 2002 to recall Geneseo Crew’s history. Dr. Hoey recruited local leaders including Bob McClellan, former Town Board members Bob Moses and Supervisor Walt Kingston, Austin Wadsworth, as well as lakeside resident and SUNY Geneseo alumnus Patty Fennell to generate community and college support for the team. John Linfoot, another local resident, helped in the production of Geneseo Crew’s original uniforms, created by the custom-order branch of Champion Knitwear Company, then located at the bottom of Court Street. Dr. Hoey praised the town’s relationship with the team by stating that, “From the onset it was a concerted ‘Town and Gown’ effort.” Because of Dr. Hoey’s initial efforts the Crew Club has since grown into an incredibly successful organization. Indeed, Geneseo Crew owes much of its success to Dr. Hoey, the Geneseo townspeople, and the residents of Conesus Lake.

The Crew Club obtained its first boats from Ithaca College, Cornell University, and Hobart College. The earliest eight-person shell came from Ithaca College, and an essential set of oars came from Cornell. In the spring of 1996, the team acquired its first fiberglass shell, the Stratton-Mulvaney, which was christened the following spring in 1997. The team named the eight-person shell after Craig Stratton and Bill Mulvaney, Conesus Lake residents at the time, who worked on equipment and helped the team immensely. Many Conesus Lake residents may remember their fundraiser event entitled “Buy the Boat by the Inch” in the summer of 1997. With contributions of $100 or more, individuals could have their name written on the outside of a boat. Due in large part to great community support, the team was able to purchase a four–person shell from the University of Rochester for $1000, and the boat was later appropriately named Buy the Inch.

The team’s fundraiser in the summer of 1998 helped purchase the Foundation ’98, an eight, and the Bob Fennell, a men’s four, in the fall of that same year. This fundraiser was strongly supported by the Geneseo Foundation with guidance from Art Hatton. Sean Wynne, the men’s captain at the time, petitioned the Foundation to endorse the “Bob Fennell Challenge” in order to run an unprecedented campaign. The campaign was a huge success, both showing local support in memory of Bob Fennell and allowing for the purchase of the two shells.

The SUNY Geneseo Crew Team hosted an inaugural race on Conesus Lake in the early 90's. Donald E. Thomas, surveyor of Geneseo, measured out a race course of 2000 meters on the west side, which begins at the stump and walnut tree in the decorative stone field just north of the Jacobsen house at 997 West Lake Road [now 5261 West Lake Road], and finishes at the three trees in a line at Long Point Park. The Club used this course for the race, and it allowed spectators to take part in the excitement of the event. Dr. Hoey especially enjoyed the first race on Conesus Lake; Geneseo’s Men’s Crew defeated Hobart by approximately six feet at the finish line at Long Point, while, the “Ancient Mariners,” including Dr. Chris Haller, Austin Wadsworth, Dr. Darryl Norris, Dr. Dan Levin, Jim Smith, Paula Mahoney, and Dr. John Hoey, were defeated by a mixed-eight by about the same length, “before a vast gathering of cheering spectators,” recalled Dr. Hoey.

On April 13, 1997, the Crew Team hosted a second race at their home venue, Conesus Lake. Cazenovia College and the Cascadilla Boat Club of Ithaca participated in the race, while local residents provided launches to ensure safety for all the athletes. There were four sprint events in which athletes raced in four-person shells. Varsity men, novice men, varsity lightweight women, and novice women all competed that day. We hope to have another race similar to this in the future in order to provide lakeside residents with a view of what the team really looks like in action!

During the reign of Simon and Sarah McCaffrey, formerly Sarah Dragosits, past presidents in their graduating years of 2000 and 2001, a successful fundraising ergathon** was held on campus. The team raised enough money to surprise Patty Fennell at Recognition Day in 2001 with the announcement of a new men’s four-shell to be named in her honor: the Patty Fennell; the shell was christened at Rec Day in the spring of the next year. Through the years, Patty has risen to the challenge serving as the “team mom” helping them with major events such as the annual Fundraising Dinner, held at the college’s Student Union in February, and Crew Recognition Day, held at the boathouse every May. The team is grateful for her overall support of the team in everything we do.

In the fall of 2001, the Club was fortunate to have Geneseo alumnus and former rower Martin Glieco return to the team as coach until the spring of 2006. Over the years Martin dedicated a large amount of his time and energy into GSU Crew, helping it to grow into a well-recognized club sport, while maintaining the equipment and athletics of the team. During this time they gained the Unsinkable Molly, a women’s eight named for Molly McKeown, a Geneseo village native, former North-end summer lake resident and SUNY alumnus, who has been a major supporter and special friend to the team. In addition, a women’s four-shell, the Alumni Pride, was acquired for the team and both shells were christened in May of 2000. Recently, the Hop, a men’s eight-shell, was named in honor of Geneseo Town Board Member Hop Manapol who manages parks and recreation, which includes Long Point Park . Hop recently installed a water spicket to make boat washing easier for the team. The Hop was christened in the spring of 2005 at Crew Recognition Day. Another strong lake supporter has been Adrian “Bud” Prince, an avid photographer. For many years Bud has captured fantastic pictures of the team in action both on the lake during early morning workouts and at races. Bill Mathews, the team’s other devoted photographer, has documented the team at the Fundraising Dinner and at Crew Recognition Day every year since 2000.

At its inception, the Club was invited to row in regattas in Buffalo and Rochester, and at Cornell University and Hobart College. Today, the team’s closest competitors are other SUNY schools, such as Binghamton and Albany; however, they also race Division I schools including Harvard, SUNY Buffalo, Villanova, and Colgate. Fall regattas are generally 5000 meters long, which prepare the team for the more intense spring sprint season. In the past, they have traditionally raced in fall regattas at the Head of the Ohio in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Head of the Genesee (formerly the Stonehurst Capital Invitational and the Bausch and Lomb Invitational) in Rochester, New York, Head of the Niagara in Buffalo, New York, and the Head of the Fish in Saratoga Springs, New York. Geneseo Crew was the first SUNY school to be invited to row in the Bausch and Lomb Regatta in Rochester, among other prestigious crew teams. By contrast, the spring races are sprint pieces on a 2000-meter course. GSU Crew generally attends the Murphy Cup in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Knecht Cup in Camden, New Jersey, the Busfield Invitational Regatta at SUNY Binghamton’s boathouse in Owego, New York, the Metropolitan Cup in New Rochelle, New York, and the New York State Rowing Championships at Whitney Point. Residents are always welcome to cheer the team on. In fact, Bud Prince does so quite often at the Head of the Genesee!

Geneseo Crew has established itself as one of the most recognized leading club sports at SUNY Geneseo, often looked upon as the team comprised of, “our leaders of tomorrow.” Since its establishment in 1990, the Crew Team has grown steadily in numbers. The team has strong participation from both male and female athletes. Some students come on board with no knowledge of rowing and others join the team with high school experience. Since rowing is growing quickly across the United States, more people are arriving at the team with knowledge of the sport. Novices are recruited and trained each year, and GSU Crew continues to familiarize individuals on the college campus and within the community with the sport of rowing. Members of the Crew Team look forward to seeing Conesus Lake residents watch them in the early morning from September through to the end of October, and again from mid-March to May. Lakers are always welcome to join the team for Crew Recognition Day at the boathouse on the shores of Conesus Lake in early May.

 

*“Hard tens,” or “power tens,” are ten very strong rowing strokes taken at a higher intensity than most other hard strokes; they are used to get ahead in a race.

**An ergathon is a twelve-hour fundraiser involving ergs, or indoor rowing machines, in which two rowers or coxswains erg for half-hour intervals to keep the erg wheels moving continuously for the twelve-hour period.

 

Katie Gerber , Geneseo Crew Club Historian 06-07