June 28th to June 30th: Independence Day Regatta, Philadelphia, PA
July 12th to July 14th: USRowing Summer National Championships, Oklahoma City, OK
July 27th to August 3rd: 2024 Summer Olympics, Paris, France
July 28th to August 4th: Royal Canadian Henley Regatta, Saint Catharines, ON
August 18th to 25th: 2024 World Rowing Championships, Saint Catharines, ON

Women's Team - National Team Athletes and Olympic Hopefuls:

• Charlotte Buck
• Olivia Coffey
• Teal Cohen
• Claire Collins
• Caryn Davies
• Tracy Eisser
• Katelin Guregian
• Alina Hagstrom
• Megan Kalmoe
• Coral Kasden
• Alia Komsany
• Brooke Mooney
• Meghan Musnicki
• Kristine O'Brien
• Meghan O'Leary
• Erin Reelick
• Kelsey Reelick
• Regina Salmons
• Ellen Tomek
• Madeleine Wanamaker

Men's Team - National Team and Olympic Hopefuls:

• Dariush Aghai
• Chris Carlson
• Veton Celaj
• Connor Corwen
• Tom Dethlefs
• Michael DiSanto
• Liam Galloway
• Michael Knippen
• Daniel Madden
• Nicholas Mead
• Sam Melvin
• Finn Putnam
• Jason Read

Local Elite Athletes

• Jeff Arnott
• Maggie Baert
• Dillon Cumming
• Alessandra Danyo
• Edward Gonzalez
• Rebecca Gronsdahl
• Ryan Harding
• Will Horvat
• Alexandra Morss
• Matt Ptucha
• Jasmin Schons
• Noah Teachey
• Ryan Ujazdowski
• Paul Verni
• Colin Wilcox
• Allison Zolnowsky

Chairman

Rob Milam

Rob started rowing for the NYAC in 1998. He represented the Club and the United States in international competition at the 2003 and 2011 Pan American Games in the lightweight men's 4 without coxswain. He was part of six champion crews at the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta, held annually in Boston, and won or medaled in multiple events at USRowing Club and Elite Nationals, Canadian Henley and other domestic regattas over the span of his career. Rob runs recreationally for the Club and has completed eight marathons, including seven in New York City. Rob was appointed chairman of the rowing committee in early 2013. He also served as the Chair of the USRowing High Performance Committee from 2017-2021. For more information regarding the NYAC rowing program, please contact Rob at [email protected].

Coaches

• High Performance Program Head Coach
• Michael Martinov
• [email protected]

• Head Local Elite Athlete Coach and Head Masters Coach
• Angelo Rubbo
• [email protected]

Rowing has been a part of the New York Athletic Club for over 125 years. Through the generations, the Club has had an incredible history of rowers representing the Club and their country at the Olympic Games, in World Championships and in national championships. In 2004 in Athens, five members of the US Olympic gold medal winning men's eight were members of the NYAC. In London in 2012, four women in the gold medal winning women's eight were also affiliated with the NYAC. In 2016, the New York AC was represented by 15 athletes at the Rio Olympics, with 5 women winning gold medals as part of the women's eight.

Athletes invited to train at the NYAC enjoy a fully equipped boathouse, a nationally recognized coaching staff, and the opportunity to train with a highly competitive group of dedicated athletes.

The NYAC Rowing program selects pre-elite athletes for invitations to the rowing team on the basis of collegiate racing experience and potential for success in senior and elite competition during the summer. Qualified athletes can also pursue full-time post-collegiate training with the NYAC's year-round training group, which also competes at the major fall head races and at national selection regattas in the spring.

All athletes rowing at the NYAC must be invited to participate as part of the pre-elite, full-time training program. Masters rowing is only available to NYAC members as part of the Intra Clubs' program.

The rowing program trains out of a dedicated and fully equipped private boathouse located on the NYAC's Travers Island facility. With a full fleet of racing boats, erg room, and weight room, aspiring athletes have all of the tools they need to be successful at the highest levels. Coaches set workouts and training programs and provide launch support and coaching for on the water sessions year-round.

Rowers En Route to the Games

 

The World Rowing Championships are the annual pinnacle of the sport, but the year before the Olympics is a particularly high level and pressure-filled event. In addition to medals, the pre-Olympic year has something even more important at stake: Olympic qualification.

Like most sports, there are limits on the number of events at the Olympic Games, with the full World Rowing Championships program of 20 possible events being cut to 14, and limits on the numbers of entries in each event, with each country only being able to enter one per event and needing to qualify each event separately.

In terms of the 14 Olympic events, there are seven each for men and women, with a total of 48 possible athletes on the Olympic rowing team, spread across eights, fours and pairs in sweeping, where each athlete has one oar, and quadruple, double, single, and lightweight double sculls, where each athlete has two oars. Few, if any, countries ever qualify a full team for the Games.

This year’s World Rowing Championships were held from September 3rd to 10th in Belgrade, Serbia, and the NYAC was represented on Team USA by 10 athletes across six events, five in the Olympic boat classes. The weather was quite challenging, with the athletes racing mid-week facing a stiff headwind and even some white caps rolling through the middle of the course.

The men's four claimed silver medals and accepted the congratulations of NYAC member Nobuhisa Ishizuka, president of USRowing’s Board of Directors. Photo courtesy USRowing and Row2K.com.

In the lightweight men’s single, Sam Melvin took off early in his heat, chasing the eventual champion from Switzerland the full length of the course and finishing less than two seconds off the lead. Unfortunately, difficult conditions and a rough draw into the quarter and semi-finals left Melvin in the B final, which he won into a stiff wind on Friday in a time of 8:02.59, for an overall finish of seventh place.

Similarly, facing a tough quarter-final with an Olympic medalist and the eventual silver medalist, Eliot Putnam in the men’s single sculls missed out on the medal races, and after a near misadventure at the start of his semi-final, found himself in the D final, racing for places 19-24. Not to be deterred, Putnam pushed away from the field and won his final by almost four seconds, in a time of 6:53.53. With his final time, Putnam showed speed that could have ranked him close to the top 10, showing great improvement over the week and potential for next year.

In the women’s pair, NYAC Hall of Famer, Meghan Musnicki, came out of retirement for one more push at an Olympic medal, and raced into the World Championships in the women’s pair, along with fellow Olympian Allie Rusher. Musnicki and Rusher qualified earlier in the year to represent Team USA at the World Championships, and they worked through the difficult conditions all week to make their way into the A final, thus earning an Olympic berth for the country. Musnicki and Rusher finished in sixth place overall in a time of 7:34.43.

Moving to the women’s four, the NYAC was represented by three of the four athletes in the boat: Claire Collins, Madeleine Wanamaker and Kelsey Reelick. This entry was also one of the priority entries for Team USA and was expected to do very well at the regatta, having won a World Cup competition in Italy earlier this season. Unfortunately, this wonderful crew fell just short of the medals, capping off the week in fourth place with a time of 6:47.39. On the positive side, this finish safely qualified the boat for the Olympic Games, and these women will be highly motivated to get there in absolute top form.

In the highlight for the men’s team overall, the USA men’s four took home a silver medal, with a gutsy performance in the A final and a time of 6:06.37. Leading the race after the first 500m, the USA line-up, with NYAC rower and Olympian, Nick Mead, sitting in two-seat, could not quite hang on to the lead against the world champions from Great Britain in the middle of the race and finished just under two seconds behind the winner. The silver medalists were greeted by Nobuhisa Ishizuka, NYAC member and current president of USRowing’s Board of Directors.

Finally, in the most exciting finish of any race all day, the USA women’s eight rallied from sixth place at the halfway point, to drive their hull just past Australia at the finish and into a silver medal position. Almost more important than winning the medal, sixth place would have missed Olympic qualification by one spot. The relatively small margin from absolute happiness to devastation in this final can hardly be understated. The NYAC is proud to have three rowers in this boat: Charlotte Buck in stroke, Brooke Mooney in six-seat, and Alina Hagstrom in five-seat.

After a brief respite, all of these athletes will recommit to their training and focus on making the Olympic team. There is hardly any time to waste as the Games are right around the corner. The NYAC is no stranger to rowing at the Olympic Games, having competed in rowing since before the modern Olympic Games era. In fact, on October 7th, the Club is celebrating 150 years of rowing at Travers Island. Here’s to 150 more. - Rob Milam

2024 New York Athletic Club Summer Racing Program

Please see below for details on the NYAC Rowing Program. To apply, please click here.

“Great things are expected of you when you wear the winged foot.” – Al Oerter, four-time Olympic gold medalist and NYAC member
 

PROGRAM LENGTH:

The formal program starts with a team meeting the evening of Friday, June 7th. The primary regatta of the program will be the Independence Day Regatta June 28th to 30th. Based on boat performance and speed, a decision will be made about sending boats to the USRowing Summer National Championships July 12th to 14th and/or Canadian Henley in August. The NYAC runs a competitive program and the goal is to win races and medals at the summer regattas.
 

PROGRAM PREREQUISITES:

• Minimum of one year collegiate racing experience for rowers, two years for coxswains
• Men's 2k erg score standard: Heavyweight 6:18; Lightweight 6:38
• Women's 2k erg score standard: Open 7:20; Lightweight 7:40
• Exceptions to the above may be granted at the Head Coach and Chairman’s discretion, however applicants not meeting the erg standards should anticipate being placed on the waitlist and are not guaranteed a race even if accepted to train with the team

LOCATION:

The NYAC boat house is located at the Club’s Travers Island facility on Shore Road in Pelham, New York. Men’s and women’s practices will take place at 6:30pm Monday through Thursday and at 8:30am on Saturday and Sunday, with the potential for additional morning practices during the week from 5:30am to 7am. Non-members are not permitted to train at the City House facilities downtown.
 

POTENTIAL RACING SCHEDULE:

June 28th to 30th: Independence Day Regatta, Philadelphia, PA
July 12th to 14th: USRowing National Championships, Oklahoma City, OK
July 28th to August 4th: Royal Canadian Henley Regatta, Saint Catharines, ON

*Attendance at any/all trials events including U23 and Senior World Championships trials will be made by the coaching staff based on athlete performance and demonstrated potential for success.
 

PROGRAM FEE:

The 2024 summer racing fee will be no more than $300 per athlete (hopefully less) and must be paid in full before the first regatta. Limited grants are available upon application.
 

WHAT ATHLETES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR:

• Housing in the NYC area and meals for the duration of the program
• Program fee (if applicable)
• All travel to and from regattas and practices
• Overnight accommodations at Independence Day Regatta (program may pay for other races - TBD)
• USRowing membership (required for competition at both U.S. regattas) - Club code KXWAU
• SafeSport training and compliance (via USRowing Membership portal)
• All athletes must complete the NYAC Privilege Card process before they may compete for the Club
• All athletes must sign and adhere to the NYAC Club Code of Conduct

WHAT THE PROGRAM PAYS FOR:

• Coaching
• All regatta entry fees
• Equipment
• Transportation of equipment to all regattas (including truck rentals, gas and tolls)
• Racing tank top/singlet