News
Indoor Rowing Challenge Set For Sunday
By Ryan Fennell
When John Crilly's team of rowers from Navesink River Rowing came off the water at the end of the season three years ago they asked him what they were going to do now since there was no winter rowing program in the area.
Crilly decided to create one.
Crilly purchased six rowing machines, or ERG's, and gained permission from the Shrewsbury Fire Department, of which he is a member, to house the machines in the Shrewsbury Hose Company Firehouse on Broad Street in Shrewsbury.
Since that time Navesink Indoor Rowing has attracted more than 40 high school rowers and over a dozen adult rowers to the program. Crilly has added 14 more ERG machines since NIR's inception.
Last winter, NIR hosted an indoor rowing challenge known as the Two River ERG Challenge.
In its inaugural year the Two River Challenge attracted between 50 and 75 participants.
This year's challenge is scheduled for Sunday Feb. 28 at the Shrewsbury Borough School gymnasium and Crilly is expecting double the number of participants over last year. Races will be held between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
There will also be a race early in the day for eighth grade students interested in the sport.
According to Crilly, Christian Brothers Academy and the Ranney School have both put the challenge on their respective schedules and an invitation has been sent out to Rumson Rowing. He also expects a number of participants from different parts of New Jersey to attend.
"It's a great opportunity for the kids to come together to try an indoor race," he said. "The work you do on the rowing machines is such a big part of developing as a rower and for them to do it as high schoolers I think it's a great primmer for what they might be doing in college."
Crilly said that there are distinct advantages to teaching the sport on the machine rather than on the water.
"On water I can get maybe six to ten feet away from them and I can tell them about their stroke. When they are on the machine I'm six inches away and I can literally put their body in the position I want it to be in and do it in front of a mirror. Their eyes open up and the light goes on."
He said indoor challenges like this happen all over the country and are designed to give the rowers a goal during training.
"Training on these ERGs it can get monotonous. You need a goal," Crilly said.
The competition is open to the public and beginners are welcomed. There is a registration fee of $20 for adults and $15 for high school and eighth grade rowers.
Attendees are asked to bring a can of food or a donation for the Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties but is not required for admission.
