by posted 03/08/2010
 

The Burlington County Times was at our Erg-a-Thon yesterday and the article below is in today's paper.

Club rows in the money

MOORESTOWN- Nearly 100 Moorestown High School students rowed their way to nowhere in their club's biggest fundraiser of the year on Sunday at the Moorestown Mall.

Rotating for eight-minute shifts on two ergometer rowing machines, the members of the Moorestown Rowing Club completed their annual Row-A-Thon fundraiser from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in an effort to raise money for equipment and fees for the nonprofit student club's upcoming season.

"Since our club started, this has been one of the big fundraisers that we do," said coach Rachel Negro. "It gets the kids involved and they come out and erg and the ergs run for a number of consecutive hours without any breaks and they have to fundraise for it and people can sponsor them."

The event is the club's biggest money-maker of the year, bringing in $10,000 to $15,000 annually in donations and sponsorships, according to team coach Thomas Corcoran.

"Each kid usually brings in about $100, if not a little more, and we've got 96 to 98 kids on the team each year, so this is really their big chance to bring some money into the club and they do a great job with it," Corcoran said, adding that vigorous fundraising is necessary because of the expense of the sport.

"This goes toward the general operating budget - equipment, travel, everything," he said. "The sport is expensive. We just bought two new 'fours' for the team, that's four rowers in a boat plus a coxswain+for about $25,000 and with that you also have to get oars, which are $300 a piece and the electronics behind it, so it racks up pretty quickly."

Though eight minutes on the ergs is little more than a warm-up for the club members, who clock an hour to an hour-and-a-half a day on the machines six days a week from January through March, participation from every student member shows the team's dedication, according to the coaches.

"This year we lost a lot of seniors, but so many people are stepping up and really working hard, so it's going to be a good season," said senior and captain of the men's squad Jimmy Currell after putting in his eight minutes. "It's just a fun thing. Parents donate money and other people donate who are close to the clubs and+we just keep those wheels spinning the whole time."

Currell, a four-year member of the club who plans to join the crew team at the University of Delaware after graduation, said the tough economy has made fundraising all the more difficult, but the generosity of parents and local businesses has made all the difference.

Corcoran, who has been the crew team coach for three years, said he's confident that the team will have a good season, beginning with its first regatta March 14 on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia.

"Last year was really our breakout season," Corcoran said. "We had two varsity boats win medals at the Stotesbury Cup Regatta and that's the biggest regatta of the year for us+so we're looking to sort of defend and repeat this year, that would be great."