Four members of the ROAR board attended this year’s Rutgers Crew banquet in New Brunswick. Andy Garcia, Andrew Prior, Paul Perry and Jordan Katz were able to talk to both current rowers and alumni from as far back as the class of 42! The evening was highlighted by the dedication of a new Vespoli racing shell to be raced by the Heavyweights.
The boat was donated by the Cartmell family in honor of Peter Cartmell, who was a heavyweight rower on the banks, from 1938-1942. Peter Cartmell was on hand, along with all of his children and several grandchildren. His son, By, was a lightweight at RU, class of 74, and was the first RU lightweight to make the national team.
There was certainly a lot of enthusiasm at the banquet, capped by a rousing speech delivered by Paul Hammond, coach of the lights. Paul spoke about winning, specifically the pursuit of winning and the desire for excellence. His speech opened with the old cliché, “winning is not everything, it is the only thing”, but was itself anything but cliché. Without making any excuses for his rowers Paul alluded to the need for a new boathouse and overall increased support. Please come watch the Lwts in their only home race this season, against Penn, this Sunday (4-03-05) at 4PM.
Also at the banquet, the ROAR board members presented Steve Wagner with a check for $200 dollars, which represented 10% of the money ROAR had raised in 2004. Although the gift was greatly appreciated, the foundation eagerly anticipates being able to contribute in a greater capacity as the membership grows and the fundraisers become even more successful. Towards that goal, the board members had the opportunity to speak with numerous lightweight alumni about the urgent need for a coaching endowment and an endowed shell fund.
We on the ROAR board hope that each year more alumni will attend the crew banquet. It is a great opportunity to get back in touch, and to show your family what you were a part of.