Since forming in 1992, the Cazenovia Rowing Club has grown from a small group to one with about 175 members. Now, thanks to a recent partnership with Cazenovia College’s rowing squad, the club will have more to offer the local community.
Beginning this season, the two organizations will share their resources, providing better facilities and more opportunities for rowers throughout the year.
Cazenovia Rowing Club consists of athletes ranging in age. The youngest competitors in the rowing club are in the seventh grade and the oldest are in their 70s, while the college team’s roster is made up of Cazenovia College students. But the two groups typically compete in different levels at the same regattas.
Until recently, the teams traveled separately, taking two different trailers to races. With the new partnership, the teams will travel together and share the expenses. This will allow the organizations to upgrade their equipment said Lori McGee, treasurer of the Cazenovia rowing club.
“By consolidating our groups, we’ve been able to look at our equipment and bring out the very best that we have so that our teams are competing with the best,” McGee said. “For us to be able to keep our expenses on the lower side, it gives us more money to purchase boats.”
The partnership will allow the rowing club to train during the winter months in Cazenovia College’s indoor facility, which features eight ‘Erg’ machines. These machines simulate competing on a boat and allow rowers to practice their form.
Jean Lawless, Cazenovia Rowing Club’s board member responsible for membership, said that the new training room is a major upgrade.
“It’s a wonderful facility compared to where we were,” Lawless said. “We were in a barn [before the partnership].”
All rowers in the community—both at the collegiate level and on the club—are now coached by Darren Zirbel, who has served as the head coach of Cazenovia College’s rowing program for seven years. He said that the college’s ability to provide facilities combined with the club’s equipment make the partnership a great fit.
“(Cazenovia Rowing club has] opened up the door, with their equipment, on an arsenal of boats,” Zirbel said. “It’s really opened up the door for recruiting purposes for me.”
McGee said that she believes the younger rowers in the club will benefit from working with Zirbel because of his background and experience. She said that Zirbel’s coaching could lead more members of the club to continue their rowing careers in college.
“Rowing can be a lifelong sport,” McGee said. “I’m extremely hopeful we will have more children being able to use rowing as an opportunity and an avenue to get to higher education.”
The rowing club previously competed in green uniforms. Now its members will wear blue and gold to match with Cazenovia College. McGee said that this will make the organizations feel like a cohesive unit.
“That’s one of the biggest, most exciting parts of our partnership,” she said.
McGee said that the new partnership will make Cazenovia rowing more visible during competitions.
“This is exciting news for Cazenovia,” McGee said. “We really believe that being able to have something that says Cazenovia, when we go out there in the community, is a big thing ane continues to hopefully bring things back to the community.”
The Cazenovia Rowing Club will host its Spring Open Houses and Registration on Sunday, Feb. 26 and Sunday, March 5 from noon to 3 p.m. The location is still to be determined.
