Montclair Rowers Dress as Super Heroes to Compete for a Cause

Where can you find nationally ranked crew athletes rowing for the gold while dressed as superheroes and villains? The Montclair High School crew team will be doing just that at an upcoming fundraiser and silent auction.

Locals will have a chance to see the Montclair crew team in action at the Erging Auction and Indoor Race on Sunday, Jan. 25. The team is raising funds to purchase a coxed 4 racing boat. This is a great opportunity to see the hugely successful team in action, as the boat races often take place far away from Montclair.

Raised to varsity status in 2002, the crew team has grown to include nearly 100 athletes, rep Karen Vrotsos stated. Montclair Crew has won 24 State Championships, 18 Philadelphia City Championships, 11 titles at the prestigious Stotesbury Cup Regatta, and two National titles. The team has also sent athletes to the Junior World Championships and U23 World Championships.

The second annual Erging Auction will take place from 1 to 4 p.m., in the Montclair High School main gym on Midland Avenue. At 1 p.m., all 23 teams will dress in Villains and Heroes attire and march in a costume parade. The indoor rowing competitions will begin 2 p.m.

The MHS Crew Team will compete in 8K-meter relay races. The middle school rowing program will compete in a 1000-meter race. Parents, who participated in a training program at Groove Indoor Rowing at 3 Sixty Cycling Studio, will compete in a 500 meter race. All races will be shown on a large venue-racing screen and medals will be awarded.

The silent auction and basket raffle will include beauty baskets, handbags, cooking classes, fitness classes, jewelry, spa treatments, tickets to live TV show tapings, college advising and SAT tutoring, restaurant gift certificates, stays at vacation homes, and more.

“Admission is free and open to anyone interested in supporting the MHS crew team,” Vrotsos stated. “Please join us to see the MHS Crew team in action. The erg machines will be humming and the music blasting.”

About the Montclair High School Crew Team

Montclair Crew strives to teach teamwork, sportsmanship and technical skills while building the physical and mental strength to row at the highest scholastic level.

The team also boasts one of the highest team GPAs at Montclair High School. This combination of athletic and academic accomplishment has propelled Montclair rowers to collegiate rowing careers, many at academic and rowing powerhouses including Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Cal-Berkeley, Brown, Georgetown, Cornell, and UCLA.

Event Schedule

1 p.m. MHS Crew Team “Villains and Heroes” celebratory Parade in costume

Raffle and Silent Auction Open

1:15 p.m. Middle School Race

1:45 p.m. Adult Race

2:15 p.m. Montclair High School Crew Team Ergathon Races

3:30 p.m. Raffle Closes

3:45 p.m. Silent Auction Closes

4 p.m. Medal Ceremony for Ergathon Races, Best Team Costumes, Best Spirit

Photos courtesy of Karen Vrotsos

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