RowAmerica Rye Brings Home 9 Gold Medals At Summer Nationals

RYE, NY — RowAmerica Rye's sweep of the points trophies at the US Rowing Summer National Championships at Melton Lake in Oak Ridge, Tennessee earlier this month is a big deal in the rowing circles, but for the elite club in Rye, success isn't measured solely by medals.

Purchase Street was alive with the distinct din of excitement and proud parents after the hometown rowing club brought back nine gold medals and 16 top awards total at the premier youth rowing event of the summer season this month. Patch caught up with the very busy Club Director and Women's Head Coach Marko Serafimovski to talk about the impressive showing that has brought national attention to the boathouse on Milton Harbor.

You can't blame a reporter for wanting to tell the story of local sports heroes taking the limelight on the national stage, but Serafimovski spoke with growing passion about the team efforts that have built an intangible community that ultimately translated to victories on the water. He has an undeniable glint of pride when he talks about medal counts at the summer's most prestigious rowing events, but rather than dwelling on the individual rowers and performances of particular boats, the coach spoke almost poetically about how competitions are often won or lost long before race day.

"We tell kids not everyone will be a champion, but everyone can be successful," Serafimovski recounted. "This is a sport that success is primarily determined by hard work, rather than the lottery of genetics. Our best rowers are all heights and all sizes."

The nature of the US Rowing Youth Summer National Championships meant that the club took only its top performers, but Serafimovski said that in regattas like the Head of the Schuylkill, held just up river from Philadelphia's famed Boat House Row, more athletes having a chance to row can be every bit as meaningful for the club. RowAmerica Rye has traditionally performed very well at this event as well, but even then, the coach points to other more enduring measures of success.

Serafimovski said that the medals and national recognition are nice perks of hard work, but going on to row every year of college or achieving a personal best out of the spotlight are the victories that make a real difference in lives.

"I've seen kids really develop as athletes and as young adults, and to me this is what's really important," Serafimovski said. "The kind of commitment required for what we do doesn't leave a lot of room for staring at your phone on Instagram or falling behind in school. Championships are great, but if we can touch lives in a positive way, we have done our jobs."

That commitment involves training hard six times a week. Serafimovski said that level of dedication isn't for everyone, and that's alright.

"We can help learn to deal with the physical challenges that come with any endurance sport, like competitive running or cycling, but the dedication needed to be your best, that's up to you," Serafimovski explained.

With the Summer Nationals now left in the wake, RowAmerica Rye is setting its sights on the next big event, the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston. The club will likely shine once again on the national stage, but the real victories are happening each day in a quiet corner of Milton Harbor.

The RowAmerica Rye rowing club took the US Rowing Summer National Championships at Melton Lake in Oak Ridge, Tennessee by storm, July 15-17:

• Womens U16 4+ Final: Katie Lawhon, 1st Place, Time: 8.07.556
  
• Womens Youth 2X Final: Elisabeth Madigan/Lily Shaaban, 6th Place, Time: 8.12.694
  
• Mens Youth 4+ Final: Patrick Moran, 6th Place, Time: 7.05.413
  
• Womens U17 4+ Final: Ellie Konvisser, 2nd Place, Time: 7.48.231
  
• Mens U17 8+ Final: Sebastian Briano, 1st Place, Time: 6.19.706
  
• Womens U17 4X Final: Grace Regan, 1st Place, Time: 7.25.656
  
• Mens Youth 2- Final: Toma Sellar/Rahil Dundon, 1st Place, Time: 7.20.360.
  
• Womens Youth 1X Final: Erin Hanrahan, 2nd Place, Time: 8.27.329
  
• Mens U17 1X Final: Cole Thomas, 1st Place, Time: 7.50.851
  
• Womens U17 8+ Final: Grace Regan, 1st Place, Time: 7.04.187; Elena Chesley, 4th Place, Time: 7.14.654
  
• Mens Youth 4+ Final: T. Soumakis, 4th Place, Time: 7.01.741
  
• Womens Youth 4X Final: Erin Hanrahan, 1st Place, Time: 7.24.549
  
• Mens U16 4+ Final: Bill Chen, 1st Place, Time: 7.20.244
  
• Mens U17 4X Final: Carter Walsh, 1st Place, Time: 6.40.932
  
• Womens U16 4X+ Final: Elina Francis, 2nd Place, Time: 8.26.030