Publications

The following was published Summer 2020 Issue of Lake News, A Publication of the Conesus Lake Association:

When I arrived at Geneseo in August of 2018 I could never have imagined that I would sit on the Executive Board (E-Board) of the Geneseo Crew Club as their Town Liaison. At the start of my first semester, I searched earnestly for a club that could fill my free time. After trying many clubs, from Karate to College Democrats and beyond, I finally decided to go to an interest meeting for the Crew Club. What I found would change my college career.

As a Freshman I was looking for a way to stay in shape and hopefully make some friends. When joining the team as a novice I found out that Crew would provide so much more. Waking up at 5:30 am for my first practice was a struggle (I overslept and missed the practice). As we walked to the boathouse at Long Point Park the next morning, the sun was just beginning to rise over the eastern hills, and the Lake was one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen. As we walked our boats to the dock I remember being so nervous. We put the boat in and pushed off into the Lake. Learning to row that day was one of the most difficult things I had ever done.

Six days a week we rose at or before dawn to practice, and it slowly became easier and I even began to greatly enjoy waking up everyday. That first Fall Season was hard and I almost quit many times, but I quickly learned that the Crew Club was one of the tightest communities on Campus. Through our daily workouts and struggles in waking up, the Novice team became a very close-knit group of friends. Many of us would go on to live in Suites together on campus the next year. At the end of my first semester, I knew I found my home at Geneseo.

During the Spring Semester of my Freshmen Year, I was elected the Secretary of the Club and became a member of the E-Board (a group of eight students who ran the team with help from our Faculty coaches). As we entered the Fall of 2019, we had two goals: competing at the same level we had in the past, and finding a new coach. We were successful in our first goal. During the first few weeks we were able to recruit enough members to have one boat in each division (Men’s Novice Eight, Women’s Novice Eight, Men’s Varsity Four and Women’s Varsity Four). Senior Mike Tarraboletti ‘20 and Junior Heidi Granville ‘21 stepped up as Student-Coaches and trained our team to compete at the Head of Genesee Regatta in Rochester, the Head of the Niagara-Wright Regatta in Buffalo, and Head of the Fish Regatta in Saratoga. Our search for a full-time Coach still continues, and until we find one, we will continue to operate as a student-run organization as we did in our club’s first years on campus.

During our 2020 Winter Training the team worked tirelessly everyday on the Ergs (also known as Rowing Machines) and preparing for our Spring Season. At that time we elected a new E-Board and I took the position of Town Liaison. As our training continued, the E-Board planned to compete at six different competitions across New York and in Philadelphia. I am happy to inform you that despite the cancelling of our Spring Season, the team has continued to train at home. Our coaches send out daily workouts via emails and teammates check in with each other periodically to make sure they are keeping up with the training. Through Zoom and other video chatting software the team stays in touch regularly and we are still as close as ever.

Fall of 2020 is the 30th Anniversary of the founding of the Crew Club. With this in mind, we made it our mission to return to our humble beginnings. Our primary goal was to reconnect with the Town of Geneseo and its Board under the leadership of Supervisor Will Wadsworth, as well as Conesus Lake Association and the entire Conesus Lake community. In 1990 the Geneseo Crew Club was founded under the leadership of Dr. John Hoey, a professor of English at the University. The Club’s first boats were obtained from Ithaca College, Cornell University and Hobart College. Our first oars were also from Cornell. During these formative years, the Crew Club relied heavily on the support of the Conesus Lake residents. When the team acquired their first fiberglass shell in 1997, it was christened the Stratton-Mulvaney in honor of Craig Stratton and Bill Mulvaney, Lakers who helped the team maintain equipment. Through the support of fundraisers such as our “Buy the Inch” by the community, the team was able to acquire more boats. The Buy the Inch shell was the Club’s first venture in fundraising on their own, gaining support from friends, parents, alumni and Lakers. In 1998, Bob Fennell, a proud club supporter from the lake passed away. Looking to christen a boat in honor of Bob, his wife Patty helped organize an unprecedented fundraiser known as the Bob Fennell Challenge, partnering with the Geneseo Foundation under the leadership of Art Hatton (Vice President for Advancement). The fundraiser was more successful than we could have imagined and two boats were acquired: The Bob Fennell and the Foundation ‘98.

Today, we have more than 10 fiberglass boats at the highest competitive standards. Just last year we christened our newest boat in honor of Karl Hanafin, a local photographer on the Lake who often takes action shots of unsuspecting rowers during our practices on the water. Over the years we have been honored to have the support of Patty Fennell, Hop Manapol, Will and Austin Wadsworth, Larry Levey, Wayne France, John Connelly, Bud Prince, Molly McKeown, Assemblyman Dan Burling, former rower Annie Gallic, and many other members of the community.

The Crew Team is very proud to be a member of the Conesus Lake community. When we row early in the morning we rely on the houses on the shore as landmarks for our training. As we decide how hard we are going to practice, we set goals for ourselves based on the houses we can see on the shore. As we fly down the lake, the Coxswains tell us how far we’ve gotten and how much further we have to go. Gazebos, flagpoles, and pretty houses are all common landmarks for the team. We always love to see fishermen and other boats on the lake in the morning, as it reminds us of the community of early risers that we are a part of. We take great pride when we see residents on their docks or porches enjoying their morning coffee and watching us go by. Knowing you take an interest in our team’s training makes the cold mornings even more worthwhile.

Rowing is a sport of connection; the force of each rower's strokes comes together in perfect time to propel the boat forward through the water. Conesus Lake is our team’s home and our boathouse at Long Point Park is the heart of our team. Without the support of the Town of Geneseo, Supervisor Wadsworth and the Town Board, and the community as a whole, we would not be able to rent the boathouse and we would never have the same relationship with the Conesus Lake Association and Conesus Lake. Your continued support is what drives this team. We cherish the connection we have with members of the lake community. The team is grateful to have been included in the Diamonds are Dancing Special Anniversary Edition of the Conesus Lake Association Book, publishing a record of our early history written by Katie Gerber.

To celebrate this history and our strong connections with the community, the Geneseo Crew Club is proud to invite you to our Annual Fundraising Banquet on Saturday, November 14th 2020. Held in the Ballroom at the MacVittie College Union, we will be celebrating another successful season, as well as honoring the history we have on Conesus Lake. We hope you will do us the honor of attending. At the Banquet we will have a museum detailing our team’s history, guest speakers from alumni, current members of the team as well as past supporters of the team. We will hold a silent auction at that same event to help raise money to purchase a new trailer to transport our boats to competitions, as our current trailer is pushing 20 years of age.

We hope that by attending, members of the team and Lakers will be able to build strong and positive collaborative relationships once again. We are hopeful that by your presence at the dinner, the team can become better acquainted with residents of the Town, Lakers and members of the community to better foster new meaningful relationships. I’ve made my best friends on this team and I hope that you will see the amazing culture that we have created. With your support, our team can continue to succeed competitively and as a family. As we continue our search for a coach, we look to Conesus Lake to drive us forward.

Photo Caption: Here's just one-fifth of the Geneseo Crew: Wonseok Kim, Lucas White, Jake Sikorski and Tyler Grasso supporting fellow team member Makena Scarlata.

The following was printed in the Geneseo Emeritus COLLEGE NEWS in 2005:

The annual Geneseo Crew Recognition Day at Long Point Park on Conesus Lake again brought together College and community members, parents, and students to celebrate the achievments of the rowers and the people who supported them.

Two key figures behind the founding of the club were recognized Professor Emiritus of English John Hoey (at right) and retiring Vice President for College Advancement Art Hannon. With support from the Geneseo Foundation, alumni and the community, the club has grown to a group of more than 40 members with a range of equipment stored in the town's Long Point Park boathouse.

Geneseo Town officials christened a named for Hop Manapol, who has provided considerable support to the crew club in his role as Long Point Park liason (left to right): David Dwyer '73, Lynn Kennison '81 (representing Town Supervisor Wes Kennison '79) Manapol; Madeline Peri; Michael Tenalio; and Arthur Carney.

The men's crew team warms up for the demonstrationrow that has become a traditional part of Crew Recogntiton Day, when the weather permits.

The Following was published in the Livingston County News on Thursday, June 14, 2001:

GENESEO - The SUNY Geneseo Crew Club honored two local community leaders at its recent Recognition Day, held on May 12.

The event wich took place in Long Point Park on Lake Conesus, included presentations to lakeside residents Patty Fennell and Geneseo Town Trustee Hop Manapol.

Fennell is a 1965 Geneseo graduate who taught for 30 years in York Central School District. She began supporitng the crew club with her late husband, Robert, as soon as it established 11 years ago, and she continued to promote the club among the local community.

An adjunct faculty member of the college's Ella Cline Shear School of Education, Fennel retired from York Elementary in 1998. She is a board member of the Geneseo Alumni Association, a community/alumni representative on the Spencer J. Roemer Arboretum Advisory Committee and a member of the Geneseo Foundation Friends of the Arts Committee. She also belongs to the Genesee Valley Council of the Arts and the Genesee Valley Conservancy.

Manapol has been supportive of the college's Crew Club in his capacity as the Genesee Town Board member res[onsible for overseeing parks and recreation, including Long Point Park.

The Crew has rented the Boathouse at Long Point since the early days of the club. Manapol is currently employed as a sales representative for Least Automotive, Inc. of Geneseo.

Graduating rowers were also recognized for thier contributions to the crew, particularly outgoing men's captain, Simon McCaffrey, who recieved the Robert and Patricia Fennell Leadership Award. The award was established with funding from Bill and Sandy Wynne of Pennfield, parents of 1999 graduate, Sean Wynne.

Those in attendance at Crew Recognition Day included Geneseo President Christopher C. Dahl, Geneseo Foundation Vice President Roxanne Johnson, Geneseo Vice President for Student and Campus Life Bob Bonfiglio, parents and other family of crew members, and local community members.

Photo Caption: At the annual Suny Geneseo Crew Recognition Day, at the Town of Geneseo boathouse on May 12, Crew Club President Sarah Dragosits (right) and College President Christopher C. Dahl announced that the team will name its next boat for lakeside resident Patty Fennell, a long-time supporter of the club.

We are still working on digitizing this text.

The following newsletter was found in the boathouse.