Rowing team prepares for nationals
WEST MILFORD. Team members practice on Monksville Reservoir from April to October and at a nearby gym from November to March.
| 22 May 2024 | 06:22
Training on Monksville Reservoir on Easter Weekend are, from left, Lizzie Nedeiraurer, Maximo Frezza, Noah Mathews and Gavin Quigley. (Photos courtesy of Advanced Community Rowing Association)
Winter training in indoor rowing tanks. From left are Logan Down, Mae Beskin-Lott, Gavin Stekelenburg, Yair Blekher, Edward Klikfeld and Ethan Nir.
Training on Monksville Reservoir on Easter Weekend are, from left, Ethan Nir, Yair Blekher, Gavin Stekelenburg, Jake Mains and coxswain Rayna Bumbra.
West Milford, known for its array of sports opportunities for young people, is adding another: rowing.
The Advanced Community Rowing Association (ACRA) is a local team comprising male and female athletes ages 12-18.
It is gearing up for the USRowing Youth National Championships on June 6-9 in Sarasota, Fla.
Team members practice on Monksville Reservoir from April to October and at a nearby gym from November to March.
The members live in West Milford, Ringwood, Vernon, Mahwah, Ridgewood and Suffern and Nyack in New York state. Some participants commute from as far as Princeton.
Led by head coach Oksana Tsimbalova, a former elite rower with an athletic and coaching record spanning four decades, ACRA helps young athletes develop their ability to persevere, adapt and self-motivate.
Tsimbalova’s coaching journey began in Uzbekistan, where she honed her skills and produced a generation of national rowers before moving to the United States in 2005.
ACRA has roots in the Hudson River, having been founded in Nyack in 2015 before finding a home at Monksville.
As the team prepares for a packed schedule of regattas, it is seeking new members, particularly girls age 12 and older.
For information, go online to acracrew.org or call 201-359-6255.