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Yan Vengerovskiy showed me the text on his phone, as if that's the only way I'd believe it. You, wrote Dan Walsh, the Norwalk rower who competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics, are the reason we are so fast."
Vengerovskiy has been churning out fast rowers at the Maritime Rowing Club for 14 years. His first champion was his son, Roman, who won the boys single junior title at a regatta in 1997. [breakhere] Last year, he had five rowers on the U.S. Rowing under-23 national team.
Vengerovskiy spends his life on the water. A former member of the Ukrainian National Team, he coached the Soviet Union Junior Womens National Team from 1973 until 1991. He came to Norwalk because his sister was here and he saw opportunity. MRC was it. He started the club with his wife, Olga, in 1996. Since then, MRC has developed many rowers who went on to college programs and national teams.
While Vengerovskiy is happy to have successful teams, his emphasis lies on fitness and building self-confidence. Its more than rowing, Vengerovskiy says. This is a school. This is a home. This is a club.
There are currently nearly 120 children enrolled in MRC programs. They range in ability from students striving to compete for national championships to students from Winston Prep, an independent school for kids with learning disabilities. There are also Masters programs.
Dr. Pat Gillottis son, Joe, 15, rows at MRC with Winston students and sees the learning benefits for her son. If youre not together in the boat, Gillotti says, the boat goes haywire.
Rowers in Norwalk are just like rowers in the Soviet Union, he says. When were training them to win, its the same way.Its hard work. Its a belief.
For more information on MRC programs, log on to http://www.maritimerowing.net/.
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