Rowing on dry land, local youths fare well Winter's chill is not nearly enough reason to dampen the competitive spirit of the young athletes of Navesink River Rowing (NRR). On Saturday, Feb. 3, the NRR youth rowing program traveled to the Main Line Slide at Villanova University, Villanova, Pa. The Main Line Slide is a regional regatta, designed to keep rowers in competitive form until spring rowing restarts. These indoor rowing events are held on computerized rowing machines - ergometers - which capture each athlete's 2,000-meter score electronically and rank the participants. "Our junior rowers maintain their conditioning during our winter group workouts on the ergs," said NRR coach Bill Scholtz. "They also have training regimens to follow at home, and I monitor their progress by e-mail. Attending these erg competitions adds some excitement to the winter months. It certainly helps pass the time until our boats can get back on the Navesink River." Notching the top finish for NRR at the Main Line Slide was Emily Crosby, a senior at Red Bank Catholic. Crosby posted a 2,000-meter time of 7:36.8, which garnered her a sixth-place finish in a field of 83 junior women. Also finishing strong was Kathryn Lowry, a junior at the Ranney School, whose 7:46.3 earned a 12th-place finish in the same event. Kate Rennie, also a Ranney School junior, clocked 8:27.3, an excellent result for a first-time indoor rower. Gaining rave reviews at the event was NRR's Greg Charte, a junior at Shore Regional. Although rowing for less than one year, and a novice at erg events, Charte pulled 6:49.3, to finish 17th in a field of 72 junior men. Another Monmouth County rower, Brian Frake of Christian Brothers Academy, posted 6:59.3 to finish fourth out of 25 in the junior men's lightweight class. "I'm very proud of the NRR youth results at the Main Line Slide," coach Scholtz said. "This regatta is a great warm-up for our next big event, the CRASH-B World Indoor Rowing Championships in Boston, later this month. I am confident that our athletes will keep improving in the three weeks prior to our next event. Our NRR youth will continue their championship-level rowing when we return to the river this spring." Navesink River Rowing is a nonprofit club with a mission to educate residents of Monmouth County and its surrounding areas in all aspects of the sport of rowing. Well over 250 participants in 2006, youth and adult alike, enjoyed learning to row for recreation and/or competition. The youth summer program continues to grow, with 96 teens, from all areas of the county, participating in last summer's learn-to-row and advanced programs. For more information about Navesink River Rowing, check out their Web site at www.navesinkriverrowing.org.