United they row,
as they await good news

By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer

If anyone should know the power of a large group of people pulling in the same direction, it’s the members of Philadelphia’s scholastic rowing community.
Every time local oarsmen and women set their shells in the waters of the Schuylkill River, teamwork is the number one priority.
That philosophy has served them well out of the water, too, recently as four city rowing teams, including those from Father Judge and Northeast Catholic high schools, continue to fight for survival after being evicted from their longtime base of operations on Kelly Drive.
The Judge and North crews, along with those from La Salle College High School and Temple University, have not been able to return to the condemned East Park Canoe House and don’t figure to be able to do so any time soon.
Yet, thanks to their own cooperation as well as some help from City Council members, the local clubs are back in the water again and looking forward to an eventual return to the place that for decades they have called home.
"The City Council people assured us we’d be back in that building once it’s finished," said Father Judge head coach Phil Roche.
"I fully think the Council people meant what they said," agreed North head coach Liz Bergen. "Let’s just hope the park (system) follows through. That’s the only thing."
Two months ago, Judge, North, La Salle and Temple found themselves essentially homeless after the Fairmount Park Commission evicted them from the Canoe House, commonly known as the Canoe Club.
A leaky roof had prompted the commission to call for a city inspection that revealed numerous safety hazards in the building, which was erected in 1915. Inspectors determined that the roof was partially collapsed and in danger of further collapse, as was a second-story floor. Also, inspectors found structurally deteriorating walls.
As a result, the four rowing teams were banned from returning to the site, which is about a half-mile upstream from Boathouse Row. They were ordered to remove their boats and other gear.
The notice came virtually on the eve of spring preseason workouts and seven weeks before the first high school regatta of the season.
With other local boathouses literally filled to the rafters with shells owned by other schools and clubs, the Canoe Club occupants were left scrambling for storage and launching space on the river. The only other option was to tow their boats back and forth from Northeast Philly every day.
"We had to move to a boathouse down on Boathouse Row. Luckily, we found the only one with a little bit of outdoor space," said Roche, whose team has six boats and about 35 members.
"I walked up and down the row and looked at all of the places. We were offered two or three spaces at different places, but I wanted to keep (all of our boats) together."
The Malta Boat Club agreed to allow Judge to rent until the end of the school year.
To pay for the space and the erection of boat racks, the team’s parents and supporters have begun a fund-raising effort that included a successful benefit dinner at Texas Roadhouse in Bensalem last Month.
"We had a big crowd show up at the restaurant and they’ll send us a big check," Roche said, adding that the team has gotten individual contributions as large as $500.
On the other hand, operating out of a private boat club "is not cheap," the coach added. And there’s no telling what arrangements will be made beyond the current season.
La Salle chose a similar alternative and is now rowing out of a club in Conshohocken, miles upriver from the Canoe Club.
On the other hand, North, like Temple, didn’t move very far. Rather, getting set up was their biggest challenge.
According to Bergen, the Falcons’ four boats are being stored inside a fenced area of park land adjacent to the condemned building. There is also a tent-style roof for a bit of shelter and portable racks to store the boats. Temple paid for the compound.
"We’ve been very fortunate," Bergen said.
Like the Judge situation, however, the arrangement is only temporary.
"We’ve already discussed with the park, should it go any longer (than this season), if they would let us come back to the compound in September," Bergen said.
The Falcons expect to increase their fund-raising efforts with alumni and parents, and possibly raise the club’s "oar fees" to cover additional expenses.
The uncertainty in the aftermath of the eviction set both the Judge and North programs back in their preparations for the season.
Judge managed to launch three boats for the first Manny Flick Regatta on March 16 — one varsity eight and two JV eights. The top JV boat won their "A" final, but the varsity placed fifth.
"We got off to a pretty slow start with the situation of the boathouse," Roche said. "It was time lost at the beginning of the season.
North, which has about 20 team members, didn’t make the season-opener, but entered four boats at last Sunday’s second Manny Flick event.
"We lost too much water time with relocations," Bergen said. "We should have been able to race two weeks ago, but we were really just getting on the water then."
The coach was disappointed that a few prospective novice rowers opted for other activities this spring due to the uncertainty surrounding the club.
"I guess they didn’t understand that no matter what, we were going to be able to row," Bergen said.
As a result of a March 13 meeting with the park commission and City Council members, the coaches think they have a much better idea of what the future holds for their programs.
Democratic Council members Joan Krajewski (whose 6th district includes Judge), Maria Quinones-Sanchez (whose 7th district includes North), Curtis Jones (whose 4th district includes the east bank of the Schuylkill) and Bill Greenlee (an at-large member) called the closed-door gathering in Council’s caucus room largely to clear the air.
The affected teams were concerned that they hadn’t gotten any future commitments from the park commission and were worried that the commission had other plans for the building.
"(Council members) asked that flat-out and (park officials) said they had no other plans for the building," Roche said.
"(We) were adamant about making it clear that we wanted Father Judge and North Catholic to return to the Canoe House when the repairs were made and the building was deemed safe again," Krajewski said of her Council colleagues.
"The four Council people there were clearly at bat for all of the constituents involved in this," Roche said.
A full structural assessment of the building is under way with a full report expected in May, when the affected parties are expected to meet again. Until then, no one is sure how many repairs will be needed, how long they will take, how much they will cost and where the money will come from.
If and when they return to the Canoe Club, the schools will be expected to take a more formal role in its upkeep, including cost sharing. In the past, the schools had been allowed to use the public facility at no cost without any written lease.
But there will be no return this spring, and perhaps not next spring, according to Roche. Until then, the rowers will have to make do with teamwork and determination on the water.
"We’ll pull something out," the Judge coach said. "I don’t have a crystal ball, but our guys are good and usually pull something out." ••
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com