Origin of Case Crew

by Tom Hudak ‘92

Case Crew first took to the water in the fall of 1991. We launched an 8+ from the Western Reserve Rowing Association Boathouse docks, immediately turned the shell, and brought it back in. We had about 5 minutes total time on the water and would not see it again until the following spring. This small but triumphant event marked the culmination of efforts to finally put a shell full of CWRU students on the water.

It all began in the summer of 1990. Following my sophomore year at Case, I was back in my hometown near Pittsburgh hanging out with some high school classmates. One of them, Matt Boron (Duquesne University Crew) was telling tales of rowing narrow boats at all hours of the night (5:30AM was “night” then!). I had seen crew in movies and photographs, but never thought it existed as close as Pittsburgh. I decided to explore further and enrolled in a learn-to-row program at Three Rivers Rowing Association which had just completed a beautiful new boathouse. Despite a fellow learn-to-row participant catching a seat-ejecting crab on our first outing, I was hooked. I gave serious thought to “trying out” for crew once I returned to Case in the fall. After all, crew seemed to be a big college sport, surely Case had a team.

Things were starting to fall into place. We now had boats, a place to row and a coach. Now we needed rowers. Founding member Jennifer Haven (Augustine) put together a much more appealing flyer that was posted around campus attracting about 30 people to another organization meeting. Jen, a freshman nursing student, was key to getting the program off the ground as she was able to recruit several fellow nursing students that become the core of the first women’s team. We obtained Undergraduate Student Government club status and received a small amount of money as a result. Our sport requiring $10,000 boats (a new 8+ back then), plus oars, coaching, and travel was to receive the same amount of USG money as the Disco Club.

In order to further drive down costs, I plead our case to then University President Agnar Pytte, pointing out that a rowing program would elevate CWRU to the status of other fine schools with rowing programs such as Harvard and Dartmouth and certainly help with admissions! I must have been convincing or pitiful since President Pytte provided a lump sum financial boost for the club from his discretionary funds. I view this as a pivotal event in the beginning of Case Crew as that additional money helped to defray the cost to each individual and allowed many without prior experience to try rowing. Once they became hooked, money was no object. (The team would later name its first shell after President Pytte after another generous donation in 1994 - photo here).

Once we hit the water, we were able to send a men’s 4+ to Pittsburgh for a small race with Carnegie Mellon, Universtiy of Pittsburgh and Duquesne (now known as the Car-Du-Pitt). Mike Lambert of Three Rivers Rowing Association arranged for us to borrow one of their boats for the event. Mike’s willingness to help promote rowing in cases like this, even outside of Pittsburgh, rightfully got a boathouse named after him in Pittsburgh.

The first race we participated in as a team (all men and women) was the Toledo International Regatta in May of 1992. CWRU’s men’s novice 8+ walked away with silver, beating two of four boats in the event. Of all the medals I have accumulated in over 15 years of international competitive rowing, this silver remains my most prized.