PRINCETON, N.J. - USRowing has named Yan and Olga Vengerovskiy, founders of Maritime Rowing Club, as the 2011 John J. Carlin Service Award recipients, the organization announced Wednesday.
Chosen by the USRowing Board of Directors, the award honors an individual, or individuals, who has made significant and outstanding commitments in support of rowing. The couple will be honored at the USRowing Annual Convention presented by Sarasota World Class Rowing Venue in Hartford, Conn.
"This is an award for our family," said Yan Vengerovskiy. "It's not something that belongs to me, or to Olga. This is an award we earned together. It's an award that is not just for the family, but it's an award for New Canaan Crew. It's an award for the Maritime Rowing Club. It's an award for all the coaches that worked with us, and for all those athletes that were in the program."
"Many of them became nationally recognized rowers; many of them learned rowing as a lifestyle and will keep it forever," he said. "This is recognition of all the people that have surrounded us from the beginning all the way to this point. This is an extraordinary thing. It's an honor to be recognized by USRowing."
John J. Carlin was a Philadelphia oarsman and coach who dedicated over 50 years to the development of the sport. During his lifetime, Carlin served on the United States Olympic and Pan American Committee, was a FISA representative, Commodore of the Schuylkill Navy and coached at the University of Pennsylvania. He was also heavily involved in Philadelphia junior and high school rowing.
Yan Vengerovskiy, a former, Ukrainian national team rower and former Soviet Women's Junior National Team coach, immigrated to the United States with Olga and began coaching in 1992. Yan coached at the Norwalk River Rowing Club, Fairfield University and the Saugatuck Rowing Association.
Olga, a former world champion and Russian national champion coached at the Specialized School of Olympic Reserves in the Ukraine. She coached at the Saugatuck Rowing Association.
In 1996, the Vengerovskiys founded the highly successful Water Sports Center and the Maritime Rowing Club in Norwalk, Conn., and became coaches for the New Canaan High School crew team.
In 15 years, the couple has produced a multitude of successful athletes, many who have rowed on various U.S. national teams. Three of those athletes, Dan Walsh, Charlie Cole and Andrew Campbell are current national teams rowers.
Cole and Campbell were recognized for their excellence in the sport this season. Campbell was named the 2011 USRowing Man of the Year, while Cole was voted by his teammates and coaches as the 2011 USRowing Male Athlete of the Year.
"I was really fortunate to learn to row under Yan," said Cole. "He is so passionate about the sport of rowing and so committed to his athletes' success. It is hard not to be really excited around him."