Montclair HS crew team hopes to win big overseas

An Essex County high school rowing team is hoping to make a name for themselves overseas.
The Montclair High School crew team recently won the prestigious Stotesbury Cup in the world’s largest high school competition. The school is the first public school program to take the title in the last 10 years.
“I always think they don’t particularly like us because we’re a public school,” says coach Jeremy Michlitsianos. “They don’t like losing to a public school. There’s no doubt about it.”
Team members say that rowing is the definition of a team sport. They say that no role is more important than the others and they must work in sync if they want to win.
Michlitsianos is a former member of Great Britain’s national crew team. He has been coaching at Montclair for eight years.
Michlitsianos and his team will soon head to England to participate in the Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames, an international competition.
“Not exactly a rude awakening, but it will be very, very difficult to win,” Michlitsianos says.
But the coach says that he thinks his team is up to the task. Some of the athletes have earned college scholarships. Others says that they are thinking about even bigger competitions
“Of course I’d love to continue rowing after,” says junior Kenny Coplan. “It is a dream of mine. Who knows, [Olympics 2024]? That’s a goal.”
The boats the team uses can cost up to $10,000. The team is largely supported by the Montclair boosters.