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Al Somma - Kearny High School Principal
Al Somma was the assistant crew coach for four years and then served as the head coach for twelve years, retiring in 1992. In addition to being the head boys coach, he introduced the girl's program in 1986. When he took over the head coaching position in 1983, we had 33 boys in the program and when he retired in 1992, the program had a total of 160 members (boys and girls) combined. He coached the boys Junior Four to a National Championship in 1983, the first in our program's history. Our Girls Junior Four also won the National Championship in 1988 and coached several teams that made the National Finals on ten occasions, with seven team placing in the top three. He had several teams make the finals of the Stotesbury Cup Regatta eight times and five placing in the top three.
Al Somma was fortunate to coach three members of our program that went on to make National and Olympic Teams: Jeff Klepacki was a three time Olympian, Jennifer Dore a two time Olympian and Dan Fraser was selected to the National Jr. Team in 1982. Jen and Jeff were also members of the U.S. National Team that won the World Championships.
He is presently the Principal of Kearny High School and was fortunate to have coached our Men's and Women's Head Coaches when they rowed for KHS. He is very proud of them and the way they have continued the great tradition of the Kearny Crew Program.
Scott Fuchs - Head Coach Men's Team Scott Fuchs started out his coaching career for the Kearny High School men's crew team as a volunteer coach under Jon Zimmerman in 2000.In 2001 Coach Fuchs became the men's novice coach were he developed and taught incoming rowers for two seasons.
In his first year as being head coach, Coach Fuchs started off with a bang having his Men's Lightweight Four win the 2003 New Jersey Scholastic Rowing Championship, since then he has won an additional two times. Over the next few years many of his boats have done exceptionally well at the major regattas including medaling at Nationals and The Stotesbury Regatta.
A 1994 graduate of KHS, Coach Fuchs started his rowing career in 1991 under the coaching of Al Somma. He then rowed under Jon Zimmerman competing in various boats, but always seemed to end up in his favorite four seat. During his junior year he was a member of the Junior 8 that was the first and only 8 ever to win a New Jersey Scholastic Rowing Championship from Kearny as well as receiving a bronze medal at Nationals.
He is currently a seventh and eighth grade resource math teacher at Lincoln School in Kearny. Coach Fuchs has also been the Kearny High School men's swimming coach for the past five years.
Coach Fuchs is currently attending Montclair State University pursuing a Masters in Middle School Mathematics.
Dave Paszkiewicz - Head Coach Women's Team
In addition to coaching crew, Coach Paszkiewicz teaches US History at KHS and is youth pastor at Kearny Baptist church. He holds an MAR from Liberty University, a BA from The King's College and an ARA from Northeastern Bible College. He is a life-long resident of Kearny and a 1986 graduate of KHS where he rowed for four years under Coach Al Somma. He earned two bronze Stotesbury medals stroking the Junior Boys Four in 1984 and the Senior Boys Four in 1986. He graduated as MVP, team captain and a four-year varsity letter winner. In 2000 he was inducted into the KHS Athletic Hall of Fame.
Coach Paszkiewicz has been coaching for KHS since 1987. He was a volunteer coach from 1987 - 1989. He served as an assistant coach from 1990 -1994 and as girls head coach since 1995. Coach Paszkiewicz's proudest accomplishments include: Scholastic National championship Regatta: 1st Girls Lwt Four 1994, 1st Girls Jr Four 1998, 1st Girls Lwt Four 2004. Stotesbury Cup Regatta: 2nd Girls Jr Four 1998, 2nd Girls Lwt Four 2004. New Jersey scholastic Rowing Championship: 1st Girls Jr Four 1997, 1st Girls Jr Four 1998, 1st Girls Sr Four 1999, 1st Girls Mdwt Four 2000, 1st Girls Lwt Four 2004, 1st Girls Lwt Four 2005, 1st Girls Lwt Four 2006.
Crew has had a tremendous impact on coach Paszkiewicz's life. It has taught him the value of teamwork and dedication. He is indebted to coach Al Somma and former KHS rigger, John Sweeney. He credits coach Somma with teaching him just about everything he knows about the sport and molding him into the man he is. In addition, Mr. Sweeney's example made a lasting impact on him which taught him crew is more than winning races, it is about molding character.
Brian Flowers- Freshman/Novice Women
Brian's obsession with crew began back in 1992, when he was in the seventh grade at Lincoln School. Brian's father, Kevin Flowers, was the Kearny Novice boys coach, and had him erg when ever he could. Al Somma, at the time, was the Vice Principle of Lincoln School, and reinforced Brian's goal of being a rower. By the time Brian was a freshman, he was already a varsity letter winner in swimming and desperately wanted to prove his athletic ability in crew. Brian rowed in several freshman boats, as well as varsity shells, and earned a varsity letter, under head coach John Zimmerman, at the end of freshman year.
As Brian's high school career took shape, he rowed several different boats and seats: Freshman 8, Junior 8, Junior 4, Senior 8 and Senior 4. In the 8's it was either seat 6 or 4, and in the 4's, he always sat as stroke. He spent the off season training and rowing with both the Nereid Boat Club and with his father on the ergs. During the summers he would also row with the U.S. Navy at several of their rowing camps in Annapolis, MD. Senior year he was selected captain of the crew team and also earned the Steven Hale Award, Kearny Crew's top boy's award for rowing. During his four year high school career, Brian's boats earned a great deal of victories and medals. All of Brian's boats were undefeated at home in the Kearny Invitational Regatta and also in the Long Island Regatta. They were always competitive and fought hard in every race but State, National, and Stotesbury medals always eluded his boats.
Brian was recruited by and accepted into Rutgers University, and began a short college rowing career. The long hours and tedious travel schedule began affecting his grades in school, and after a long and difficult decision, gave up the sport he loves to graduate college. After his college graduation and one uneventful year (in crew terms), he was approached by his old vice principal Al Somma. Mr. Somma was now Kearny High School's Athletic Director, and he informed Brian that Kearny needed a girls freshmen and novice crew coach. Brian jumped at the chance to be involved with crew again and was excited to work with Coach Paszkiewicz, who Brian knew since he was in high school. The 2004 season was productive and produced some very strong rowers. His 2005 season produce a third place in States in the girl's novice 4 category. The 2006 season produced a second place showing at states by the girl's novice 4. Brian is looking forward to this season and has great expectations for the new crop of rowers.
He is currently pursuing a master's degree in teaching from NJCU.
Coach Mazol has been coaching the boy's novice team for the last four years. He began as a volunteer with the girl's novice team and soon joined the boy's team when Coach Fuchs took over the program. His rowing career began and ended with the Kearny High school Team from 1992 to 1995. Along with being in the mid-weight 8, second 8 and senior 4, he was co-captain his senior year. Coach Mazol says that, "Coaching the novice is a bit like a roller coaster, some days your up and some days your down, but he best thing is to watch the progress of the team as the season unfolds. We start with a bunch of boys and end up with a disciplined, passionate group of young men eager to be successful rowers at Kearny High". In 2006 Coach Mazol's Novice 8 won the New Jersey State Championship, the first time in Kearny High history! Coach Mazol is also an eighth grade science teacher at Washington School.
John McKenna - Assistant John McKenna began his coaching career with Kearny High School crew in the spring of 2005. Since then, he has earned his U.S. Rowing Level II certification, and spent last summer leading the 2007 Junior Summer Development Camp at Nereid Boat Club. Before returning to his hometown where he currently coaches, John spent his last 2 years heading up the sweep program for Don Bosco Prep. During his tenure with the Ironmen, McKenna assisted with the advancement and streamlining of the crew, which formed in 2003. His contributions in these areas have been significant in Don Bosco's quest to be successful, both in the classroom and in the athletic arena.
A native of Kearny, John also began his own rowing career with the Kardinals. As a senior member of the Men's Lightweight Four in 2003, he finished first at the New Jersey Scholastic Rowing Championship and medaled at the prestigious Stotesbury Cup Regatta. In 2005 he continued his competitive rowing career with Nereid Boat club, earning gold medals in the Men's Flyweight 4+ at both the Royal Canadian Henley and USRowing Club Championship Regattas.
In addition to his work with Kearny Crew, John will also be assisting at the new Elmwood Park rowing site on the upper Passaic. His experience will help launch and grow newly formed crews at both Bergen Catholic and the Academy of the Holy Angles.
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Meet
The Coaches
Dan
Mazol - Freshman/Novice Men