The all-senior Ridgewood crew of Luciano Saladino and James Ryan capped an undefeated lightweight rowing season by taking home the James R. Barker Jr. Trophy at the 2026 Stotesbury Cup after trouncing the competition in the Boys Lightweight Senior Double event. (Credit: Denise Ryan)
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Ridgewood Crew won more medals than any other sculling team and took home two championship trophies this past weekend at the 2026 Stotesbury Cup Regatta, finishing off an outstanding spring rowing season that saw the team set several new program records.
Ridgewood Crew shows off its hardware in a group photo with Coaches Boris Roque-Alvarez and Kassandra Luna (Photo credit:Elizabeth Suri)
Ridgewood had sent 11 of its 17 boats through to the finals, claimed seven total medals, and amassed 131 points among sculling teams, good enough for third overall out of 29 programs
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
West Windsor, New Jersey – Ridgewood Crew broke a team record this past Sunday by qualifying nine boats and 21 rowers for the USRowing Youth National Championships during its racing at the 2026 Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships.
Facing a deep field of 550 entries from more than five-dozen scholastic and club teams across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, and the District of Columbia, Ridgewood’s overall performance established it as among the best programs in the region. By the regatta’s end, Ridgewood had sent 11 of its 17 boats through to the finals, claimed seven total medals, and amassed 131 points among sculling teams, good enough for third overall out of 29 programs. That mark was also tops among all scholastic sculling teams.
Ridgewood scored one of its two silver medals at the 2026 Mercer Lake Sprints in the Womens U17 4x race. This runner-up quad was crewed by sophomores Nicole Manevich and Zurie Yela, along with freshmen Courtney Spence and Gracie Demercado. (Photo credits: Diva Yela)
By the end of the weekend, Ridgewood had amassed three medals and three more top five finishes at Mercer Lake, and claimed a first- and second-place finish in Philly.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
West Windsor, New Jersey and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Ridgewood Crew split its squad into two this past weekend, and rowed its way to simultaneous success in regattas in central New Jersey and in Philadelphia.
Nine Ridgewood boats went to the Mercer Lake Sprints competition on both Saturday and Sunday, where more than 700 entries from five-dozen teams across the mid-Atlantic and northeast competed on a 2,000-meter course. On Sunday, seven different crews from Ridgewood competed amongst a field of 480 boats and nearly 80 clubs in 1,500-meter sprint races, as part of the final installment of the Philadelphia Scholastic Racing Association’s Manny Flick spring racing series.
Ridgewood NJ, Join Ridgewood Crew/Maroon Blades in Van Neste Square from 10-2 to experience the thrill and learn the benefits of rowing. National Learn to Row Day is today Saturday, June 4.
According to Ridgewood Crew the Top 10 Benefits of Rowing:
Promotes healthy body composition: Rowing can help maintain a healthy balance of fat mass and fat-free mass in your body. If an analysis of your body composition indicates that your body fat is high, rowing can be a good way to burn off fat, as it is predominantly an aerobic sport. In fact, you can easily burn up to 600 calories per hour.
Enhances cardio-respiratory system: Rowing enhances your lung’s ability to provide oxygen to the blood, heart and the rest of your body. A lack of cardio-respiratory fitness is closely linked to heart disease. The good news is that improving your aerobic fitness can be done in short intervals, so it does not take too much time out of your day. All you need is 30 minutes of steady state exercise – or 10 minutes of high intensity intervals – in the boat or on the rowing machine.
Offers low impact exercise with high results: Both competitive and recreational rowing are unique in comparison to most sports because they exercise all of your major muscle groups. Everything from your legs, back and arms are engaged while rowing. In addition, rowing is a low-impact sport. When executed properly, the rowing stroke is a fairly safe motion, providing little room for the serious injury often found in contact and high-impact sports.
Promotes weight loss: Competitive rowers expend almost twice the number of calories on a 2,000-meter course as a runner in a 3,000-meter steeplechase. However, since rowing is low impact, you will not experience the same wear and tear on your body and joints as you would if you were a runner. Plus, you build strength in your upper body and core.
Helps the heart: Cardiovascular training involves any activity that requires the use of the large muscle groups of the body in a regular and uninterrupted manner. Rowing is one of the few non-weight bearing sports that exercises all the major muscle groups.
Builds muscle strength: The primary muscles that rowers work are the quadriceps, the large muscles in front of your thighs. These muscles are necessary for extending the knee, and they also serve as hip flexors, which allow you to make powerful leg movements. As your quadriceps become stronger, activities and exercises such as walking, jogging, lunges and squats can be done more efficiently and with greater strength.
Reduces stress: The consistent and rhythmic activity associated with rowing, combined with being outdoors on the water, has an unparalleled impact on reducing stress.
Stabilizes the body: Rowing in a boat requires the stabilizer and neutralizer muscles to fire up. Those same muscles might help to avoid a fall or help keep you from hurting your back when lifting a child or a heavy box awkwardly. Your core, or trunk, becomes stronger and better prepared to handle off-balanced movement.
Improves muscle and joint mobility: Rowing conditions many different muscles and joints without straining them, making this exercise ideal for those with arthritis or osteoporosis. The muscles and joints experience a wide range of movement during rowing, which will eventually minimize stiffness and increase flexibility. If you live a sedentary lifestyle or become stiff after long periods of inactivity, loosen your muscles and joints by rowing at a moderate pace for 20 to 30 minutes.
Offers a full-body exercise: A rowing machine works the lower and middle back, hamstrings, calves, gluteal muscles and biceps. Rowing works more body parts than most cardiovascular machines, and it provides a low-impact exercise that people of various fitness levels can complete comfortably.
Come take a spin on an erg and get THE BEST WORKOUT of your life!
When: Today, June 4
Stop in anytime between 10-2
Where: Van Neste Square
See you there!!!
Sponsored by Ridgewood Crew/Maroon Blades
