3/28/2008
Brandywine Tennis, Concord Rowing Teams Each Receive $2500 from Councilman Weiner

By Antonio Prado
Staff Reporter
Community News

Posted Friday, March 28, 2008
  
The Brandywine High School boys tennis team and the Concord High School rowing club each received $2,500 grants totaling $5000 after their requests for grant funding were approved by New Castle County Council.

New Castle County Councilman Robert Weiner (R-Chatham) presented $2,500 checks to the Concord and Brandywine teams.

Concord crew coach Marie Peters said the team will use the money to buy a motor and a cox box, a device that allows the coxswains to communicate with the squad in the boat. Coaches coach from a motorized launch and the coxswains use the cox box to communicate with the crew, she said.

“We are entirely self-funded. Our team is very appreciative of your support,” Peters told Weiner.

This is the crew team’s sixth year and it competes against teams in Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey in the Philadelphia Scholastic Rowing Association as well as regional and national competitions, she said.

Concord boys captains Dominic DiMarino and Andrew Bayne and girls captains Samantha Ross Emily Hines and Michelle Penkrot also thanked Weiner.

“I think it’s amazing because rowing gets overlooked, especially since we are the only public high school in Delaware that has a team,” said Ross, a senior from Buckingham Greene. “Around here it’s all football and baseball. So, to have someone support the team is really cool.”

“Were it not for the grant, the team would be using older equipment that can’t keep up with the team, said Marino, a sophomore from the Timbers. “It breaks down every single day and it takes time away from us on the water to achieve and beat teams on the river.”

Brandywine boys tennis coach Greg Stein said his team will use the money for a new ball machine that costs at least $1,500 and the rest will be used for new uniforms. The machine will allow Stein to work more individually with his players and will give them more time for practice.

Captains Michael McGovern, Tarik Tosun, and Derek Pheiffer said they look forward to the new uniforms and equipment.

“We could really use the money, especially the tennis team,” said Tosun, a senior from Sharpley. “We’ve been a little under funded in past years. Our uniform is not that great. It’s kind of uncomfortable.”

Pheiffer, a senior from Carleton, said the ball machine will help players with their basic form and maneuvers.

Weiner, a member of Brandywine High’s class of 1968), said having funding available for local schools is a privilege. Each councilman is allotted $15,000 for the fiscal year.

“I used my grant money for this fiscal year to help out our music programs, band programs, sports programs, our cultural programs, our spiritual programs,” he said. “There isn’t enough money to fund these great programs.”

Any organization can apply to councilmen for grants as long as they are within the guidelines – including the fact that they must be nonprofit organizations.

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