Lightweight Rowing at Malta
Malta Boat Club has existed competitively since 1860. One part of its heritage has been the sponsorship of a consistently high level of lightweight rowers.
The first National Championship won by Malta was by Algernon Fitzpatrick in 1924. Though he was a lightweight he won in the open Category for the 1/4mile dash. It was however in the 1930’s that Malta became known as a lightweight center. Consistently they provided lightweight crews in the 145lb class of quads and singles, winning five national titles as well as numerous other events in Schuylkill Navy and Independence Day regattas. As a result, they established themselves as a center for lightweights, and many of this era became active members of Schuylkill Navy such as Bill Cochrane Sr. and Fred Symes, also starting a tradition of successive generations of family rowers. Malta’s lightweights were also consistent winners in the Thanksgiving Day cross country run.
J. Harris, P. Cosenza, P. Brown, S. Depman
After the Second War many of the clubs had to reestablish themselves and Malta was no exception. It largely consisted of heavyweights, Frank Shepherson and Harold Finnegan. Eventually, the competitive rowing at Malta also involved oarsmen from the La Salle High School Program. When George Hines left to coach at the College level the competitive program was at a low ebb, except for the outstanding achievements of Fred Duling, nephew of Fred Symes, and Bill Cochrane Jr., both lightweight scullers.
In 1970 Malta choose a path almost by happenstance of the rebirth of Lightweight rowing. It sponsored Lasalle High School rowers of individuals probably too small to make the eight oared crews, but now as scullers. These young men quickly established that although rowing against heavy weights they could hold their own or win races. In the summer they formed a core of a resurgence of the Malta rowing lightweight program and junior rowing on the Schuylkill.
As they matured and developed, they became the backbone of a program which produced many National and Canadian championships under the coaching of Rick Stehlik, Fred Duling, and Ed Lentz over a 20 year period. Malta won its first National title since 1951 in the Lightweight Quad ending a 25 year drought. This program achieved recognition winning two Bronze medals in the lightweight Worlds double in 1977 and 1978. Also, It produced numerous other victories in the National (16) and Canadian Henley (30) championships
St. Catherines Standard
In addition, established a significant family competitive presence of the Brown brothers: aka, Chuck, Pat, Mike and Tim. Not an unfamiliar story on Boathouse Row. Fred Duling’s son became the third generation of lightweights in the family in the Pan Am Games as a lightweight pair.
What is significant is that like the lightweights of the 1930’s the new program served as a feeding ground for new members to enable the continual administration and maintenance of the Club.
