LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION congratulating the Our Lady of Lourdes High
School Girls Varsity Crew Team and Coach Erik Haight upon the occasion
of capturing the 2009 New York State Rowing Championship

WHEREAS, Excellence and success in competitive sports can be achieved
only through strenuous practice, team play and team spirit, nurtured by
dedicated coaching and strategic planning; and
WHEREAS, Athletic competition enhances the moral and physical develop-
ment of the young people of this State, preparing them for the future by
instilling in them the value of teamwork, encouraging a standard of
healthy living, imparting a desire for success and developing a sense of
fair play and competition; and
WHEREAS, The Our Lady of Lourdes High School Girls Varsity Crew Team
commenced their inaugural season in the spring of 1998; and
WHEREAS, The current boat is composed of Freshman Joanna Mulvey,
Sophomore Katie Roach, Junior Michelle Makris, Senior Alyssa Cantarella,
and coxswain Junior Melanie Penalosa; and
WHEREAS, The team is coached by Head Girls Coach Erik Haight, Assist-
ant Coach Sara Smilowitz and Novice Coach Kate Briskey, skilled and
inspirational tutors, respected for their ability to develop potential
into excellence; and
WHEREAS, This is the first State Varsity Rowing Championship for Our
Lady of Lourdes High School; and
WHEREAS, Before winning the state championship the team won the Trian-
gulars Invitational in Poughkeepsie on the Hudson River on May 2, 2009;
and
WHEREAS, The team competed in and won the State Championship in Sara-
toga, New York, on Fish Creek on May 10, 2009; and
WHEREAS, The team qualified to compete in the National Championship
Regatta in Mercer County, New Jersey, on May 23, 2009, and finished 4th
overall; and
WHEREAS, The hallmarks of the Varsity Four, from the opening meet of
the season to participation in the championship, were a sisterhood of
athletic ability, of good sportsmanship, of honor and of scholarship,
demonstrating that these team players are second to none; and
WHEREAS, Athletically and academically, the Varsity Four have proven
themselves to be an unbeatable combination of talents, reflecting favor-
ably on their school; and
WHEREAS, Coach Erik Haight has done a superb job in guiding, molding
and inspiring them toward their goals; and
WHEREAS, Sports competition instills the values of teamwork, pride and
accomplishment, and Coach Erik Haight and these four outstanding
athletes have clearly made a contribution to the spirit of excellence
which is a tradition of their school; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
congratulate the Our Lady of Lourdes High School Girls Varsity Crew Team
upon the occasion of capturing the 2009 New York State Rowing Champion-
ship; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the Our Lady of Lourdes High School, each crew member, and
Coach Erik Haight.