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62 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, September 12, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend June 7, 2003 Steven Kominsky trains Thursday with Corinne Lombardi, of the Ashland Rowing Club, on Emigrant Lake before leaving for New Jersey on Friday. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Kominsky pulls toward dream SOU rower pursues a seat on the U.S. lightweight national team this summer By TIM PYLE Mail Tribune EMIGRANT LAKE — Old loves are hard to kill. Steven Kominsky can attest to that. A 20-year-old Cincinnati native, Kominsky moved to Ashland to attend Southern Oregon University last fall, nothing more than a relaxing, fun college experience in mind. Advertisement Once Kominsky began rowing the waters of Emigrant Lake, however, a passion that had previously ruled his life resurfaced. Now, he's determined to succeed where injury short-circuited his quest before. The 6-foot-2, 163-pounder departed Friday for Rutherford, N.J., where he will spend the next two months training in the U.S. Rowing National Team Development Camp. From there, Kominsky hopes to earn a seat on U.S. lightweight teams that will compete in the Pan American Games, the World Championships — both this summer — and, ultimately, the 2004 Summer Olympics. "I think especially for the ’04 (Olympic) Games, (my chances) are really good," says Kominsky, who has been rowing with the SOU club team and Ashland Rowing Club since last fall. "I came a little bit late in the process for this year, but I am feeling very positive for ‘04." He's been on the doorstep of such accomplishments before, as a member of the U.S. junior national team in 1999. But a left knee injury kept Kominsky out of the Junior World Championships then, and a meteoric career he had been fashioning since the seventh grade was sidelined. During the next few years, his own rowing took a back seat to coaching the sport and rehabbing his knee. The move to Ashland was made with rowing as little more than an afterthought. A few months of 5:30 a.m. runs on Emigrant Lake later, it became, again, a top priority. "When I came out here, I actually wasn’t intending on doing this," says Kominsky, a criminology major. "My knee was still blown out, and I thought I was going to come out here and have a nice, relaxing college career. Maybe row just for fun. "But when I started racing, the fires got lit back up. And I just decided to go for it again." Kominsky gave the SOU club team, in just its second year, an unexpected star. The Raiders snatched first place in a men’s four-man race at a University of Oregon regatta in Eugene. "What was remarkable was for somebody like him to come to SOU, where our crew is basically a start-up," says Raiders coach Steve Kiesling, himself a 1980 Olympian in the men’s open division. "Out of the blue, we get this guy who was on the junior national team. ... That certainly changed the energy of our program." Kominsky says Emigrant Lake and this region’s warm weather combine to make the Rogue Valley an excellent area for rowing. Kiesling, who has been here 10 years after growing up in Austin, Texas, and starring collegiately at Yale, agrees. "It’s a wonderful place to row," he says. "We have great water, great weather and great people." All have helped Kominsky get his knee back to 100 percent and prepare for his attempt at claiming one of six seats available on the national team. Donation and fund-raising help from the SOU team and ARC have also been vital to support the trip back east, along with sponsors from back home in Ohio. Now, it’s Kominsky’s turn to impress the U.S. rowing brass. Rare height for a lightweight and the powerful stroke he’s been honing since a coach showed up with a rowing machine at his middle school make Kominsky a good bet to dazzle, especially in the double and four-man boats he calls his strongest. And don’t forget the will to resume the pursuit of an old dream. "He’s tenacious as hell," Kiesling says. "To actually make the team, he’s got a long way to go. But I think he’s got a real shot at it." Reach reporter Tim Pyle at 776-4483 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities