Row Your Boat
Roman Kalasho rows and plays football for Orchard Lake St. Mary’s High School.
Mario Marougi and Roman Kalasho help make St. Mary’s rowing history
By Steve Stein
Neither Mario Marougi nor Roman Kalasho had done any competitive rowing before they joined the storied Orchard Lake St. Mary’s High School rowing team as they entered their freshman year at the school.
Their only experience in the sport was the annual Learn to Row camp put on by St. Mary’s rowing coach Chris Czarnecki and St. Mary’s rowing team members in the summer before they became freshmen.
Marougi and Kalasho have been quick learners. Each contributed to a historic season this spring for St. Mary’s.
Mario Marougi recovered from a back injury to help the Orchard Lake St. Mary’s High School rowing team make history this spring.
In addition to winning their 27th Scholastic Rowing Association of Michigan boys state championship, the Eaglets won their first boys and girls combined SRAM state title. Girls have been attending St. Mary’s for only four years.
Marougi, who will be a junior this fall, was in the boys varsity 8 boat that earned a silver medal and boys junior 4 boat that earned a bronze medal at the state competition. Kalasho, who will be a senior this fall, was in the second boys varsity 8 boat that earned a silver medal.
The competition was held in May at Kensington Metropark.
Even though they haven’t rowed very long, Marougi and Kalasho said they like the sport.
“I like my teammates and my coaches. My teammates have become my best friends,” Marougi said. “It’s a great sport because everyone in your boat relies on each other. If you’re not doing well, everyone pushes you to do better.
“I knew I’d like rowing. I’m surprised how much I actually like it. I even enjoy practices.”
Kalasho also plays football for St. Mary’s. He’s a running back and linebacker, which has helped make him one of the strongest members of the rowing team.
He listed two main reasons why he likes rowing.
“It creates a bond with your teammates like no other sport,” he said. “Everyone in your boat has to be in synch with each other on every stroke. You’re accountable to each other.
“Also, I love to work out. In rowing, you have to give everything you’ve got during a race. I know I exert so much energy that I’m dead at the end of a race.”
Kalasho doesn’t think rowing makes him a better football player, or playing football makes him a better rower.
“But doing both sports keeps me in shape year round and reinforces what it means to be a good teammate,” he said.
Marougi and Kalasho each had to overcome adversity this past season.
For Marougi, it was a back injury suffered during winter training.
How important is the back to a rower?
“You have to trust your back to row effectively,” said St. Mary’s varsity coach Don Wright.
Marougi fought his way back to health. He couldn’t row on the school’s rowing machines in January and February. Meanwhile, he rested, went through physical therapy and rode an exercise bike.
“I was scared at first that I couldn’t compete because of my back,” Marougi said. “That kept me focused on recovering. My back is 100% now, but I still get some pains sometimes.”
Kalasho’s mountain to climb wasn’t physical. It was dealing with disappointment.
After competing in St. Mary’s boys varsity 8 boat as sophomore, he was relegated to the second boys varsity 8 boat as a junior.
That was mainly because he was playing football during the fall and not practicing with the rowing team. Kalasho was still disappointed. Then he had a heartfelt conversation with one of the rowing team’s captains.
“He told me I needed to make my boat my own, so I did,” Kalasho said. “I feel I’m a good teammate. I’ll do anything for my team.”
That change of heart didn’t surprise Wright.
“Both Roman and Mario are good kids. They’re respectful and great teammates,” he said.
Kalasho was back in the boys varsity 8 boat for the Canadian Secondary Schools Rowing Association meet in June is St. Catharines, Ont., and contributed to a sixth-place finish. Marougi won two silver medals at the Canadian nationals.
Two weeks earlier, Marougi competed in the Scholastic Rowing Association of America National Championship Regatta in Pennsauken, N.J. His boys junior 4 boat placed 14th among 25 boats.
Marougi is 16. He has two sisters, Maria, 17, and Maya, 13. Their parents are Joey and Shelly Marougi. The family lives in West Bloomfield.
Kalasho turned 17 in early July. He has two brothers, Preston, 15, and Julian, 13. Preston, who will be a sophomore at St. Mary’s in the fall, was on the school’s rowing team this past season. Ray and Brenda Kalasho are the parents of the three teenagers. The family lives in Keego Harbor.