Saratoga’s Germano finds the right opportunity with Tigers
SARATOGA SPRINGS —When a rower looks for opportunities at the next level, the list of colleges expanding their programs is growing and the demand for strong female rowers grows along with it.
When you are a coxswain, the opportunities are few and you have to be on top of your game.
Saratoga Springs senior Izzy Germano found all of it, the right opportunity, the right program and the right school, choosing Clemson University.
“Clemson is one of the schools that I was looking at from the beginning when I started to look at schools,” the Saratoga Rowing Association coxswain said. “When I went down there it just had a homey feel; I fell in love with the rowing team, the weather and just the atmosphere there. It felt right.”
She chose Clemson over Indiana University and Michigan State.
“I chose Clemson mainly because of the rowing,” Germano said. “They were all really nice academic schools, but the rowing at Clemson felt more like a fit for me.”
That fit included a kinship with their head coach, Robbie Tenebaum.
“Their head coach was a coxswain, so I really got the feeling that he really appreciated coxswains, which not all coaches do,” Germano said. “That was something
that I was really looking for in a college and they said they had a spot for me, which means a lot.”
Coming from a competitive program made her a top recruit for the Tigers.
“I’ve been blessed to be on Saratoga because I have a really good eye for technical things, so I’m hoping to bring that into the boat,” Germano said. “We have a very competitive, a very aggressive style here at Saratoga, so I’m hoping to be bringing that with me as well.”
Germano not only impressed the Clemson coaching staff, but also her parents, Beth and Joe Germano.
“It’s huge to watch her grow these last four of five years and all the hard work, all the early morn- ings, the commitment, the travel as a family and to see her grow and develop into the young lady that she is, this is huge for her,” Joe Germano said.
The coxswain not only makes the calls on the water, she called the shots when looking for her college choice.
“She was very proactive; she knew what she was looking for,” Beth Germano said. “She was very skilled at finding what she was looking for, so she didn’t necessarily need us, which shows that she has developed those skills as well that will serve her well in the college and in the world as well.”
That also included making sure an official visit was part of decisionmaking process.
“I think (official visits) are a good idea because you can really get a feel for what it’s like to live there, to be a student there, and to have it be your life,” Izzy Germano said. “I think if you don’t spend a night there you really can’t tell what it will be like.”
The future sports nutritionist won’t be calling Saratoga Springs home for much longer.
“I see myself enjoying life there the little things, the simple things,” she said. “It’ll be a great place to live, a great place to job search afterwards, so I’m really excited about the whole thing.”
This is the third in a series about Saratoga Rowing Association members committing to row in college beginning next year.