Miezejeski Goes Above and Beyond for Valley Crew
Liza Miezejeski is a leader both on and off the water for the Valley Regional crew team. Liza, who will captain the squad for the second-straight season in her upcoming senior year, is not only one of the Warriors’ top rowers—she’s also spearheading a fundraising campaign with hopes of bringing in new boats and equipment, in addition to helping find a new location for them to practice. Valley currently uses Old Lyme High School’s equipment after the Wildcats are finished.
“We want to grow the program and, to do that, we have to have our own equipment, boats, and home to practice at,” says Liza, a Deep River resident. “We have organized events at the Deep River Muster, where we sold water and raised over $400. We have a booth at the Chester Farmers’ Market and car wash at the Chester Firehouse on [Sunday] Aug. 7 from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and we will have a Race the Rower game set up at the Chester Fair on [Friday, Aug. 26, Saturday, Aug. 27, and Sunday, Aug. 28]. Anything we can do to help make this possible, we’ll do.”
This spring, Liza helped the Valley crew team place fourth at the state meet from her position as a rower in the bow on the first boat. When in the second boat, Liza rows up front and sets the pace in the stroke position. Head Coach John Laundon praises Liza for the dedication she’s displayed in assisting his program in all areas.
“One of Liza’s main assets is her commitment to the team. She goes out of her way to help the new rowers acclimate and has taken on the major campaign for fundraising to get new boats for the team,” Laundon says. “She was incredibly helpful in securing our new location for practice at Cedar Lake in Chester and is selfless and determined to make all our goals possible.”
Liza had no rowing experience before arriving at Valley, but she’s progressed immensely, and her improvement shows up in the numbers. Shortly before the 2016 season began, Liza recorded a time of 9:02 in the team’s 2K test—a mark that was about 10 minutes faster than her time as a freshman. By the end of the spring, she had trimmed that time by a full minute to 8:02.
“My goal is to get down to 7:45 in the 2K test next year. I have a rowing machine at home I practice on and I’m pushing myself to use it, so I can get my time down,” says Liza, who’s been a varsity rower all three years. “I really like being on the water and crew is difficult and intense, but at the same time, it’s also calming. Being inches above the water and gliding through it is very peaceful. It’s also the ultimate team sport. The coxswain is the brain and the rowers are the body. Everyone has to be succinct and working in unison to be successful, so you build a stronger connection with your teammates than you do in other sports.”
Liza has also competed on the varsity level with the Valley gymnastics team for the past three seasons. Next winter, she will be one of senior captains for the Warriors.
“She is very steady, a hard worker, and always positive,” says Coach Carl Cavrell. “Liza is always helping out the other gymnasts, never misses a practice or a meet, and was voted captain this season. She even coaches for us with the kid’s classes in her spare time. She has a great personality, works really well with the kids, and very few gymnasts are selected to help teach the kids classes and Liza is one of those few.”
When she isn’t on the water or the gymnastics mat, Liza spends time doing volunteer work and has a goal of one day working with children internationally. The National Honor Society member is also the co-vice president of the Leo Club, which is the junior version of the Lions Club in which members work with elderly people in the community and purchase holiday meals and gifts for families in need. Liza even spent two weeks helping to build an orphanage in Tanzania. Coach Laundon feels that Liza sets a great example for her peers and that’s a big reason why she earned the captain’s hat for two teams at Valley.
“Liza is one of our top rowers and always shows up, even though she does gymnastics all year-round, as well. Her effort never fails and she is a role model,” he says “She was voted by her teammates to be a captain her junior year and now as a senior, too. I never have to worry about Liza giving it her all every day.”
Liza embraces her role as a captain for Valley crew and uses the position to do anything she can for betterment of the team. Liza joined senior Michaela Pace as a captain this year and saw her leadership abilities soar.
“There was only so much you can do as a regular team member. I was able to create our Facebook page and do a few other things to help, but I was over the moon when I was asked to become captain this year,” Liza says. “Michaela taught me so much about being a leader and how to conduct the girls in practice and at races. And now that I am captain again with Ally [Brennan], who’s a junior, we can do so much more for fundraising with the booster club, the school’s administration, Athletic Director [Jeff] Swan, [fundraising committee chairman] Paul Just, and [assistant chair] Lauren Gister, who have all been so helpful. Also, Coach Laundon was a lifesaver. I emailed about 60 coaches in Connecticut, asking them to be our coach, and he was the only one who agreed and applied...Hopefully, we can keep pushing to be a better, stronger team and be independent with our own boats and equipment.”