In that short time, the 16-year-old Montara resident has made her presence known.
Rowing for the NorCal Crew, based in Redwood City, Annunziata earned two first-place medals at the 2007 USRowing Southwest Regional Youth Championships, held in Sacramento last month.
 Less then a year after joining the NorCal Crew Club in Redwood City, Cassie Annunziata was part of a national title, winning at the Women's Youth Lightweight division. |
"I wanted to try something new," Annunziata said. "A friend told me to try this out. I really liked it."
The soon-to-be senior at Notre Dame High School in Belmont has also tried her hand at Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Kuk Sool Won. Her work in the novice boats got her moved up to the varsity.
"She learned very quickly," said program director Mike Still. "She knows how to be very efficient with her energy."
Still said Annunziata earned an array of nicknames from her teammates - all given with love.
"I call her 'Midas,' because everything she does has the Midas touch," Still said.
Her teammates say her best talent is her full-to-bursting personality.
"She is full of energy," teammate Sarah Gregg said. "She gives out lots of hugs."
Annunziata didn't get right into the varsity boat. It took some time.
"We had a lot of different people tryout for the varsity," Gregg said. "When she tried out, everything came together for us."
Annunziata displayed her talents at a regatta in Long Beach. NorCal came in second, losing by less then a second.
NorCal finished second in its first heat to advance to the semifinals. It easily won its semifinal heat by five seconds to qualify for the finals. There NorCal turned its fastest time of the meet, completing the 2,000-meter course in 7 minutes, 54.96 seconds.
In the end, NorCal won the title by more than three seconds in 8:34.60. A stiff head wind slowed the boats in the finals.
"We used it to our favor," Annunziata said. "We started out strong."
In the third leg of the race, NorCal picked it up.
"That's our strong part of the race," Annunziata said.
While she, Gregg and her other rowers, Caroline Clark and Andrea Panayides, continued with their stroke, coxswain Pauline Nguyen noticed the competition was tiring.
"She told us that we have to take advantage," Annunziata said.
The result was opening up the lead and winning going away. The Wayland-Weston crew from Wayland, Mass., was second.
"At the end of the race, we were so tired, but we didn't feel it because we were so happy to win," Annunziata said.
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