Sammamish Rowing Association Partners with Positive Coaching Alliance to Benefit Youth Rowers.8/30/2018
Sammamish Rowing Association has established a three-year partnership with the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA), a national non-profit developing "Better Athletes, Better People" by working to provide all youth and high school athletes a positive, character-building sports experience.
The partnership provides SRA access to PCA’s training for coaches, sports parents, student-athletes and administrators, comprising live group workshops, online courses, books by PCA Founder Jim Thompson and additional online resources, such as e-mailed follow-up tips and reminders. PCA has partnered with roughly 3,500 youth sports organizations, schools, districts, conferences, and park-and-rec departments to create a Development ZoneTM culture, where the goal is using youth and high school sports to develop Better Athletes, Better People, Thompson said. “We look forward to working with SRA to create the best possible experience for the youth athletes. Our research-based materials combine the latest in sports psychology, education and practical advice from top pro and college coaches and athletes that help improve athletic performance while also ensuring kids take life lessons from sports that will help them throughout the rest of their lives.” “Our coaches and staff are driven by the opportunity to positively impact the lives of our rowers,” SRA Executive Director Steven Freygang said. “The PCA partnership will help us expand on that opportunity and strengthen the connection between coaches, parents, and rowers.” The workshops are scheduled to begin on September 8. For information about the dates and locations, please contact Steven Freygang and click here to learn more about the partnership. About Positive Coaching Alliance Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) develops BETTER ATHLETES, BETTER PEOPLE through resources for youth and high school sports coaches, parents, administrators and student-athletes. In addition to more than 1,800 free multimedia tips and tools at www.PCADevZone.org, PCA has partnered with roughly 3,500 schools and youth sports organizations nationwide to deliver more than 20,000 live group workshops, along with online courses and books by PCA Founder Jim Thompson that help those involved in youth and high school sports create a positive, character-building youth sports culture. PCA resources, which have reached more than 8.6 million youth, strive to transform high school and youth sports into a Development Zone® culture, where the goal is to develop Better Athletes, Better People and the following become the prevailing models in youth and high school sports:
PCA gains support from a National Advisory Board, including National Spokesperson and 11-time NBA Champion Coach Phil Jackson, and many other top coaches, athletes, organization leaders and academics who share PCA’s mission. Sammamish Rowing Association is excited to announce the hiring of Ethan Currie and Elizabeth Wilson. Ethan and Elizabeth will be filling positions with the junior men's team and the 5am master's team starting this fall.
Ethan comes to SRA from Vesper Boat Club in Philadelphia and the Forman School in Litchfield, CT. He is currently the head coach of the junior summer program at Vesper Boat Club and worked as an assistant coach and history teacher at Forman, a private boarding school that specializes in students with learning differences. Ethan also worked for Mendota Rowing Club in Madison, WI for three years coaching their masters programs. Ethan will be coaching the junior experienced boys with Head Coach Eliza Dickson, and also the 5am masters with Head Coach Tom Woodman. Elizabeth joins SRA having recently graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in sports management. While at Florida Elizabeth served in student government for four years and was also a program assistant and lead fitness instructor for University of Florida Department of Recreational Sports. Elizabeth is currently working for the PGA Tour in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL in human resources. Prior to college, Elizabeth rowed for Winter Park High School in Winter Park, FL. "I am so excited to be joining Sammamish Rowing Association and I am ready to get back into the rowing community," Wilson said. "This sport has given me countless friendships and memories that I will cherish forever and I am so excited to create more. Rowing, in my opinion, is the most physically demanding sport there is, but it teaches you so much about grit, leadership, teamwork, and humility. I am thrilled to be given to opportunity to pass on the lessons I've learned from the sport to others." Elizabeth will be coaching the junior novice boys with Novice Coach Simon Williams, and also the 5am masters novice rowers with Head Coach Tom Woodman. Dennis began coaching at SRA in 2013 following a successful coxing career at Sammamish Rowing Association and the University of Washington. Sammamish Rowing Association is excited to announce that Dennis Ferrer will be returning as an assistant coach with the junior women's team this fall. Dennis will be assuming leadership responsibility for the team while Junior Women's Head Coach Kelley Pope is out on maternity leave through the end of 2018, and will continue as an assistant coach upon Pope's return in January.
"In evaluating the options it was clear from the start that Dennis was the right person," Executive Director Steven Freygang said. "Dennis lives and breathes SRA, he knows our values and culture, will bring stability to the rowers and coaches on the junior women's team, and he already knows many of our rowers and families." Dennis played an integral role in the broad growth and success of SRA over the past five years. He has coached across multiple programs and worked with rowers at all levels. Dennis has coached multiple regional championship crews and led the Sammamish Men's Lightweight 8+ to a sixth place finish at the 2015 USRowing Youth National Championships - a program best. Dennis returns following a successful stint at Altig - American Income Life Insurance Company in San Jose, CA. In addition to coaching with the women's team, Dennis will be assisting the masters programs in role that will add a fourth coach to each masters team one day per week in anticipation of continued program growth. Dennis will also be filling a newly created director of membership and community position, focusing on member recruitment, engagement, and retention across the organization. In this role Dennis will serve as the community voice of SRA and will work to ensure that we are continuously adding value to the Sammamish rowing experience. For Sammamish Rowing Association, California is indeed the Golden State. For the fourth year in a row, the Pacific Northwest rowing club’s men’s team swept up the gold medal – and an enormous trophy – in the Masters C (average age 43-49) race at the San Diego Crew Classic, the largest rowing regatta in the world. This powerhouse team also laid claim to two gold medals at the 2017 Head of the Charles, where it set a course record, beating the previous record by nearly 10 seconds.
The Head of the Charles and the Crew Classic are the two races every year that have the toughest competition in the Masters category and have become our focus for our top rowers,” said Sammamish Coach Tom Woodman. He added that the result “was a testament to the conditioning of our crew and the depth of our team.” Woodman, a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic rowing team, has been coaching the Sammamish 5 a.m. team since 2007. Andy Lynch, who stroked the winning boat, declared that “being coached, trained, and selected by Tom Woodman year in and year out has been what really made such consistent success possible.” He also expressed appreciation for teammates who supported and pushed the crew “in the cold, in the dark, in the wind.” Lynch noted that winning at the San Diego Crew Classic for the fourth straight year was just as exhilarating as the first three, maybe more so since five of us did two events this year and that final was our second all-out 2k race of the day. That definitely made it harder to get ahead and stay ahead.” A regular competitor in national regattas including San Diego, the Head of the Charles, and Junior Nationals, Sammamish sent nearly 100 junior and master athletes to the Crew Classic this year and came home with a range of impressive results. The boys varsity and junior varsity teams both placed fourth overall, the first time either crew advanced to the Grand Final. The girls junior varsity team placed first in the Petite Final, defending its title from last year, and the girls varsity team placed third in the Petite Final. The Sammamish novice women A boat advanced to the Grand Final and placed sixth, while the B boat, competing in San Diego for the first time, placed fourth in the Petite Final. In addition to gold in the Men’s C race, Sammamish masters took third in the Women’s E (average age 55-59) race. With two entries in the Club 8 and both boats advancing to the Grand Final, Sammamish paced third and eighth. Sammamish women and men placed fifth and eighth respectively in their D (average age 50-54) races, and Sammamish took fifth in the petite final of the Women’s Club event. Sammamish will accelerate toward the finish of the spring racing season with Junior Regionals in May, Junior Nationals and Masters Regionals in June, and Masters Nationals in August. Based out of Marymoor Park in Redmond, Washington, Sammamish Rowing Association has nearly 400 members on its middle school, high school, and masters teams, plus another hundred or more who come through the doors each year for Row for a Day and Learn to Row programs. For more on Sammamish Rowing Association, follow the team on Facebook and Instagram (@sammamishrowing). CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Sammamish Rowing took the east coast by storm at the 53rd annual Head of the Charles Regatta with course records and two gold-medal finishes. The world’s largest two-day rowing event drew over 10,000 competitors to blue skies and blazing-fast conditions. Sammamish had six crews racing at the 2017 regatta.
The Sammamish men’s masters fours dominated the internationally-competitive race and brought home gold medals from the Men’s Grand Master Fours (60+) and Men’s Master Fours (40+) events – the first Head of the Charles championship ever for SRA. The grand master crew with coxswain and SRA alumnus Kate Grimaldi, Scott Merritt, Kevin Hansen, Mark Norelius, and Marc McGinnis set a course record of 18:04.515, beating the previous record by nearly 10 seconds. In the master fours race, the crew with coxswain and SRA alumnus Lia Roberds, Jonathan Kallay, William Senenko, Tyler Simpson, and Andrew Lynch beat the previous course record by just over two seconds and finished over 30 seconds ahead of second place Zwolsche from the Netherlands with a time of 16:59.544. “I was very pleased with the results,” said coach Tom Woodman. “It was a huge accomplishment for SRA to win its first ever gold medal, and to do that in two events was outstanding. We have been trying for many years to find that level of success at the HOCR and it was nice to finally achieve that goal. The depth of this team is amazing - the way they push each other, fill holes when people were absent, and form competitive boats to do pieces against the HOCR group was critical to our success.” The Women's Senior Master Fours (50+) and Men's Senior Master Eights (50+) also finished strong, placing 9th out of 46 women’s fours and 11th out of 57 master eights. In the Women’s Senior Master Eights (50+) event, Sammamish finished in 6th place with a time of 18:26.33 and less than five seconds separating 2nd through 6th place. “The crew had a stellar performance at HOCR this past weekend,” said coach Molly Lawrence. “We have been working very hard in preparation for the regatta and the ladies stepped up and put down their fastest time yet. We are excited to build off this momentum and come back stronger and tougher next fall.” For the final event of the weekend, Sammamish raced in the Directors' Challenge Mixed Eight for the second consecutive year. The crew finished 13th out of 40 amongst a deep field of national and international competitors. “This year’s weather and calm conditions made for a lot of new course records,” said coach Lee Henderson. “The Directors challenge Mixed 8 laid down their best race of the season and really rowed well, maintaining an average split we’ve been working towards. It’s been a great journey with lots of preparation and a very solid result to show for it against some of the best in the world.” Sammamish will cap off the fall racing season on November 5 at the Head of the Lake regatta in Seattle, WA. For more on Sammamish Rowing, follow the team on Facebook and Instagram (@sammamishrowing). Eliza Dickson comes to SRA following coaching stints at Oklahoma City University, Sarasota Crew, and the Pinecrest School. Eliza Dickson will take over as the Sammamish Rowing Association Head Men's Coach for the junior program, SRA Executive Director Steven Freygang announced Tuesday. Eliza will join Sammamish following four years with Oklahoma City University where the team saw best-ever finishes at the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Regatta (SIRA) and Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA). Prior to Oklahoma, Dickson led Sarasota Crew to several state and regional championships as the varsity boy's coach, and a national championship in 2013.
"I am thrilled to have Eliza joining our team," Freygang said. "Her passion for the sport and commitment to developing successful student-athletes is really impressive. Eliza's resume speaks for itself, but it was really her alignment with our core values that made it clear she was the right fit for Sammamish. I was coaching in Florida against Eliza while she was at Sarasota Crew. I saw the program rising first hand. It was really amazing. Sarasota pioneered a new way of doing things, and I think Eliza will bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to Sammamish." Eliza was hired following a national search for a permanent head coach. Eliza rowed at Washington College under legendary coach Mike Davenport where she earned a degree in Political Science in 1996. Just after graduating, Eliza began coaching at Annapolis Rowing Club, followed by coaching positions at Miami Rowing Center, the Pine Crest School, and Sarasota Crew. Sarasota saw explosive growth and success under Eliza's direction, leading to multiple state and regional championships. From 2010 to 2013, the Sarasota Varsity 8+ placed 9th, 4th, 2nd, and 1st at the USRowing Youth National Championships. "I am humbled and grateful for this opportunity and excited to lead the junior boys, as well as assist with our masters program and work to develop future programming with our senior-leadership staff. After 4 years learning and growing as a collegiate coach, and wonderful opportunities provided to me by the Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation, I realized I truly missed both the challenges and rewards of coaching and developing junior rowers," Dickson said. "In just a brief visit to Sammamish, I saw a professional organization with supportive leadership from its board and senior staff who all share the same values, commitment, and passion that I have for rowing and coaching." Dickson's background also includes High Performance and Development coaching at the Oklahoma City National High Performance Center, in addition to coaching masters and junior rowers at the Craftsbury Sculling Center in Vermont. In 2015, she was named the Women's Coach for the US Team at the World University Games in South Korea.
SRA GALA: THE RISE
HONOR THE PAST | CELEBRATE THE PRESENT | SHAPE THE FUTURE February 10, 2017 | 6:30 p.m. Register for the SRA Gala today to help raise funds for new equipment in 2017. Since 2015, SRA has purchased nine new boats with your support! Help expand the fleet and celebrate a monumental year at SRA with your teammates, friends, and family. Registration Open Now: CLICK HERE to log in and purchase your tickets. $100 Adults | $50 Juniors* Prices increase on January 20 *Juniors must be accompanied by a parent Pickering Barn 1730 10th Avenue NW Issaquah, WA 98027 It has been a great couple weeks for Sammamish racing at both the Head of the Charles and Portland Fall Classic. At the Head of the Charles, we had 12 entries, with 7 of them placing in the top 10 in their event.
The Head of the Charles Regatta started in 1965 and has been a staple of fall racing season for many crews nationally and internationally. Over 11,000 athletes compete for top prizes in a 3 mile course on the Charles River. It is an incredible race, and Sammamish has 12 entries this year which include Men's Youth 8+, Women's Youth 8+, Women's Senior Master 8+ (50+), 2 Men's Senior Master 4+s (50+), 2 Men's Master 4+s (40+), Women's Senior Master 4+ (50+), Women's Master 4+ (40+), Men's Master 8+ (40+), DC Mixed 8+, and DC Mixed 2x. Keep up to date with the race and the results at www.hocr.org
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