nationalrowingfoundation

The NRF Announces Jamie Koven and Marcia Hooper As New Board Co-Chairs

nationalrowingfoundation — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:17:18 +0000

MYSTIC, Conn., February 3, 2012 — The National Rowing Foundation (NRF) is pleased to announce that at its 2012 Annual Meeting Marcia Hooper and Jamie Koven were elected Co-Chairs of the Board of the NRF. Anne Martin and Dick Cashin who stepped down as Co-Chairs have both joined the Executive Committee of the Board. The Directors and Trustees were highly grateful for all the contributions made by Dick and Anne during their ten year tenure and welcomed Marcia and Jamie. Jamie Koven has deep understanding of competitive rowing spanning over three decades. He is currently training for the 2012 Olympics and competed in both the 1996 and 2000 Olympics. Jamie rowed at St. Paul’s School and at Brown University, where he rowed to three national championships. He began his international racing career in 1990 as member of the Junior National Team and was a member of the US National Team from 1993 through 2000. Jamie won the world championships twice, in the Eight in 1994 and in the Single in 1997. Jamie is a Partner at One Equity Partners and in 2009 was appointed a Steward of the Henley Royal Regatta. Marcia Hooper is dedicated supporter of rowing and has been involved with the sport since the mid-1970’s when she helped launch Brown Women’s Crew program. She has remained involved with Brown University serving as Co-President of the Friends of Brown Women’s Crew; she is member of the President’s Advisory Council on Athletics and an officer of the Brown University Sports Foundation. She is a Director of the Head of the Charles Regatta, and formerly served as Treasurer of the NRF. “Dick and I could not be more excited to have two such talented people step up to chair the NRF. Jamie’s commitment to the sport of rowing and his deep personal knowledge of the needs of US Rowing is a great asset. Marcia’s strengths in business, organization and fundraising will be highly valued as the NRF seeks to meet the needs of our Senior and Junior National Team athletes in rowing.” said Anne Martin. About the National Rowing Foundation: The National Rowing Foundation was founded in 1966 to raise funds to support international competition for rowers representing the United States of America. In its 45-year history it has grown to support rowers at all levels, Olympic, Senior, Under-23, and Junior National teams. The NRF raises funds to cover the cost of travel, equipment, training, facilities and other support where needed through US Rowing. Through the efforts of the NRF over $20MM has been donated to support our USA athletes in their pursuit of excellence and winning. The NRF also oversees and manages the National Rowing Hall of Fame and the Museum of Rowing History in Mystic, Conn. Please visit http://www.natrowing.org for more information. ### For additional information: Mara Keggi Ford (203) 525-6566 National Rowing Foundation; E-mail: mwkford@aol.com

Sunny San Diego

nationalrowingfoundation — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 04:01:52 +0000

It’s finally here! 2012 means for us, first and foremost, the year of the London Olympic Games. The Opening Ceremonies are less than 200 days away, nearing closer and closer. The women’s team is currently training at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA and we are loving it! The weather is perfect, the lake is beautiful and we are all looking less and less pale each day (I hope!). The facilities here are quite incredible, all the physical therapy we could wish for is right next door, limitless meals are provided for, and we are all able to stay on site for the full length of the training camp. So, definitely nothing to complain about! Except perhaps a lack of transportation, but many of the women have chosen to rent cars while we’re here.

Last week all the rowers here were required to participate in the USOC’s Olympic Ambassador Program. The highlight was definitely having the opportunity to meet some incredible Olympians. Bob Kaehler (the rowing world definitely recognizes his name), Dan O’Brien (Olympic Gold Medalist in the Decathlon) and Connie Paraskevin (five-time Olympian in cycling and speed skating) were the appointed ambassadors who led the program and did a great job. Hearing about their athletic careers and accounts of what the Olympic Games are like was really cool, especially for those of us who haven’t been.

Training is going well, we’re working hard and looking forward to racing at NSRs in mid-March.

Until next time, thanks for all your support of the NRF!

Meet Team USA: Adrienne Martelli

nationalrowingfoundation — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:12:58 +0000

In an effort to introduce the women currently training in Princeton to you, each post will highlight someone different. To start off we have Adrienne Martelli, a silver medalist at this year’s World Championships in Bled.

Hailing from University Place, Washington, Adrienne was a standout runner and basketball player in high school. She began rowing at the University of Washington in 2006 as a walk-on. At UW she won the Varsity 4+ as a sophomore in 2008, raced in the Varsity 8+ her junior and senior years and served as Captain her senior year.

2008 NCAA Championships - UW Varsity 4+

She entered the national team scene in 2009 when she made the Under-23 Women’s 8+ that won silver in Racice, Czech Republic. After graduating in 2010, Adrienne moved to Princeton to train full-time with the Senior National Team.

2009 World Rowing Championships - Women's 8+ Silver Medalists

In 2010 she earned a spot in the Women’s 4- that won bronze at the World Championships in Karapiro, New Zealand.

2010 World Championships - Women's 4- Bronze Medalists

After recovering from a back injury this past winter, she went on to place second in the Women’s 4x at Worlds. Not only is Adrienne a versatile rower, transitioning from sweep to sculling at such an elite level in just one year, she is also one tough competitor. She can school even the fastest runners on our frequent runs around the lake and is one of the hardest workers on our team.

2011 World Championships - Women's 4x Silver Medalists

Meet Adrienne! (click the link to see her interview on our YouTube channel!)

Early Testing: Fall Speed Orders 2011

nationalrowingfoundation — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 23:19:30 +0000

We’re eight weeks into the Olympic year and it’s already time for the first round of selection. First, it’s unbelievable to me that eight weeks have gone by. It feels like I was flying home from Bled just yesterday, antsy for the training cycle to begin. This fall, while challenging at times for everyone in regards to injury, new technique and cold temperatures, we’ve logged some solid miles. But now it’s time to prove it. I’ve never raced in a fall speed order before, so I’m eager to see what it’s all about. I’m definitely looking forward to having more rowers around, just watching the Princeton Chase was a blast. Hopefully the weather will hold up and it won’t be too windy! Although I do like headwinds…

The West Coast Fall Speed Order starts tomorrow morning with a good ol’ 6k erg followed by a 6k on the water on Friday. Here is the link to USRowing for more info and here is the RegattaCentral link to view entries.

The East Coast Fall Speed Order starts Saturday afternoon with a 6k erg test and then a 4.5k row (or however short you can make the course with the big turn) on Sunday morning. Here is the USRowing link and the RegattaCentral link for entries.

In any case, should be an interesting next couple of days and help determine what’s in store these next couple of months for Team USA.

Check back for some video and interviews with national team members.

Until next time!

Head of the Charles 2011

nationalrowingfoundation — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 22:33:00 +0000

It’s that time of year again, finally! It’s the only rowing event in the US, where thousands of people come to watch. Plus, this year is especially exciting because we missed last year due to Worlds being so late. Unfortunately, none of the women are racing like we had originally hoped but at least we get to go. Although I would much rather race, this will be my first year as a spectator and I can’t wait to see all the collisions… I mean, fasboats. And, the weather is supposed to be beautiful, much different than our last Charles experience complete with snow and sleet back in 2009.

There are a few exciting things coming up for the NRF. The annual National Team Alumni Reception and Reunion is this Saturday in Boston, so come stop by between 4 and 6:30 pm. Then, on November 30 the NRF is co-hosting the Golden Oar Awards (for the first time!) with USRowing. You can find more information about the event here: http://www.usrowing.org/Events/GoldenOarsDinner.aspx.

Hope to see you there and thanks for all your support, you make our journey possible day in and day out!

Day Three in Munich

nationalrowingfoundation — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 06:21:26 +0000

On thewomen’s side of things, we all left for Newark International Airport on Tuesday and got to the airport three hours ahead of time (per usual). Everyone got through check-in and security without any issues, although how is it that every time I travel somewhere I pack a ridiculous amount? I pledge to myself constantly, “ok, next time I will take only one bag and by God, that will be all I take.” Every time I fail. Jamie Redman, who is now a Premier member because she so efficiently recorded all her miles, always comes to my rescue and checks my second bag for me. This positive reinforcement is probably not helping my pledge…

We arrived in Munich some eight hours later and got to the hotel with no issues. However, Caroline and I, along with Martelli and Stesha, had to wait another hour to get our rooms. No biggie. We rigged and rowed in the afternoon and went for a swim in the lake. The water is gorgeous, nice and cool. It’s actually very trippy to be able to see the bottom of the lake for the entire 2k down. Definitely not the same as the murky waters of Lake Carnegie back in Princeton. The hotel is nice enough, even though the bathrooms are quite tiny. So far, we don’t have much to report because any down time we have is mandatory resting. Let’s just say a whole lot of movie watching and crossword puzzling is happening. The women’s team leaves on Monday for Bled and them men’s team leaves on Wednesday.

Until next time!

PS- Videos to come!

One Year Out

nationalrowingfoundation — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 15:13:30 +0000

It’s amazing to be one year out from the next Olympic games. It feels to me, as Beijing was still just a couple of months ago, let alone Athens being almost 8 years ago. The day-to-day training is so similar I tend to forget all the amazement, excitement, and enjoyment the Olympics offers. When you are living and breathing the games side by side with a group of people who are doing the same, you become sheltered from build up the rest of the world is feeling. Olympians and hopefuls live by a motto “It is not every 4 years it is every day” because we must. You have to put in the years of training just to have a chance at representing the country and gain that moment of glory. The hard work during the years between the games starts to see pay off as the 365 day countdown begins. Slowly you start to realize that you and your teammates have fans. As the year turns to months you start to discover that its not just your hometown and family but your state is watching you get ready. As the naming date approaches newspapers are emailing and calling asking about YOU. As those months become weeks you discover that the world is watching and waiting for this 4 year drought to end. The worlds best athletes are about to compete and you have given yourself a chance to be part of it. The most amazing part of the whole experience is when it come time for it to start…it all goes away. It is still you and the team you have grown close to, the other men around you that you would do anything for, and it’s a 6-lane boat race that you want your bow ball to cross the line first.

Gearing Up For World Cup III: Lucerne

nationalrowingfoundation — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 10:04:53 +0000

Greetings and welcome to the official blog of the NRF. Both Dan Walsh and I (the current Shields Fellows) are trying to launch a social media campaign that will help connect the NRF and all of its many generous supporters to current USA athletes. Using Twitter, YouTube and this blog, we will try to update you as much as possible about all of our training and racing adventures. So, here it goes!

After lots of fun racing at the Henley Royal Regatta, both the men and women’s teams left for Switzerland early Monday morning. The trip from London to Zurich and then to Lucerne was fairly uneventful, which always seems to be a good sign when traveling. We are all staying at Hotel Continental-Park except for a small portion of the men’s team who are residing with host families. After squishing five to a house (and four to an attic where I was), this hotel and all its space is a welcome change from Henley. My roommate, Jamie Redman, and I even have an overhead shower head and mood lighting (blue and red lights along the walls). So, no complaints with the accommodations here.

As a newbie, or “noob” as many of my teammates like to call the young kids, I have never been to Lucerne let alone a World Cup regatta. Therefore, everything is quite new and exciting for me. Today the course was swarming with rowers from all over. The past two days have been fairly quiet, but seeing as racing begins tomorrow, the world is definitely here. I cannot get over how beautiful the course is, let alone the entire city of Lucerne. As a girl from Colorado, I am loving the mountains in the backdrop. The people here are extremely friendly, my teammate Caroline Lind and I met a group of young boys and girls on the bus who asked us all sorts of questions and even friended us on Facebook. They could speak German, French, Spanish and English fluently, all at a mere 8 years old. Makes me feel pretty lousy about my pathetic knowledge of Spanish, even after 7 years of studying the language. Anyways, life is good, the food is delicious, Marc Nowak is here (our amazing physical therapist), so we’re all feeling good and everyone seems to be on the same page (I walked into the middle of the men’s team meeting last night accidentally, so embarrassing).

A big thank you to the NRF, Team USA is fortunate to be here and we are ready to race!
Cheers,

Taylor Ritzel