Dear Parents and Rowers,
On behalf of the school and the athletic department, we want to share some very exciting news about the upcoming crew season! Thanks to some hard work fundraising over the past few years and a very generous donation from the Forman family, we will be purchasing a new, stern-coxed four in time for the 2017 season. The GDS crew program will now have two 8s and two 4s to use at practice and regattas. Our expanded fleet will make a huge difference in our preparation for races, as we’ll now be able to race each other in practice on a daily basis.
The coaching staff is very excited about this opportunity. Speaking of coaching staff, we are very excited that Alan will be returning as head coach and to work with the men’s varsity team; Josh is also returning as the women’s varsity team head coach.
Joining us this year will be Kyle Pepin, who rowed in high school and at Michigan Technological University and will serve GDS as head coach of novices. And we are lucky to have assisting with all of the programs Patrick Lally, who has over 30 years of rowing experience. Finally, Paul will continue to coordinate crew logistics.
We have a lot of exciting opportunities on the water this year.
- We’ll go on our second annual spring break trip to Camp Bob. Athletes will depart for this trip at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, March 24 and return around 5:00 p.m. on the 29. We will be sending an information packet on this trip out in the near future.
- On Saturday, April 22, we’ll have the chance to give back to the community by participating in the Anacostia Community Boathouse Association’s annual shoreline clean up morning, ahead of an exciting scrimmage with Holton, Holy Cross, Elizabeth Seaton, and Bishop Ireton.
- The following weekend, we’ll participate for the first time in the Maryland State Rowing Championships, taking our first strokes ever on the Chester River on Sunday, April 30.
- The WMIRA Novice Regatta will be on Saturday, May 6, on the Anacostia, and the WMIRA League Championships will take place on the Potomac on Saturday, May 13, giving the GDS community a great opportunity to see us in action.
- And our varsity season will again conclude with Hoppers rowing at the Stotesbury Cup Regatta in Philadelphia. [May 18 – 20]
In short, we are very excited about the upcoming crew season!
Also, don’t miss the mandatory crew pre-season meeting on Tuesday, February 14 at 7:00 p.m. in the High School Internet Cafe. All new and returning rowers and one parent/guardian should plan to attend to meet the coaches and get information about the season. For more information, please contact Lisa Kleine.
Thank you for your hard work making GDS Crew the embodiment of a small, fierce group of competitive athletes. Beware Hoppers on the water!
Sincerely,
Kathy Hudson
Athletic Director
Paul Bolstad
Crew Logistics Coordinator
HS History & English Teacher