If you have trouble viewing this newsletter, please CLICK HERE
PRINT | ARCHIVE | VIDEO | E-MAIL
     
A Washington Rowing Stewards Publication
January 1, 2009
Huskies at the 2008 Head of the Charles

Head of the Charles


Thanks to the hard work of Charlie Clapp, Mike Urness, Ned Flint, Michael Chudzik, Fred Schoch, Mike Hess and a group of their east coast Husky friends, along with support from the UW Alumni Association and the Athletic Department, a large contingent of fans and friends were on hand to cheer the Huskies at the Head of the Charles. No one was disappointed.

Athletes and fans along the Charles River were greeted by blustery weather but it didn’t seem to bother either Husky boat as they powered to top finishes. The men took on Brown, the French National Team, California, Northeastern and six other strong rowing squads and won the Men’s Championship 8 event in 14:28.09

In the Women’s Championship 8 race, our women finished sixth Among the collegiate crews, however, they lost only to Yale. Those who looked closely noticed that our Husky women crossed the finish line just nine seconds behind the U.S. Training Center team. We hope you are as jazzed as we are to find the women back among the best with a legitimate shot in the national championships next spring.

On the morning of the race, Husky alumni, fans and athletes were treated to brunch at the finish line in the National Rowing Foundation tent. Special guests included Beijing Olympics gold medal winner Mary Whipple and Husky Olympians Wyatt Allen, Scott Gault, Megan Kalmoe, and Brian Volpenhein.

The Head of the Charles regatta has become an important stop for all top-tier rowing programs. We intend to build on this great first effort to make it a permanent part of the fall rowing schedule. It couldn’t have happened without the great support of our East coast alumni. Charlie Clapp’s crew raised money to offset much of the expense of the trip and pulled out all the stops to make everyone welcome.



Hard Times and Husky Crew


Just about all of us are concerned about financial futures these days. With markets down, savings under attack, costs rising and jobs harder to find, belt tightening has become the order of the day.

And that includes your rowing program. Much of our success is financed by your gifts and the coaching staff is dedicated to making the most of that support. Every gifted dollar goes straight to the program; every spent dollar is applied wisely with one mission in mind: success on and off the water.

We thank you for making your annual gift a higher priority on your contribution list this year, and we pledge to continue to run a frugal program. For more on the subject, please see the article “On Husky Dreams” later in this newsletter.



Head of the Lake


The fall racing season ended on November 9th with the 27th annual Head of the Lake Regatta co-hosted by the University of Washington and the Lake Washington Rowing Club. This year's edition ran 33 races with participants from three countries, nine states and 55 rowing clubs.

After a four year experiment with a new course layout, the regatta reverted this year to the "classic" three mile course set in 1981. Starting at boathouse row on Lake Union, the rowers raced through the Montlake Cut, out onto Lake Washington and finished at Conibear Shellhouse.

To ramp up the competition, Michael Callahan split his varsity and second varsity eights and entered them in the collegiate fours competition. The third and fourth varsity eights were entered in the varsity and second varsity races. The third varsity was up to the challenge, beating the University of British Columbia and Gonzaga in the Men's Collegiate Open 8 race.

The fourth varsity finished third behind Gonzaga and the University of Victoria in the Men's Collegiate Junior Varsity 8 race. As predicted, the Huskies took the first four spots in the Men's Collegiate 4 race.

The women's side used small boats in their fall training plan, as well. Bob Ernst split his women into pairs and had them race for spots in the top boats. The four fastest pairs made up the varsity, which entered the Women's Collegiate 8 race and came home in first place ahead of Washington State University and the University of British Columbia.

The next four pairs entered the second varsity race and also took first, finishing ahead of WSU and Gonzaga. Three more Husky boats entered the third varsity race, coming home in first, fourth and fifth places. The Husky women also took the first three places in the Collegiate Women's 4 race.

It was a great day to be a Husky.



Dave McLean Golf Tournament


October 30th was an auspicious day for the rowing program. Pete McLean and his family presented a check for $9,500 to Coaches Ernst and Callahan, proceeds from the second annual Dave McLean Memorial Golf Tournament.

Many of you from the '60s will remember Dave McLean, a Husky who was taken too early in life. Dave toiled for three years in the Husky shells and made friendships that lasted his entire life. He raised his family to stories of his time at the Conibear Shellhouse and made the point that rowing was one of the supreme highlights of his life.

Looking for a way to honor Dave, the family decided to sponsor a golf tournament and turn the proceeds over to the Husky rowing program. Building on the lessons from last two years, Pete and his group are already hard at work planning a bigger and better 2009 edition. And to top off the good news, the McLeans have announced that future proceeds from the tournament will be applied to a scholarship endowment in Dave's name so that future generations of Husky rowers will be able to attend the University and build memories of their own.

Look for announcements about the 3rd annual Dave McLean Memorial Golf Tournament soon.



The McLean family with Coach Callahan and
Coach Ernst in the Captains Room



The Wall


You’ve visited the rebuilt Conibear. You know trophy space is limited. You’ve probably deduced that photos and trophies and other great stuff are packed away in storage. It’s true, and that’s why we are particularly pleased to announce two new important additions to our displayed memorabilia.

Remember The Wall? It’s back! Current rowers Blaise Didier and Roko Svast, have remounted and framed the large cedar panels in the large erg room, while Jamie North and Graham Oglend have been hard at work bringing the names on The Wall up to date. Be sure to pay homage on your next trip down to the boathouse and, yes, find your name, show it to your children, and tell them what a stud you were -once upon a time.

While there, check out the new trophy case built by our own Heath Allen, the latest in a very long line of Husky architecture grads. He built this case in the Architecture Department's shop and it is beautifully designed and crafted. Look inside for a recently recovered Junior Day trophy from 1908.



The restorers of "The Wall" (from left) - Jamie North,
Graham Oglend, Roko Svast, Blaise Didier


Profile – Matt Zapel


There is nothing we old Husky alumni love more than in-state walk-ons who have never sat in a shell but who have the savvy and the athleticism to shoulder their way into the first boat. For decades Washington has been famous for the "tall timbers from the Northwest" and Michael Callahan and Luke McGee are making sure the tradition lives on. A great current example is Vashon Island's Matt Zapel.

Matt was a standout high school athlete so he is no stranger to success. In lacrosse his team won the state championship his sophomore year and placed sixth in the state his senior year. In basketball Vashon took third place in the state AA division his junior year and was picked to win it all his senior year until running into a road block at the district championships. He had thoughts of walking on at a Division II basketball school and had scholarship offers from more than one community college but fate intervened.

The closest Matt had come to a boat race was his friendship with his high school classmate, Tom Kacinski. Back then Tom was rowing primarily in a single and making a name for himself as a comer. One night Bob Ernst made a recruiting visit to watch Tom play a basketball game and noticed an athletic 6' 5 1/2 " teammate. He introduced himself after the game and before long Matt found himself joining Tom at the University and at Conibear.

Matt claims he was overwhelmed by the challenge of learning to row among already proficient oarsmen, especially when he discovered smaller guys pulling faster splits. But he persevered and found the payoff that winter when he came in third at Ergomania by pulling a 6:12 2k. By the start of the season he had learned enough technique to match his strength and nailed down the four seat in the freshman boat.

During the school year, Matt lives in a house near campus with teammates Ty Otto, Niles Garratt and a high school friend from Vashon Island. They survive at the training table during the week and on Costco supplies over the weekend, all supplemented by an occasional care package from Niles' family who live in the Seattle area. Summers are spent back on Vashon with his family where he has a job as a pool lifeguard.

Matt is pointing towards physical therapy school and is taking classes in chemistry and biology in order to lay the proper foundation. Like so many of his classmates, he maintains a GPA well above 3.0.

Remember the name, all you old Dogs: Matt Zapel. He's a Husky out of the same mold that you came from and the program is better for having him.



On Husky Dreams


Dreams have a way of becoming true if you work hard enough at them. Look no farther than the last 105 years of rowing at the University of Washington for proof. Class after class, generation after generation, Husky rowers have always had a chance to win it all. The trick lies in making sure future generations have the same opportunity.

Your Rowing Stewards Board dreams too, but our focus is a little different than our athletes' dreams. Our dreams begin with questions. How can we maintain the environment we enjoyed for the current generation? How can we help improve the performance and the results of the athletes? How can we furnish the support necessary for consistency on the water and in the classroom? How can we help them realize their dreams?

It can be said that our mission is to find consistent and implementable answers to those questions. It is a daunting task because the answers involve you - not just those of you who support the program financially but those of you who think about it but don't get around to donating often enough, and those of you who don't give. The trick here is to convince you give and to move your gift to the highest number you can afford.

We think our best argument lies with the young athletes and their performance on the water. The Husky rowing program is second to none in the world. Think about that for a moment. The Husky system works. It develops not just great athletes but great student-athletes who win on the water and in the classroom, and who continue their top-level performance at their chosen professions.

One reason for their success is your financial support. Without your engagement and commitment, this success wouldn't have happened. Period. We hope and expect that you will increase your commitment in this difficult year because your board has dreams, too. Examples? Here is a short list.

In four or five years:
- Men's scholarships will no longer be a financial issue,
- Men and women will train and race in the best equipment available,
- Our Huskies will make annual trips to the Head of the Charles,
- Our Huskies will compete regularly at Henley,
- Our program will continue to be the prime university source of athletes for the U.S. and Canadian national teams,
- Our student-athletes will win consistently and perform academically as well as or better than all other Husky teams, and
- Our program will continue its long-time tradition of graduating every athlete.

You have the pledge of your board that this vision is more than words on a page but we need you to dream with us. Let's raise the bar together. Let's build a level of pride unknown in the rowing world. Stay with us on this vision, friends; without you there is no future. Make your donation today.

If you received the newsletter by email, click on the link below to make an online donation today. If you received your issue in the mail, go online to https://secure.gifts.washington.edu/uw_foundation/gift.asp?source_typ=5&source=CREW to make your online donation. And if you would rather send a check, mail it to the following address: Bob Ernst, University of Washington, P.O. Box 354070, Seattle, WA 98195.



Chasing Jason Scott - By Michael Callahan


36 student-athletes; 6 coxswains; 5 coaches; 2 athletic trainers; 2 academic advisors and 1 laundry guy all in the pursuit of one simple goal...

To take away Jason Scott's coxed pair trial record.

We have a competitive system in place at the University of Washington to select the varsity 8 for the fall racing season. The 20-year-old coxed pair time trial is unique to the University of Washington program. The 3,100 meter course runs from the center dock of the Conibear Shellhouse out and around the lighthouse at Webster's Point (Laurelhurst Point) and back to the Shellhouse. Since 1988, the varsity student-athletes have competed fiercely to execute the fastest time on this course. Jason Scott UW '93, Roberto Blanda '95 and Mike Chudzik '93 set the "World" record in the fall of 1992 with a time of 14 minutes and 1 second.

Jason Scott is a frequent visitor to the Conibear Shellhouse. You can usually find him admiring his 16 year old record written on a cork "W" board during the first few weeks of classes every year. Similar to the 1972 Miami Dolphins who celebrate their unmatched, undefeated NFL season with a glass of champagne, Jason toasts himself after another year of pair trials unsuccessful in breaking "his" record.

Dave Calder '01, Bobby Cummins '98 and Sean Mulligan '99 made a valiant effort to beat Jason's record in 1997 with a time of 14 minutes and 2 seconds. This fall we had 4 pairs place themselves on the top 10 all time list. The fastest effort of 2008 came from William Crothers '09, Rob Gibson '09 and Katelin Snyder '09 with a time of 14 minutes and 03 seconds. Both pairs swear that a mysterious wake that came from nowhere caused them to slow down as they rounded the lighthouse and if that hadn't happened the record was as good as theirs. They suspect that Jason has manufactured a submarine wake producing machine that hinders efforts to break this record.

This fall, we ran over 150 pair trials. If you do the math over the past 16 years we probably have run over 2,000 pair trials without a boat tying or surpassing Jason.

The benefit of this intense competition over the last two decades is illustrated by University of Washington's competitive record in 8+'s and 4+'s in all venues and conditions around the world. Of the top 10 all time pair trialists, 8 are currently rowing in our varsity 8, the boat that won the Championship 8+ at the Head of the Charles Regatta this fall. They are just the third college team in the last 25 years to win this regatta.

Thank you Jason, Roberto and Mike for inspiring us.



The Top 10 Pairs Competition


Here is the All-Time Top 10 Coxed Pair Trials standings. Note that four pairs on the list (bold type) are on the 2008-2009 Husky squad.

1. 14:01 Jason Scott, Roberto Blanda, Mike Chudzik 1992
2. 14:02 Bob Cummins, David Calder, Sean Mulligan 1997
3. 14:03 William Crothers, Rob Gibson, Katelin Snyder 2008
4. 14:11 Max Lang, Anthony Jacob, Katelin Snyder 2008
5. 14:12 Blaise Didier, Roko Svast, Katelin Snyder 2008
6. 14:14 Michael Callahan, Girts Beithlers, Dom Gagliardi 1994
7. 14:14 Phil Henry, Kestas Sereiva, Mike Chudzik 1992
8. 14:15 Whit Hammond, Jesse Huey, Andrew Young 1999
9. 14:15 Lowell Neal, Nenad Bulicic, Patrick Kavanagh 2008
10. 14:16 Brett Reisinger, Aaron Beck, Sean Mulligan 1994
 

Here are the legendary Husky oarsmen who were bumped off the Top Ten this year. The group includes three Olympians:

14:17 Roberto Blanda, Ryan Allison, Dom Gagliardi 1994
14:18 Mat Minas, Scott Munn, Kristin Bailey 1992
14:20 Marc Schneider, Rich Parsons, Kara Schocken 1994


Curious about what happened to the top three trial pairs?
Here is an update.

 
Jason Scott: UW 1993, US National Team Member, 1996 Olympian, Intel Corp., Resides in Seattle.

Roberto Blanda: UW 1995, Italian National Team Member, 1992 and 1996 Olympian, Human Resource Daimler AG Mercedes-Benz, Resides with his wife and 2 children in Rome.

Mike Chudzik: UW 1993, IBM Corp., Resides in New York with his wife who is attending Harvard Business School.

Dave Calder: UW 2001, Canadian National Team Member, 2003 World Champion, 2000- 2004-2008 Olympian, Silver Medalist in 2008, Resides with his wife and daughter in Victoria, Canada.

Bobby Cummins: UW 1998, US National Team Member, 1997 World Champion, 1997 IRA Champion, Husky Hall of Fame, Chiropractor, Resides in Bellevue with his wife Anna who won a rowing gold medal at the Beijing Olympics.

Sean Mulligan: UW 1999, US National Team Member, 1999 World Champion, 1997 IRA Champion, Husky Hall of Fame, Producer for ESPN, Resides in Seattle.

 

William Crothers: UW 2009, Canadian National Team Member, 2006 World Silver Medalist, 2006 World U-23 Champion, 2006 and 2007 IRA Champion, current student-athlete.

Rob Gibson: UW 2009, Canadian National Team Member, 2008 Olympian, 2006 World Silver Medalist, 2006 World U-23 Champion, 2006 and 2007 IRA Champion, current student- athlete.

Katelin Snyder: UW 2009, US National Team Member, 2006 and 2008 U-23 World Champion, 2006 and 2007 IRA Champion, current student- athlete.



Head of the Oklahoma


For the second year in a row, the Husky men accepted an invitation to the Head of the Oklahoma. Coach Michael Callahan made it interesting this year by scheduling pair racing for Rookies and constructing the eight from the top four pairs.

This band of sophomores drew the outside lane on a two and a half mile river course that offered a series of turns and bridges to negotiate. Our Rookies rowed a great race and placed second to the Harvard Crimson. The athletes were Hans Struzyna at stroke, Noah O'Connell, Nenad Bulicic, Ty Otto, Niles Garratt, Casey Dobrowolski, Bede Clarke, and Trevor Walchenbach, and cox Michelle Darby. Take a second look at those names; you're going to read them often over the next few years.

The strong performance by this all-sophomore team tells us that the competition at next spring's Class Day Regatta will be a can't-miss occasion. Fasten your seat belts, fans.



Coach Callahan and Coach McGee



Profile – Graham Oglend


Graham Oglend lives in a house not far from campus with Simon Taylor, Will Crothers, Roko Svast and Tom Kicinski. When we called Graham for this profile, something about the extraordinarily pleasant conversation made us think we ought to have talked to his roommates for the real scoop on this Husky junior.

Graham is another in a long line of architecture- construction management majors who have come through the Husky rowing program. It says something about his drive for excellence that he has made time for intercollegiate sport from this difficult, five year double major program. And it says something else about Graham, too, that he is doing so well at both. Coach Callahan has called him the definition of the student- athlete.

How much time is demanded by his studies? When we called he stated it was the first time he had answered his cell phone in weeks. And teammates claim he is the hardest guy on the team to find. He's in class, studying, erging, working out, up at 2:00 am to study more, or eating - there just isn't much time for hanging out with friends or much more than the occasional movie. But he sees the light at the end of both the academic and rowing tunnels and both are full of promise.

Graham grew up in Shawnigan Lake where his parents own a coffee shop and bakery. His father, Geir, is the coffee roaster, his mother, Patricia, manages the bakery. His older brother, Carson, is now involved on a full time basis in the family business and seems likely to carry forward the tradition. His younger sister, Courtney, Graham is put to work in the bakery or anywhere else he is needed in the family business. As busy as the Oglend family is, they get down to Seattle for the races.

Graham played basketball for his high school and was MVP of the team in Grade 10. He took up rowing in Grade 11 and won the junior men's singles at the 2006 Elk Lake Springs. He followed that with a second place finish in the junior men's singles at the 2006 Brentwood regatta. But his high school career wasn't all sculling. Not long after he took up the sport, the coaches at Brentwood and Shawnigan Lake let him practice with their crews where he learned how to row a sweep. A friend of his parents, former Husky oarsman and current Brentwood coach Brian Carr, suggested he contact the University of Washington and the rest is history being made.

Graham rowed the seven seat in the top 2007 freshman eight that won the Erickson Memorial Cascade Cup at the Windermere Cup, silver at the Pac-10 Championships, and bronze at the IRA. Last season he stroked the second varsity to Pac-10 and IRA Championships. This fall he has been nursing a back injury back to health and is looking to get off the bicycles and into a boat after the first of the year.

Futures are difficult to define for any university junior but Graham has his sights set with unusual clarity. He is excited about following his passion for design and construction into the real world and that might be right here in Seattle. And what junior in the Washington rowing program wouldn't also be thinking about London in 2012? Time will tell for both but we're betting that Graham Oglend will make a future exactly as he wants it.



Graham Oglend stroked the Second Varsity Eight to a Pac-10 Championship
and an IRA Championship during the 2007-08 season



Profile – Anthony Jacob


Thirty years ago Michel Jacob left his hometown in France and moved to Montreal. A short time later, he applied for a study visa to Japan and flew to Vancouver to wait for its arrival. Husky fans can rejoice that the visa was denied. Michel stayed in Vancouver, married Helene, opened a restaurant, Le Crocodile, and had a son, Anthony, who is midway through his sophomore year at the University. Trust us; everyone won.

Anthony Jacob attended Vancouver Collegiate, a private, all-boys school in Vancouver and became a standout track and field athlete who specialized in triathlons. But in Grade 11 a close friend suggested he come down to False Creek and join him on the school's rowing squad. It was the end of summer, his conditioning was going downhill and he thought it might be a good way to stay in shape. The following summer, however, Anthony and his teammates took forth place in the Junior World Championships in Amsterdam; track and field became history.

The next summer, 2007, Anthony and current Husky freshman, Conlin McCabe, took silver in the pairs at the Junior World Championship in Beijing. Last summer he joined the Canadian eight that won the Grand Challenge Cup at Henley, a story we reported in these pages and in our website www.huskycrew.org earlier. Two weeks later the Canadians raced in the U-23 World Championships and came in second to a Michael Callahan coached U.S. team that included Husky Blaise Didier.

The University of Washington wasn't a certain choice for Anthony. He was recruited hard by California and he was attracted to life in California. It was a near thing, his decision to choose Washington over California, and important for the on-going success of the rowing program. But he has cleansed his head of those earlier California dreams; he says that choosing Washington was one of the best decisions of his life.

In school he is taking a general curriculum with classes in anthropology and economics but his intention is to enter the Communications school and, after graduation, to attend Cambridge or Oxford for further studies. And then there is the Boat Race. He lists participation in that annual rivalry as a life goal, right up there with the 2012 Olympics in London, and we see nothing standing in the way of his achieving both.

But all that lies in the future. Right now, he lives with four other rowers in a house on the Montlake Cut. In the nearly non-existent free time available after studies, rowing, sleep and meals, he plays a wicked game of ping pong. We hope that monastic existence is keeping him focused on the near term. After all, there are a few boat races and a national championship to win this spring.

Anthony is an only child so we asked if he intended to take over the family restaurant. The stretch of silence that followed told us that he had not yet determined a future beyond school and rowing. And perhaps it was complicated by thoughts that led to his next comment: "My dad is my greatest role model."

So your editor feels compelled to offer all readers some excellent advice. Don't wait for Anthony's decision. On your next trip to Vancouver, reserve a table at Le Crocodile (604.669.4298), the city's best restaurant. It was modeled on the famous Michelin 3 star Au Crocodile of Strasbourg, and it is certainly one of Canada's finest restaurants. Anthony won't be managing the front of the house when you arrive, but if you tell them you're a Husky Crew fan, you're certain to get a good table.



2008 Pair Head Champions (from left) Max
Lang, Kim Kennedy, Erika Shaw, Anthony Jacob



Welcome 2012 Men – By Luke McGee


September 24th signaled the opening day of school for the Gruntie Class of 2012. Over 100 athletes made their way down to the Conibear Shellhouse for our annual introductory meeting. We worked hard over the last year to identify the top athletes in Washington and let them know about Washington rowing, and it paid off with the largest group of walk-on athletes that we have seen in many years.

The Grunties began day two of their rowing careers by getting familiar with their surroundings. Our new Assistant Freshmen Coach, Olympic Champion Wyatt Allen, was in charge of introducing them to the ergometer while I walked them through how to carry the now much-loved Pocock Battalion Boats. After nearly two hours of military pressing Batt Boats overhead and other basic introductory information we walked the Grunties of 2012 onto the Montlake Bridge for them to pay homage to their new home race course. I wanted them to get an immediate sense of what the side of The Cut reminds us about on a daily basis: "For Those Who Came Before And For Those Yet To Come." It is important to teach these young men from the beginning that they are part of a larger tradition of honest hard work and earned success. They must understand that they have a history to uphold and that they will only become the successful, Mighty Men of Washington as a result of the effort they put into their daily training. As Hiram Conibear so eloquently stated: "Hard work first, Ability second, and Genius third." The work has settled into a consistent rhythm of rowing, erging and lifting with hundreds of jumpies mixed in to strengthen their legs. Our squad now consists of twenty- four rowers and eight coxswains. The team is running Husky Stadium twice a week to help build both fitness and a strong competitive desire. It served them well during the second annual Gruntie Triathlon this fall (10k erg, 6 mile run, 1 stadium).

We have also begun our strength training with DAWGS. This is a series of eight exercises, each 1 minute in length done while holding onto a Dawg Bone. Built last year, a Dawg Bone is a four foot piece of pipe cemented into two large coffee cans, a throwback to good, old school training. It is raw and basic but all of the work will translate into confidence on the race course.

At the start of my second season as the Gruntie coach, I look back upon last year with great admiration at the way I was brought into the Husky Nation. The coaches, athletes and alumni reached out to welcome me and made my first year extremely exciting and rewarding. We had great success last season with the Grunties, but our ultimate goal was not achieved. I am entering this season with a lot of excitement about our freshmen class and I am keeping them pointed on winning the last race on the last day of the season. I invite you to take an active role in teaching this year's Gruntie class as we take them from a group of young individuals and turn them into a team of Husky Oarsmen.

I look forward to seeing you at our future races. GO DAWGS!



Coach Luke McGee with the 2008- Pac-10 Champion Freshman crew



Profile – Bronson Kolde


Long time readers of this newsletter will know the special regard your editor has for athletes who seize the abundant opportunities available at the University of Washington. We believe that all those who chose rowing to match their academic efforts have made a wise, lifetime decision, but some within our special fraternity take an extra step or two. Bronson Kolde is a fine example.

Bronson is a product of Mercer Island and the Lakeside School. He applied to the University and was accepted a year before high school graduation. This spring he will receive his degree in Finance and may be the year's only student to receive that degree without having received a high school diploma. It makes no difference; this scholar-athlete has maintained a GPA not far from perfect.

He has an innate curiosity, a high degree of focused energy and a drive to succeed that stands out even in a group of high performance athletes. His coxing began in high school and lasted through his three years at Lakeside's upper school. He had grown accustomed to hearing that the UW rowing program was the finest in the country and he was a bit intimidated to give it a try. But he found the courage to show up at Conibear and he now calls it one of the best decisions of his life. He has made great friends in the program and claims to have learned more about leadership and teamwork on the water than he has in his business classes.

A few years back, a friend visited China and shared his enthusiasm for the country with Bronson. Together they searched for a business venture that would focus on foreign trade, came up with an idea, wrote a business plan and launched a company that that would sponsor an event that would attract Chinese medical device manufacturers to Seattle to meet and network with U.S. manufacturers and industry executives. The company didn't fly but what a heady first effort! Later, with fellow cox Patrick Kavanagh, he launched a mobile auto detailing company that, while seasonal, is in operation today using part-time employees.

But Bronson isn't all work. During the summer he travels frequently to Whistler to compete in downhill mountain bike racing, a sport that ranks right up there with bungee jumping without a cord. In quieter times (perhaps while recovering from bike injuries) he likes to follow the markets and invest. He's in cash now and looking for the bottom of the current cycle. Aren't we all?

After graduation, Bronson may enter the banking business in private wealth management or he may sign up for the Marine OCS program. Frankly, for men like Bronson, there are no limits to his opportunities. And after a few years experience at whatever he chooses to do, we suspect that there will be graduate school in his future and a job in finance.

Stay alert for the name Bronson Kolde, friends. You are going to see it again - both as a loyal and committed Husky Crew supporter and as one of the area's top businessmen. You can take that to the bank.



Get Involved!


The Rowing Stewards Executive Committee met at the end of October to review the upcoming season, the schedule of events, and new ways to help finance our great program. The consensus is that 2009 is going to be the most exciting year in a long time around Conibear, and everyone wants you to be a part of it. There are volunteer opportunities available for key roles in several events. To date, for instance, Al Erickson has carried the VBC Banquet on his broad and very capable shoulders but the event has grown too big and too successful for him to manage it alone. Interested in helping out? Call him at work on 360 435-3661, on his cell at 425 330-9959, or by email at dr.erickson@verizon.net. How about a key role in the Windermere Cup/Opening Day events? Betsy Beard-Stillings needs volunteers to work at the Stewards Enclosure. Contact her at 206 440- 0708 or by email at sundancejs@aol.com.

And Tristine Drennan is looking for volunteers, too, to help with the Class Day BBQ. Contact her on 206 755- 9174 or by email at tristineg@hotmail.com.



Junior Day Trophy – By Ellen Ernst


Every so often we get a call or an email asking about long forgotten rowing memorabilia. We love to see these Washington Rowing treasures, enjoy researching their history and welcome them back to Conibear Shellhouse for everyone to enjoy.

Recently, Eric Cohen received an email from Brittney McBride, the great granddaughter of Brous Beck. McBride found two items that she believed were related to her great grandfather's University of Washington rowing experience - an oar and a trophy engraved as the "LL Moore Trophy". The trophy was awarded on May 1, 1908, for the winner of the men's freshman vs. sophomore crew race as part of the Junior Day festivities.

The men participated in class races beginning in the early 1900's, and sometimes local merchants and businessmen would donate prizes or trophies. This trophy is an excellent example of such a donation. Eric Cohen surmised that it might be connected to James Moore (Moore Theatre) a land developer who developed much of the area around the University and benefactor to the crew in the early 1900's.

According to an article describing the race in the Seattle Post Intelligencer,

"Great interest centered around the eight-oared race between the freshman and sophomore crews at the University yesterday afternoon, and although it was not a surprise that the second year men won the two-mile race from the freshman, everyone who saw the event could not but be surprised at the great form shown by the first year men. The race was rowed from a point opposite Madison park to a point opposite the university boathouse, a distance of about two miles." (Seattle P-I, May 2, 1908) Junior Day Trophy

The Pacific Wave confirms that the race was the feature event of the day and that the L.L. Moore Trophy was the prize given to the victors. Line-ups were not part of the historical record; however, it is a fact that Brous Beck was a sophomore on the rowing team in 1908. It is possible that the trophy was entrusted to Beck to safeguard while the crew moved to a new boathouse in 1909 - a building erected for the Alaska Yukon Exposition.

Ms. McBride graciously returned the trophy, and we are so very pleased to have it back home at Conibear shell house. It is currently on display in the new trophy case on the lower level entrance by the Captain's room.

Please don't hesitate to call or email if you find an old treasure in your attic!




Junior Day Trophy



In the Next Issue


Next time look for reports on the women's teams from Bob Ernst and Nicole Minett plus athlete profiles on several Husky women athletes. We'll have an article on the 1997 Husky men's and women's Hall of Fame for news about the 2009 VBC Banquet, Opening Day and the Windermere Cup, and prospects for the 2009 spring racing season. We will be in your mailbox and email box on March 15.




 

 

To make sure you continue to receive our e-mails optimally and in your inbox (not sent to bulk or junk folders), please add newsletter@stewards.huskycrew.org to your address book or safe sender list.

TO UNSUBSCRIBE: This e-mail was sent to you because you are a valued Alumni and Friend of Washington Rowing family. If you would no longer like to receive our E-mail Updates, please click here to unsubscribe.