Newsletters – Beekley Rowing

The Fall racing season is upon us!

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Nov 012023

State of the Team – Fall Racing Season Is in Full Swing

The Aztecs have been recruiting, training, and racing hard. As you read this the team has raced in the Rowing Cares Regatta in San Diego, and is training for the Pancake Regatta in Long Beach as well as the San Diego Fall Classic. Currently the team is racing a varsity 4, novice 8, novice 4, and a women’s novice 4.

In addition to training and academics, the team is planning many fundraising events, including: a letter writing campaign, working local events such as Bookfest, a Cane’s fundraiser at the Santee location Dec. 6 2pm-10pm, and an auction that will be announced soon (auction items will include cruise tickets, Kendra Scott necklaces, and museum tickets).
You can see the team’s schedule and fundraisers here.

Foundation Buys Much-Needed Boat Parts

Over the Summer the team requested help with the purchase of much-needed parts to service and repair their racing shells. The Board voted to approve, and committed to paying for over $5,000 in parts. Except for some back stays coming from Australia, the parts have been received and installed. The H Del Beekley Rowing Foundation is proud to be able to assist the team in getting race-day ready!

Padres Game with the Team

Past and present Aztec Crew members turned out for the Padres final home game win against the Cardinals. It was an exciting 12-2 battle that included lots of nods to the US military, including a flyover by two F-35 aircraft. There were many novices on hand to enjoy a day at Petco Park and meet the “old guys”. We’re all looking forward to another day at the ballpark next year! Special thanks to Assistant Coach Brett Stinson for organizing the event.

Homecoming Tailgate – On Hold

Initially we were planning on holding the annual Homecoming Tailgate on Saturday 11/4. Unfortunately the football team is having what we like to call a “rebuilding year” and interest in the homecoming tailgate has been thin. Thus, we will plan on coming back in 2024 with renewed vigor and – hopefully – a revitalized Aztec football team. Serendipitously this will give the team an opportunity to recharge after the Pancake Regatta, and be ready for the Alumni row and Fall Classic the following weekend.

Fall Alumni Row

On Saturday, November 11th, come join the current team for the Fall alumni row. Meet the new athletes, strap yourself into a late model shell, and relive your glory days! The alumni row is always a fun event, bringing together generations of Aztec rowers to pull for a common cause and reminisce about their personal rowing experience. Afterward, chat with the current Aztecs over bagels and coffee. If you plan to attend or have questions, please visit the event Facebook page or email Info@BeekleyRowing.org.

The following day – Sunday, November 12th – is the San Diego Fall Classic, so you can make a weekend of it! No wires-to-poles, we promise! The race schedule and course map can be found in this Google Doc.

Become a Mentor To A Current Athlete

Get to know a current rower and impart some wisdom! Join the new Alumni Mentorship Program to get matched up with an Aztec, share your experiences and provide guidance about rowing, career development, or life in general.

Get more information and sign up here.

Alumnus’ Lightweight Quad Takes 3rd at Worlds

Aztec Crew alumnus and former Beekley Foundation president Bernard Aparicio and his lightweight quad earned third place at the 2023 World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia! Third in the world is pretty amazing. You can read about their adventure here.

The Fall season is just about here!

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Aug 112023

State of the Team – Boat Repair Day this Sunday!

Thanks to your generous donations to the H Del Beekley Rowing Foundation, the team was able to purchase some much-needed replacement parts to get the fleet ready for the 2023-2024 season. The coaches are requesting help at the boathouse on Sunday, August 13th between 8:00am – 12:00pm to continue getting the boats seaworthy. You can just show up, or email Coach Craig Doan if you’d like to help or have any questions!

Varsity practice begins the following day, with recruiting starting shortly thereafter. You can see the team’s schedule here.

Padres Game with the Team

Come join the new team and fellow Aztec Rowing alumni and their families for an afternoon at Petco Park! The Padres will be hosting the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday 9/24 at 1:10pm. We’ll meet up for a pint or two at a nearby pub (TBD) before the game and then go cheer on the Padres. Reserve your tickets now by contacting Assistant Coach Brett Stinson.

Homecoming Tailgate

After a hiatus, we’re bringing back the Homecoming Tailgate! This year the homecoming football game is Saturday 11/4 so we’ll be celebrating in the parking lot of Snapdragon Stadium before the game. Mark your calendars to come meet the new crew and catch up with other alumni while we fire up the BBQ and get charged up for an Aztec Football game! More details will follow in a future newsletter, but feel free to reply in the meantime if you know you’re interested: info@beekleyrowing.org

Fall Alumni Row

On Saturday 11/11 come join the current team at the boathouse for the Fall alumni row. Meet the new athletes, strap yourself into a late model shell, and relive your glory days! The alumni row is always a fun event, bringing together generations of Aztec rowers to pull for a common cause and reminisce about your personal rowing experience. Afterward, chat with the current Aztecs over bagels and coffee. The following day (11/12) is the San Diego Fall Classic, so you can make a weekend of it! No wires-to-poles, we promise!

Alumnus Heading for International Competition

Aztec Crew alumnus and former Beekley Foundation president Bernard Aparicio is headed to the 2023 World Rowing Championships scheduled for September 3-10 in Belgrade, Serbia! His lightweight men’s quadruple scull won their final by more than 12 seconds, qualifying for Belgrade. Because their event is a non-Olympic event, USRowing does not fund any part of their training for, or competing at, the World Championships. Please consider donating to their Gofundme page: https://gofund.me/7b0b3c0a. Good luck, Bernie!

Summer Foundation and Team Update

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May 312023

It’s almost summer and the Aztecs are preparing for a break from the boathouse. As the athletes enjoy some well-earned time off, the Beekley Rowing Foundation is hard at work planning events and raising funds to help the team succeed. A huge shout out to the seniors on the team: Mert Beyalizidirim (4 year rower), Tanner Harvey (4 year rower), John Balog, Brett MacHugh, and Ari Federico-Fernandez – thank you for your dedication and best of luck to you!

Board Update

Each year during the San Diego Crew Classic, the H Del Beekley Foundation holds its annual meeting and elects its Board of Directors. Thank you to everyone who attended the (online) Annual Meeting and participated in the voting.

The Foundation shared its successes (the Fall Alumni Row, the annual Golf Tournament) and its plans for the upcoming year (Homecoming tailgate, Padres game, 2023 Alumni Row, 2024 Golf Tournament).

The 2023-2024 Board of Directors are as follows:

President – Steve Lewis
Vice President – Royce Cumming
Treasurer – Andy Olson
Secretary – Kris Corley
Alumni At-Large #1 – Joey Matus
Alumni At-Large #2 – Kam Kennington

50th Annual Crew Classic

This year the San Diego Crew Classic celebrated its 50th year, and the Aztecs were there to represent SDSU rowing. The team entered one boat in the Men’s Varsity 8+ event, placing 6th in their initial heat and third in the 2nd Final. At the conclusion of the event on Sunday, the team helped break down the course as part of what has become an annual fundraising opportunity for the program. You can read the full recap here.

Current State of the Team

The team is in a rebuilding phase. It is impossible to overstate the damage done to Aztec Crew – and the majority of sports clubs at SDSU – by the pandemic. According to head coach Craig Doan, recruiting this year has been more difficult than any prior year. That being said, he and assistant coach Brett Stinson are planning on some major recruiting pushes for the early weeks of the school year. Also, a few experienced athletes have committed to SDSU and will be joining the team in the Fall. They, along with the returning rowers, will be the backbone of the 2023-2024 Aztec Crew.

Team Fundraiser

The team is sprinting towards the finish of the 2023 season and needs your help to stay in the black and finish pulling out of the financial hole that was left by the pandemic. Please consider making a donation directly to the team crowdfunding campaign in the next 12 days to keep SDSU Crew afloat. You can read the full story and donate online here.

Sign up for the Aztec Rowing Newsletter

The team has put a bigger focus on posting events and articles on AztecRowing.com and plan to develop and send periodic email updates. Anyone interested in getting updates directly from the team should sign up for the team newsletter to stay up-to-date on how next year’s team is doing! The sign up form can be found at the bottom of the AztecRowing.com homepage.

Upcoming Events

Padres Game 8/19
Come join your fellow Aztec Rowing alumni and their families for an afternoon at Petco Stadium! The Padres will be hosting the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday 8/19 at 5:40pm. We’ll meet up for a pint or two before the game and then go cheer them on. You can reserve your tickets by contacting Brett Stinson here.

Crew Classic Is Almost Here And We’re Looking For A Board Member

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Mar 262022

Team Update: California Challenge Cup Recap

On Saturday, March 5th, the team travelled up to Newport Beach to compete in the Cal Challenge Cup against some of the best men’s programs on the west coast. CCC was a great opportunity for the crew to see the on-the-water progress made from the head racing season with the chance to line up against a number of the crews faced as we closed out the Fall last November.

Running a shorter course (~1400 meters) and three Henley style duel races serving as pool play to score points and earn the chance to race for a Cup in a final later in the day, the Cal Challenge Cup is unlike any other race we’ll attend all year.

Keep your eye out for the full article on AztecRowing.com in the next few days.

Crew Classic Racing

It’s finally almost here! The 49th Annual San Diego Crew Classic, one of the largest regattas of the entire season, is quickly approaching. This year the event will be held on March 26th and 27th. Due to COVID’s impact on the returning oarsmen, this year your Aztecs will be focusing on the Novices – with entries in the Collegiate Novice 8+ A and B categories. Currently, the A boat heats are scheduled to begin at 12:39pm on Saturday, and the B boat Final-only is scheduled for Sunday at 11:51am. Please plan to join us for a weekend of world-class racing featuring a carne asada BBQ from the “Carne Brothers” Andy Olson and Dan Smith, and our annual H. Del Beekley board meeting.

Annual Board Meeting

Presentation by former coach Chuck Datte

This year’s annual Annual Meeting will be held in person following the team BBQ at 1:00 PM on Sunday, March 27th, at the SDSU Alumni tent. The Annual Meeting hosts important discussions about the current state of the program and foundation as well as plans and projects in the works to keep the team and foundation moving forward and growing in the coming years.

Most notably, the The Annual Meeting is also when the Foundation Board positions are opened up for reelection. This year we have at least one vacancy on the H. Del Beekley Board that we would love to fill with an Alumni that would like to stay involved and give back to the program that has given us all so much. If you have any level of interest in running for a board position or helping in the coming year, please send an email to info@beekleyrowing.org for more information. Please keep in mind all alumni, both recent and distant, are encouraged to serve on the Board. The 6 members meet virtually once a month, so you can contribute no matter where you live.

Alumni Events

Date	Event
March 27, 2022	H. Del Beekley Annual Meeting

Team Racing Schedule

Date	Event	Location
March 26-27, 2022	San Diego Crew Classic	Mission Bay, San Diego CA
March 30-April 1, 2022	WIRA Regional Championships	Sacramento, CA

Aztec Rowing Fall Recap And Golf Tournament Announcement

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Jan 042022

To the Aztec Alumni, Supporters, and Friends… Happy New Year!

[from left to right] Sean Durkin, Dan Richter, Royce Cumming, Brent Wishnack, Levi Imbuzan, Matt Stewart, Kameron Kennington

2021 Alumni Row – Recap

After a forced (and very long) “off-season”, the team was finally allowed to bring back special events and gatherings. Kicking it off was the 2021 Fall Alumni row, in which alumni shake off the dust and row alongside the current athletes for a casual practice. This year saw an impressive number of attendees – 18 alums.

Many were locals but some, such as former Team President Royce Cumming, made an effort to travel from the East Coast to show support!

Team Update: Fall Recap

Aztec Rowing is back! The team was finally able to flex their competitive muscles and venture forth into the 2021 fall racing season. For the mostly novice crew, the San Diego Fall Classic was their first experience at an official regatta, and they ended up walking away with a solid learning experience and clear understanding of how much work they needed to put in to be ready for the sprints in the spring. Starting the next week at practice, Craig saw a renewed spirit and focus from the team as they prepared for the Long Beach Sprints which would be the only other race for the Fall and a first introduction to sprints for most of the team. They ended up racing a “Varsity” 8 with six of the top novices in it and beat the UC Varsity 8. They also raced two Novice 8’s that collectively won 2 out of the 6 races they competed in and ended up within a boat length of the UCLA 8 that the Aztecs trailed by a much wider margin just a few weeks prior.

After the Long Beach Sprints, the team wrapped up their fall season with commitments from 18 novices to not only come back in the Spring, but to participate in a winter training schedule designed by Coach Craig to help the team come back ready to hit the ground running in the Spring. As with most rebuilding years, the team also plans to recruit on campus again with the intention to bring at least another 8 of novices into the program to increase the teams depth and ensure a larger squad of returners to kick off next Fall.

Fall Classic Boat Christening

We at the Beekley Foundation are immensely grateful and proud to announce that in 2019, your cumulative donations helped purchase a Pocock 8+ for the team. As per tradition, the boat was finally christened via a ceremonial champagne bath at the San Diego Fall Classic.

As many of you already know, boats are often named after a person of significance with respect to the strength and tradition that is the hallmark of Aztec Rowing. The newly christened CWO4 George Louis Gadsden is no exception.

We were honored to have close friends and family of George Louis Gadsen in attendance at the race. After the racing, a catered lunch was held in their honor.

To all those who attended, especially those closely related to the Gadsen family…thank you.

Read more about George Louis Gadsden here.

2022 Golf tournament registration is open

The Foundation is pleased to announce that on Saturday Feb 12th, 2022 we will again be hosting the H. Del Beekley Foundation Golf Tournament at the beautiful and centrally located Admiral Baker golf course. As with previous years, the tournament will be hosted in a Scramble format that has each foursome working together to get the best score per hole and keeps things fun and competitive for even the most novice golfers. More details about the event event can be found at our eventbrite registration site located here

If you’re unable to attend the event but still want to help, please consider sponsoring a rower at a reduced price, or reach out to info@beekleyrowing.org if you have any items that you’d be willing to contribute as prizes for the event.

Alumni Events

Date	Event
February 12, 2022	Golf Tournament
March 25, 2022	(TBD) Crew Classic Banquet
March 27, 2022	H. Del Beekley Annual Meeting

Team Racing Schedule

Date	Event	Location
February 19, 2022	Gruenberg Cup	TBD
March 5, 2022	Cal Challenge Cup	Newport Harbor, Newport CA
March 12, 2022	Newport Regatta	Newport Harbor, Newport CA
March 26-27, 2022	San Diego Crew Classic	Mission Bay, San Diego CA
March 30-April 1, 2022	WIRA Regional Championships	Sacramento, CA

Team Update: Fall Recruiting, New Alumni Events, and More

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Oct 162021

Newly minted SDSU rowers take to Mission Bay

2021 Fall Season Recruiting

As the holiday season approaches, we find ourselves at a new beginning, with a season full of potential for your Aztec Crew. Coach Craig and the team hit the ground running and recruited hard. Despite all the challenges with COVID and a limited number of varsity athletes, the team drew an impressive amount of interest in the the team and holds a current novice squad of 26 rowers and 3 coxswains – including 6 rowers & 2 coxswains with prior rowing experience.

The influx of experienced rowers over the previous few recruiting classes has allowed the team to accelerate the learning curve of the novice walk-on’s and we’re excited to see that play out in the upcoming competitions. While still continuing to recruit on-campus, the return has been the best we’ve seen in recent years. It’s no secret that all teams, regardless of location, club level, or sport, saw their numbers dwindle over the past season. A big recruiting boom this year could lead the team to an accelerated rebuild and hopefully some hardware in not-too-distant future regattas.

Open Assistant Coach Position

An opening still remains for an Assistant Coach who will work closely with the Head Coach Craig Doan while focusing primarily on the freshman/novice squad.

This is a part time position with pay between $12,000-$15,000 DOE, paid hourly over 9 months (September – May) plus the potential for summer coaching opportunities, if needed.

Candidates should have four or more years of rowing experience with coaching and/or leadership experience. Recruiting and retention of freshman/novice student-athletes is a primary responsibility of the assistant coaching position and experience and demeanor toward this aspect will carry heavy consideration. If you or anyone you know may be interested, please reach out to Craig at cdoan@sdsu.edu.

Heading back to the boathouse through North Bridge

Fall Classic: Alumni Row & Boat Dedication

his year the weekend of Fall Classic brings two events that we’d love to see a whole bunch of alumni participate in. The first is the Fall Alumni Row on Nov. 13. We’ll be mixing up boats with Varsity, the new Novice Squad, and Alumni to help the team get fired up for Fall Classic. The second is the Fall Classic Regatta on Nov. 14 where the team will be racing throughout the day. After the races we will be hosting the first boat dedication for the team in years! We’re still firming up the details and will be following up in the next few weeks, but we hope you can attend one or both of the events.

If you’re interested in attending, please reach out to info@beekleyrowing.org.

SDSU Crew Alumni Survey

We cannot emphasize enough how much we value and appreciate the feedback from our vast array of alumni. Comments and concerns are deeply considered and used to help guide future decision making and financial planning. So far, we have received nearly 100 responses, and are eager to make that number larger.

If you have not had the chance to make your voice heard, please take a few minutes to fill out this year’s alumni survey, which can be found here: Take the Survey

Alumni Events

Date	Event
November 13, 2021	Fall Alumni Row
November 14, 2021	Boat Christening
February 12, 2022	(TBD) Golf Tournament
March 25, 2022	(TBD) Crew Classic Banquet
March 27, 2022	H. Del Beekley Annual Meeting

Team Racing Schedule

Date	Event	Location
October 9, 2021	Row for the Cure	Mission Bay, San Diego CA
November 14, 2021	San Diego Fall Classic	Mission Bay, San Diego CA
November 21, 2021	Head of the Harbor	TBD
February 19, 2022	Gruenberg Cup	TBD
March 5, 2022	Cal Challenge Cup	Newport Harbor, Newport CA
March 12, 2022	Newport Regatta	Newport Harbor, Newport CA
March 26-27, 2022	San Diego Crew Classic	Mission Bay, San Diego CA
March 30-April 1, 2022	WIRA Regional Championships	Sacramento, CA

August 2021 Newsletter

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Aug 192021

Team Update

With the first day of classes for the fall semester starting on August 23, Coach Craig and the Team Executive Board (Officers) are finalizing their on-campus recruiting plan and starting to put it into action. The first gathering of the returning squad of athletes will happen on August 18th, where Coach Craig and the officers will be laying out their goals and expectations for the coming season, as well as assigning responsibilities for the upcoming recruiting events that start on the very same day.

Recruiting events will kick off with team representatives volunteering at Move-In-Day, where school ambassadors volunteer to talk with students, greet parents and family members, answer questions, provide directions, help new students ease the transition into the SDSU community, and hopefully pick up some interest for the team along the way. After that, they will have Athletes recruiting at the Res Life (resident hall) welcome events on the 18th and 19th, the ARC-til-Dark event on the 22nd, the Associated Students Expo on the 25th, and a massive push at the Sports Clubs Expo event that is tentatively scheduled to take over the North Library Walkway from Tuesday 8/31 through Thursday 9/2. If you’re a local alumni and have interest in helping out, please contact Coach Craig at cdoan@sdsu.edu

In addition to the recruiting efforts planned for the first few weeks of classes, Coach Craig has been using his contacts as a WIRA Steward and now Crew Classic Board member to bring in 4 recruits who have junior rowing experience from places like Sacramento and Texas to bolster the existing squad of returners. Coach Craig also reported that he’s been in contact with several “walk-on” athletes that have already expressed interest in joining the program through their social media and website outreach.

Strong fall recruiting has always been a critical key to the success of the program. After essentially being put on pause for the last year and a half due to COVID, Coach Craig and the returners will be doing a “Full Court Press” on their recruiting efforts to launch the program into a successful year.

Assistant Coach Position

Since Coach Craig took over as head coach in the Fall of 2019, he has been the only paid coach supporting the program with some assistance from volunteer alumni coaches. The plan was to hire an assistant coach for the 2020 season, but COVID put a bit of a damper on that… With all of the effort around recruiting, and the plan to bring a few more boats of athletes to the program, Coach Craig and the Officers have decided to post and recruit for a new Assistant Coaching position to help with both the on-water practices as well as on-campus training activities. If you know of anyone interested in the position, please encourage them to apply through the Associated Students job posting.

2021 Alumni Survey

The 2021 Alumni Survey is still active and we’d love to hear from as many Alumni as we can. If you haven’t yet filled out the survey, please head on over and take the survey. After that, please do us a favor and reach out via email or post on Social/Twitter/Facebook/Instagram to any alumni that you’re in contact with and encourage them to fill it out as well. The responses so far have been great and have even included some constructive criticism. We want to hear it all! Please share the survey to help us get the word out.

Schedule of Events

While the schedule for the upcoming year still has a whole bunch of “tentative/tbd” in front of it, we’re making plans as if all things COVID will allow them to happen. Stay tuned as these events get closer for more details, but for now, here’s what to expect:

Alumni Events

Date	Event
November 13, 2021	Fall Alumni Row
November 14, 2021	Boat Christening
February 12, 2022	(TBD) Golf Tournament
March 25, 2022	(TBD) Crew Classic Banquet
March 27, 2022	H. Del Beekley Annual Meeting

Team Racing Schedule

Date	Event	Location
October 9, 2021	Row for the Cure	Mission Bay, San Diego CA
November 14, 2021	San Diego Fall Classic	Mission Bay, San Diego CA
November 21, 2021	Head of the Harbor	TBD
February 19, 2022	Gruenberg Cup	TBD
March 5, 2022	Cal Challenge Cup	Newport Harbor, Newport CA
March 12, 2022	Newport Regatta	Newport Harbor, Newport CA
March 26-27, 2022	San Diego Crew Classic	Mission Bay, San Diego CA
March 30-April 1, 2022	WIRA Regional Championships	Sacramento, CA

Rediscover this 1986 LA Times article about the champion lightweight 8+, Del Hayes, Tom Hartley, Scott Petry, Brian Hughes, John Lingham, Bruce Branstine, and the rest of the returning crew of 1986 under coach Chuck Datte.

We need your feedback: Aztec Crew Alumni Survey

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Jul 292021

The H. Del Beekley Rowing Foundation is currently planning future milestones, events, and areas of support for Aztec Rowing. After a tough period for collegiate rowing and the world overall, there has never been a more crucial time to take a step back, ask the important questions, and ensure we’re focusing on what’s most important.

As an Aztec Crew Alumnus/Alumna or supporter, we need your valuable input to get to those answers and continue to shape our future plans. Please follow the link below to a brief questionnaire to let us know how we are doing and where we can continue to grow and improve.

Take the Survey!

We appreciate your time and feedback.

Aztec Update: July 2021

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Jul 202021

1985 Lightweight 8 @ the Royal Henley Regatta

After digging up this picture from the archives, we reached out to have our alumni identify it, and they didn’t disappoint! We received several responses that identified the boat as the 1984-85 Lightweight crew that had a 33-3 record that year and had the opportunity to represent the program at the Royal Henley Regatta in 1985. The boat included the following athletes from bow to stern: Brian Hughes, Ken Krueger, Tom Hartley, Josh Gruenberg, Mark Bassett, Wes Powell, Toby Shipley, George Oliver, Janice “JJ” Jinguji. We’ll work on getting a more detailed account of the year and the boat in a future article.

Alumni Survey
Be on the lookout for an upcoming survey from the H Del Beekley Foundation. In an effort to always implement the thoughts and opinions of our entire alumni base, we will be sending out an alumni survey in the coming weeks. The survey will be sent via email and posted on relevant social media handles. You may also request a survey directly by emailing info@beekleyrowing.org.

Fall Involvement
In person events are nearly back! After a year of dealing with unprecedented turbulence, the world begins to exhale. Coach Craig Doan has navigated the team with dignity and grace, and we as an alumni group are soon able to support him and the current rowers & coxswains through in-person events.

Both Coach Craig and the Foundation Board agree that alumni involvement and support will be critical in building post-pandemic momentum for the program. More detailed announcements will follow, but be prepared for at least one alumni row as well as other alumni involvement opportunities in 2021.

Where Are They Now – Dennis “Denny” Coates – SDSU 1961-1962
In 1960, Del Beekley led the effort to restart the rowing program at San Diego State. Back then, the team would row out of the 1891 Rowing Club at the foot of 5th Avenue, San Diego Bay. I showed up for the first meeting in a coat-&-tie. Del got me on a rowing machine then told me to report for practice the next week.

Read his and others’ full stories in the “Where are they now” section of the H. Del Beekley Foundation website.

1925 Campaign Update
The 1925 Campaign continues to grow, adding 3 new active members donating monthly, which is a good start towards our goal of getting 40 alumni signed up this year. Ingrained in the culture of the Aztec alumni is the desire to give back to the team that taught it so much, and brought so much value to the lives of its members. To learn more about the goals of the Campaign, or to become a member of the 1925 Club, please visit https://beekleyrowing.org/1925-club/

Aztec Update: April 2021

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May 022021

Current Team Status

The team continues to persevere and maintain camaraderie throughout the pandemic. Coach Craig has met with the team regularly via zoom as they continue to train independently. While San Diego County has continued to ease COVID restrictions, the university has committed to strict testing protocols to ensure athlete safety. With only a few weeks left in the semester and mandatory quarantine periods, it is unlikely the team will row together as a full squad this spring.

With that in mind, the team is looking ahead to next season. They are in talks with SDRC to be able to get into shells over the summer, and plan to hold digital events to continue training and stay in touch.

A typical year would bring alumni rows, golf tournaments, tailgates, and Padre games. This past Sunday marked the first ever alumni zoom call; allowing alumni to meet the team virtually and talk about how rowing impacted them through college into their careers. The foundation would like to recognize Mike Buckel, Cameron Elliott, and Steve Lewis for taking the time to speak with the team.

We anticipate holding similar events in the future to allow alumni to connect with the team and discuss their experiences. If you’re interested in speaking with the team via zoom or at an upcoming recruiting event, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us directly at info@beekleyrowing.org to get involved.

H Del Beekley Annual Meeting Recap

The H Del Beekley Foundation held its annual meeting last month, once again being restricted to a virtual gathering. There were many shifts within the organization of leadership this year. The Foundation will see a new name at President, VP, Secretary, as well as one At-Large member.

2021-2022 H. Del Beekley Board Members

President – Andy Olson
Vice President – Brandt Watson
Treasurer – Steve Lewis
Secretary – Kameron Kennington
At large board member – Melissa Gogin
At large board member – Vacant
Team President – Shane Wilson

There is currently a vacancy in one of the At-Large member positions. If you are interested in helping guide decisions for the foundation, please reach out to any of the current members, or to info@beekleyrowing.org. The At-Large role serves as an advisor and advocate to the broader alumni base. He or she is invited to attend all Board meetings, and can assist in various Board initiatives including future event planning.

Where are they now – Levi Imbuzan (2012-2017)

Born in Romania, Levi immigrated with his parents to the United States in 1998. His heart was set on joining the Marine Corps since he was 12 years old, but his dreams were dashed when his parents refused to sign the paperwork to allow him to join at 17. Not yet possessing the cognitive abilities to decide to wait one year, Levi set himself to taking the ACT and SAT, and applying for any and all colleges in the last month applications were open. His acceptance to SDSU led him to our program and the career he has created for himself.

Read his and others’ full stories in the “Where are they now” section of the H. Del Beekley Foundation website.

1925 Campaign Update

The 1925 Campaign continues to grow with 11 active members donating monthly, which is a good start towards our goal of getting 40 alumni signed up this year. Ingrained in the culture of the Aztec alumni is the desire to give back to the team that taught it so much, and brought so much value to the lives of its members. To learn more about the goals of the Campaign, or to become a member of the 1925 Club, please visit https://beekleyrowing.org/1925-club/

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