UncategorizedComments Off on Aztecs In Full Swing: Fall Racing & Team Update
Nov152019
Crews approach the start on a hazy morning @ San Diego Fall Classic
Aztec Football Tailgate – This Friday November 15th
This Friday (11/15) is the Alumni tailgate party right before the SDSU/Fresno State football game. The football team is 7-2 so it’s a great time to see an Aztec game and catch up with fellow rowing alumni, plus meet the current team. We will be grilling up Burgers and Dogs, and some BBQ Pulled Pork to feast on while you hang out with your friends and talk with the current team! So, head on over to section H3 anytime after 5 PM where we’re planning to have an oar standing as the flag at our tent. Tickets to the game can be purchased here
Team Update
The team had a solid showing for their first race of the year on their home course at the San Diego Fall Classic this past weekend. With only 2 returners from last years Varsity 8, this years varsity squad came in 12th out of a field of 21 in their first showing. Then, the Novice 8 pulled their way to a 4th place finish out of 10. Keep your eye out for a full post from Coach Craig on AztecRowing.com. Meanwhile, the team is busily working to prepare for their next race at the Port of LA on Nov 24th!
The Varsity 8 leaves South Ingraham bridge on their way around vacation Island
Alumni Row
This year we fielded 4 eights with Alumni filling out the engine room, Varsity rowers in stroke pair, and some select Novices in bow pair. This years’ alumni had representation from every decade since the mid 1970’s, all the way to athletes that just graduated last year. It’s amazing and encouraging to see how many have continued their involvement in the sport and are still rowing nearby at SDRC.
2019 fall alumni row, getting a little racing in mixed eights!
New Boat Dedication @ Crew Classic
Last year, the foundation prioritized the purchase of a 8+ racing shell. The team was incredibly grateful for the new equipment, which has complemented their fleet well. A tremendous thank you goes out to all the contributors for this shell. Plans are currently being made to host an event for the boat naming and dedication over the weekend of the San Diego Crew Classic on the weekend of April 4-5th.
NewslettersComments Off on A New Season Begins: Team Update, Alumni Row, and More
Oct082019
Members of this year’s varsity team recruiting on campus outside Love Library
Coaching Change
We regretfully announce that head coach Julia Gamache has decided to leave the program to become the head coach of LMU Men’s rowing. Julia began coaching novice at SDSU in 2013, and has been a mainstay of the program ever since. In her six years with the team she showed tremendous dedication and leadership. The board wishes her all the best in her endeavors. Following this transition, Novice coach Craig Doan has stepped up to lead the team this year as Head Coach.
Craig joined the team as an assistant coach in 2016, stepping in to help coach both the novice and varsity squads. He holds both a Bachelors degree in Biochemistry and a Masters in Exercise Physiology from Kansas State.
A Kansas native with seven years of experience as head coach of the Kansas State Men’s Rowing Team, Craig has already made an impression on the program. Craig played a key role coaching the novice squads in back-to-back Crew Classic grand final appearances in 2018 and 2019.
The board welcomes Craig to this role and looks forward to working with him this year.
Team Update
The team continues to move forward. Coach Craig recruited 32 novice rowers this fall, and the coach and officers are continuing to push for a strong novice class. The team highly encourages alumni to attend a practice to meet Craig, and share stories of their time on the team. If interested in attending a practice, please contact the head coach at cdoanrun@gmail.com
The search for a new assistant coach is well under way. If you know any qualified coaches who can make an impact, don’t hesitate to reach out to coach Craig.
H. Del Beekley Foundation Update
Last year, the foundation prioritized the purchase of a 8+ racing shell. Following close discussions with the coaching staff, who explored many options, the board voted to purchase a 2017 Pocock 8+. The team was incredibly grateful for the new equipment, which has complemented their fleet well. A tremendous thank you goes out to all the contributors for this shell. The board will continue to raise funds to support the team in all their endeavors! With alumni support, this team can continue to flourish.
Alumi Row – Saturday November 2nd @ 6:30 AM
Come get on the water with this year’s team and relive the challenge and camaraderie of Aztec crew during our annual Fall Alumni row. Last year we had two full 8’s of alumni come out for a mixed row with the team, and they still had some swing left in them.
Submit your 5K erg scores by – just kidding.
2019 Spring Alumni 8+. D. O’neil, A. Brunson, B. Watson, L. Fernandez, N. Norausky, M. Stewart, S. Durkin, B. Wherle B. Aparicio, K. Nguyen
Join us for a comfortable row and revive old memories with another beautiful morning on Mission Bay. Reach out to info@beekleyrowing.org to reserve a seat.
Aztec Football Tailgate – Friday November 15th @6:30pm
Join fellow Alumni and team members for our homecoming tailgate as SDSU takes on Fresno State at 6:30pm. We have been busy preparing for this year, as over 50 alumni, friends, and family joined us last year for some BBQ and cornhole before the game.
Meet as over at H3 at 5pm! We’ll have hot dogs, burgers, and some pulled pork as well as the SDSU Men’s Crew history books to peruse.
The team is getting ready to make their order for this years Fall Racing/Trading shirts and wants to extend the opportunity to purchase to our alumni. The shirts will cost $25 ($30 shipped anywhere in the US) and are black, short-sleeve performance tee’s from Badger.
If you’re interested, head over to the pre-order form and place your order before pre-sales end on October 15th. Payment will be accepted via Venmo or good old fashioned check, and all sales will additionally help offset the cost of outfitting the team with this years shirts.
Upcoming Events
A boat cannot move fast without many oars working in concert to build momentum. Likewise, the purchase of the Pocock 8+ this year could not have been possible without the support of donations from alumni across all years. Consider doing your part to help make the foundation successful by contributing monthly via our new online donation system.
NewslettersComments Off on Summers Greetings! Padres Game Night & More
Jul012019
Congratulations to the class of 2019 graduating oarsmen and coxswains (left to right) Bret Birney, Philip Pentsakov, Logan Gonsalves, and Melissa Gogin
Happy Summer SDSU Rowing Alumni, Supporters, and Friends!
We hope your summer is off to a good start and you are enjoying the extra hours of sunlight this time of year brings.
The rowing season may be over but the Foundation is in full swing working with the team to prepare for another successful year of Aztec Rowing. This includes having a few open slots for current Aztec oarsmen to row at San Diego Rowing Club through the summer for free, thanks to the generosity of Foundation/SDRC members. Any current rowers in town for the summer wanting to keep their fitness and technique sharp can contact Bernie at info@beekleyrowing.org for more info.
Padres Game Night 2019
Join the Foundation for another summer Padres Game Night on Saturday July 27th vs. the San Francisco Giants! Tickets will be between $25-$30. RSVP to info@beekleyrowing.org by Tuesday July 9th to reserve your seat with us at one of the nation’s most beautiful ballparks! We will have a pre-game meet up at 5pm – more details to come.
Consider joining our growing list of monthly donors
A boat cannot move fast without many oars working in concert to build momentum. Likewise, the purchase of the Pocock 8+ this year could not have been possible without the support of small donations from alumni across all years. Consider doing your part to help make the foundation successful by contributing monthly via our new online donation system.
Future Beekley Foundation Events
July 27, 2019 – Padres vs. Giants Alumni Game Night November 9, 2019 – Alumni Row, Homecoming Football Game/Tailgate
NewslettersComments Off on Crew Classic Boat Purchase and Year-End Update
Apr162019
Hello SDSU Rowing Alumni, Supporters and Friends, After an exciting fall, it was a pleasure to kick off the spring season with the Crew Classic! The regatta featured some of the premier teams in the United States, and provided the Aztecs an opportunity to test themselves against the fastest crews in the nation. Both SDSU men and women attended the regatta, with a great crowd of supporters to cheer them on. In addition to the weekend’s amazing races, the Aztec tent was filled with great stories of past racing, fresh food off the BBQ, and memorabilia of SDSU rowing.
Annual Crew Classic Banquet
Recipients of the O’Hara scholarship
The weekend kicked off with the Annual Team Banquet. The event saw a healthy attendance, and a number of items up for auction. The evening featured a social dinner, speeches, and a silent auction. The O’Hara family provided three scholarships in memory of James O’Hara for exceptional Novice athletes. Congratulations to Sawyer Lowe, Shane Siegal and Sarah Levin for receiving the memorial scholarship from the family. The team and the recipients express their appreciation for the O’Hara family for their continued support.
Crew Classic 2019
We were excited to have both the Varsity 8 and Novice 8 racing in finals on Sunday. The Varsity 8 pretty handily took out Long Beach in their heat, and secured a 6th place finish in the Petite Final on Sunday. The Novice 8 took 3rd in their heat, which landed them in the Grand Finals on Sunday, where they narrowly missed the podium by finishing 4th overall. In addition to the boats making the Sunday finals, the team was also able to field a 2nd Varsity 8 that raced on Sunday to round out their showing at the event. With two 8’s of athletes on Varsity, and almost a full second eight of novices, the team is continuing to use their numbers to drive inter-squad competition as they prepare for WIRAs. Full results from Crew Classic weekend can be found here
Crew Classic BBQ and Presentation from former coach Chuck Datte
Chuck Datte recounts his time with SDSU to the current team
During Sunday Finals, Andy Olson and Dan Smith fired up the grill and served up a whopping portion of food. Visiting Alumni reminicised of their years on the team, and shared stories of racing at Crew Classic with current rowers. The team is incredibly grateful to all the alumni that attended the event, and appreciates the history shared.
To make this event even more influential on the Aztecs, a history of Aztec Rowing was given by Mr. Chuck Datte, who coached for the Aztecs from 1985-1986-. Chuck unearthed some relics of Aztec racing, with photographs of the team racing at IRA’s, Henley, and training for WC trials. The amazing crews of that era toiled greatly at the oars. Chuck described the difficulties faced by the athletes and coaches as they raised expectations to unprecedented levels. Most inspiring, he instilled in the athletes that this accomplishment came from the athletes themselves.
2019 Foundation Meeting and Officer Elections
After Chuck’s dialogue, attending Alumni gathered at the tent to kick off the H. Del Beekley Foundation’s 11th Annual Meeting. The meeting visited the successes of the past year, namely the alumni participation at local events, and the purchase of a new racing 8. A discussion with the team brought forth the upcoming goals for the following year, which focus on the development of benchmarks for the team and foundation. In addition, the team officers highlighted the Alumni events and their positive impact on the team. Meeting minutes will be posted on the H Del Beekley website, but for convenience, the 2019-2020 officers are introduced below.
President – Bernard Aparicio – Bernard served as vice president in 2018, and takes on the president role under the guidance of his fellow officers.
Vice President – Matthew Stewart – Matthew takes on the vice president role after serving with distinction as an at-large member.
Secretary – Brandt Watson – Brandt continues as secretary, where he served in great capacity last year.
Treasurer – Steve Lewis – Steve continues as treasurer, in which capacity he has been outstanding for three years.
At Large – Andy Olson – Andy opted to take a step back this year. As an at-large member, he will prove invaluable for his extensive history and undying passion for Aztec rowing.
At Large – Haakon Christoffer Jonsmyr – Chris returns as an at-large member, which he served admirably last year.
Boat Fund Update – Boat Purchased
Finally, the weekend included the purchase of a 2017 Pockock 8+ from the University of Texas. Last year, the foundation voted to purchase an appropriate racing shell for the team. After a steady year of fundraising, the foundation raised $30,000 for the purchase, and secured the boat shortly before crew classic. The team happily brought the boat home on Saturday, and it is now the top boat for SDSU men’s crew. The boat was purchased not with a single donation, but through the generosity of over 50 Alumni over the past two years. This collective effort shows the great ability of the Alumni base to support the team, and we endeavor to continue this over the next year.
The varsity team bringing in the new 8+ rowing shell delivered over the weekend
Alumni Spring Row – May 4, 2019
If tales of Crew Classic has inspired you to take up the oar again, you’re in luck! On Saturday May 4th at 7:30am, come down and relive the glory days as you join with fellow alumni to give the current Aztec oarsmen a run for their money. As usual, all eras of rowers are welcome, and several 8’s are expected to be racing. A $20 buy-in gets you a seat, first come, first served (fitness not required). If you would like to participate, contact us (info@beekleyrowing.org) or a member of the board and we will reserve your seat. Come down and pay tribute to the great oarsmen of Aztec Rowing!
NewslettersComments Off on Boat Opportunity – We need your help now!
Apr032019
Aztec Alumni and Friends, A great opportunity has just landed in our laps to purchase a very gently used 2017 Pocock XVIII for the team. The even better news is that it will be on a trailer and brought out to Crew Classic THIS WEEKEND! In order to capitalize on this great opportunity, we need to close the last $5000 gap on our boat fund effort ASAP! So, I’m throwing in my support by donating the first $1k today and asking you to help me and the rest of the Foundation make this goal a reality by heading to the Donate page and making your contribution today!
We want to thank everybody that has already helped put over twenty thousand dollars into the boat fund so far, without you we wouldn’t be able to consider this great opportunity. For the rest of you, now is the time to take action and join the effort. We have a very limited time window to get the HUGE benefit of transportation covered because the boat is already on a trailer to make the trip to the San Diego Crew Classic!
Andy Olson President – H. Del Beekley Rowing Foundation
NewslettersComments Off on Crew Classic weekend is coming up!
Mar242019
Hello Aztec Rowing Alumni and Friends,
Spring racing is well under way and the next event on the schedule is Crew Classic on April 6-7th!
Crew Classic invokes great memories of racing, being with friends and teammates, and making boats go fast. This year will be no different. The Aztecs will be entering three 8’s: a Varsity 8, Junior Varsity 8, and a Novice 8. The athletes are primed and ready to go to row at the big show.
We would like to enlist your help and support to make this Crew Classic the best one yet. On Friday April 5th, we will be having our annual banquet and auction. This will be a fun night of food, meeting current oarsman, seeing old friends and making new ones. Please RSVP here.
The team leadership and the alumni board are working hard to make this a weekend to remember. Here are some key details about the weekend:
Auction: We will be auctioning off the naming rights to two eights in our fleet. Cement your legacy at your Alma Mater in the best way possible by immortalizing your name in the Aztec Rowing boathouse. We appreciate all of the support from our alumni and want to make auction items worthwhile. For a complete list of auction items, click here (link to list I am putting together
Racing: The reason we are here! Racing begins the morning of Saturday April 6th with each boat having at least one race, with finals Sunday April 7th. The racing schedule can be found on the Crew Classic site and will be updated with final times as the event approaches.
Crew Classic BBQ: Along with the racing on Sunday April 7th, we will also be hosting the famous carne and pollo asada BBQ at the team tent. We’ll be firing the grill up early and plan to start serving food by 11:AM.
Beekley Foundation Meeting: At 1:30PM, the H. Del Beekley Rowing Foundation will convene its annual meeting. Any alumni or supporter is welcome to attend and any member of the H. Del Beekley Rowing Foundation in good standing is eligible to vote on the issues and run for any office.
This will truly be a weekend to remember, see you on April 5th!
NewslettersComments Off on Crew Classic & Golf Tournament Recap
Feb022019
Thank you to all who attended and supported the golf tournament on February 9th at the iconic Balboa Park Golf Course. We had 28 players from a variety of eras participate, including 9 former team captains! The team of Geoff Canfield (97-00), Jake Wittler (99-02), and Matt Pawlak (01-04) won the scramble, while Mike Buckel (11-14) won both the longest drive and closest to the pin competitions.
Crew Classic 2019
Crew Classic is April 6-7 this year and is rapidly approaching, with exciting racing to watch and fun events to attend all throughout the weekend. The team will be hosting the annual Crew Classic Banquet dinner Friday, April 5 starting at 5pm at the Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center on campus. Event details and registration are at the following link: https://www.evite.com/event/02F6A5V2UHUVEMP26EPJHETLQVUUHA/rsvpAfter watching the weekend racing, stop by the SDSU tent at the racecourse Sunday for our traditional BBQ featuring some delicious carne asada followed by the annual meeting of the Foundation.
Boat Fund Update
We appreciate everyone that has already donated to help support the team and build towards the future, and are in the final 250m sprint for the boat fund as we hope to bring a new racing shell into the boathouse within the next few months. We’ve already raised over $20,000 towards our goal, so please take the opportunity to make a donation today to help us close the gap on our last $11,000!
Aztecs Spring Race Schedule
February 16th – Parker Cup – Newport Beach
March 3rd – Gruenberg Cup – Port of LA (USC boathouse)
March 16th – Newport Regatta – Newport
April 6th & 7th – San Diego Crew Classic – Mission Bay
NewslettersComments Off on This year’s golf tournament is on Feb. 9th – Sign up today!
Jan112019
We’re just short of one month from this years H. Del Beekley Rowing Foundation Golf Tournament and it’s time to get your registration booked for the event! This year’s event will be held on Saturday, February 9th at the historic Balboa Park Golf Course in San Diego. Tournament participants will play 18 holes in a Scramble format, and will play alongside current rowers, coxswains and coaches throughout the course. Golfers can participate for as little as $85/person (in a foursome) and sponsorships start at $89 to sponsor an athlete or coach for the event. For full details, please visit our EventBrite registration page and claim your spot for this years event!
All net proceeds from the event will go directly to the H. Del Beekley Rowing Foundations (http://beekleyrowing.org) Boat Fund which has a current goal to put a new 8 man racing shell in the SDSU boathouse during the 2019 season. Online registration closes on Sunday, January 27th at midnight! For more information or questions about any form of sponsorship, contact us at info@beekleyrowing.org
2018 tournament winners – Bill Lawson, Kurt Bausback, and Mary & Allan Miller
NewslettersComments Off on Fall Recap and Golf Tournament
Dec152018
This Fall the team welcomed 25 new novice rowers and coxswains bringing the team total to 50, with 25 athletes on varsity. They had 3 races (Head of the American, San Diego Fall Classic, and Head of the Harbor) and are looking forward to the spring racing season. You can read a recap of the fall season here.
The alumni and current rowers “sewing” up the boats for a group picture at the alumni row this past October
Thank you to all who attended the fall alumni row and homecoming tailgate on October 20th. 18 alumni took to the waters of Mission Bay to practice alongside the current team. Later in the day, over 50 alumni, family, and friends gathered in the SDCCU Stadium parking lot to share stories and catch up with old teammates over a delicious barbecue dinner and libations.
Annual Golf Tournament 2019
We will be hosting our 2nd annual golf tournament this year on February 9th, 2019 at the iconic Balboa Park Golf Course (2600 Golf Course Dr, San Diego, CA 92102). The Tournament participants will play 18 holes in a Scramble format, and will be greeted by current rowers, coxswains and coaches at various holes.
Golfers can participate for as little as $85/person (in a foursome) and sponsorships start at $150. If you can’t make it this year please consider sponsoring a rower. We are also selling packages that allow you to play with current team members to fill out your foursome.
Full details and registration for the event can be found here. (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/h-del-beekley-rowing-foundation-golf-tournament-2019-registration-53376455415)
Boat Fund Update
First and foremost we would like to thank the 40 donors and former Aztec Oarsmen and supporters that have come together this year to raise over $20,000 for the team and foundation. We are happy to announce that we are well on our way to meeting our commitment to purchase the team a boat in 2019. Please take your last opportunity of the 2018 tax year to make a donation today to help us close the gap on our last $11,000!
Aztecs Spring Race Schedule
February 23th – Parker Cup – Newport Beach March 2rd – Gruenberg Cup – Port of LA (USC boathouse) March 10th – Newport Regatta – Newport April 6th & 7th – San Diego Crew Classic – Mission Bay April 27th-28th – WIRA – Sacramento
Future Beekley Foundation Events
February 9th, 2019 – Golf Tournament
April 6-7 2019 – San Diego Crew Classic
The team will be racing all throughout the weekend
We’ll be hosting our traditional Sunday BBQ and Annual meeting of the Foundation.
For the first time in several years, we’ll be fielding a boat or two of Aztec Alumni
NewslettersComments Off on New Season, New Recruits
Sep092018
This years’ returning Aztecs started a little early with a revised training plan that has resulted in each of them having pulled almost 100k meters already! Combine that with the squad of about 30 novices that are finishing up their second week with the team, and you can’t help but take notice that this year is starting off strong. The team was even lucky enough to have Aztec alumni and Olympian Garrett Klugh join one of their erg sessions to share his insights and get them charged up for a new year!
Boat Fund Update
With the Fall season here, it’s time to redouble our effort toward the 10th Anniversary boat fund. The Foundation has raised more than ½ of the $35,000 needed to update the boathouse with a newer racing shell by Crew Classic. Replacing equipment is an ongoing challenge, and keeping the boathouse fresh with new and gently used equipment ensures the current and future success of the team. You can make donations to the boat fund at any time on the Donate section of our website. As is customary, the largest donor or group of donors will have first naming rights.
Special thanks to donors Kris Corley, Ed Baldry, Chris Anderson, Dustin Hinds, Joseph Dodson, and James Osborn for the contributions to the boat fund over the summer!
RSVP Today! – Alumni Row and Homecoming Tailgate
On October 20th, the team would like to invite our alumni oarsmen and coxswains to join the current aztecs in a mixed row (which is certain to end in a little racing) at the Mission Bay Aquatic Center Boathouse. Those interested in rowing should reach out to Bernard at info@beekleyrowing.org to reserve a spot. We’ll be meeting at 6:00 AM and plan to be off the water by 8:30 AM to give you plenty of time to rest up and join us at this season’s Homecoming Game for the SDSU Men’s Crew Alumni Tailgate!.
Is the thought of getting back into a racing shell not quite your speed these days? No problem! We’ll be grilling hot dogs, burgers, and some smoked meats before the Aztec football team takes on San Jose State at this year’s Homecoming Game. Plan to head on down to the stadium and join us as early as 3:30 PM in section H3. We’re asking for $5 per person to help offset the cost of the food, water, soda, and utensils. Please let us know if you plan on attending – and/or would like to provide something – so that we can ensure we have enough to go around. Because current team members are invited, we will not be providing alcohol. But if you so choose you can bring your own adult beverages (and remember that the stadium doesn’t allow glass containers). This will be a great opportunity to meet the current team and swap war stories with other alumni.
Please send your RSVP or any questions about either event to info@beekleyrowing.org by Friday October 12.
Aztecs Fall Race Schedule
10/27 – Head of the American, Lake Natoma, Sacramento, CA 11/11- Fall Classic, Mission Bay, San Diego, CA 11/24 – Newport Chase, Newport Beach, CA (select crews) 11/25 – Head of the Harbor, Port of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA (select crews)
Future Beekley Foundation Events
Early February 2019 – Beekley Rowing Foundation Golf Tournament
Last year’s event was a bunch of fun and we’re looking to improve upon it this year. We’ll be working to finalize a location and exact date in the coming couple of months, but wanted to get this in people’s minds now!
April 6-7 2019 – San Diego Crew Classic
The team will be racing all throughout the weekend
We’ll be hosting our usual Sunday BBQ and Annual meeting of the Board for the Foundation.
For the first time in several years, we’ll be fielding a boat or two of Aztec Alumni