General Announcements – Beekley Rowing

New Online Donation Platform

Aug 302023

Since our inception, the H. Del Beekley Rowing Foundation has managed our donations through a Donor Advised Fund at the San Diego Foundation. While nothing about that relationship has changed, the San Diego Foundation recently moved their secure online donation system to a new and improved platform called Blackbaud.

The great news for us is that

The new donation form is significantly easier to fill out, with a much cleaner design than the previous system, making it easier than ever to sign up for the 1925 Club!
It allows both Credit Card-based online donations as well as the ability to set up Direct Debit from a personal or business bank account

So, if you haven’t donated in a while, or have been looking for an excuse to join our highly successful 1925 Club, please head on over to our new donation portal and try it on for size!

Donate Online

Even small donations make a big difference over time. Most recently, they helped us to purchase $6000 worth of parts so that the team could start the year with the fleet working at its best.

The only bad news is that our existing 1925 Club patrons will need to re-enroll in the new platform in order to continue their support. So, we’ll be reaching out to work on getting all of our existing donors converted to our new system beginning in September.

2023 Golf Tournament Announcement

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Jan 202023

The H. Del Beekley Rowing Foundation cordially invites you to participate in our 5th Golf Tournament Fundraiser on Saturday, March 11th at the highly rated Admiral Baker Golf Course in San Diego.

The morning will start off with player check-in opening at 8:45 AM. At that time players will get a golf cart, some range balls, and will have some time to get their practice swings in at the driving range before our tee times begin at 9:33 AM. Then we’ll kick off our Scramble format tournament through the links. So, whether you consider yourself a pro or more of a duffer, you’re sure to have a great time and end the round with a solid score!

In addition to the tournament itself, we will have a couple of challenges along the course for anyone who elects to buy the Bonus Packs. The first will be the Longest Drive competition where you can unleash your best drive and put yourself in the running for a prize at the end of the event. The second challenge will require a bit more finesse as you take aim to get the closest to the pin on one of the shorter holes on the course. If the big drive and pin challenges elude you on the course, your bonus pack also buys you raffle tickets to put you in the running for prizes at the end of the event.

All net proceeds from the event will go directly to the H. Del Beekley Rowing Foundation. The success of this event depends on the involvement of many individuals as well as business sponsors who participate in the event and sponsor tees or raffle items. If you or your business are interested in sponsoring a tee or the event through in-kind items, or would like to make a straight donation, please contact the Beekley Rowing Foundation board by emailing info@beekleyrowing.org.

The following registration options are now open on our Square Checkout registration site. Online registration will close on Sunday, February 26th at midnight, so head on over and sign up for the event. Or better yet, rally up a foursome of your buddies and take advantage of reduced pricing for a Foursome with Bonus Pack. And remember, while this event is hosted by the Beekley Rowing Foundation, participation in the event is open to all! We’re looking forward to seeing you on the course!

Registration Options

Foursome or 3 Players + Sponsor an Athlete – $475
Includes golf, carts and range balls for 4 golfers. Only have a three-some? We’ll round out your threesome with a current team member.

Foursome Bonus Pack – $90
Includes 4 Closest to the Hole, 4 Longest Drive and 120 Raffle tickets

Single golfer – $125
Includes golf, cart and range balls

Single Under 27 Golfer or Athlete Sponsorship – $105
Includes golf, cart and range balls for people under the age of 27

Under 27 foursome – $410
Includes golf, cart and range balls for 4 people under the age of 27

Bonus Pack – $25
Includes Closest to the Hole, Longest Drive and 30 Raffle tickets

Tee Sponsor – $150
Includes Tee Sign and 30 Raffle Tickets

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

4th Annual Golf Tournament

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Feb 162022

The 4th Annual H. Del Beekley Rowing Foundation Golf Tournament was held on Saturday, February 12th 2022 at the South Course of the highly rated Admiral Baker Golf Course in San Diego. As our largest tournament held to date, this event hosted 40 participants consisting of current and former Athletes ranging from 1979 to 2022, as well as Head Coach Craig Doan and other friends of the program.

The event saw our first foursome tee off at 7:45 AM and the 10th foursome got underway just before 9:00 AM. Thanks to alumnus Matt Pawlak, the teams were able to use real-time online scoring to track their foursomes scores against the other teams as they progressed through the course. Thankfully the scoring platform didn’t track real-time trash talking, because there was plenty of friendly banter between the teams out on the course.

Aside from the main tournament, the golfers individually had the opportunity to participate in two on-course challenges. The first was the “Closest to the Hole” challenge held on the shortest hole of the course, at just 170 yards from the tee to the hole. Alumnus Matt Pawlak (2001-2004) took the prize by landing his tee shot just 43 feet and 11 inches from the hole!

By the time the teams made it to hole 14, they were greeted by our second challenge, the “Longest Drive”. This hole was particularly well suited for a long straight drive down the fairway, and alumnus Aaron Pollock (1989-1990) answered the call by unleashing a 309 yard drive to take the victory.

By about midpoint in the tournament there was one foursome that started to amass a bit of a lead, and had the envy of the rest of the field. After finishing up on the 18th hole, the team of alumnus Rick Miller (2006-2008) had set what would be the tournament winning score of 62 at 10 under par! Detailed results from the event as well as a list of all of our pairings can be found at our Tournament site,

After the remaining foursomes finished the course, we all gathered on the back patio of the River’s Edge Cafe for some much needed food, refreshment, and shade from the unusually warm February day. Once everyone got settled we kicked off our awards ceremony and raffled off the amazing prizes donated by the generous sponsors of this year’s event!

Special thanks go out to our two Tee Sponsors, ABTECH Technologies and OTTO Inc, as well as all that contributed prizes for our raffle, including Jackie’s Jam, The Body Remedy, The Lost Cause Meadery, Michelob Ultra, Admiral Baker Golf Course, Bankers Hill Orange Theory, our Board members, and Matt Pawlak.

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.

Olympic Past and Present

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Mar 142021

We wanted to take a moment to congratulate current board president Bernard Aparicio on his showing at U.S. trials last month in Sarasota.

***Bernie lining up for the first round of the repechage***
Photo credit to Row2k

Bernie has been training for a spot on the U.S. lightweight olympic national team since 2019, rowing with the Vesper high performance team in Philadelphia. After missing the Vesper selection for the lightweight mens 2x, Bernie decided to enter into the open weight 1x trials to race against 24 of the fastest single scullers in the United States vying for a lane in Tokyo.

Despite having only a few weeks to train in the single leading up to the event, Bernie placed 9th overall in what is the most competitive race in the United States. As former Aztecs rowers we can’t help but be equal parts nostalgic and proud of what Bernie has accomplished to date.

From all of us at the foundation and Aztecs everywhere – Congratulations Bernie!

See the full results of the olympic trials here.

Garrett Klugh

With Tokyo fast approaching, we wanted to take a moment to highlight to story of Aztec and Olympian Garrett Klugh, who rowed at SDSU from 1992 – 1997 and competed in the straight four during the 2004 Olympic games in Athens among many accomplishments during his rowing career.

To this day, Garrett has remained involved with the team, speaking to the athletes about his experience and inspiring Aztecs to consider rowing at the highest level. Check out his recent interview below on the Athlete to Entrepreneur podcast and to hear his full story including his experience rowing at SDSU.

***Click the picture above to listen to the full episode***

Episode Description:

“When 9 year old Garrett saw the Olympic torch run by his house in 1984 he decided he’d be in the Olympics. The rest of his story is simply awe inspiring. If you like grit, persistence, twists/turns, romance but no-violence, all told by a master story teller.“

2021 brings a renewed hope, and unprecedented challenges for the future of the team and the Beekley foundation. Consider doing your part to help make the foundation successful by contributing monthly via our online donation system.

The Latest Update On Aztec Rowing

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Dec 182020

On November 20th, SDSU announced the discontinuation of the Women’s Rowing Program. The Open Letter by the University describes their stance and reasoning for the decision. Unfortunately, there appears to be little opportunity for the Women’s team to continue as a fully funded program after Spring 2021. The decision represents a loss for both San Diego State athletics and the rowing community at large, which has seen funding for many teams disappear due to budget cuts this year.

Coach Craig Doan and the athletes have been following this closely, and will update the board on women’s rowing potential club status as the 2020-2021 season unfolds. The H. Del Beekley foundation is committed to supporting the team’s decisions throughout this process and providing guidance as needed.

Both teams share facilities, including the boathouse and erg room that will be affected by this decision. The board is considering releasing funds to assist the Men’s team, if necessary. It is possible that funds planned to be used for a new shell in 2021, may be utilized to help the team during this time. We will do the utmost to keep our membership informed of this as we assess the situation.

If any of our members have questions, or would like to discuss the state of the team, please reach out to us here directly at the H. Del Beekley Foundation.

Unfortunately, the state of COVID has led us to cancel our events this year. Despite this, the H Del Beekley is on track with its fundraising! Thank you to our monthly contributors, who have added great stability to our fundraising. We have been engaging alumni personally, and are working hard to expand our membership. Please consider donating to the 1925 Campaign and bring the team out of COVID strong!

Happy Holidays to all,

Bernard Aparicio
H Del Beekley President

2020 brings uncertainty and challenges for the Aztec Rowing. Consider doing your part to help make the foundation successful by contributing to the foundation monthly via our online donation system.

October Newsletter

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Oct 302020

Fall is upon us, and the school year is underway at SDSU. It has been a tumultuous year for everyone, and we hope this newsletter finds you well. For SDSU Men’s Crew, the pandemic has hit the racing season hard, but the team continues to persevere. After the cancellation of the spring racing season, the team has been quarantined since March. While unable to row as a team, the athletes have stayed in good shape, and are itching to get back on the water.

The Upcoming Season…

With rowing in team boats impossible, the team has kept their fitness with weekly workouts and zoom meetings. The team has adopted a socially distant virtual fitness program. As the campus continues virtual classrooms and strict dormitory quarantines, athletes will continue to train within reasonably safe conditions. At SDSU the Aztec Recreation Center is closed, along with the Aquaplex. The Mission Bay Aquatic Center is open; however, there is little possibility of rowing team boats out of the facility. With these constraints in place, the team will continue virtual workouts, with the hope of conducting socially distant in person workouts at open space areas (Presidio park, Mt. Soledad, the infamous Tecolote Canyon). In addition to these land workouts, Craig is taking tentative steps to get the team in singles – where you can’t blame the other guy for bad set!

The 1925 Campaign

SDSU Men’s Rowing was established in 1925 (year up for debate). In this 95 year history, the team has both achieved victory and suffered defeat. It is an amazing experience, where walk-on athletes row not for scholarship, but for a pursuit of self-excellence. The sacrifices needed to succeed in rowing are important to it’s lessons, and these stay with alumni for life.

To perpetuate these traditions and continue the growth of the team, the H. Del Beekley Foundation is launching the 1925 Campaign. This campaign will raise money for the boat fund – enough to purchase another 8+ for the team. From September 2020 to August 2021, we ask alumni to donate $19.25/mo via our donate page. Our goal is to commit 44 SDSU Men’s Rowing supporters to sign up for this campaign. We would raise $10,000 over the course of the year! Let’s pull together and make it happen.

Join the 1925 Campaign

Virtual Happy Hour

With our alumni row impossible to hold this fall, the foundation is setting up a “Virtual Happy Hour”. Grab a beer and reminisce about the good ol’ days. Spread the myths and legends of Aztec Rowing without worrying about finding a person to drive you home! We hope to see you at the happy hour, held over Zoom. Event details will be sent out soon! Please let us know if you are interested, so we can have a rough idea how many to expect. Mention if a particular day works best!

Updated Websites

The Head Coach and Board have invested time to update both AztecRowing.com and BeekleyRowing.org. Take a look at the awesome updates, which include:

Special thanks to Head Coach Craig Doan for putting in tremendous effort to update the team website.

Wishing all our readers and their families the best,
Bernard Aparicio

Go Aztecs!

2020 brings uncertainty and challenges for the Aztec Rowing. Consider doing your part to help make the foundation successful by contributing to the foundation monthly via our online donation system.

Annual Recap & Team Update

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Jun 242020

Even with the season cut short, both the team and the foundation would like to take the opportunity to thank all of the supporters who have contributed this year by donating or attending a race. Below are some of the highlights from this very unusual year.

Annual Meeting

With the 2020 Crew Classic canceled, the foundation held our first ever virtual meeting on April 5th. Eleven members attended via phone and webcam to discuss the future of the team, the foundation, and elected officers to the board. (You can read the meeting minutes here.)

2020 Elected Board Members
President – Bernard Aparicio
Vice President – Matthew Stewart
Treasurer – Steve Lewis
Secretary – Brandt Watson
At-Large Member – Kameron Kennington
At-Large Member – Andy Olson

New to the board this year, is at-large member Kameron Kennington. Kam rowed for the Aztecs from 2011-2015, serving his final year as the club’s Public Relations Officer. Kam joins the Foundation in 2020 as a member at-large. He is eager to continue to follow the team’s growth, and is honored to have a chance to help create positive momentum for current and future Aztec oarsmen.

State of the Team – From Head Coach Craig Doan

On Thursday March 12th, Associated Students and the Sports Club Council suspended all club activities before correctly cancelling the remainder of the spring season two-weeks later in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. While this was an unprecedented, and admittedly painful, way to end the season (particularly for our 5 graduating seniors) this was not completely unexpected. With the cancelling of the Ivy League season just the day before, we knew the dominos would be quick to fall and spoke to the team in advance of that Thursday morning practice. We hit the Mission Bay water that morning focusing the day’s session on making sure we understood the value of our time on the water with the people who shape our daily lives and collegiate experience, unsure of if and when we’d get the chance to experience it all again. We hadn’t yet heard an announcement from the University when we left the H Del Beekley Boathouse that morning, but everyone understood it was an inevitability. Following the announcement, the entire team joined me at my home to say our goodbyes to the season and each other as the students quickly departed for home in order to be with their families.

On May 12, one month after cancelling the current spring season, the CSU board overseeing San Diego State University announced that the fall 2020 semester will take place primarily online. While nothing has been stated officially at this time, it is believed that this will directly impact the team, with practices being unlikely to be allowed on Mission Bay, effectively cancelling the fall season. This situation is still ongoing, and the Foundation is committed to supporting both Head Coach Craig Doan and the team during this uncertainty.

Throughout this, the team has stayed active and engaged. The athletes are meeting monthly on zoom to catch up and plan for the coming year. After finishing out the semester logging workouts against one another, they have entered a short detraining phase and will begin summer workouts in preparation for next season in a few weeks. In the meanwhile, the Executive Board is meeting bi-weekly via Zoom to discuss and plan for next season and will be posting updates via social media and the team website. Amidst this unprecedented situation, I have consistently been impressed by this team’s ability to see this extended leave as an opportunity to take advantage of, and to make this team better going forward. While I know so many have found this time to be discouraging, I have been continually impressed by the drive and positive attitudes of those involved in Aztec Rowing.

Craig Doan
Head Coach, SDSU Mens Crew

Annual Meeting and Elections – Crew Classic canceled

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Apr 012020

Because of the safety issues brought about by the coronavirus, the 2020 San Diego Crew Classic was canceled. Therefore the H Del Beekley Foundation will be holding our annual meeting and elections online Sunday April 5th at 4:00pm PST. If you would like to participate please send an email to info@beekley.org.

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