General Announcements – Page 2

The Fall season is just about here!

General Announcements, Newsletters Comments Off

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

General Announcements, Newsletters Comments Off

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.

2023 Golf Tournament Announcement

Events, General Announcements Comments Off

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

General Announcements, Newsletters Comments Off

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

General Announcements Comments Off

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

General Announcements, Newsletters Comments Off

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

General Announcements, Newsletters, Uncategorized Comments Off

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

General Announcements, Newsletters Comments Off

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

General Announcements, Newsletters Comments Off

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

General Announcements, Newsletters Comments Off

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

Older Entries Newer Entries