|
Liz Trond, Head Coach Women's Sweep
Liz Trond began rowing in 1989 and coaching in 1995. She was a highly competitive collegiate rower and still trains and races on the master's level, winning the Head of the Charles in the 8 and Master's Nationals in the 2x in recent years. Liz has coached at Sacramento State University, Orange Coast College, Fairfield University, Norwalk River Rowing Association, and in 2005 founded the Maritime Rowing Club competitive girls sweep team. In 4 years there, her crews won the Head of the Charles, San Diego Crew Classic, and medalled numerous time at US Rowing Youth Nationals. In 2010, Liz founded Connecticut Boat Club who's boats won National Championships in the 8, 2- and Ltwt 4+ last spring. Liz began coaching with US Rowing in 2002. Serving as Head Coach for the United States Junior Women’s Development Team in 2004 and 2005, Liz coached the Canamex Teams, and in 2005 won the first ever USA points trophy. Those crews included Ari Frost, Elle Logan, Lindsey Meyer, Sara Hendershot, Helen Thompkins and Ashley Kroll, all who have since competed for US Rowing on a U-23 or National Team level. In 2007 Liz created the High Performance Team and set the framework for the training trip to Berlin. Liz has served as assistant coach for the US Junior National Team 2006-2010 coaching the 2- to a 6th place finish twice, the 4- to 8th & 6th place finishes, and the 8 to a silver medal. This is her first year as the US Junior Women's Head Coach, and she brings with her a passion for coaching, a competitive spirit, the knowledge of the complete junior team system, and the knowledge and experience of international level training and racing.
Cassandra Cunningham
Coach Cassandra Cunningham is in her fourth year with the Women's Junior Worlds Development Team. She helps select and coaches the girls that attend the Junior Worlds Development camp in Germany. Coach Cunningham began her athletic quest at Mills High School in Millbrae, CA where she competed in cross country and track for four years. Entering Sacramento State College, she began her rowing career. Coach Cunningham earned three state championship titles as well as winning the first ever Pacific Coast Rowing Championships in the Women's Varsity Eight in 1995. In 1996, she earned a Bachelor's of Science in Physical Education. After graduation she spent three years training with the Women's U.S. Rowing National Team at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista. She is a five-time winner at the US National Elite Championships. She is a five-times chapion at the US National Elite Championshiops and three time champion in the women's lightweigh eight at the Head of the Charles. Lastly, she earned two international silver medals, one in the women’s lightweight quad at the 1998 World Rowing Championships and one the 1999 Pan American Games. After her time on the national team, Coach Cunningham earned a Master of Education in Administration at the University of Massachusetts while simultaneously coaching the school's varsity women's lightweight rowing team. Coach Cunningham was the Head Coach of the Junipero Serra High School Boy's team from 2002-2009. She rebuilt the program and within four years she had mulitple athletes competing at top colleges around the US. In 2009, she joined the Oakland Strokes Junior Program and is currently the Assistant Girls Varsity Coach. She also teaches physical fitness at the Academy of Art University in San Fransicso, California where she reside.
Sandy Armstrong, Assistant Coach
Sandy Armstrong is in her first year as an assistant coach for the Junior National Women's Team. However, she has a long history of coaching very fast crews at the junior level and is an exciting addition to the coaching staff. Coach Armstrong has been the Executive Director and Junior Women's Head Coach at Marin Rowing since 1991. Under her tenure, the VW8+ has qualified for the Youth National Championships 14 out of the 15 year history of the Youth National Championships, bringing home 2 gold (2008 & 2009), 4 silver and 3 bronze medals from this event. Her Junior Women's 8+ holds the Southwest Regional Championship record with 11 golds, 6 silver and 2 bronze. Prior to her tenure at Marin, she spent two years as the Varsity Women's coach at Tulane University. She spent her first four years coaching as Marin's novice/assistant coach from 1984 to 1988. Coach Armstrong has sat on US Rowing Junior Women's Committee and currently sits on the SW Regional Rowing Board of Stewards, a position she has held since 1994. In 1994, she was the US Jr Team's Head Coach for the Development Team.
Laura Simon, Assistant Coach, Coxswains
 Laura has been a coxswain for more than 18 years with many Collegiate and National title under her belt. She has been a coach for nearly a decade. A former US National Team contender, she spent 6 years coxing at the National Team level. She now coaches women’s rowing at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. During the summer of ’09, she coached the US Junior Team's High Performance group. In 2002, Laura went to the World Championships as a coach for the Women’s Team. She is one of the contributing authors to The Coxswain Encyclopedia and travels the US in her spare time putting on Coxswain Clinics for both coaches and coxswains. Laura heads up the identification and development of our coxswains.
|
|
Guenter Beutter, Junior National Team Sculling Coach
In 1988, Coach Beutter was recruited as a coach for the German National Team. From 1989 to 1997, Beutter coached both men and women in sculling and sweep boats, taking his athletes to five world championships earning four gold and one silver medal. After spending time in Germany, Beutter headed to the states. In 2007, he coached the USRowing senior W 2x at the world championships in Munich, the race that qualified them for the 2008 Olympics. In 2008, Coach Beutter started working with US Junior Team boats, the W2x, being his first. From 2009 – 2010, the US Junior National team W 4x was under the guidance of Coach Beutter and improved their record from the C-Final in 2008 to a sixth place finish in the A-Final in 2010.
In 2009, Beutter coached the US Lightweight Men’s 1x and the Lightweight Women’s 4x at U23 World Championships, bringing home a silver medal with the LW 4x. In the summer of 2010, Coach Beutter coached the US U23 LW 4x at the Worlds in Belarus and the US LM 2x and LM 4x, all GMS Rowing Center Athletes at the Senior World Championships in New Zealand. Victoria Burke, one of his athletes, earned the silver medal in the LW 4x at the 2010 World Championships in New Zealand. For the last two years, Coach Beutter has resided at the GMS Rowing Center in New Milford, CT where his crews have won numerous gold, silver and Bronze medals at prestigious races such as the Head of the Charles, Elite, Club and Youth Nationals.
Matt Naifeh, Assistant Coach, Sculling
 Matt Naifeh was a four-year
scholastic oarsman for the Episcopal School of Dallas Men’s Crew, competing
under the guidance of sixteen-year Head Coach, Troy Howell. After high
school, Matthew attended Southern Methodist University earning his B.B.A. in
Finance from the Cox School of Business.
With
no opportunities for male oarsmen at SMU, Matthew was asked to return to the
Episcopal School of Dallas as Assistant Coach. In the Fall of 2008, after
serving in this role for three years during college, he was appointed the Head
Coach of Men’s and Women’s Crew for the Episcopal School of Dallas as a 21 year
old college senior. He is currently in
his 3rd year as head coach.
Matthew
joined the US Junior National Team Sculling Coaching Staff in the summer of
2010, as a Development Coach and assistant to selection. This year, he
will fill the role of USJNT Sculling Assistant Coach.
|
