Vesper Boat Club

Elite Racing Program

2010 Summer Racing program information is available here.

Currently, 20 exceptional athletes are enrolled in the Year Round Elite Program. If you are interested in training in a dynamic program at the highest level, please contact Coach Bartman at Michielbartman@gmail.com

Located along Philadelphia’s historic Boathouse Row on the Schuylkill River, Vesper Boat Club offers:

• Coaching and training expertise led by Head Coach Michiel Bartman, triple Olympic medalist from the Netherlands in both sweep and sculling events;

• Newly renovated facilities, featuring: video technology, weight room, new Concept II ergometers, shower and locker rooms, and kitchen;

• State-of-the-art rowing equipment. All of the shells in the Club’s fleet are less than five years old. The club buys new equipment each year.

• The benefits of a training location that include accessible, affordable housing and job opportunities.

• Vesper Boat Club’s general Club membership provides a supportive network to help athletes pursue their goals.

2009 SUMMER RACING RECAP

U23 Rowing World Championships, Racic, Czech Republic
July 23-27
Vesper Boat Club's LW2x was of only 4 U.S. sculling boats to advance directly from their heat to the A/B semifinal this morning, defeating Hong Kong and Iran by sizable margins to cross the line comfortably in 3rd. The raced very well in their heat and established themselves just behind Russia and France at the first check mark only to lengthen that cushion as the race progressed. They have now earned the right to relax and watch as Iran, Hong Kong, Sweden, Canada, and Estonia battle it out in the heat and wind in the repercharge.

Club National Championships, Oak Ridge, TN,
July 17-20
In Oak Ridge we claimed 7 national titles and in total we won 17 medals.

Gold	Silver	Bronze
Bryn Crawford, Int 1x Michelle Sescher, LW senior 1x Michelle Sescher, LW Int 1x Shannon Kaplan, Senior 1x Sam Morgan, Mary Webster, Bailey Chick, Nicole Bates and Jenny Sichel, Senior 4+ Women Senior 8+	Bryn Crawford Senior 1x Ian Selveira Int 1x Adriann Spinks and Shannon Kaplan, Senior 2x Ian Silveira and Mike Donohue, Int 2x Michelle Sescher and Whitney Engle LW Senior 2x Bryn Crawford, Shannon Kaplan, Adriann Spinks, Liz Keyser, Senior 4x	Peter Smith, Int 1x Whitney Engle, LW Int 1x Mike Donohue, Junior A 1x Christina Meyer, Kara Ellison, Tashina Vavuris, Krystina Sarff, Andi Hartfield, Sr 4+

Maccabiah Games, Tel Aviv, Israel
July 12-17
Greg Kaplan, rowing with Riverside's Peter Morelli, claimed the mens' 2x title over Israel with a comfortable 9" margin. Greg and Pete also went into the USA m4x with Atlanta's Jon Werner and PennAC's Ryan Strauss. The US boat rowed behind Israel for 1200m and then decisively pulled through and out to a 2" lead, which they held for the remainder of the race.

Indepencence Day Regatta, Philadelphia, PA
July 3-5

Elite National Championships, Mercer County Park, NJ
June 25-27
Shannon Kaplan and Bryn Crawford rowed to a bronze medal in the W2x. Also earning bronze, in a very close race, were Ben Churchill and Jim Dietz in the m2x; lightweights Greg Kaplan and Pete Morelli of Riverside BC finished 6th in this race.