USRowing Announces Newest Level 3 High Performance Coach Graduates

USRowing is excited to announce the 18 coaches who have completed the most recent Level 3 High Performance Coach Certification Course.

Over the course of several months, these coaches completed 11 elite coaching modules designed to advance their skills in fields such as biomechanics, advanced rigging, long-term athlete development and rowing philosophy, to name a few. All told, the graduates completed over 100 hours of training to earn their certification.

Please join us in congratulating the latest additions to the Level 3 coaching ranks!

Kirsten Anderson

Kirsten Anderson is the Director of Rowing at Orlando Area Rowing Society (OARS). In her 24th year at OARS,Kristen Anderson Head Shot Anderson also has served as head coach of both the women's and men's teams. Under her guidance, OARS has grown from a small community team to a powerhouse program with more than 200 athletes. OARS athletes are consistently competitive throughout Florida and the Southeast, with top performing boats at the Florida State Championships, USRowing Southeast Youth Championships, and qualifying to compete at the USRowing Youth National Championships. During the summer of 2021, 19 OARS athletes participated in USRowing's Olympic Development, High Performance, and Selection Camps. Many of her athletes have continued on to row with top collegiate programs and beyond. Several OARS athletes are now coaching around the country. While success on the racecourse is always important, Anderson is most proud of the supportive community of rowers, parents, alumni and friends at OARS. Anderson began rowing for Dr. Phillips High School and then continued to row at the Florida Institute of Technology. In addition to coaching, she is a teacher at Windermere Preparatory School in Southwest Orlando. She also serves on the board of directors of the Florida Scholastic Rowing Association.

Antoinette Calimag

Antoinette Calimag began her coaching career as an assistant coach at Villanova University and has been theAntoinette Calimag Head Shot head coach at Harriton High School in Rosemont, Pa., since 1996. In that time, Harriton Crew has medaled and won events at the Philadelphia City Championships, Stotesbury Cup Regatta, SRAA Scholastic National Championships and qualified to compete in the USRowing Youth National Championships. She also coaches and serves as a program facilitator for Team Concepts (a leadership development company founded by Olympian Dan Lyons). In addition to coaching, Calimag is a Philadelphia Scholastic Rowing Association (PSRA) Board Member, the PSRA Rules Committee Chair, and a PSRA Philadelphia City Rowing Advisory Committee member. She also is a member of the Schuylkill Navy Racial Diversity and Equity Committee and serves on the Stotesbury Cup Regatta Coaches Committee. In 2016, Calimag was the first woman to receive the Joseph F. Brennan Memorial Coaches Award, presented at the Stotesbury Cup Regatta, for her service to the PSRA and dedication to the development of young rowers. She is most proud of the many former Harriton Crew members who continue to be passionately involved in the rowing community. Calimag hopes to utilize her USRowing Level 3 Coaching Certification experience to more effectively mentor and provide pathways for future rowing participants – especially those who identify as BIPOC – to stay active in the sport whether that be as athletes, coaches, referees, or even as regatta volunteers.

Matthew Carlsen

Matthew Carlsen just finished his first year as an assistant coach for Duke University women's rowing. HeMatthew Carlsen Head Shot coached the third varsity eight to a silver-medal finish at the ACC championship. Prior to arriving at Duke, Carlsen was the head girl's coach at Princeton National Rowing Association/Mercer for four years, helping qualify 12 boats to the USRowing Youth National Championships including a fourth-place finish in the varsity eight. Before going to PNRA/Mercer, he helped start the St. Edward High School rowing team. During his time at St. Edward, Carlsen's junior eight won the SRAA championship, while his varsity eight won a bronze medal. Carlsen started his rowing career by coxing at Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Ohio. He then went on to cox at Miami University and was captain for two years.

David J. Cusano

David Cusano began his coaching career in 1999 and is currently the head coach and girls varsity coach for David CusanoFayetteville-Manlius High School in Manlius, N.Y., where he has coached for the last 17 years. FMHS crews have won multiple New York state titles and represented at both the SRAA National Championships and USRowing Youth National Championships. FMHS alumni have gone on to spread their Hornet Pride at all levels of the sport, winning at the state, national, and international levels, including multiple NCAA titles and medals at the Henley Royal Regatta and both the U19 and senior world championships. Cusano wears several hats at the CHARGERS Rowing Club in Syracuse, serving as the boathouse and equipment director, a competitive sweep/sculling junior coach in the summer and fall, and the regatta director for the CHARGERS Junior Invitational and the Head of the Onondaga. He also serves on the executive board of the New York State Scholastic Rowing Association, where he's been the treasurer since 2005.

Prior to his time with Fayetteville-Manlius, he was a member of the Toledo Rowing Club from 2000-2004 where he coached all levels of programs from learn-to-row up through the competitive junior program. He was also the head coach for Anthony Wayne High School and served multiple terms on the Toledo Rowing Club Board of Directors.

Cusano is a 1994 graduate of Liverpool High School and continued his rowing career as a lightweight for the SUNY University of Buffalo. In addition to coaching, he has a degree in mechanical engineering and is the head of visualization in the Americas for Ramboll, a global engineering firm based in Denmark.

John Flynn

Since getting his start in the sport as a coxswain and manager for the Cornell University heavyweights, John John Flynn Head ShotFlynn has coached at all levels. Upon completing Level 3, he is taking over as the head juniors coach at Baltimore Community Rowing, where he will work with the junior racing team and oversee BCR's innovative Reach High program as it enters its second decade of serving Baltimore City youth. Prior to Baltimore, Flynn served as an assistant coach with the heavyweight men at the U.S. Naval Academy, collegiate women at the University of Minnesota and Fairfield University, lightweight men and open women's crews at the New York Athletic Club, and with club athletes at William & Mary and Hertford College, Oxford, while pursuing his degrees. With the NYAC, he coached both sweep and sculling crews to USRowing and Canadian Henley titles; he also twice led Minnesota novice eights to undefeated Big Ten titles, in 2004 and 2005; and his Navy Plebes earned a bronze medal in the final IRA freshman eight race ever held in 2016. Flynn's international experience includes working on the coaching staff at the 2003 Pan American Games and 2002 World Rowing Championships. He also served on the elite level as assistant coach and manager for the U.S. lightweight men's selection camps from 2003-2006 at the New York Athletic Club. Outside of the launch, Flynn taught English for six years at Regis High School, has worked as a regatta director, been a team lead for Powerhouse Timing, and is a longtime contributor to row2k.com.

Kerry Hassall

Kerry Hassall is in her seventh season as first assistant coach and director of recruiting/operationsKerry Hassall Head Shot coordinator for The University of Tulsa women's rowing. Hassall also currently serves on the CRCA legislative committee. Born in England, she was introduced to rowing through the Great Britain World Class Start program. Whilst in England, Hassall gained experience working with Teesside University, Tees Rowing Club, and "Project Oarsome," a program founded through British Rowing aimed at broadening the demographic interested in participating in rowing through local, state schools. Hassall rowed at Washington State University where she earned a degree in history and a master's of education specializing in sport management. While completing her master's degree, she volunteered as assistant novice coach for WSU's women's team, served on the board of recreation, taught an undergraduate class on recreational sport programming, all while working as a research assistant in sport communication. She presented at the IACS 2015 8th Summit on Communication and Sport with results from her thesis entitled: "Rowing Race: A Qualitative Study of the Effects of Socialization, Education and Mass Media on the Rowing Experiences of Female Racial Minority Rowers." Hassall is married to Jonathan Steinkirchner and they have a son, William David.

Amy Hildebrandt

This past spring, Amy Hildebrandt completed her fifth season at Seattle Pacific University as an assistant Amy Hildebrandt Head Shotcoach. In 2019, she assisted the team in placing first in the junior varsity eight at the WIRA Championships and second varsity eight at the Windermere Cup, as well as helping bring the team to its first team bid at the NCAA Championships. Spring 2021 brought her the opportunity to coach the varsity four through a challenging shortened season, seeing more wins than losses. Along with her coaching duties at SPU, Hildebrandt coaches a mix of experience levels at Lake Washington Rowing Club with a more recent focus on the competitive team. She also has coached middle school and high schoolers at various clubs. Prior to coaching, she walked on at Pacific Lutheran University and was a varsity rower all four years, with the last three years in the varsity eight Outside of rowing, She is a certified personal trainer with a performance enhancement specialization and is a certified speed specialist.

Grace Hollowell

Grace Hollowell just wrapped up her second year as the head coach at Boston College. Prior to BC, Hollowell Grace Hollowell Head Shotspent four years as the assistant women's coach and recruiting coordinator at Dartmouth College. Before Dartmouth, she was the assistant lightweight coach at Boston University and spent two years coaching at Smith College, where she completed her masters in sport studies. Hollowell also has coached with the Craftsbury Green Racing Project, coaching the lightweight women's double sculls, men's quadruple sculls, and men's double sculls at the 2019 World Rowing Under 23 Championships and assisting with the U23 men's double sculls and men's single sculls in 2018. She has coached at the high school level, working with Saratoga Rowing and Bare Hill Rowing. Hollowell rowed with the lightweight women at Harvard after beginning the sport at Ann Arbor Pioneer High School.

Mike Homes

Mike Homes just finished his third year as an assistant coach at the University of San Diego. Prior to USD,Mike Homes Head Shot Homes spent 16 years coaching the UC Santa Barbara women. During his last four years at UCSB, the program captured four women's team titles at the American Collegiate Rowing Association national championships, as well as three varsity eight and four second varsity eight victories. Homes began coaching as a volunteer grad assistant at his alma mater, Purdue University, in 1997, before spending the 1998 summer season coaching the competitive men's program at Minneapolis Rowing Club. Homes then coached at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., from 1998-2002 before moving to UCSB.

Troy Howell

Troy Howell has been rowing and sculling continuously since walking on at the Troy Howell Head ShotUniversity of Virginia in the fall of 1987. He has served as the director of sculling programs at Craftsbury since 2014 and coached there seasonally beginning in 2006. His coaching stops prior to Craftsbury included the Rivanna Rowing Club, Wichita State University, Duluth Rowing Club, Episcopal School of Dallas, and the Savannah Country Day School. While at Craftsbury, he also has coached spring seasons at Middlebury College and Rowing Club of the Woodlands, as well as coaching at U.S. Trials, U23 Worlds, and the Pan African Olympic Qualifier in Tunisia. He is an unapologetic advocate for mastery of single sculling for all rowing and sculling athletes.

Kari Hughes

Kari Hughes is a 1991 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and served in the Navy as aKari Hughes Head Shot Supply Corps Officer. She learned to row sweep at Navy and transitioned to sculling while serving in various billets in the Navy. She had the amazing opportunity to be coached by a number of great coaches during her competitive career and continues to draw on what she learned from them both as a coach and as a person. Teaming up with Olwen Huxley, Hughes represented the U.S. in the double sculls at the 1997 World Rowing Championships and the 1999 Pan American Games. After hanging up her oars in 2000, Hughes focused on coaching at Navy and the masters at the Annapolis Rowing Club, while running the Navy Rowing Camps, one of the first summer rowing camps in the country. In 2015, she joined the venerable Mike Davenport at Washington College as an assistant coach, moving up to head coach in 2016. As head coach, Hughes continues to be a student of the sport and finds she is constantly learning from her truly amazing student-athletes and even more amazing coaching staff. She finds coaching to be one of the most rewarding endeavors of her life. Hughes also is an instructor for USRowing's Level 2 Certification course.

Madison Keaty

Madison Keaty started rowing at Holy Names Academy in Seattle, Wash. She continued rowing at the Madison Keaty Head Shotcollegiate level at Gonzaga University, earning a bachelor's degree in sport management and helping the team to its first-ever NCAA Championship appearance. Keaty served as a graduate assistant coach at Ithaca College from 2014-2016, while earning a master's degree in sport psychology. She then went back to Gonzaga University as an assistant coach from 2016-2018 and began her current assistant position at the University of Alabama in 2018, coaching the novices and Varsity fours.

Abby Knight

Abby Knight just finished her first year as head coach of the juniors program at Abby Knight Head ShotCambridge Boat Club, where her crews placed third in the double sculls and fourth in the quadruple sculls at the USRowing Youth National Championships. Prior to CBC, Knight spent six years as the assistant coach for the Boston University lightweight women where the team won two conference championships and two IRA National Championships in the women's lightweight double sculls. Knight also completed her master's degree during her time at BU. She rowed for Shenendehowa High School in Clifton Park, N.Y., and on the junior national team before graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she rowed for the lightweight women.

Aileen McNamara

Aileen McNamara has been involved in the sport of rowing for more than 40 years as an athlete, coach, West Aileen McNamara Head ShotSide Rowing Club board member, officer, junior women's coach, head voach, vice president of rowing and president of the board. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, SUNY at Buffalo School of Law, and Harvard's JFK School of Government. McNamara has coached at the scholastic, junior and collegiate level since 1992 and is currently the head coach at Nardin Academy in Buffalo, N.Y.

Amanda Perry

Amanda Perry has been a professional rowing coach for 16 years. She is the women's Amanda Perry Head Shotvarsity coach and adaptive coach for Dallas United Crew. Previously, she as an assistant coach for Indiana University, Cornell University, University of Virginia, and Brown University, and she was a volunteer assistant coach for The Ohio State University. While at Brown and Virginia, the teams won the NCAA Championship. Perry was a four-year varsity rower and All-American at The Ohio State University and was inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021. She has a BA in music education.

Adrien Reidy

Adrien Reidy started rowing in college while studying physical therapy at the UniversityAdrien Reidy Head Shot at Buffalo. She participated one year as a club rower and then three years as a Division 1 rower for the Bulls. Reidy completed her bachelor's degree in physical therapy and later her doctor of physical therapy degree from Boston University. She has coached juniors for Fairport Rowing Club (Rochester, N.Y.), Nardin Academy (Buffalo, N.Y.), and Our Lady of Mercy (Rochester, N.Y.) Currently, she coached masters this past summer at Genesee Rowing Club in Rochester. When not out coaching or sculling, Reidy enjoys spending time with her husband and four children. She is grateful for the opportunities for further learning that Level 3 has provided and looks forward to providing rowing-focused physical therapy services to her community.

Oliver Rosenbladt

Oli Rosenbladt learned how to scull during an exchange year in Germany in 1985 and has been rowing ever Oli Rosenbladt Head Shotsince. Rosenbladt walked on to the team at Rutgers University, spent three years in the men's varsity lightweight eight, and was elected team captain during his senior year. He continued rowing after college, training at Riverside Boat Club, Boston Rowing Center and Penn AC. In fall of 1994, Rosenbladt began coaching at Riverside and continued to build his skills while coaching as a volunteer at Northeastern University and Community Rowing. Since 2001, Rosenbladt has been a scholastic head coach with successful stints at Deerfield Academy, The Bolles School and the Duxbury Bay Maritime School, where he led his teams to successes at the NEIRA championships, the Florida and Massachusetts state championships, Youth Nationals, and USRowing Club Nationals. Rosenbladt's interests are program building and long-term athlete development, as well as exploring larger physical and psychological topics and applying them in the rowing and coaching environment.

Tom Siddall

Tom Siddall has been the assistant coach of men's rowing at Tufts University since August of 2019. While thereTom Siddall Head Shot has not been much racing over this time, the team has continued to develop year-over-year through recruiting, training in small boats, and the leadership of head coach George Munger. While Siddall has been in Boston, he also has been involved with Union Boat Club, Community Rowing, and Cambridge Boat Club as a strength and conditioning coach and rowing coach at the junior and under 23 levels. No stranger to USRowing, Siddall has helped out with ODP Camps, ID Camps, and the Youth Regional Challenge.

Prior to Tufts, Siddall spent the year as an intern assistant at Harvard University under the mentorship of Charley Butt, Pat Lapage, and Jesse Foglia. During this time, he completed his graduate certificate at the Institute for Rowing Leadership (IRL). Prior to Harvard and the IRL, he was an assistant for three years with the UMass Amherst men and head coach of the Pioneer Valley Riverfront Club's rowing programs. Siddall was a four-year member of the men's varsity rowing program at Fairfield University, during which he got his start coaching at Maritime Rowing Club in Norwalk, Conn.