Saint Ignatius Chicago Rowing SICR Crew Team Annual Year in Review High School Scholastic Team

THE ANNUAL SICR MAGAZINE

ST. IGNATIUS CHICAGO ROWING

YEAR IN REVIEW 2020 / 2021 ISSUE NO 01 OCTOBER 2021

SAINTIGNATIUSCHICAGOROWING.ORG

YEAR IN REVIEW 2020 / 2021 ISSUE NO 01

YEAR IN REVIEW 2020 / 2021 ISSUE NO 01

CONTENTS 5

A YEAR IN REVIEW Reflections; An Unprecedented Year In Memoriam, Miguel Cisneros Pushing Through the Pandemic

38

SENIORS The Oar Ceremony Ignatian of the Year Where to Next?

Hello Novices!

12

INSIDE SICR Spring Break Fueling for Performance Zoom, College 101 Zoom, Embracing Athleticism Zoom

48

EVENTS Row-a-thon Race the Coaches Summer Rowing Camp

17

REGATTAS Team Scrimmage The Jesuit Cup 41st Annual Chicago Sprints

54

COACHES Varsity Girls' and Boys' Coaches Novice Coaches Equipment & Emeritus

58

ALUMNI Keep in Touch Future Events

60

SICR BOARD Executive Committee Board Volunteers

29

33

MSRAS Three 1st Place Medals Two 2nd Place Medals NATIONALS Qualifying out of MSRAs both Varsity Girls and Boys advance to compete at Nationals

SAINTIGNATIUSCHICAGOROWING.ORG

Dear Saint Ignatius Chicago Rowing Community, This past year will be remembered for years to come as a time of unprecedented challenges, change and unfathomable losses — of lives, of health, of jobs, of security, of in-person connections — all mounted at a heartbreaking pace.

In a non-pandemic environment, the operations of a rowing club are already difficult enough...add the pandemic and this is where the power of the Pack shines through.

Our rowers quickly adjusted to learning in new and often more challenging ways. Families supported families in ways they never anticipated. Students supported one another. The coaches responded to the health challenges and found opportunities for our rowers and coxswains to train safely in accordance with social distancing guidelines, stay fit, and prepare for the new season.

We mobilized quickly and provided ergs to our rowers so they could remain active and train at home. We brought Oak Ridge, TN to the South branch of the Chicago River, creating the Spring Break experience within city travel restrictions. We hosted expert panel zoom meetings specific to rowing and transformed several rowing events to meet the everchanging Covid guidelines. In one such event, the Jesuit Cup at Loyola, we put on our firstever live-streamed regatta, capturing our women’s V8 finishing the race a boat length ahead of Loyola; ending Loyola’s 12-year winning streak in the Women’s V8 event.

In May, SICR took home three 1st place and two 2nd place medals from the MSRAs (Midwest Scholastic Rowing Championships). Two girls and two boys boats qualified to advance to Nationals.

None of this was easy. None of this happened without personal sacrifices that we know will never be completely accounted for or repaid. But we should all take a moment to reflect and recognize our accomplishments, not only over the past year, but over the past 25 years.

On behalf of the executive committee, we extend our gratitude for all your efforts and feel great pride as a result of all we have accomplished together.

May we grow from the struggles endured, be inspired by what we have accomplished, and continue to be strengthened by our commitment to one another.

With Gratitude,

Mark Darcy Mark Darcy President, St. Ignatius Chicago Rowing Board sicr.president@gmail.com

SAINTIGNATIUSCHICAGOROWING.ORG

IN LOVING MEMORY Miguel "Maicky" Cisneros January 1, 2002 — August 22, 2021 Miguel Cisneros, a St. Ignatius College Prep (Class of ’20) alumnus and fellow Ignatius rower was called home to be with his heavenly father on August 22, 2021 after an accidental drowning. The vibrant spirit who so many of us knew from rowing had his light eclipsed just days before he was set to depart for Columbia University after waiting out his freshman year of college during the pandemic.

Miguel was a beautiful human being, inside and out, and an outstanding young man who exemplified Ignatian values and had a long successful life ahead of him. Miguel was a brother, son, mentor, friend and an incredible inspiration to us all. We will forever remain grateful to have been in his grace. God bless his family, our Ignatius community, his rowing teammates and his beautiful soul.

Website: Miguelslight.com

IN LOVING MEMORY

I N LIO IN OR NV L OGV IM NEGM M E YM O R Y

IN LOVING MEMORY

PUSHING THROUGH THE PANDEMIC The pandemic presented multiple challenges in the world of rowing.

While the team's regular training, day-to-day operations and regatta schedule were disrupted, they also evolved in new and unexpected ways. We found new ways to connect with one another, pushed through training with no races on the calendar, and supported each other through a unique and at times challenging school year.

SICR realized early that to keep the team engaged, we would need to get creative. Our first priority was to get ergs to rowers so they could have virtual workouts at home with their coaches.

When local guidelines allowed us to be back in-person with socialdistancing, we moved the ergs back to the boathouse and did our work outside. New safety protocols meant taking temperatures every morning and afternoon and wearing masks while on ergs or rowing.

Out-of-state travel restrictions meant we had few regattas for over a year.

THE POWER OF THE PACK — WE FELT IT.

INSIDE SICR

COLLEGE ROWING 101 In Jaunary, we hosted an alumni panel on everything you need to know about rowing in college. Moderated

by Assistant Novice Coach Caroline Hurley '15, the program featured four alumni sharing their experiences rowing in college and the different opportunities across the club and varsity levels. Our team heard about the benefits of college rowing, including an education at some of the best universities in the country, the chance to row out of impressive boathouses and an opportunity to compete at the highest level. We are so grateful to our alumni who shared their knowledge with our athletes.

Liam Connery, Ignatius '16, Purdue University Morgan Mroz, Ignatius '14, Villanova University Katie Lopez, Ignatius '10, Stanford University Ryan Prendergast, Ignatius '18, University of California at Berkeley

EMBRACING THE POWER OF ATHLETICISM In February, Recovery on Water presented Embracing the Power of Athleticism. We heard from an all-female panel of coaches, referees and Olympic athletes talking about the importance of empowering women through athleticism and the evolution of their role in organized sport. We heard first-hand stories of challenge, triumph, and how the power of sport impacted their lives.

INSIDE SICR

FUELED FOR PERFORMANCE

IT'S NOT COMPLICATED / HOW TO E.A.T. 80/20 In March, the team was introduced to Certified Health Coach Karen Inman to learn about performance fueling. We enjoyed her presentation, "It's Not Complicated: How to E.A.T. 80 / 20," focusing on what and when to eat to be fueled for performance, including nutrient density and the science behind pre- and post-training. Moderated by Coach Mia Inman, Assistant Novice Coach.

PRO TIP: Watercress is one of the most nutrient rich foods naturally available containing over 50 vital minerals and vitamins. ... Gram for gram it contains more vitamin C than oranges, more vitamin E than broccoli, more calcium than milk and more folate than bananas!

INSIDE SICR

SPRING BREAK

SPRING BREAK IN CHICAGO In Spring 2021, travel was discouraged by the city of Chicago, and out-of-state athletic travel was still not permitted by the school. SICR mobilized and brought the Spring Break training camp experience to our home on the Chicago River. And while there was no 7-lane 2000 meter buoyed course, and the weather wasn't quite as warm as Oak Ridge, we had the sunrise with the Chicago skyline as a backdrop. Rowers spent about 6 hours per day at the boathouse, getting in multiple practice sessions, and were fueled by hot meals from our dedicated parent volunteers. The entire club came together to make Spring Break a new and fun experience.

SPRING BREAK

SPRING BREAK

SPRING BREAK

I NRSEI G DA E TSTI A C SR

INTRASQUAD SCRIMMAGE With all regattas cancelled in the Fall of 2020, we brought the varsity and novice teams together and raced in combined lineups. The team fielded five 8+s, two 4+s, and one 2x, and raced from the South end of Bubbly Creek up the river to Halsted Street.

INTRASQUAD SCRIMMAGE

REGATTAS

INTRASQUAD

I NRSEI G DA E TSTIAC SR

SCRIMMAGE

REGATTAS

LOYOLA VS. IGNATIUS REGATTA

The Jesuit Cup was held on the North channel in Skokie, IL. Covid regulations prevented spectators from attending the regatta, so we had the regatta live-streamed. It was a cold, rainy day but the teams were glad to be back on the water competing. Coach Caroline Hurley was the commentator on the broadcast, and she was an instant hit with the viewers and teams.

Ignatius Girls V8 beat the Loyola Girls V8 by a boat length — breaking Loyola’s 12-year winning streak against the Wolfpack in that event.

SICR Women's V8 Team that ended Loyola's 12-year streak: C: Caroline Bedell '21 S: Chloe Darcy '23 7: Vivian Johnson '23 6: Grace Conway '23 5: Lily Hirt '23 4: Ruhi Nagarkatte '22 3: Yuliya Lutsyk '22 2: Ana Flannery '23 1: Jessica Voegeli '22

THE JESUIT CUP 2021

THE JESUIT CUP 2021

ANNUAL CHICAGO SPRINTS REGATTAS

41

ST

Our current athletes and several alumni teamed up to compete at the 41st Annual Chicago Sprints Regatta July 9 -11, 2021, one of the largest competitive regattas in the region, drawing junior, collegiate and masters athletes from throughout the Midwest. The regatta hosts more than 1,000 athletes, fielding entries from more than 25 clubs drawing from states across the country.

The Varsity Girls' boat competed in the Women's Junior 4+ and advanced to semi-finals, finishing in 3rd place. Our Varsity Girls' double advanced to semifinals and finished 4th in the Women's Junior 2X. Our Varsity Boys and alumni competed in the Men’s Open Class 4+ and qualified for semi-finals, finishing 4th. Our alumni competed in the Men’s Open 2X and finished 3rd.

Women's Junior 4+ C: Olivia Hulton '23 S: Chloe Darcy '23 Vivian Johnson '23 Lily Hirt '23 Grace Conway '23

Women's Junior 2X S: Chloe Darcy '23 B: Lily Hirt '23

Men’s Open Class 4+ C: Ryan Prendergast '18 S: Ethan Larson '21 Patrick Boyle '21 Jack Staab '23 Leo Mayday '20

Men’s Open 2X

S: Patrick Boyle '21 B: Leo Mayday '20

41ST ANNUAL CHICAGO SPRINTS REGATTA

AN MSRA CHAMPIONSHIP UNSPOILED BY RAIN AND COLD The Midwest Scholastic Rowing Association Championships (MSRAs) took place on May 8-9, 2021 on Dillon Lake in Nashport, Ohio. Like all our events in 2020-2021, this championship was unlike any before. Due to Covid, it was a strict no spectator event, with violations of Covid rules punishable by immediate disqualification. Instead of the usual heats, semis and finals over two days of racing, the schedule was condensed into just time trials and finals in one day, with boys and girls competing on different days to limit attendance at the site.

Saturday presented our Boys team with a windy day of racing, and starting Sunday morning, a cold, wind driven, rain flew straight into the faces of our Girls’ Teams coming down the course. By 1:30 the winds reached 15mph and afternoon racing was cancelled.

There was no big team tent filled with parents and hot food.

Athletes were not allowed outside of our marked-off square, and could not cheer for their teammates or greet them as they docked at the beach.

Despite all of this, there could not have been a more fitting end to the long, hard, months of Covid lost seasons, isolation, Zoom classes, and uncertainty, than what took place at the MSRAs. It was a true celebration of rowing and camaraderie, all taking place in the worst of weather conditions.

St. Ignatius faced teams from 7 states and took home three 1st place and two 2nd place medals. The Boys and Girls teams both qualified two boats for nationals.

This championship capped-off an unprecedented year of training for our athletes, and marked the first major championship race for both our 2020 and 2021 novices.

MSRA CHAMPIONSHIP

2021 MSRA CHAMPIONSHIPS

Women's HS Varsity 2X 2nd Place S: Chloe Darcy '23 B: Lily Hirt '23

Coach Tony Brooks (R) Coach Len Richards (L)

Men's HS Varsity 2- 1st Place Men's HS Varsity 2X 2nd Place S: Ethan Larson '21 B: Patrick Boyle '21

Women's HS Junior 4+ 1st Place C: Olivia Hulton '23 S: Chloe Darcy '23 Vivian Johnson '23 Lily Hirt '23 Grace Conway '23

Coach Tony Brooks (R) Coach Len Richards (L)

Men's HS Novice 4+ 1st Place C: Cassidy O'Donnell '23 S: Eli Rodgers '23 Aidan Aque '23 Jack Staab '23 Richie Witzel '23

MIDWEST SCHOLASTIC CHAMPIONSHIPS

MSRA CHAMPIONSHIP

2021 MSRA CHAMPIONSHIPS

SRAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHUYLKILL RIVER, PHILADELPHIA, PA

Coach Len Richards, S: Chloe Darcy, 2: Lily Hirt C: Olivia Hulten, B: Grace Conway 3: Vivian Johnson, Coach Tony Brooks

SRAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHUYLKILL RIVER, PHILADELPHIA, PA

2021

S: Chloe Darcy, 3: Vivian Johnson, 2: Lily Hirt, B: Grace Conway, C: Olivia Hulten

The Scholastic Rowing Association of America (SRAA) annual championship regatta took place in Philadelphia, on the Schuylkill River National Racecourse, May 28-29, 2021. The event adhered to the same Covid mitigation rules, which meant it was once again a no spectator event. The City of Philadelphia partnered with the Schuylkill Navy of Philadelphia to create a “return to racing,” making this regatta among the first public events in the city approved for 2021.

Our Varsity Girls' 4+ boat qualified at MSRAs to race the Womens' Varsity 4+ at the National Scholastic Championship Regatta. The boat includes coxswain Olivia Hulten, stroke Chloe Darcy, three-seat Vivian Johnson, two-seat Lily Hirt and bow Grace Conway. Their official time of 05:44.7 missed the repechage by 1/5 of a second. This placed the team 11th in the heats among 24 of the top high school boats in the country. St. Ignatius was the only all-sophomore boat in the event.

This year’s National Championship Regatta was a Varsity-Only Championship, so the teams competing were part of an exclusive field. SRAA nationals determines national scholastic champions and has been held every year since May 1935, with women competing for the first time in 1974.

YOUTH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

NATHAN BENDERSON PARK, SARASOTA, FL

2021

USRowing hosted the 2021 Youth National Championship Regatta from June 10-13 in Sarasota, Florida. This is the highest level of competition for youth rowers and all competitors had qualified through their regional championships. The regatta was the largest of its kind in USRowing history. The event adhered to the same Covid mitigation plan, which meant wearing masks and no spectators permitted.

Ethan Larson '21 and Patrick Boyle '21 descended upon Sarasota to race the Men’s 2- event. The pair finished 17th overall nationwide and were the 3rd Boys' Varsity 2fastest scholastic crew. This matches the highest (Left to Right) Ethan Larson and Patrick Boyle finish by an Ignatius crew at this level of competition.

SAINTIGNATIUSCHICAGOROWING.ORG

THE CHICAGO RIVER, HOME FIELD

SENIORS CLASS OF 2021

SENIORS

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS CHAMPAIGN URBANA, CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY MAJOR, BIOLOGY PRE-MED MINOR, CHINESE

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN MADISON, POLITICAL SCIENCE

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN MADISON, KINESIOLOGY

BARNARD COLLEGE OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITY OF ST. ANDREWS, ART HISTORY AND ENGLISH

UNIVERSITY OF DENVER, SOCIOLOGY

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, ECONOMICS

COLLEGE OF THE HOLY CROSS, ACCOUNTING

PURDUE UNIVERSITY, ENGINEERING

UNIVERSITY OF SANTA CLARA, ACCOUNTING & INFORMATION SERVICES

SENIORS CLASS OF 2021

SENIORS

SENIORS CLASS OF 2021

SENIORS

Our new tradition started in 2021, the Honor Guard Senior Ceremony, sends off our 2021 seniors under the Ignatius blades at Fornelli Field.

SAINTIGNATIUSCHICAGOROWING.ORG

SENIORS CLASS OF 2021

SENIORS CLASS OF 2021

SENIORS

Our Year-End Banquet was thankfully allowed to be held indoors at Pompeii on Taylor St. A huge thank you to all the parents who organized this beautiful send-off for our 2021 seniors!

SENIORS CLASS OF 2021

SENIORS LUCY CALLAHAN IGNATIAN OF THE YEAR

LUCY CALLAHAN was selected as IGNATIAN OF THE YEAR by her classmates. This award is given to the graduate who is exemplary in living out what it means to be an Ignatian — a leader who has given of themselves to the school and the community. Lucy is headed to the University of Wisconsin Madison, and plans to major in political science.

WELCOME NOVICES

NOVICES

WELCOME NOVICES

NOVICES

WELCOME NOVICES

NOVICES

WELCOME NOVICES

NOVICES

EVENTS

EVENTS

ROW-A-THON When the pandemic struck, the 2020 rowing season was abruptly cut short. Regattas and Spring Break were cancelled, and almost all in-person crew training was banned over lockdown. Thus SICR was forced to find other ways to keep fit and connected as a team during the stay-at-home order.

The pandemic gave us the opportunity and grace to try new things and the row-a-thon, our annual fundraiser, was one of them. This year, it would serve a different purpose. The rowa-thon was an event for our team to come together in-person. Everyone was feeling 'Zoom Fatigue' and it was important for the team to reconnect, even if it was 6 feet apart. The fundraising aspect in the midst of the pandemic was a tough ask for our athletes, but we worked hard to create a fresh experience for the team.

The prizes/fundraising incentives are where we got creative. We decided to incentivize both donors and fundraisers. The most coveted prize was "Race the Coaches," pitting the highest fundraiser against our coaching staff in an 8, with the winning athlete selecting their lineup.

We exceeded both goals of reuniting the team in a competitive environment and surpassed our annual fundraising goal by $5,000.

We are profoundly grateful to our committed coaches who have provided consistency and decades of experience leading our student athletes and for remaining engaged, agile, and resilient (+ willing to race!). A special thank you to our donors, friends and alumni who provided critical funding to maintain our rowing program during a challenging year.

This past year has been manageable because the St. Ignatius Chicago Rowing community faced it together.

COACH RYAN GALLAGHER

COACH CAROLINE HURLEY

COACH LEN RICHARDS

COACH TONY BROOKS

COACH ELEANOR BOLAND

COACH MIA INMAN

EVENTS

RACE THE COACHES

TOP FUNDRAISER PRIZES:

1ST PLACE – The rower raising the most will pick their crew and race in an 8 against seven of the coaches and two donors + a bag of SICR merch.

2ND PLACE – The rower raising the second highest amount will have first pick in selecting their crew to race against an eight selected by the rower raising the third highest amount of funds + a bag of SICR merch.

3RD PLACE – As described above, the rower raising the third highest amount will have the second pick in selecting their crew to race against an 8 selected by the rower raising the second highest amount + SICR merch.

TOP FUNDRAISERS

YAASH IYENGAR '23 CAMERON BLACKBURN '24 LILY HIRT '23

TOP DONOR PRIZES: 1ST PLACE – The donor contributing the highest amount will have the opportunity to choose to row/lounge in an eight with seven of the current SICR coaches in a race against current SICR rowers. Alternatively, they could choose an autographed, slightly damaged, SICR oar (cut to his/her preferred length).

2ND PLACE - The donor contributing the second highest amount will have the opportunity to take the remaining position in an eight with seven of the current SICR coaches in a race against current SICR rowers or the SICR oar (if still available).

3RD PLACE – The donor contributing the third highest amount will have the opportunity to take the remaining position in an 8 with seven of the current SICR coaches in a race against current SICR rowers or the SICR oar (whichever prize is still available).

INTRO TO ROWING SUMMER CAMP For more information on our summer camp, contact SICR Registrar sicr.registrar@gmail.com

EVENTS

INTRO TO ROWING SUMMER CAMP Every summer, SICR hosts multiple week-long camps to introduce incoming 7th, 8th and 9th graders to the sport of rowing. Varsity rowers, volunteers and coaches all pitch in to teach campers the basics, both on ergs and on the water. According to Varsity team members, every camper in the summer 2021 camps was a "natural".

VARSITY COACHES TONY BROOKS, HEAD COACH & GIRLS' VARSITY COACH

Tony Brooks has been involved in competitive rowing for over 40 years, first as a Lightweight Rower at Harvard and later on the U.S. Olympic Rowing Team. He continues to race in the Head of the Charles every October with his Harvard Lightweight teammates. He has competed in one Pan American Games, two Olympics, three World Championships and has won a medal at Henley. Tony is a U.S. Rowing Level 3 Coach. "I continue a rowing tradition from Harvard and yell, 'Eat their livers!' as the crews shove off the dock to race," says Tony. He was a member of the Chicago 2016 committee seeking to bring the Olympic and Paralympic Games to Chicago.

LEN RICHARDS, GIRLS' VARSITY COACH

Len Richards rowed for three years in high school and four years at Yale where he lettered twice. He then took a short break of 39 years before returning to the water as a masters rower. In 2009, Len began coaching the Boys' and Girls' Novice rowers at St. Ignatius and became the Varsity Girls' coach the following year. He has enjoyed every minute of his coaching career and has retired from a career in commercial real-estate development and asset management.

BRYAN CHEUNG, BOYS' VARSITY HEAD COACH

Bryan started rowing in high school, and continued at the University of British Columbia (Canada) with the varsity men's team. During his 4 years with UBC, he coxed the varsity men's 4+ and 8+ to notable finishes at the San Diego Crew Classic, the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta, and the Canadian University Rowing Championships. In 2001, he coxed the varsity men's 8+ to a silver medal at the 2001 Canadian University Rowing Championships and, in 2002 was invited to Rowing Canada Aviron's U23 selection camp. Since then, Bryan has coached in Seattle at Lake Union Crew and in Pittsburgh at Carnegie Mellon University.

RYAN GALLAGHER, ASSISTANT BOYS' VARSITY COACH

Ryan Gallagher began his tenure as an assistant coach at St. Ignatius College Prep shortly after graduating in 2019 from the University of Kansas where he had rowed for four years. While at Kansas, Ryan proved his versatility by rowing every position in an eight as well as sculling in singles. Prior to attending Kansas, the Park Ridge, Illinois native rowed at St. Ignatius for four years, graduating in 2015. Ryan is currently employed as a Talent Analyst here in Chicago.

NOVICE COACHES ELEANOR BOLAND, HEAD NOVICE COACH

Eleanor's rowing career started in 1995 in Dublin, Ireland on the River Liffey.

She rowed for Trinity College Dublin for four years where she was captain of the Ladies Boat Club in her Senior Year. She won eight National University Championship Titles during her time at Trinity. After college she continued rowing for a further seven years at Neptune Rowing Club. From 1995 to 2006 she also won seven National Championship Titles and represented Ireland at the Home Internationals. She has competed successfully at the Head of the Charles, the International Regatta KRC Ghent and Henley Women's Regatta a number of times. She spent time coaching at Trinity. She is a Chartered Civil Engineer and lives in La Grange with her husband and five children.

CAMILLA "MIA" INMAN, ASSISTANT NOVICE COACH

Camilla "Mia" Inman started rowing when she was introduced to an erg in her parents' gym in high school. She walked on to the women's rowing team at Michigan State University where she worked her way up through every boat to become a letter-winning, scholarship athlete. Mia is a Biology and Anatomy teacher at John Marshall High School in East Garfield Park.

CAROLINE HURLEY, ASSISTANT NOVICE COACH

Caroline began rowing in 2011 as a freshman at Saint Ignatius College Prep.

As a novice she competed as both a rower and a coxswain before becoming a full-time coxswain on the varsity team under the coaching of Tony Brooks and Len Richards. At Ignatius, she coxed the Junior Girls 4+ to a 2nd place finish at SRAA nationals in 2013, and raced in two Head of the Charles regattas. She went on to cox the heavyweight men’s rowing team at Columbia University in New York City, where she raced in some of the oldest cup races in college rowing. She spent time in all of Columbia's boats, eventually coxing the varsity 8+ at the IRA National Championships. As a senior, she was voted team captain - the first female captain of the Columbia heavyweight team in the nearly 150-year history of the program. When she isn’t coaching rowing, Caroline works for the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper as a data analyst.

EQUIPMENT & EMERITUS AIDAN SKELDING, BOATMAN & EQUIPMENT MANAGER

Aidan and his family have been involved in Saint Ignatius rowing since 2006, when his oldest brother joined the team. The fourth of four brothers to row for Ignatius, Aidan joined the team as a freshman in 2011. On varsity, Aidan rowed port side and often sat stroke seat. He competed at the Head of the Charles regatta, and the SRAA national championships twice. As a senior, Aidan was part of the first SICR boat to ever race at the U.S. Rowing Youth National Championships. He went on to Purdue University, where he studied construction management. He currently works as a project engineer for Power Construction in Chicago.

Emeritus

MIKE CASADAS, NOVICE COACH EMERITUS

Mike started rowing as a freshman at Lane Tech High School in 1960 and competed all four years and for Lincoln Park Boat Club until 1966. During that period, Mike competed in the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in 1961, 1962, 1963 and 1965. In 1963, his team won the finals in the Varsity 8+ and Varsity 4- at the Central States High School Championships (today MSRAs).

His family moved back to Argentina in 1966 and competed successfully in college from 1971-1973. Mike moved back to the U.S. to raise a family and started to row and compete again in 2006. As part of a Masters 8+ crew, he won finals at The Chicago Sprints and Head of the Rock. Mike also competed at the Head of the Charles four times (twice in an 8+, 4+ & a 2x).

RICH SIMS, HEAD COACH EMERITUS

Rich began his rowing career in New York during the 1950's, rowing with such legendary greats as Jim Dietz. Rich has brought his extensive experience to St. Ignatius Chicago Rowing since the fall of 2001 and has coached nearly twenty years of Saint Ignatius athletes.

THE CHICAGO RIVER, HOME FIELD

2000 YEARBOOK PHOTO, THE EARLIEST YEARBOOK PHOTO

2002 YEARBOOK PHOTO, 1ST PHOTO OF THE COED TEAM

2014 BOAT DEDICATION AT SICP

2013 OAK RIDGE SPRING BREAK

Rowing at Saint Ignatius College Prep started in the early 90’s when a group of girls approached Tim Toomey, then a rower and coach at Lincoln Park Boat Club, to help start a coed rowing program. Ignatius Chicago Crew was officially founded in the fall of 1996.

Two years later, Manley High School on Chicago's West side formed the first all-black boys team operating out of the Lincoln Park Boat Club where our team trained. At the time, they formed one of just five Chicago-area high school crew teams, joining Loyola, St. Ignatius, Woodlands and Kenwood, the latter the only other Public League team. Today, our program, Loyola and New Trier are the high schools in the state of Illinois to offer a competitive crew athletic option.

This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the founding of our program. We have grown into a team that consistently wins medals at the Midwest scholastic championships and qualifies to compete at the national championships.

Saint Ignatius Chicago Rowing (SICR) has always been a life-changing experience for rowers, coxswains and their families. The current team owes a great debt to the crews who have gone before. Every team member who has represented St. Ignatius Chicago Rowing becomes a lifelong member of the club. Our network extends around the globe, with maroon & gold supporters cheering us on from far and wide.

As we turn 25 years old, we are both celebrating our past and preparing for our future. We are reaching out across the generations to assemble a master list of athletes who have proudly competed for the St. Ignatius College Prep rowing team.

Help us to build a network of rowing alumni. We have the following goals in mind: Networking: Help create a web of job and business development opportunities for the Ignatius rowing community Social Events: Maintain friendships forged through the wonderful sport of rowing Attend local races to cheer on the athletes Introduce, employ and offer to act as a mentor to our graduating rowers To receive updates on the team and information about upcoming events, or to be added to our alumni LinkedIn network, please reach out us at the emails listed below. We look forward to connecting with a quarter century of Ignatius rowing graduates.

ALUMNI NETWORK Caroline Hurley '15 caroline.hurley@ignatius.org Aidan Skelding '15 aidan.skelding@ignatius.org

SICR COMMUNITY & ALUMNI FAMILY CLUB HISTORY Melissa Staab (son Jack '23) Patty Hirt (daughter Lily '23) sicrcommunications@gmail.com

ALUMNI

TO OUR ALUMNI

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

MARK DARCY President sicrpresident@gmail.com KAREN GIANFRANSICO Vice President sicrvp@gmail.com JINGJING KIPP Treasurer sicrtreasurer@yahoo.com IAN HIRT Registrar and Safety SICR.Registrar@gmail.com COURTNEY CULLITON Secretary MELISSA STAAB Communications sicrcommunications@gmail.com

THANK YOU MARIA SIMON A special thank you to Maria Simon, former SICR board President, and the entire board who led the club through the pandemic. Thank you for bringing your passion, intellect, insight, experience and resources to the table.

Thank you for challenging all of us to be creative and to forge ideas into actionable, concrete and realistic plans. Your energy and determination made pandemic rowing possible and you leave a better and stronger footing for those who follow you.

MARIA SIMON UNDER THE ARCH, MAY 2021

VOLUNTEER COMMITTEE

ALUMNI COMMUNICATIONS Caroline Hurley '15 Aidan Skelding '15 Melissa Staab Patty Hirt BOAT TRAILER Pat Franz Mark Bawoll Ron Mroz

PARENT TRAILER Penny Cato Dan Quinn Mark Darcy SCHOOL LIAISON Colleen Aque REGATTAS Penny Cato & Dan Quinn

COACHING Vivek Iyengar Araceli Rivera

UNIFORM & SPIRIT WEAR Patty Hirt

EVENTS/FUNDRAISING Karen Gianfrancisco Aidan Skelding '15 Colleen Aque

TRAVEL Kathy Barnard NOVICE LIASON Brigid Andrew

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YEAR IN REVIEW 2020 / 2021 ISSUE NO 01

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