USRowing Announces Fan’s Choice Awards Finalists; Voting Begins on row2k

October 02, 2012

PRINCETON, N.J. – USRowing maintains a strong and long tradition of rewarding excellence in rowing. Following a year of unprecedented achievement, the rowing community has designated strong nominees for the 2012 Fan’s Choice Awards, which are solely nominated and voted on by rowing fans. After receiving an outpouring of nominations in all categories, the finalists are now posted HERE. Voting begins today and continues through 5 p.m. ET on Monday, October 22.

Co-sponsored by row2k Media, USRowing Fan’s Choice Awards will be given to a “Rower of the Year” in the junior, collegiate, masters and national team categories and a “Coach of the Year” in the junior, collegiate and masters category.

2012 Fan’s Choice Finalists

Junior Rower of the Year

Christine Cavallo, Orlando Area Rowing Society (OARS)
Rosie Grinalds, GMS Rowing Center
Harrison Malec, Saugatuck Rowing Club
Graham Mink, Maritime Rowing Club
Alia Shafi, Oakland Strokes

Collegiate Rower of the Year

Alex Bunkers, University of Washington
Chrissy Holm, University of Michigan
Robb Munn, University of Washington
Kristine O’Brien, University of Virginia
Ian Silveira, Princeton University

Masters Rower of the Year

Laurie Devitt, Maritime Rowing Club
Paul Green, Saugatuck Rowing Club
Frank Maldari, Greater Lawrence Rowing
Ed Ryan, Potomac Rowing Club
Forrest Sanders, Nashville Rowing

National Team Rower of the Year

Erin Cafaro, women’s eight
Charlie Cole, men’s four
Caryn Davies, women’s eight
Sara Hendershot, women’s pair
Adrienne Martelli, women’s quadruple sculls

Junior Coach of the Year

Guenter Beutter, GMS Rowing Center
Greg King, National Cathedral School
Rose Marchuk, New Trier High School
Matthew Previts, Cleveland Scholastic Rowing Association
Peter Wilhelm, Narragansett Boat Club

Collegiate Coach of the Year

Mike Callahan, University of Washington
Paul Cooke, Brown University
Robin Meiggs, Humboldt State University
Kevin Sauer, University of Virginia
Brett Sickler, University of Michigan

Masters Coach of the Year

Lew Cuyler, Berkshire Rowing and Sculling
Nancy Faigen, Potomac Rowing Club
Boris Kusturic, Cambridge Boat Club
Deidre McLoughlin, Marin Rowing Association
Bob Tarrant, Saratoga Rowing Center

The selection committee used the following criteria to determine the finalists:

Rower of the Year: A male or female rower or coxswain who has achieved extraordinary success in 2012. Success may be defined as an outstanding performance, having a breakout year, perseverance in spite of difficult odds, consistently strong performance, outstanding service off the water, or a combination of the above or other worthy measures.

Coach of the Year: A rowing coach who has achieved extraordinary success in 2012. Success may be defined as outstanding performance, having a breakout year, making a significant impact on an individual athlete or team performance, perseverance in spite of difficult odds, consistent strong performance, or a combination of the above or other worthy measures.

“The nominations in all Fans Choice Awards categories this year were outstanding,” said Beth Kohl, USRowing Chief Marketing Officer. “The 2011 winners set a very high bar, and the rowing community responded with another strong selection of athletes and coaches. The selection committee had a very challenging task in determining the finalists, and now our voters have some tough decisions of their own in picking the winners.

“The past year brought us many outstanding performances from rowing organizations in all regions at all levels. Many stories came out – stories of dedication, perseverance and breaking barriers. We are proud of our community and row2k Media is an excellent partner for this program. We look forward to honoring the winners at the Golden Oars Awards Dinner in November.”

"For the inaugural awards last year, the idea of sponsoring a fan's choice awards poll that recognizes a large number of folks who are fully immersed in the sport on a daily basis seemed to me, perfect for row2k, and we are looking forward to doing it again this year," said Ed Hewitt, row2k founder and publisher. "The list of nominees and finalists was superb and inspiring; without folks like these giving everything they have, our sport would be very different, and it is great to be part of honoring them."

Fans may vote once in each category. Voting closes at 5 p.m. ET on Monday, October 22. Winners will be announced the following week and recognized at the 2012 Golden Oars Awards Dinner on November 14 at the New York Athletic Club. Winners will also attend a pre-event meet and greet with 2012 Olympians and Paralympians. Tickets are available. For more information visit www.usrowing.org/Events/GoldenOarsDinner.aspx.

Link to 2011 Fan's Choice Award Winners.

About USRowing
USRowing is a nonprofit organization recognized by the United States Olympic Committee as the governing body for the sport of rowing in the United States. USRowing’s official suppliers include Boathouse Sports, Vespoli, WinTech, Filippi, Croker Oars, Rudy Project, Concept2, Nielsen Kellerman, PowerHTV and Ludus Tours. USRowing also receives generous support from the National Rowing Foundation and its corporate sponsors and partners ANXeBusiness Corp, Voxer, EZ Dock, EMCVenues and Whole Foods. For more information, visit www.usrowing.org. The USRowing National Team program relies on strong partnerships to enable continued success. New opportunities exist to support the teams through the next quadrennial, culminating with the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. America Rows, which supports diversity in rowing and the USRowing adaptive programs also benefit from corporate support. For more information, please contact Beth Kohl at beth@usrowing.org.

About Row2k Media
Row2k.com is the world's most popular rowing publication in any medium, covering all aspects of the sport, from ocean rowing to the Olympics and everything in between, 365 days/year.

Allison Frederick

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