Over the past three Olympic cycles the Charles River has been home to a handful of senior level athletes who have gone on to Olympic competition. The Boston Rowing Federation was recently founded on the premise that the presence and success of these athletes in Boston has been benefiical not just for their own personal development, but also for USA Rowing the thousands of recreational and more serious athletes in Boston who have seen these Olympians as role models. With great water available most of the time, many boathouses and high level coaches, as well as a vibrant economy, Boston should be a natural training home for an aspiring small boat athlete.
However, it is hard for any young adult to make a home in Boston for a period of years without a
meaningful employment opportunity and some help with training, equipment and travel expenses. The Boston Rowing Federation is continuing to build a network of employment opportunities and housing options for these athletes and as well as raising a fund to help cover training and travel expenses. Models for the Boston Rowing Federation can be seen in part in the Princeton Rowing Association which supports national team athletes training in Princeton, NJ, and Potomac Boat Club in Washington DC which has successfully helped with housing and travel expenses.
Applicant athletes would be expected to meet US senior team standards. They will be selected by BRF upon consultation with experts who may include national team coaches, the US Rowing High Performance Director, and senior university coaches. BRF is agnostic as to club affiliation, boat class or gender. Under the current national team structure it is doubtful that more than a half-dozen athletes would meet our criteria and be willing to commit to training in Boston through a quadrennial. Depending on the success of the Federation, its purpose might be expanded after the Rio Olympics in 2016.
BRF will partner with Community Rowing Inc. which has agreed to take on the role of Fiscal Sponsor. All donations will be made to CRI which will disperse according to the advice of BRF and consistent with all applicable laws governing charitable activities. Funding requests for the athletes will be reviewed on a case by case basis by the Board of BRF and a Performance Committee. In no case will a conflicted party be involved in any selection or funding decisions.
Chuck is a current Masters rower at Cambridge Boat Club (CBC) where he has been a member for over 15 years. Together with Gregg Stone and Greg Benning, Chuck co-founded the Boston rowing Federation with the goal of providing the needed support for US national team athletes who do not receive sufficient funding from the USOC to train at a level required to achieve an Olympic medal. His support for National Team rowing programs is also voiced through his Board positions on the National Rowing Foundation and The Princeton National Regatta Association. Chuck is also a long time Board member and a Managing Director of the Head of the Charles Regatta. Chuck holds A.B. and MBA degrees from Harvard. An International businessman, Chuck lived and worked overseas for 30 years and learned to row at Marlow Rowing Club in England in the mid-90s. He has won numerous National and International medals in both sweep and sculling with CBC, Marlow and Occoquan International, including 6 in a row first place finishes with Team Attager in the HOCR. Currently Chairman & CEO of Cambridge Semantics, a software company here in Boston, Chuck was CEO of half a dozen businesses for GE over a 20 year career there, and spent the last 15 years building a portfolio of global Private Equity businesses, most recently as Vice Chairman of Alternative Assets for Credit Suisse. He has served on numerous Corporate and not for profit Boards and organizations; he continues his International business interests with current Board positions in the Middle East, Europe, China and the US.