News from GRA President Drew Schreiber
Dear Friends of the Georgetown Crew,
Despite Punxsutawney Phil's Groundhog Day prediction of six more weeks of winter, the student-athletes and coaches of the Georgetown Crew are hard at work in anticipation of a great spring '06 racing season. I wanted to give you a brief update on the team and highlight a few items from the Georgetown Rowing Association (GRA).
The Team:
Over the winter break, many members of the team headed south for training camp. Head Coach Tony Johnson led a contingent of thirty-five athletes and three coaches to Columbia, SC, for a week of two-a-days. At the same time, men's coach John Fife and women's coach Jim O'Conner led a group of thirty-five rowers from the lightweight squads to Melbourne, FL, for a week of training. All four squads are now at work on the ergs and we anticipate them being back on the water in the next few days.
The first race of the year will again be the Jesuit Invitational in Camden/Philadelphia. This is the only time all season that each of the four squads will be racing at the same place on the same day. Please check on the crew website for more information on this race. It's a great chance to see the Crew race and connect with old friends.
The Eastern Sprints this year are on different weekends, so it'll be possible to catch them both! The Women's Eastern Sprints will be held on Sunday, May 14 in Camden, NJ. The Men's Eastern Sprints will be held on Sunday, May 21 in Worcester, MA. GRA will have tents at both races. Please check www.guhoyas.com or www.georgetowncrew.org for the full spring racing schedule. If one of the squads is racing in your neck of the woods, please come out to root the team on to victory.
GRA Notes:
For those of you in the NY/NJ/CT area, the annual pre-season reception for alumni, parents and friends of the Crew will be this Thursday, 2/23 at the University Club in New York City from 6-8 p.m. Tony Johnson will discuss the team and Athletic Director Bernard Muir will talk about the Crew and his vision for the athletic program. Please contact Hoyas Unlimited at 202.687.7159 if you need more information.
Most of you received a postcard over the holidays about the GRA Board Challenge. The Board of GRA will match the first $70,000 of donations from new donors or from prior donors giving at a higher level than before. As of the end of '05, donations to the Crew were up 10% versus the prior year, so we're off to a great start. We truly appreciate the generosity of the crew alumni, parents and friends. If you have not made a gift, make one today. Go to http://giving.georgetown.edu or call 202.687.7159.
Finally, I want to close with a HUMONGOUS congratulations to Kelley Jones ('88)! Over the weekend of Feb 3-5, Kelley was inducted into the Georgetown Athletics Hall of Fame. Kelley had an incredible rowing career. She won a Dad Vail gold medal and a National Championship while at GU. She then went on to make a number of U.S. National Teams, winning a World Championship medal in the women's eight. To cap her career, Kelley rowed in the women's eight at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, the first woman from GU to row in the Olympics. The Hall of Fame weekend included a party in Kelley's honor at the home of Jo Ann Grainger and John Devlin on Friday evening, introduction at the Hoya basketball game that weekend, and a dinner in honor of Kelley and the other inductees on Saturday night at the Leavey Center. It was a great weekend and a richly deserved honor. To read more about the event or watch it online go to http://guhoyas.collegesports.com/genrel/020806aae.html
I hope that helps you get up to date on the team and GRA. Please check the schedule and come out to root for the Crew. I hope to see you in NYC this week or along the banks of a river or lake this spring.
Best Wishes & Never Row,
Drew
Drew Schreiber ‘86
GRA President
2755 Webster St. #8
SF, CA 94123
Email: drew.schreiber@comcast.net
