Navy Lightweight Crew Reunion
In September Navy lightweight rowers from the Classes of 1974 – 1978 met for their fourth reunion!
(L-R): Navy Head Lightweight Crew Coach Steve Perry, Coach Jon Eric VanAmringe Photo Courtesy of Karen Cook
Eighteen lightweight crew alumni gathered together for a weekend of camaraderie and good cheer to honor their former coach, Jon VanAmringe, with the christening of JON ERIC VAN AMRINGE 2 – the second boat acquired for Navy lightweight crew with funds from an endowment established by Coach VanAmringe’s rowers. Special guests included former Navy crew coach Carl Ullrich and his lovely wife Becky; Jon’s former Yale lightweight crew coach Jimmy Joy; renowned boat designer Graeme King and Brendan Crotty from King Racing; and Darrow Kirkpatrick ’57 representing the first Navy lightweight rowers of the modern era.
When Two or Three Shall Meet
The reunion kicked-off with a Friday evening reception in the King Room of the newly renovated Hubbard Hall. Joined by many of their spouses and ten of Jon’s crewmates from Yale University, the rowers were treated to a video created by Luke Memminger ’76 as a special tribute to Coach VanAmringe and his crews, which led to an evening of old tales being retold that like a good wine just seem to keep getting better and better with age. And, current coaches Steve Perry, Joe Federici, Tom Callender ’90, and John Flynn and Director of Rowing Rob Friedrich and his wife Craig honored the group with their sincere thanks for alumni support of Navy Crew.
Rig for Battle Dress (L-R): Keith Weaver ’76, Tom Cook ’76 Photo Courtesy of Karen Cook
(L-R): Derek Offer ’74, Mike Wahl ’74 Photo Courtesy of Karen Cook
(L-R): Keith Weaver ’76, Tom Cook ’76, Luke Memminger ’76 Photo Courtesy of Karen Cook
(L-R): Steve Hall ’75, Keith Weaver ’76 Photo Courtesy of Karen Cook
(L-R): Steve Hall ’75, Phil Schlaepfer ’77 Photo Courtesy of Karen Cook
Mother Hubbard
What a fantastic rowing facility Navy Crew has built! Alumni will be greatly impressed with the complete redesign that has transformed the venerable boathouse in their memories into a world class rowing facility worthy of championship crews. Particularly noteworthy is the new rowing tank with a water speed at six meters per second that is fastest in the country and allows rowers to not only get aerobic rowing workouts but also get specific coaching on rowing technique that is too often overlooked.
JON ERIC VAN AMRINGE 2
On Saturday morning with bagpipes signaling the commencement of christening ceremonies Navy Head Lightweight Crew Coach Steve Perry and Senior Associate Director of Athletics Dave Davis ’67 warmly welcomed the alumni oars, their spouses, and guests on their return to Severn’s shores. Speaking on behalf of Coach VanAmringe’s crews, Keith Weaver ’76 stressed to Navy’s current lightweight rowers the strength of the bonds of friendship they are forming, which they in turn will be talking with Navy crews about forty years from now. Coach VanAmringe then began the christening with finish line water from twenty-eight courses being poured over the new boat’s bow. Fittingly, the last group to pour water over the bow was Navy’s firsties, who then put the boat in the water and rowed it for the first time.
Classes of 1974 – 1978 Photo Courtesy of Karen Cook
And, as he did in 2006 that stalwart bowman, Tom Weil (Yale 1970), braved creepy-crawlies and unknown sediments to partake of one long drink from the christening cup once again!
L-R: Keith Weaver ’76, Tom Weil, Gary Harrell ’76 Photo Courtesy of Karen Cook
We Were Rowers Once – and Still?
Following the christening eleven alumni took out an eight and with spouses, coaches, and guests comfortably watching from coaches’ launches these intrepid oars began “seat racing” and “boat changing” so all eleven could sweep an oar once more on College Creek. Coxswain Krystyna Nowakowski ‘14 kept the oars in line, and all eleven we’re able to disembark without aid upon returning to the dock!
Bow-Derek Offer ’74; 2-Bob Blase ’75; 3-Phil Schlaepfer ’77; 4-Lee Yarberry ’78; 5-Keith Weaver ’76; 6-Gary Harrell ’76; 7-Steve Hall ’75; Stroke-Tom Cook ’76; Cox-Krystyna Nowakowski ’14 Photo Courtesy of Karen Cook
Bow-Derek Offer ’74; 2-Bob Blase ’75; 3-Phil Schlaepfer ’77 Photo Courtesy of Karen Cook
3-Phil Schlaepfer ’77; 4-Lee Yarberry ’78; 5-Keith Weaver ’76; 6-Gary Harrell ’76 Photo Courtesy of Karen Cook
6-Gary Harrell ’76; 7-Steve Hall ’75; Stroke-Tom Cook ’76 Photo Courtesy of Karen Cook
5-Keith Weaver ’76; 6-Gary Harrell ’76; 7-Steve Hall ’75; Stroke-Tom Cook ’76; Cox-Krystyna Nowakowski ’14 Photo Courtesy of Karen Cook
Bow-Luke Memminger ’76; 2-Steve Nimitz ’76; 3-Phil Schlaepfer ’77; 4-Joel Bohlmann ’78 Photo Courtesy of Karen Cook
Bow-Luke Memminger ’76; 2-Steve Nimitz ’76; 3-Phil Schlaepfer ’77; 4-Joel Bohlmann ’78; 5-Keith Weaver ’76; 6-Gary Harrell ’76; 7-Steve Hall ’75; Stroke-Tom Cook ’76; Cox-Krystyna Nowakowski ’14 Photo Courtesy of Karen Cook
The Intrepid (L-R): Bob Blase ’75, Luke Memminger ’76, Joel Bohlmann ’78, Lee Yarberry ’78, Steve Nimitz ’76, Keith Weaver ’76, Krystyna Nowakowski ’14, Derek Offer ’74, Steve Hall ’75, Gary Harrell ’76, Tom Cook ’76, Phil Schlaepfer ’77, Alex Cobble ’76 Photo Courtesy of Karen Cook
Class of ’76 (L-R): Luke Memminger, Gary Harrell, Tom Cook, Keith Weaver, Alex Cobble, Steve Nimitz Photo Courtesy of Karen Cook
(L-R): Phil Schlaepfer ’77, Luke Memminger ’76, Gary Harrell ’76, Tom Cook ’76, Keith Weaver ’76, Alex Cobble ’76, Steve Nimitz ’76, Steve Hall ’75 Photo Courtesy of Karen Cook
All About Rowing
The afternoon was spent talking all about rowing. Coach Jimmy Joy presented a mini-tutorial on the efficiency of movement with examples of the good – but also the bad and the ugly that are too often seen in boats today due possibly to the habits rowers adopt from countless hours of ergometer rowing. A coaches’ panel moderated by Jon VanAmringe with panelists Carl Ullrich, Jimmy Joy, Dave Vogel [former Yale rowing coach], Rob Friedrich, and Steve Perry delved into the qualitative and quantitative aspects of rowing past and present – one thing hasn’t changed and that’s the importance of time on the water. And, the day was capped with a fascinating talk by boat designer and maker Graeme King: “The art of building wooden shells makes them beautiful while the science makes them fast.” A number of Navy’s oarsmen took this opportunity to have their white King Racing ball caps autographed by King himself.
(L-R): Coach Carl Ullrich, Becky Ullrich, Lesli Schlaepfer, Phil Schlaepfer ’77 Photo Courtesy of Karen Cook
Giving Back to Navy Crew
Navy lightweight oars from the classes that Jon VanAmringe coached have reunited triennially since 2003. Shortly before the purchase of a new racing shell. Not only did the rowers support Rob’s need – they contributed enough to endow a boat in perpetuity, which was to be named in honor of their coach.
Today, in addition to several other endowed boats, the Navy Crew Excellence Fund ensures that Navy’s crews will never be wanting for racing shells, but more importantly these funding sources provide the Director of Rowing with spending options he would not otherwise have the opportunity to consider for heavyweight, lightweight, and women’s rowing.
Reuniting with those whom you rowed for so many endless hours and miles is a reward in itself, but this reconnection can also help mobilize and organize support for a program that was such a meaningful part of your life if that support is ever needed. And, meeting current rowers establishes a connection between present and past from which a rowing legacy is created and nurtured for future crews to expand.
The rowers of NavyLights74-78 will tell you without hesitation that waiting thirty years to reunite was far too much time lost. If you are not yet gathering together with your crewmates then our advice is to make that happen now.
FINISH LINE CHRISTENING WATER
| Finish-Line Water | Course Location | Event / School |
| Lake Carnegie | Princeton, New Jersey | Princeton Crew
Navy v. Princeton Navy v. Yale Princeton Chase Belly of the Carnegie |
| Cooper River | Camden County Park, New Jersey | IRA National Championships |
| Connecticut River | Hanover, New HampshireDartmouth Crew | |
| Flanders Bay | East Sullivan, Maine | Flanders Bay Sailing |
| Frenchman Bay | Lamoine/Mount Desert Island, Maine | Frenchman Bay Sailing |
| Green Lake | Seattle, Washington | Green Lake Crew
Head of the Lake |
| Harlem River | Spuyten Duyvil, Bronx, New York | Columbia Crew |
| Hudson River | Poughkeepsie, New York | Marist Crew |
| Lake Natoma (Gold River) | Rancho Cordova, California | Pac-12 Rowing Championships
IRA National Championships |
| Lake Quinsigamond | Worcester, Massachusetts | EARC Sprints Championships |
| Montlake Cut | Seattle, Washington | Washington Crew |
| New Haven Harbor | New Haven, Connecticut | Yale Crew |
| Oakland Estuary | Oakland, California | California Crew |
| Olympic Training Center | Chula Vista, California | Olympic Rowing Course |
| Orchard Beach Lagoon | Bronx, New York | Columbia Crew
Navy v. Columbia |
| Overpeck Creek | Bergen County, New Jersey | Columbia Crew |
| San Francisco Bay | San Francisco, California | America’s Cup Regatta |
| Schuylkill River | Fairmont Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Penn Crew
Navy v. Penn Navy Day Regatta Head of the Schuylkill |
| Seneca Lake | Geneva, New York | Hobart and William Smith Crew |
| Charles River | Cambridge and Boston, Massachusetts | Harvard Crew
Navy v. Harvard Head of the Charles |
| Potomac River | Washington, DC | Georgetown Crew
Navy v. Georgetown |
| Severn River | Annapolis, Maryland | Navy Crew |
| Thames River | Gales Ferry, Connecticut | Yale-Harvard Regatta |
| Thames River | Henley-on-Thames, England | Henley Royal Regatta |
| Housatonic River | Derby, Connecticut | Yale Crew |
| Lake Erie | Erie, Pennsylvania | Mercyhurst College Crew
RELTNY Rent-a-Crew |
| Cayuga Lake | Ithaca, New York | Ithaca College Crew
Cornell Crew |
| San Diego Bay | San Diego, California | San Diego Crew Classic |
NAVYLIGHTS74-78 REUNION IV LIST OF ATTENDEES
| Group | Name | Class |
| NavyFirstLights | J. Darrow Kirkpatrick | 1957 |
| NavyLights74-78 Coach | Jon VanAmringeYale 1970 | |
| NavyLights74-78 | Bob and Pam Blase | 1975 |
| Joel and Wendy Bohlmann | 1978 | |
| Alex Cobble | 1976 | |
| Tom and Karen Cook | 1976 | |
| Bill and Chris Daley | 1975 | |
| Steve Hall | 1975 | |
| Gary and Sandy Harrell | 1976 | |
| Gary and Beth Lundeen | 1975 | |
| Luke and Anna Belle Memminger | 1976 | |
| Steve and Gail Nimitz | 1976 | |
| Derek Offer | 1974 | |
| Phil and Lesli Schlaepfer | 1977 | |
| Mike and Marilyn Wahl | 1974 | |
| Keith and Susan Weaver | 1976 | |
| Lee and Lita Yarberry | 1978 | |
| NavyLights93 | Kit Vallonrat | 1993 |
| Navy Lightweight Crew Coaches | Steve and Amanda Perry
Head Lightweight Crew Coach |
Rutgers 2001 |
| Tom Callender
Assistant Lightweight Crew Coach |
1990 | |
| Joe Federici
Plebe Lightweight Crew Coach |
Rutgers 2005 | |
| Navy Heavyweight Crew Coaches | Rob and Craig Friedrich
Head Heavyweight Crew Coach |
Rutgers 1997 |
| John Flynn
Assistant Heavyweight Crew Coach |
Cornell 1994 | |
| Friends of Navy Crew | Brendan Crotty
King Racing Shells |
University of Buffalo SUNY |
| Len DiFrancisco | Hobart 1968 | |
| Dick Ewing | Yale 1974 | |
| Gary Greco | ||
| Joan Marie Haas | Annapolis Rowing Club | |
| Jimmy Joy | University of Western Ontario 1960
Yale Head Lightweight Crew Coach 1970 – 1972 |
|
| Graeme King
King Racing Shells |
SARIRC 1965 | |
| James Scheider | ||
| Dan and Kathy Shaker | Annapolis Rowing Club | |
| Carl and Becky Ullrich
Navy Head Heavyweight Crew Coach 1968 – 1974 |
Cornell 1950 | |
| Dave Vogel
Yale Head Lightweight Crew Coach 1972 – 1989 |
Yale 1971 | |
| Tom Weil | Yale 1970 | |
| Jay Williams | Yale 1968 | |
| Art Wilmarth | Yale 1972 |