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Radnor: A Winning Crew



Fast Facts:

  • Our club started in 1996.
  • We’re a varsity sport at Radnor High School in Radnor, PA.
  • We’re a tax-exempt, non-profit organization .  All donations are tax deductible.
  • Our primary source of funding is seasonal dues, augmented by fundraising efforts and financial support from the school district.
  • Our club is run by parent volunteers.
  • We’re among the top public school rowing programs in the Philadelphia region.
  • We row out of the Whitemarsh Boat Club in Conshohocken.
  • We are one of the largest teams at Radnor High School.
  • Our boats have advanced to Nationals in all recent seasons, finishing as high as second place.

Please Support Our Sponsors:

Link to RGCC Google Calendar

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About Us

Overview

The Radnor Girls Crew Club is recognized as a club sport with the endorsement of Radnor High School. We are supported through our seasonal dues and are governed by a board comprised of parent volunteers. We have requested and receive financial support from the Radnor Township School Board on a per athlete basis.  This only provides a small portion of our required funding, which is why we must charge dues.

As a volunteer organization, the support and involvement of our parents is critical to the continued success of our club. Club meetings are held once a month through the school year, usually scheduled on the second Tuesday at 7pm in Room 150 at Radnor High School.  Please plan on attending these meetings and learning how your participation can make the club even more successful.  Rowers and parents are invited to attend.

Our team races in boats with either eight or four seats (categorized as "sweep" rowing), in several racing categories -- Freshman, Novice, Junior Varsity and Varsity. Within those categories, we also row in a lightweight division. In addition, each boat has what is called a coxswain who sits at the back controlling the boat, as well as directing and motivating the athletes during both practice and races.

Most of our regattas occur during the spring season.  Our spring races are 1,500 meters long and take place in different locations. Our first spring races are called the "Manny Flicks" and are held down by Boathouse Row on the Schuylkill River [link to Competitions: Getting There], as are the PSRA City Championships, Robert White Regatta (freshmen only) and a nationally recognized regatta called the Stotesbury Cup Regatta – the largest high school rowing event in the world. We are also often invited to invitational races in locations such as Delaware and New Jersey.  Any fall races typically will involve our varsity and JV boats, and fewer boats usually participate in these races than in the spring races.  However, the fall season is an important opportunity for athletes to hone their skills and prepare for the spring racing season.

In the spring of 1996, two Radnor High School students expressed an interest in forming a crew team. With the help of Villanova University's Varsity Women's Crew Coach, Jack St. Clair, and the support of Radnor High School staff, parents and students, a team was born.

We've come a long way since 1996.  We've built a competitive team comprising approximately 40-50 athletes and now require try-outs for first-time athletes.  The Radnor Girls Crew Club is among the top ranked public school girls' sweep teams in the Philadelphia area.  During the 2009 Philadelphia Scholastic Rowing Association season, our club was at the top of that ranking and placed third amongst all teams.

For more information on our successes as a team, view our season highlights.

The mission of the Radnor Girls Crew Club is to develop young student-athletes that are well-versed and prepared in the athletic arena and to develop strong character and life skills in our women.  We strive to provide a highly competitive environment for our athletes to excel.  We aim to create a rewarding experience for all athletes on the team, whatever their level may be.

It is important that our young women be successful in their futures.  Our focus remains the overall development, safety, and well-being of our athletes.  We accomplish this with a wide variety of teaching tools, parent resources, and an overall competitive atmosphere.  Positive teamwork and sportsmanship are required for the success of not only our individual athletes but for the overall success of our team.

Coaches...

Assistant Coach Joe Sullivan

Joe Sullivan
Head Coach
Contact

Joe started coaching for the RGCC in the fall of 2010 and has over 30 years experience in rowing. He began rowing as a junior at Msgr. Bonner. He then rowed four years at Temple, his junior and senior years in the Varsity 8. In his senior year, Temple won its first Dad Vail Varsity 8 title and went on to race at the Royal Henley Regatta in England. While at Temple, Joe also rowed for the Vesper lightweights during the summer and then year-round after finishing at Temple. At Vesper, Joe won several golds at USRowing Nationals and the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta.

Joe began his coaching career at Harriton High School, the first year as the novice coach and then the next three years as head coach. While head coach, at least one crew medaled at the Scholastic Championships each year, culminating in the Boys Varsity 4 winning gold in 1987, while the Girls Varsity 4 and the Girls JV 8 each won Bronze that year.

He then went on to coach the Novice Women at Temple for three years, then one year with the Novice Men. After coaching at Temple, Joe went on to coach the Juniors at Vesper and helped start several high school teams during that time. While coaching at Vesper, Joe spent three years as Archbishop Prendergast's head coach, coached the Radnor girls in 1999, was head coach of Sacred Heart for three years, and had kids from many other schools rowing for him.

For the six years prior to joining the RGCC coaching staff, Joe had been the Head Coach at South Jersey Rowing Club. The first two years, the club competed as seven different school teams but moved to rowing as a club by the third year. As a club team, SJRC qualified 10 crews for the USRowing Youth Nationals. During the summer season, they competed in both USRowing Club Nationals and the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta. Three Crews won silver medals at USRowing Club Nationals.

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Assistant Coach Dani Thole

Dani Thole
Assistant Coach (Freshmen)
Contact

Dani started coaching for the RGCC in the summer of 2010. Before taking up rowing during her freshman year in college, Dani played soccer competitively for 14 years. She was a four-year scholarship athlete at Sacramento State in California (a Division I school) and was captain her senior year. Dani's crew rowed to a silver medal in the varsity 8 at Dad Vail (2008) and was WIRA Conference Champions in 2006, 2007 and 2009. She completed the US Rowing U-23 development camp in 2008. While there, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in photography.

Dani began her coaching career as a volunteer assistant for Sacramento State's Novice Crew for the 2009-2010 season, where her duties included training and technical development on ergs, boats and land, rigging, on-campus recruiting, creating workouts and weight lifting.

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Assistant Coach Ryan Laudermilch

Ryan Laudermilch
Assistant Coach
Contact

Ryan joined the RGCC coaching staff for the 2011 fall season after coaching Maritime Academy Charter School for the 2010-2011 season. He also worked as the Aquatics Director and Middle School Physical Education teacher. His coaching career started in the fall of 2009 as the volunteer assistant coach for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Crew in Daytona Beach where he assisted former Naval Academy and Olympic Coach Paul Quinn.

After competing in baseball, basketball, football, hockey, and soccer in high school Ryan joined Penn State's Crew as a freshman in 2006. Over the next four years he was a captain during his sophomore and junior year, team officer his senior year, two-time Dad Vail finalist, and two-time ACRA national champion in the Men's Heavy Four with Coxswain. He earned a degree in Kinesiology and focused his studies in Biomechanics.

In 2012, Ryan was selected as "Best High School Coach in Main Line Today's "Best of the Main Line & Western Suburbs." Ryan continues to row at the Undine Barge Club in Philadelphia.

 

Board & Committees

The Radnor Girls Crew Club is governed by a board comprised of parent volunteers. As a volunteer organization, the support and involvement of our parents and athletes is critical to the continued success of our club.

The support of parents is critical to the success of the RGCC.  There are many opportunities to help (list of volunteer opportunities).  Please attend the monthly parent meetings at the Radnor High School to learn more and respond to appeals for assistance.  And come out to the regattas!

Position

Name (Athlete/Year)

Phone

Email

President/
Board Member

Trisha Macrone
(Maddie '14)

(610) 764-7300

RGCCpresident@radnorcrew.org

Vice President/
Board Member

Elizabeth Lowy
(Susanna '14)

610-975-0741

RGCCvp@radnorcrew.org

Secretary/
Board Member

Missy Parkin
(Celia '13)

(610) 308-8023

RGCCsecretary@radnorcrew.org

Treasurer/
Board Member

John Steely
(Margot '14)

(610) 585-3685

RGCCtreasurer@radnorcrew.org

Fundraising Chair

Open for 2012-13
Volunteer!

 

RGCCfundraising@radnorcrew.org

Communications Chair

Open for 2012-13
Volunteer!

 

RGCCcommunications@radnorcrew.org

Alumnae Chair

Lindsey Press '11

 

RGCCalumnae@radnorcrew.org

Hospitality Chair

Heather Cardamone (Claudia '15)

(610) 999-5554

RGCChospitality@radnorcrew.org

Spiritwear Chair

Holly Dillon (Katie '14)

(610) 246-0512

RGCCgear@radnorcrew.org

Banquet Chair

Missy Parkin
(Celia '13)

(610) 308-8023

RGCCbanquet@radnorcrew.org

Nationals Chair

Gina Foley
(Cecelia '14)

(610) 688-0168

RGCCnationals@radnorcrew.org

Youth Nationals Chair

Laura Luker
(Nina '14)

(610) 359-9982

RGCCnationals@radnorcrew.org

Financial Review

Open for 2012-13
Volunteer!

RGCCreview@radnorcrew.org

Puddles Newsletter

Kim Chapin (Maddie '14)

(215) 805-4722

Puddles@radnorcrew.org

Team Photos

Coordinated by RBCC this year
Volunteer for next year!

RGCCteamphotos@radnorcrew.org

Webmaster

Cecelia Foley

 

RGCCwebmaster@radnorcrew.org

Head Coach

Joe Sullivan

(856) 912-1002

joe@radnorcrew.org

Assistant Coach

Dani Thole

(925) 997-4743

dani@radnorcrew.org

Assistant Coach

Ryan Laudermilch

(717) 497-2338

ryan@radnorcrew.org

Senior Captain

Celia Parkin

 

captains@radnorcrew.org

Senior Captain

Abby Raichek

 

captains@radnorcrew.org

Senior Captain

Meghan Gerber

 

captains@radnorcrew.org

 

I want to volunteer.

Tax Exempt

As a self-funded non-profit organization, we must rely on the financial support of individuals and corporate sponsors to further our mission to develop young student-athletes.  Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the RGCC.  We offer various sponsorship opportunities, including naming rights for our valuable capital equipment (boats and oars).  You may also make a donation online.  Thank you for your support!

The Radnor Girls Crew Club is a federally recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.  As such, all donations made to the club are fully tax deductible.  (This does not include dues or other payments for which goods and services are received except to the extent the payment exceeds the value of the goods or services received.)

We are also recognized by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a tax exempt organization, exempting us from Pennsylvania sales tax.

 

Bylaws

We are governed by a board of directors operating in accordance with written bylaws.  All athletes and parents are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the club's bylaws.