Subject: News & announcement about coaching next season
From: "Sidwell Friends Rowing" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <
Cc: <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 13 Aug 2011 13:55:14 -0400

Dear Sidwell Rowing team members and families,

We hope this email finds you well and enjoying the last few weeks of
summer vacation.

We are writing to let you know that after careful thought and much
deliberation, Brooke Kennedy has decided to step down as coach of
Sidwell Rowing. Brooke's letter to the team is attached. We are deeply
grateful for Brooke's contributions to the crew team over the last
four years. Under her direction, the team has grown in countless ways,
including an increase in the number of girls interested in rowing, a
strong (and growing) network of schools with whom we can barter or
rent equipment and trailer our boats, and the purchase of new
equipment, in particular, a new eight several years ago. We will miss
Brooke and we are grateful that she will continue to support the team
as a volunteer. We look forward to benefitting from her advice next
year and to seeing her at various crew events.

As co-head coach of the team last year, Ted Bristol is the obvious
choice to continue as head coach this year. Ted’s experience, his
philosophy on safety, and his commitment to his own development as a
coach all make Ted an incredibly valuable asset to the team. Some of
you may know that Ted was a collegiate rower at GWU. He became
assistant coach of Sidwell crew 3 years ago, and served as co-head
coach last year. He will be completing the Level II training offered
by US Rowing this winter. He participates in local clinics, consults
regularly with area coaches, and travels annually to a 2-day
conference of coaches from many collegiate and high school
powerhouses.

In addition, as we talked with Ted about possible options for coaching
going forward, we were struck by how well his immediate goals for the
team matched up with many of the observations and suggestions that you
all offered via the parent and rower end-of-year surveys.
Specifically, Ted talked about improving the fitness of rowers to make
the team more competitive, improving the efficiency and intensity of
practices to make the most of our limited time on the water, and
improving the clarity of communications to rowers about boat
assignments and individual progress.

For all of these reasons, we are excited to offer Ted the position of
head coach next year. We will hire a new assistant coach to support
Ted. Ted's letter accepting this offer and outlining his goals for
next year is attached.

The search for a new assistant coach will begin as soon as possible.
Brooke and Ted are drafting a job description, which we will circulate
to all of you when it is ready for distribution. A hiring committee
consisting of Ted, Sharon, Kate, and up to two other parents will
review resumes, interview candidates, check references, and make a
final selection. Rowers will also have a chance to participate in the
interviewing process. If you are interested in serving on the hiring
committee, which will require a substantial time commitment and
several in-person meetings over the next 3 months, please contact
Sharon or Kate.

This is an exciting time for Sidwell Rowing! Building on the strong
foundation laid by Brooke, we look forward to working with Ted and the
new assistant coach to tap every girl’s passion for rowing, call forth
her highest level of commitment to herself and her team, stretch her
beyond her physical and mental comfort zone, and help her attain
whatever goals she sets for herself.

Please contact one of us if you have any questions, thoughts, or concerns.

Go Sidwell crew!

Kate & Sharon

P.S. Class of 2011 families, we included you on this email because you
know Brooke so well and we thought you would want to hear her news.
Starting in September you will become "official" alumni of the team,
and we promise to take you off the distribution list for regular team
emails