Dear Miami University Rowing Club Alumni and Family,

As the Fall 2021 season comes to a close we take a moment to look back and reflect. Having our first full season since the events of COVID-19, there was a multitude of obstacles we as a team had to face and overcome. From shaking off the rust to problem solving dire equipment needs at a moments notice. Despite these obstacles, team as a whole was able to expand and maintain a roster size of over 63 men and women, one of the largest team sizes in the history of the club.

As one of the few solely student ran collegiate crews in the United States, the current executive board and chairs have worked tirelessly in order to ensure that the team carries on many of the traditions that makes this team so remarkable and welcoming to both new and seasoned rowers.

We hope to continue to serve and build both our athletes and the Miami community on and off the water heading into the next season.

1! 2! MU Crew!
Tristan Sprenger
MURC Vice President

Head of the Hooch

On November 6th, the Miami University Rowing Club competed at it's last fall regatta for the Fall 2021 season. The team traveled to the beautiful state of Tennessee to compete at one of the most prominent and competitive regattas; Head of Hooch.

Head of the Hooch is a 5.0km head race in which rowers of all ages and experiences come from over 30 different states to compete on the stunning Tennessee River. In total there was over 2,000 unique entries in a variety of different events. This regatta serves as one of the largest races that MURC has the opportunity to compete in.

Men and Women's Captain Ivan and Janie both had to say this following the races; "We're both extremely happy with the effort and results that our teammates have produced this season. We've got a ton of great personalities who are extremely dedicated to the sport and this team. The novices especially have killed it this year, coming in with little to no experience and absolutely demolishing some of the more competitive schools."

As there is plenty of time before racing resumes again in the spring, MURC will continue to train over this break in order to become a stronger and faster team.

Results

Womens Novice 8+ - 9th of 26 - 18:29.7
Mens Open 4+ (A) - 11th of 37 - 15:51.3
Womens Open 8+ - 12th of 20- 16:43.4

HereNOW Hooch Results

Alumni Feature: John Misey '20

John Misey '20 (Right) posing with Head of the Hooch medals and current Vanderbilt teammate, Ryan MacDonald

Miami Rowing alumni and current Vanderbilt Law student, John Misey '20, had an incredible season this year. Winning medals at both Head of the Charles and Head of the Hooch. John and his Vanderbilt crew were also able to stay undefeated in the Men's 8 and the Men's 4 events. We recently had an opportunity to talk with John about his time at Miami University, Vanderbilt University, rowing, and his overall plans for the future.

How would you describe your experience while a part of the Miami University Rowing Club, both as a rower and previous Captain of the team?

I would describe my experience at Miami as tough but fulfilling. As any collegiate team coach would tell you, culture is key. When I joined the team, I knew myself to be out of shape. I found a lot of support from my teammates, especially Joe Converse, Michael Johnston, and Jordan Cameron. Through the training programs at Miami, I became quite physically fit.

I started to take on a leadership role in 2017 as the Safety Chair. I was elected Men's Captain for 2018 and 2019 seasons. It was very challenging, especially in 2018 when I made the most substantial changes to the program trying to improve performance. That year we had a small team with very limited experience and guidance.

Our executive board was very united in wanting to move the program back in a more competitive direction like the early 2010s, when the team won big name regattas like HOOCH. We did better that spring at MACRA, improving in placement in every event. The men's team medaled at HOTO the next fall in 2018 in the men's heavy eight, which undoubtedly was the high point of my undergraduate rowing career.

That spring was a bit more challenging, we lost a few key rowers, had a new exec group, erg season got on people's nerves, and we had some boating issues among other things...

Continue to Read About John's Full Experiences Here!

Thank You For Your Support!

Thank you to the following families and alumni for showing your support and providing substantial contributions at regattas to keep our athletes motivated and well fed when traveling.

On behalf of our entire crew we are incredibly grateful for your time and support!

Mindy & Aaron Wehner

Stacy, Chin, Ethan, & Christian Kim

John & Leta Korpusik

PJ & Scott Kadlic

And previous Alumni:

Ryan Gerbitz

Jenna Prahst & Gunnar Kadlic

Will Kulis

Regattas are an extremely involved process as there are a ton of moving parts that go into making sure rowers are prepped and ready, boats go out in a timely manner, setting up equipment, and of course, the racing itself. Miami Rowing is hoping to set up a Boosters Club in which families are able to sign up and help directly contribute to necessities at regattas such as fresh food and water.

Volunteering your time as well at regattas can be a huge help to the team as this will allow us to better prepare and help the team provide some of these supplies that we wouldn't otherwise be able to.

If you are able, please sign up using the Google Form below to help contribute at future regattas!

Click Here to Sign Up for MURC Boosters!

Capital Campaign

As beforementioned, one major issue our current executive board has faced throughout the season is the growing age of our fleet. Much of our fleet is from the late 90's and early 2000's era of Vespoli.

We are extremely grateful for the equipment we do have currently, but with the continual growth of our team we have concerns if our equipment can keep up. Multiple boats are starting to have major equipment issues with costly repairs and a few staple boats that we used to row regularly have approached the point of no return.

Within the coming weeks we will be launching a full scale campaign in order to raise money to help fund our growing equipment need. If you have any interest in contributing to this cause, please be on the look out for the following newsletter! You can stay up to date on this cause through the link below.

MURC Capital Campaign Homepage

Have Any Questions or Feedback?
Please reach out to:
sprengtm@miamioh.edu

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Miami University Rowing Crew · 4910 Hunt Rd Unit 2201 · Blue Ash, OH 45242-7095 · USA