Strokes Alumni News

• Dana Hooper, Men's Varsity coach, has started an email newsletter for the alumni of the Oakland Strokes. This newsletter is intended to inform alumni about upcoming events at the boathouse, including alumni events, year prospectus, races, etc.  Join here.

• Jim Logsdon's email to the Strokes:

Tage Howerton, Melissa Mowat, Brian Washburn, Alex Thomas, Josh Lerner

13 May 01
Lake Quinsigamond
Worcester, Mass

Eastern Sprints

Oakland Strokes alums take four gold medals at Sprints

John Logsdon-------Yale Men's First Varsity Lightweight Eight---Gold medal and Wright Cup for winning Grand Final First Varsity race, and Jope Cup winner as Yale's Lightweights won the team title as well. In winning, the boat set a new course record time for a First Varsity Lightweight Eight.

Brian Washburn and Alex Thomas----------Yale Men's Second Varsity Lightweight Eight----Gold Medal and Cornell Trophy for winning the Grand Final Second Varsity race, and Jope Cup winners as Yale's Lightweights won the team title. Their boat also set a course record for a Second Varsity Lightweight Eight.

Logsdon, Washburn and Thomas, will race for Yale at National Championships (IRA's) in New Jersey on June 3rd and at the Royal Henley Regatta, Henley on Thames, England, 4-through-8 July. Josh Lerner, a Yale Heavyweight who rowed at Sprints, will also compete for Yale at Henley. Logsdon and Yale's first lightweight boat will then go on to race in an Invitational in Korea later in July.

Logsdon and Lerner (Miramonte 1997) and Washburn and Thomas (Piedmont 1997) all graduated from Yale a week after Sprints.

Tage Howerton-------Princeton Men's Third Varsity Lightweight Eight------also won Gold at Sprints.

Tom Toro also competed for Yale and won a Silver medal in one of the Freshmen boats.

Melissa Mowat coxed Dartmouth's Second Heavyweight boat and Kate Race did the same for Penn's Second Heavyweights.

There were rumors of Mia Heetderks and John Hertzer sightings, but this writer can not confirm.

Jim Logsdon
Alum

• Jim, John and Mike Logsdon's Christmas Newsletter to the Strokes:

John rowed for the Strokes '95-'97 and Mike '96-'99.  Jim and Judy French were married on October 1, 2000.

In April we went to the Crew Classic in San Diego, to watch John and his Yale Lightweight Crew beat Harvard in the process of winning their third or fourth consecutive gold medal at that event.  The prior year, not only did Yale win, but Mike Logsdon and his Oakland Strokes J.V. boat took its third consecutive gold while the Strokes Varsity boys, rowing in the "Jean Logsdon" memorial shell also took the gold.   Later that year, after winning C.J.'s, Mike and the Oakland Strokes Lightweights won silver at the Junior
National Championships in Cincinnati.

In May, Mike completed his freshman year at the University of Pennsylvania. Although the Penn Lightweight program was not as competitive as he had hoped, he did win a   gold medal in a cameo appearance in a heavyweight four at the last race of the season.

In June, after an undefeated regular season, John's Yale crew won the National Championship of College Lightweight Rowing at the IRA's in New Jersey. As a result, they were invited to compete at the Henley Royal Regatta at Henley-on-Thames in England.   We took the whole family-to-be to England for two weeks to see the races and the sights. Yale defeated the Columbia Lightweights and a string of English heavies to advance to the finals.  In a gripping final race against the much heavier (two stone per man) and heavily favored Oxford-Brooks club, YALE WON!!  They  may be the first U.S. lightweight  crew to win at Henley. p.s.---London was't bad
either.

The wedding was held on the most beautiful day of the year.  The four young men (John and Mike and Judy's sons Pete and Mike) served as attendants and brilliantly delivered homilies, exhortations, toasts and roasts as required. Judy's father gave her away.  The men were all resplendent in their tuxes with striped pants, although Jim Miller (Judy's Dad) said he felt like the Prime Minister of Great Britain.  The newlyweds then flew to Paris for a two week honeymoon.  Four days after Paris, Jim was yearning to travel again and
flew to the east coast for a week visit with John and Mike and to watch John's boat win the Head of the Charles in Boston.  The
Trifecta---IRA's/Henley/Head of the Charles  Two weeks ago, the president of Yale and his wife hosted a dinner for the Lightweight Crew and their parents so we hit the road again for a whirlwind two-day trip east.  A few speeches and the exchange of memorabilia followed the roast beast and all went home happy and well fed.

Now we will close out 2000 by skiing (all 6 of us) at Lake Tahoe for the week between Christmas and New Years.We wish you and yours the most wonderful holiday season and a superb 2001. GO STROKES

• The Lerner Family news:

Here is an update on the Lerners, Strokes' alumni from 97 and 2000 and Ed Lickiss award winners. Josh Lerner is now a senior at Yale majoring in history. He rowed as the 2 seat in the Yale varsity heavyweight boat at the 2000 Head of the Charles. Last year he won the George Pew award from the Yale Men's Crew.

Nicole Lerner is a freshman at Yale in Calhoun College. She rowed as the 5 seat in the Yale women's junior varsity boat at the 2000 Head of the Charles.

• Annabelle Acosta, first daughter of coach Al and his wife Linda, was born just before Masters Nationals!  Weighing in @9.5 pounds, we know she'll be crew material!
• Jessica Ahlstrand ('96) will finish up a degree in Psychology at Michigan State University in May, 2001 where she has rowed for the past 2 years.  MSU came in 8th at NCAA's in Cherry Hill, NJ in May of this year.  Jessica stroked the JV8.
• Lucas Ahlstrand ('98) is rowing for University of Washington-bow seat of the JV8.
• Stephanie Gregg ('92) spent most of the year training at the Augusta National Training Center after a switch from sweep to sculling.  After a rib fracture in April, she raced a single and progressed to the semi-finals at the Olympic trials in June.  She will spend this year pursuing her masters in Aerospace engineering at Stanford and rowing with the Bair Island Aquatic Center.  She has just purchased a new Hudson racing single.  Although technically taking the year off from competition, she will not miss the opportunity to return to her home waters at the Head of the Oakland Estuary.
• Melissa Mowat ('99) is enjoying her jazz dance troupe, with two performances coming up and is a TA for Italian.  She pledged Kappa Kappa Gamma.   She recently coxed her 8 to 5th out of 25 at the Head of the Connecticut.   She's looking forward to spring racing!
• Vanessa Mag ('99) is a Junior zoology major at UCSB.  She joined Gamma Phi Beta sorority in Fall of 2000 and is currently training for the San Diego 1/2 Marathon that will take place in early 2001.
• John Hertzer ('00) writes:

I was just checking out the Oakland Strokes homepage and thought I'd write a little note to say that I'm here on the freshman lightweight crew team at Dartmouth along with Mia Heetderks.  Both of us graduated in 2000. 

• Jerry McClelland ('74) gives us a look back into Strokes history with a note to Pat Lickiss via the Strokes Folks:

Dear Pat,
Long ago (1973-74) you started the Campolindo Crew.  I was in that initial crop.   I still remember our first day of rowing the barge around Lake Merritt.   Although I was only able to participate one year, that was the best sports experience I ever had.  I graduated in '74 and went on to the Air Force.  I have retired from the AF and now teach Junior ROTC to cadets at Aiea School here in Hawaii.   The big aquatic sport out here is paddling not rowing.  In fact finding any kind of rowboat is rare although once I did see actual racing shells.  We have some areas that would be conducive to rowing but starting up a club with equipment is daunting.   I live near the water in a relatively sheltered cove with a boat ramp nearby.   I have wondered about the cost of a single shell or wherry and perhaps you could advise me on prices and sources.  I must admit I have not done much rowing lately.   I hope this note finds you well.  My email address is Gerald_McClellen@notes.k12.hi.us.
Sincerely,

Jerry, Cougar Crew '74

• Alumni John Logsdon and Brian Washburn, currently rowing for Yale Lightweights, were in winning boats at the Royal Henley Regatta in England this summer.

• Coolest news is coach Al and his wife Linda are expecting in August.  I know all us recent 'alums'  wish them our best.
• News from Kristen Graff-Baker ('96)

hey, this is the coolest!!! I graduated in '96. I'm a senior at Yale right now and will graduate in may. I rowed here for two years until a herniated disk sidelined me. I spent my second semester Junior Year in Mexico on a NOLS program. Last summer I biked across the country (New Haven, CT to Vancouver, BC) with thirty other college students in order to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. Right now I'm finishing up my last semester and teaching kindergarten and preschool. I'm going to travel to Greece this summer with the geology department. No clue what I'll after that. I think I saw Devin, my Strokes novice coxswain, at the San Francisco Airport right after Christmas, but she was running to the plane, so I can't be sure. I think it would be great to get a masters team together...we can't have people rowing with Marin after college:). That's it for now, work calls. Kristen

• Pennie Gordon ('82) reports she is living in Alameda and is a Principal with IBM GlobalServices working way too hard.

Penelope Everall Gordon
Principal, Server & Storage Solutions
IBM Global Services  O: 415-545-2601, San Francisco

• Jessica Ahlstrand ('95) rows JV for Michigan State
  Lucas Ahlstrand ('98) rows JV for Univ. of Washington - both rowed at San Diego Crew Classic.

• Lara Derasary(87) is living on a magnetic island off eastern australia, researching fluvial geomorphology of seasonal streams
• Doug Fullerton ('96) is rowing for Army crew at West Point (still trying to be a lightweight)
• Kathleen Garroway-Mallernee (76) is Assistant manager at a local bank. 2 daughters and a grandson.
• Rob Greenlee (99) is at UC Santa Barbara
• Rob Gavrell (93) is director of a Green Business raising $ for envionmental work
• James Logsdon (Parent) probable wedding date fall 2000
• Dan McCaslin (98) rowing bow in Novice A at UCSD.
• John Mowat (93) working is SF, Investment banking
• Melissa Mowat (99) coxing frosh heavyweights at Dartmouth
• Kate race (99) coxing frosh heavyweights at Penn
• Rachelle Regan (93) Graduated U of Oregon. Working in Portland
• Greg Rhinehart (81) asks why we don't get together a Strokes Folks masters boat.
• Mike Romano (99) is rowing freshman heavyweights at Cal, joined PKE fraternity
• James Gregg (99) rowed freshman heavyweights at Boston U, joined Chi Phi fraternity.
• Robyn Gregg (96) is at University of Washington. Traveled Europe last year.
• Stephanie Gregg (92) is with the US Women's National team and just moved from the US Olympic Training Center in San Diego to the Augusta Training center. We hope to see her on the Olympic squad. Visit her web page that features journal entries and "Ask Stephanie."
• Merin Russell (97) is a UC Davis Communications major. Tri-Delt sorority Robert Scurria, former Strokes Director, is on US Rowing Board of Directors
• Jon Allen Walker (96) is at San Diego State studying International business
• Brian Washburn (97) is currently at 5 seat of Yale's JV Lightweight crew.

See also the Strokes History page