Welcome YHS Crew Alumni!

We are sharing some great stories from our alumni, including one from one of the 1967 founding rowers, and updates about current events around Yorktown and TBC. We’re also hoping to kickstart our fan base and connect with you, our graduates,  alumni families, and coaches. Please stay in touch by following us on social media and linking to our website, or drop us a note at alumni@yorktowncrew.org!

2024 Schedule

3/16: Erg-a-thon, Yorktown

4/6: Darrell Winslow Regatta, Sandy Run

4/13: Nick Brandt '91 Boat Christening,  

        Potomac Boat Club

4/20: TBC Tussle, Potomac

4/27: Charlie Butt Regatta

5/4: VSRC Day 1, Sandy Run

5/11: VSRC Day 2, Sandy Run

5/17-18: Stotesbury, Philadelphia, PA

5/24-25: SRAA/Nationals, Pennsauken, NJ

6/6-6/9: Youth Nationals, Sarasota, FL

Recent Season Highlights

YHS Crew 2023 Season Results!

Spring 2023 was the most successful for Yorktown Crew in a decade. Highlights for the eights included:

• Freshman boys: 1st at VSRC (States), 6th at Stotesbury, and 5th at SRAA (Nationals)

• Freshman girls:  5th at VSRC

• Varsity boys: 4th at VSRC; the top two eights advance to semi-finals at Stotesbury

• Varsity girls: 2nd and 3rd at VSRC; the top two eights advance to semi-finals at Stotesbury; 2nd in petite final at SRAA

One Arlington Rowing

Fall 2023 marked the launch of One Arlington Rowing (OAR), a new local rowing program. OAR was co-founded by the Yorktown, Wakefield, and Washington-Liberty crew boosters’ boards on the idea that rowers would benefit from two seasons a year with their coaches. This program enabled former competitors to join forces and forge fast friendships. YHS rowers made up roughly half the 160 program registrants. Rowers participated in  local regattas, as well as Head of the Charles, and Head of the Hooch.

OAR highlights included the U17 Boys 8 placing 2nd at Head of the Hooch and Girls V8 re-qualifying for next years Head of the Charles.

Winter Training 2024

Indoor competitions included the Yorktown Relays and USRowing’s Erg Sprints. The Yorktown Relays was a successful fun event with Yorktown, McLean, Jackson-Reed and Woodbridge competing against each other. YHS competitors at Erg Sprints performed fantastically!! Medalists included Will Savage (2nd place in the U21 2000m with a time of 6:32.4), Abby Putman (1st place in Junior Women Coxswain 500m with a time of 1:54), and Lachlan Vaughn (3rd place in the U17 2000m with a time of 6:42.5). The majority of the athletes competing in the event put up new Personal Records!!

“I just love to row.”

Please join us on April 13 at 10 am at the Potomac Boat Club as we christen the newest YHS crew boat in honor of Dr. Nick Brandt, class of 1991. Dr. Brandt’s close friends generously purchased one of our new Filippi boats in loving memory of him. After graduating Yorktown, Dr. Brandt rowed for a year at UVA where his coach recalls placing Nick in the stroke seat to teach the other less experienced rowers better cadence and rhythm. The coach told Nick that once these athletes figured it out, he may lose his stroke seat. To which Nick responded, “No problem coach. I just love to row.”  This selfless service was indicative of the loving family man, wonderful friend and caring physician he would become.   

YHS Crew Origins

It was our pleasure to get a first hand account of YHS Crew’s origin from OG Scott Merritt, YHS Crew’s first team captain.  We hope you enjoy his story of how it all began as much as we did.

Scott Merritt, a junior at YHS in 1967, became fast friends with the cox of the already established Washington and Lee HS Crew team. One afternoon, Scott, intrigued by the sport, headed to the Potomac Boat Club to see his friend practice. There, he met up with none other than Charlie Butt who was coaching W-L. After watching practice from the launch, Charlie invited Scott to the Canoe Club and introduced him to Bill Stewart Sr, the President of the Potomac Boat Club. Mr. Stewart would later volunteer to become the coach of Yorktown’s future crew team.

That year, Scott and future crew team mates Paul Napier and Steve Morgan organized the rowing club and the supporting Booster club with the help of involved parents, the sponsorship of a Chemistry teacher and support from the Arlington County Sheriff, J. Elwood Clements. Scott describes going door to door fundraising to get the club off the ground.

The fledgling club started practice at the Potomac Boat Club. Scott recalls running on the Canal Tow Path and the infamous Exorcist Stairs. Twenty men on the initial team started rowing in a huge barge. Later, they borrowed their first all wood boat, Bessie, for their first actual row. Later in the season, they began to row on the Challenge, and arranged to move practice to Thompson’s Boat Center  (TBC).

Coach Stewart knew the 1969 National Championships were being held in DC and there was one open slot left. He signed the new crew team up for the regatta and they nervously paddled to the start, near the Three Sisters. They raced against the other 8 boats and when Fort Hunt caught a crab, Yorktown came in 7th place! A new local high school crew team formed in one year, and their first regatta was on a National Level!!

Hannah Offutt, YHS Class of 2023

Freshman rower at University of Tennessee

A Political Science major with a desire to study Law after her undergraduate degree, Hannah is enjoying her classes and student life. She reports the Lady Vols boathouse is right on campus which is helpful managing academics and 2 practices a day. Her favorite part of rowing on the Tennessee River is spotting Bald Eagles daily!

Michaline Becknell, YHS Class of 2023,

Freshman rower at Simmons University

Michaline is learning a lot at Simmons University in Boston, planning on majoring in Political Science and Econ. She loves rowing on the D3 team at Simmons. Sunrises on the Charles River have been a highlight of her fall season and she can’t wait until the spring season!

Alex (senior) and Ben (sophomore). The combined efforts of Alex (stroke) and Ben (3 seat) led the Mids 2V Heavyweight to their highest placement at this year’s Head of the Charles. Their efforts broke the USNA previous record in the club 8s classification and won the Naval Academy a silver medal in the event. Alex will be commissioned as a Submarine officer this spring and will head to nuclear power school in Charleston SC this fall.

Meet Head Coach Tolsun Waddle

I came on board as the varsity girl's coach and program director in August 2022. The prior spring season saw some challenges, culminating in a complete staff turnover. The kids on each squad justifiably looked at the new staff with trepidation, particularly when we said crazy things like:

• The varsity girls would prioritize the eight and would be competitive in the eight at states, Stotes, and SRAAs

• The novice girls would be one of the quickest in the region