Hinsdale Community Rowing

Safety

HCR Juniors will follow US Rowing’s Safety Guidelines (dated 12.01.2022) - https://usrowing.org/documents/2022/11/30/USRowing_SafetyGuidelines_20221201.pdf

These Guidelines include safety considerations for the Organization of HCR, the coaches, the athletes, rowing conditions, the equipment and emergency procedures.  

We are a member of US Rowing and are therefore covered by their insurance policy with Willis Towers Watson. 

Our coaches already have or will complete all US Rowing Coach Requirements which are: 

• Safe Sport - safesporttrained.org

• CPR - American Red Cross

• First Aid - American Red Cross

• Background Check - $30, NCSI

In addition, Illinois Boat Safety Certificates and Level 2 US Coaching Certifications are held by a number of our proposed coaches. 

 

Competitive

The majority of young athletes love to compete. The process of:

• committing to train over a period of months within a team, 

• doing their best each and every day, 

• being required to attend every day and be on time, 

• being required to be respectful to their teammates, their coaches and their environment, 

• having a competition schedule and training plan detailed, 

• knowing and understanding what is expected of them, 

• being encouraged positively and 

• being able to accept failure and constructive criticism in a safe environment 

• and being able to celebrate success in all its forms appropriately

all leads to more mature, resilient and empathetic adults. Our goal is to assist in the development of such adults.

 

Regattas 

We propose to compete at the following regattas in Spring of 2024: 

• 09/10/23 - Chicago Marathon (Half) Eleanor Boathouse, Chicago

• 10/01/23 - WISCO chase, Jefferson, WI

• 10/08/23 - Head of the Rock, Rockford,IL  

We will also be actively trying to organize a scrimmage with a similarly sized and experienced club within the Chicagoland area throughout the spring. 

The boat categories in which we could compete currently are as follows: 

M/W Youth 1X

M/W Youth 2X

M/W U17 1X

M/W U17 2X . 

 

Registration Documentation

As part of a student's commitment to joining HCR Liability Waivers will need to be signed, swim test verification provided, and an athlete and parent code of behavior agreed to. 

 

Volunteer Obligations and Opportunities

Since we are a volunteer non-for-profit organization we rely on our members to maintain our rowing shells, launch boats, engines, dock, boathouse, storage areas, recruit and teach new members, how to row if necessary, drive trailers to regattas, fundraise, administer and organize social occasions. In the future volunteering opportunities and/ or obligations may form part of any ongoing memberships.  If you have a particular skill that you think could assist the club please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

 

Coaches’ Biographies

 

Predrag Jovanovic (PJ)

Started rowing in 8th grade, in 1983 for Crvena Zvezda rowing club in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. Rowed throughout High School and twice won 3rd place at Yugoslavian National Championship. Competed in numerous international regattas in Europe.

Coached at CRF for the last five years. Coached a pair (2-) that finished 2nd at Midwest Championship 2021 and 6th at USA national championship. 

Coached a pair(2-) that won Midwest Championship  2022.

 

Eleanor Boland

Eleanor started rowing in Dublin, Ireland in 1995, rowed 4 years at Trinity College Dublin, was captain of the Ladies Boat Club ‘98-’99. Rowed for another 8 years as a member of the Neptune Rowing Club Senior Women’s Squad. Won 8 National Titles and represented Ireland at the Home Internationals, Finalist at Women’s Henley, raced Head of the Charles, Boston, and the International Regatta, KRC Gent. Coached at Trinity College Dublin for 2 years and at a Chicago high school for 4 years. Coached intermittently at CRF West over the last 5 years. 

 

Chris Gear

Chris Gear started rowing in 2005. In his high school rowing career, he was a Virginia State Champion, Scholastic National Champion and Junior National Team member. He went on to row at the United States Naval Academy, racing in the first Varsity Eight for his sophomore through senior seasons. He has experience coaching varsity heavyweight crews at MIT (2012-2014) and The United States Naval Academy (2018-2020).

 

Timothy Field

Coach Tim started rowing at the University of Michigan between 1990 and 1994. In his time there he rowed under Mike Caviston, Will Brewster and Gregg Hartstuff.    He returned to rowing as assistant coach for Huron High School in Ann Arbor in the spring of 1999.  During that season he met the boys from Manley HS (A Most Beautiful Thing) and moved to Chicago that summer to work with them.  Between 2000 and 2008 he developed Manley Crew into the Chicago Youth Rowing Clubs with teams at Manley HS, Juarez HS,  Jones College Prep HS, Maria HS and indoor rowing clubs at other high schools and youth centers. Tim helped as volunteer coach at CRF West 2021-2022 and the spring of 2023.  Tim’s son, Hoksila, who is entering his junior year at Plainfield East HS , rowed with Chicago Training Center on and off through middle school, and then at CRF West during the spring of 2022 and 2023.