USRowing is pleased to announce the winners of its 2007 Annual Awards, the organization announced on Friday.
This year's recipients of the Julian Wolf Award, Jack Franklin Service Award, Ernestine Bayer Award, Man of the Year Award, Clayton W. Chapman Award, John Carlin Service Award and Jack Kelly Award will be honored, along with the previously announced USRowing Athletes of the Year, on December 7 at the USRowing Annual Awards Reception in Miami, Fla. USRowing would like to congratulate all of the award winners and thank them for their contributions to the sport.
The Franklin and Wolf awards are given annually by USRowing and the Referee Commission to recognize the work of officials across the country. The Julian Wolf Award pays tribute to a referee for his or her contribution to rowing during the past year. This year's recipient is Ryz Obuchowicz. A graduate of Boston College, Obuchowicz became involved in rowing when his son took up the sport at West Springfield High School in Springfield, Va. He started as a referee candidate in 1994 and now serves as a clinician. Obuchowicz's primary focus is on the scholastic level, particularly the National Capital Area Scholastic Rowing Association regattas and the SRRA Championships. He is an executive board member and the referee representative on the NCASRA Board. As the referee liaison, he coordinates the spring and summer schedules for all sprint races in the Mid-Atlantic region other than those held in Philadelphia and New Jersey. As a clinician, he is involved with both recruiting and training referees. During the past year, his efforts have led to an increase in both the recruitment of new referees and the participation of previously licensed referees.
The Jack Franklin Service Award is given to a referee for his or her lifetime contributions to the sport. This year's recipient is Dick Alcock. A 1962 graduate of San Jose State University, Alcock started rowing in 1979. He began officiating in 1989, received his plenary license in 1992 and became a clinician in 2002. For the past 15 years, Alcock has served as the chief official for 8-10 regattas per year. He has officiated at 12 USRowing National Championships, nine USRowing Masters National Championships, one world championship and one World Master's Games. Alcock has recruited, trained and licensed 31 referees in the Southeast Region and initiated the Southeast Winter Retreat clinic in 1999, which he has hosted for the past eight years. He also started a family legacy in officiating by convincing his son, David, to become a referee four years ago. As a competitor, Alcock races in the grand master category when he isn't working as a chief official. He served on the Atlanta Rowing Club Board of Directors for 17 years and is currently active in coaching novice scullers in the club's Learn to Row program.
Formerly called the Woman of the Year Award, the Ernestine Bayer Award is given in recognition of outstanding contributions to women's rowing. This year's recipients are Brown University coaches John and Phoebe Murphy. Under their leadership, Brown has become the winningest program in NCAA Championship history, claiming five rowing team championships in the last 10 years including the 2007 NCAA Championship in Oak Ridge, Tenn. In addition, the Bears have placed in the top three in the team standings at every NCAA Championship since its inception in 1997. The 2007-08 season marks John's 24th and Phoebe's 22nd year at Brown.
The Clayton W. Chapman Award is presented annually to an individual who best emulates Mr. Chapman's 30-year stewardship of the Eastern Sprints and IRA Championship regattas and who consistently serves in a behind-the-scenes, administrative role that has previously gone unrecognized. This year's recipient is Allen Eubanks. Eubanks serves as head coach and club manager of Oak Ridge Rowing Association, chairman of USRowing's Youth Committee and runs the Southeast Junior Rowing Camp each summer. Oak Ridge Rowing Association, USRowing's 2005 Club of the Year, supports a youth program for ages 13-18, adult programs for both beginners and experienced rowers and adaptive rowing opportunities. Its membership consists of approximately 120 masters rowers and 100 junior rowers. The organization also has more than 100 volunteers that help run the six to eight rowing events held each year at Melton Hill Lake.
The John J. Carlin Award is given annually to an individual who has made a significant contribution and outstanding commitments in the sport of rowing. This year's winner is Marc Nowak, MSPT. Nowak, clinical education director and senior physical therapist at Sports Physical Therapy Institute in Princeton, N.J., specializes in orthopedics and sports medicine, with extensive experience in treating high school, collegiate, professional and Olympic athletes. Nowak has provided physical therapy treatment for the U.S. Senior National Team since 2003, serving as a physical therapist for this year's squad in Munich, Germany, as well as the 2004 Olympic Team.
The USRowing Man of the Year Award is given in recognition of outstanding contributions to men's rowing. This year's recipient is Conn Findlay. Findlay has served the sport of rowing with great distinction for more than a half century. He is a three-time Olympic-rowing medalist in the pair with coxswain, having won gold in 1956 and 1964 and bronze in 1960. Findlay competed in his fourth Olympics in 1976, winning a bronze medal with Dennis Conner in sailing's Tempest class. He also competed on the winning America's Cup sailing crews in 1975 and 1977. Findlay rowed at the University of Southern California and later coached at Stanford University for several years. He was inducted into Stanford University's Hall of Fame in 2005. Findlay, who lives in Northern California, continues to serve as a referee at numerous regattas, such as the PAC-10 Championships, each year.
The Jack Kelly Award is given to outstanding individuals who represent the ideals that Jack Kelly exemplified including superior achievement in rowing, service to amateur athletics and success in their chose profession, thereby serving as an inspiration to American rowers. This year's recipient is Finn M.W. Caspersen. A former rower, Caspersen is the founder and chairman emeritus of the Princeton National Rowing Association, which houses and sponsors the United States National Team and several secondary school and junior rowing programs including the Mercer Junior Rowing Club. He also is a trustee of the National Rowing Foundation. Formerly chairman and chief executive officer of Beneficial Corporation, he is currently chairman and chief executive officer of Knickerbocker LLC, a Delaware private management firm overseeing the accounting and investments of various trusts, foundations, and individuals; chairman of The Hodson Trust, a Maryland Trust; chairman and chief executive officer of various Florida, Rhode Island, Delaware and New Hampshire real estate holding companies; and chairman of Westby Corporation, a privately-held Delaware agricultural conglomerate. A graduate of The Peddie School, Brown University and Harvard Law School, Caspersen is a national leader in the field of education. He was a trustee of the New Jersey Independent College Fund and the New Jersey State Board of Higher Education, and is a trustee emeritus of Brown University. He also is chairman of the board of The Peddie School and a member of various Harvard University committees, including chairman of the Harvard Law School Dean's Advisory Board. A longtime equestrian sportsman, he is president emeritus of the United States Equestrian Team.