PHILADELPHIA, PA (March 29, 2005) - Internationally renowned rowing champion Michiel Bartman has been named new head coach at Vesper Boat Club in Philadelphia. Bartman, winner of many international rowing honors including a gold medal in the 1996 Olympics and silver medals in both the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, marks his official retirement from competition and concludes a successful four-year term as athlete/coach of the Dutch national rowing team. Bartman will assume coaching responsibilities at Vesper effective immediately.
"Joining Vesper and helping to build a strong and successful training program for future rowing champions represents an exciting and challenging opportunity for me. I am especially pleased to be joining an organization with such a long history of success in preparing Olympic-caliber rowers for the rigors of international competition," said Mr. Bartman.
Bartman joins the current coaching team at Vesper including Todd Craun, former national champion out of Brown University, Vesper Boat Club and Potomac Boat Club, and Nick Tripician, 1999 World Championship US National Team Lightweight Eight and University of Pennsylvania Varsity Crew.
With the appointment, the club says it hopes to position Vesper to regain its historic position as one of the nations leading training venues for Olympic championship rowers. Vesper Boats took the gold medal in the eight-oared event in the Paris Olympics in 1900, in St. Louis in 1904, and again in the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Vesper is the only boat club in the United States to win the title three times.
"Over the last decade, Vesper has made great strides in efforts to upgrade our facilities and resources. Our goal is to help expand the pool of elite athletes for the National Team and to send Vesper boats to international competitions. With Michiel Bartman leading our coaching efforts in the years ahead, Vesper's opportunity to prepare rowers for Olympic competition in 2008 and beyond has never been better," said John B. Kelly III, president of Vesper Boat Club.
Many other rowers associated with Vesper have also won international honors. Vesper scullers John B. Kelly, Sr. and Paul Costello won gold medals in the single and double events in the 1920 Olympic Games. John B. Kelly, Jr., represented Vesper at four Olympics from 1948 - 1960 and won the Diamond Sculls at Henley in 1947 and 1949. Other national sculling champions from Vesper include Harry Parker, Gus Ignas, and the current US Nationals Champion Jonathan Burns.
In 1972, Vesper was the first men's boat club to admit women, and the Women US Eight that competed in the 1976 Olympic Games included four Vesper members. Among them was Anita DeFranz, the current US representative to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Since 1970 when the US changed to a national camp selection process for the eight and other large boats, Vesper has had many representatives on the National Team, including Mike Teti, who is now the US National Team Coach, and Josh Inman and Steve Coppola, members of the Bronze medal US 4+ at the 2004 World Championships.
Located on historic Boat House Row along the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, Vesper Boat House was founded as the Washington Barge Club in 1865. The club was renamed Vesper Boat House in 1870. In addition to sending Gold Medal winning boats to four separate Olympic Games, Vesper has been associated with many of the most accomplished rowers in the United States throughout its history. With the guidance of many legendary rowers and coaches including Mike Manning, Dr. Charles Riggall, Allan Rosenberg and Dietrick Rose, Vesper rowers have collectively won more national races than any other rowing club in the United States.