After coaching 22-years at Bowdoin College, Gil Birney might have learned to relax a bit while his crews were racing for medals. After all, he had led the Maine college club program to medals at bigger racing than the New England Rowing Championship, like at Dad Vails in Philadelphia or the Henley Royal Regatta.
A casual observer might not have gotten that impression watching Birney fidgeting by himself and away from the crowd Saturday near the finish line on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, MA. Birney really had not a lot to worry about as four of his crews raced to medals; Bowdoin's crews took three gold medals and one silver in fours competition.
And each time, Birney could be seen quietly watching until the crews crossed the line and reached the dock to receive their medals. When it was time, Birney walked onto the dock beaming, as he has done so many times before.
While Bowdoin has one more big race to go when they travel to Philadelphia for the Dad Vail Championships, this was Birney's final time coaching Bowdoin at the New England Rowing Championships.
Birney announced his attention to retire from coaching last fall, and Saturday was his last local race. Birney took over the Bowdoin program in the fall of 1995, and for two decades he has led the Polar Bear crews to numerous medal showings.
Birney has been so successful coaching the small program that he was awarded the Matt Ledwith Award as Coach of The Year at the Dad Vail Regatta in 2008.
"It's great," Birney said of his teams Saturday performance. "The kids have been great, they've worked real hard, and, you know, I couldn't have asked for anything more. I'm going to miss it," he said. "I'm going to miss it like crazy, but it's time. It's time for a better guy, somebody who knows how to do Instagram."
But what now? Does the energetic coach really intend to ride off into the sunset?
"I promised my wife I wouldn't coach for a year," he said. "But I think I'm going to try to get my referee license and, you know, go over to the dark side and just see what that's like and let the spirit lead me."
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