History
Commonwealth Crew began as the enterprise of faculty member, Donald Bowles, along with a handful of energetic boys in an old shell, which was borrowed from a local boat club. "VCU enjoyed a brief but brilliant six years, rowing from 1966-1972. [2] Donald Bowles, professor of retailing at then RPI's School of Distribution, formed the first Commonwealth [then RPI] crew for the inaugural season of 1966-67. Coach Bowles had been an alternate on the 1926 U.S. Olympic Crew after rowing for Harvard.
It was no coincidence that as RPI merged with Medical College of Virginia to form Virginia Commonwealth University, the dreams of building a great university propelled the crew. After struggling for three years as a student club, the crew's growing stature earned it varsity status, university funding, and a new coach, D.K. Waybright in 1970. With new shells, new equipment, and Waybright's unorthodox and aggressive coaching philosophy, the crew drew support at home and built a reputation on the road. The crew attracted crowds of picnicking students gathering on the banks of the James as the crews rowed from south of the 14th Street Bridge to the finish line at Ancarrow's Marina on the south side of the river. On the road, Commonwealth Crew traveled to Washington, Philadelphia, New York, South Carolina, and Miami and acquitted themselves against established crews such as Georgetown, Notre Dame, and even Cambridge University. The crew enjoyed its first two years under the disciplined coaching of VBC oarsman Dan LeBlanc. A Canadian Henley medalist himself and nephew of an Olympic oarsman, LeBlanc instilled a work ethic and dedication to finesse that continues to this day.
May 9, 1972 proved to be the last day of VCU crew at the 14th Street boathouse. A month later, Hurricane Agnes roared through Central Virginia leaving a wake of destruction, including the 14th Street boathouse and VCU's fleet inside.
Crew at VCU would remain a distant but bright memory until the spring of 2002 when a stalwart group of students re-formed the VCU crew to row out of the VBC's Power House in a mottled fleet of borrowed and begged boats. With luck, a heroic work ethic on and off the water, and some timely assistance from the VBC, VCU Crew has now earned a reputation for boating fast crews that compete at prestigious regattas across the nation including Head of the Charles, ACRAs, SIRAs, and the Knecht Cup.
The crew is now coached by Yuriy Levitsky. Coach Yuriy, a former captain of the VCU Crew, comes from a long rowing tradition that includes his father, a nationally ranked Soviet oarsman. Coach Yuriy’s crews have gained a reputation for superb conditioning which has paid off; their spring 2013 season welcomed a bronze medal at the national ACRAs regatta by the Women's Varsity Open 4+ and the 2013 fall season included a debut of the Men's Varsity Lightweight 4+ at the Head of the Charles where they bested crews from Harvard, and other competitive programs.
**Cited with thanks from the Virginia Boat Club Website-- Author: Paul D. Georgiadis**
Commonwealth Crew began as the enterprise of faculty member, Donald Bowles, along with a handful of energetic boys in an old shell, which was borrowed from a local boat club. "VCU enjoyed a brief but brilliant six years, rowing from 1966-1972. [2] Donald Bowles, professor of retailing at then RPI's School of Distribution, formed the first Commonwealth [then RPI] crew for the inaugural season of 1966-67. Coach Bowles had been an alternate on the 1926 U.S. Olympic Crew after rowing for Harvard.
It was no coincidence that as RPI merged with Medical College of Virginia to form Virginia Commonwealth University, the dreams of building a great university propelled the crew. After struggling for three years as a student club, the crew's growing stature earned it varsity status, university funding, and a new coach, D.K. Waybright in 1970. With new shells, new equipment, and Waybright's unorthodox and aggressive coaching philosophy, the crew drew support at home and built a reputation on the road. The crew attracted crowds of picnicking students gathering on the banks of the James as the crews rowed from south of the 14th Street Bridge to the finish line at Ancarrow's Marina on the south side of the river. On the road, Commonwealth Crew traveled to Washington, Philadelphia, New York, South Carolina, and Miami and acquitted themselves against established crews such as Georgetown, Notre Dame, and even Cambridge University. The crew enjoyed its first two years under the disciplined coaching of VBC oarsman Dan LeBlanc. A Canadian Henley medalist himself and nephew of an Olympic oarsman, LeBlanc instilled a work ethic and dedication to finesse that continues to this day.
May 9, 1972 proved to be the last day of VCU crew at the 14th Street boathouse. A month later, Hurricane Agnes roared through Central Virginia leaving a wake of destruction, including the 14th Street boathouse and VCU's fleet inside.
Crew at VCU would remain a distant but bright memory until the spring of 2002 when a stalwart group of students re-formed the VCU crew to row out of the VBC's Power House in a mottled fleet of borrowed and begged boats. With luck, a heroic work ethic on and off the water, and some timely assistance from the VBC, VCU Crew has now earned a reputation for boating fast crews that compete at prestigious regattas across the nation including Head of the Charles, ACRAs, SIRAs, and the Knecht Cup.
The crew is now coached by Yuriy Levitsky. Coach Yuriy, a former captain of the VCU Crew, comes from a long rowing tradition that includes his father, a nationally ranked Soviet oarsman. Coach Yuriy’s crews have gained a reputation for superb conditioning which has paid off; their spring 2013 season welcomed a bronze medal at the national ACRAs regatta by the Women's Varsity Open 4+ and the 2013 fall season included a debut of the Men's Varsity Lightweight 4+ at the Head of the Charles where they bested crews from Harvard, and other competitive programs.
**Cited with thanks from the Virginia Boat Club Website-- Author: Paul D. Georgiadis**
