Head Coach: Carol Terryberry
Seeing 8s race down the Charles River while in Boston on a family vacation at age 13 was the beginning of a dream. I was with my dad, a former college oarsman from Amherst, who was uncharacteristically animated at the spectacle. I realized he had a rowing shell in our garage, and I began rowing around the Chesapeake Bay recreationally. The physical demands and quiet beauty of the sport captivated me.
When I arrived at UVA for my first year of college, I became aware of my inability to continue with my unglamorous, but enjoyable swimming career. My dad suggested I find a rowing team. Rowing turned out to be teamwork’s best teacher as it demands the complete focus and effort of every crew member. I rowed with Charlotte Hollings, future National Team gold medalist, and trained under future Princeton and National Team Coach Joe Murtaugh. Rowing made life at a massive university sublime.
After college, I moved to Buffalo, NY for marriage and graduate school, where I joined West Side Rowing Club, the largest club in the country. Four more years of rowing bliss ensued before moving to Elizabeth City, where I resumed sculling and had four children. In 2001, I began summer rowing camps out of my back yard, which continued annually on a small scale until moving into the downtown boathouse with one 4, three doubles, four singles and 9 kids. My dream is to bring the life changing sport of rowing to our local schools and colleges.
Assistant Coach: Tori Crawford
After not making the cheerleading team my freshman year of college (and being completely devastated), I realized I still had a competitive itch to satisfy. Thanks to a gal in my class wearing a UCF Rowing shirt that read “Ask me about Rowing!”, I found my next sport! Where I grew up there were no shells, oars or coxswains, but I was immediately captivated by the sport and the way the boats moved across the water.
I attended the University of Central Florida and spent time as a coxswain on both the D1 collegiate team and the men’s club team. I loved the rush of flying off the starting line and winding down new and beautiful rivers. This sport allowed me the ability to be apart of something bigger than myself and gave me a purpose! I hope to share that purpose that with all the kids we coach here at ECRC.
[Coach Tori is also a L2 CrossFit instructor and previous USAW L1. She enjoys helping make the rowers better athletes both on and off the water!]
Assistant Coach: Erich Dix
I was initially brought to rowing at the US Coast Guard Academy to spend more time with a girl, who eventually became my wife, having never seen a rowing shell in my life until that point. I joined the crew team during my fourth class (freshmen) year and built lifelong friendships with my teammates that I enjoy to this day. I rowed every season and spent the last two years in the men’s Varsity 8. My favorite memories included rowing the Head of the Charles Regatta and the spring season championships in Lake Quinsigamond, MA.
After college, I spent two years on shipboard duty in St Petersburg, FL before moving to New Orleans, LA. I was adrift in my fitness until my wife and I discovered CrossFit in 2016. I think CrossFit was the closest match to a rowing team and the camaraderie I enjoyed in college sports. I could be outlifted by many of the men in the gym, but I still had the advantage on the erg machine. In 2019 we moved to Elizabeth City, NC where I continue to serve in the US Coast Guard as a Naval Engineer.
I had the opportunity to row under multiple coaches in college and try to emulate some of the best aspects of their leadership. Rowing requires a team with a common commitment to mental discipline, emotional control, and physical strength. I hope to show the athletes they are far more capable than they realize and one day bring my two daughters into the world of rowing.