The Board of Directors of Friends of Port Rowing welcomes Michiel Bartman as the new head coach and director of rowing. Bartman brings tremendous experience in both rowing and coaching to the club. He comes to Port Rowing most recently from Harvard University as the head coach for the men’s and women’s lightweight teams. At Harvard, he led the team to four Eastern Sprints Championship titles and eight medals at National Championships.
Prior to coaching at Harvard, Bartman was head coach at Vesper Boat Club in Philadelphia, one of the oldest and most prestigious rowing organizations in the country. While there, his teams won numerous awards at both the national and international level.
Bartman’s career as an oarsman was both long and distinguished. Born in North Holland, he was a member of the Dutch National Team and won several World Championship medals, a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and silver medals at both the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
When asked about Port Rowing, Bartman said, “I am excited to start coaching at Port Rowing! I want to work towards a fun, competitive and exciting environment where the rowers will learn all aspects of rowing. They will develop practice and racing skills, take care of themselves and learn to cope with all that is required to deliver a great team performance on and off the water. Rowing is a great team sport and it gave me so much. I really enjoy now giving it back to other ambitious athletes.”
Bartman joins Port Rowing at a pivotal time in the young club’s expansion. Located at North Hempstead Beach Park, with support from the Town of North Hempstead, the new boathouse is expected to be completed for the fall rowing season. Port Rowing offers a variety of rowing programs for high school– and middle school–age students, adult training and classes, and teens with special needs.
Mitch Tamkin, president of Friends of Port Rowing, commented, “With the addition of Michiel to our team, Port Rowing is primed for the next phase of our mission. With the combination of our new boathouse and the quality coaching experience Michiel brings, there is no limit to where Port Rowing can go.”
With Bartman’s leadership, Port Rowing remains committed to the goals of fostering the love of the sport of rowing while promoting good sportsmanship, strong work ethic, leadership skills, teamwork and overall fitness for all who want to row. For more information about the program, visit www.portrowing.org.
