Meeting Details
Date + Time: Sunday, August 23, 2026 | 1603-1748
Location: Virtual
Attendees | Voting
Anne Diggs, President
Sujitra Pookpanratana, VP of Operations
Jennifer Perkins, VP of Programs
Barbara Brocker, Treasurer
Jodi Heidmous, Secretary (voting)
Jennifer Tujague, At Large Director (voting)
Andy Rabus, At Large Director (voting)
Cullen McDonald, Finance Director
Stephanie Acerra, At Large Director
Erica Prakop, At Large Director
Non-Voting
Jamie Nelson, Comp Sweep Men Co-Rep/Race Coordinator
Meris Steele, Safety Co-Chair
Monica Freedman, Safety Co-Chair
Bob Reichart, Director of Coaching
Cortney Dell, Junior Parent Rep
Tieran Settles, PM Sweep Rep
Bethan Banakos, AM Sweep
Maggie Burns, Sun’s Up Sweep
Morgan Griffin, Head of Coxswains
Absent
Dominique Carlier, DEI Rep
Kevin Oskroba, Volunteers Coordinator
Rachel Freedman, Communications
Ellis Drechsher, Junior Captain
Jacqueline Battistini Comp Sweep Womens Rep
Andy Waiters, Comp Sweep Men Co-Rep
Alicia Morales, AM Sweep
Toni Kerns, iCrew Manager
Rebecca Hollins, Comp Sculling Rep
Susan Driano, Sculling Rep
Taylor Eling, Sunday Rowing
Sherman Anderson, CARP Rep
Lucas Bockner, Junior Captain
Sana Karba, INR Co-Rep
Carin Frank, INR Co-Rep
Meeting Agenda
I. Intent and Opening Comments
II. Operations Update
III. Program Update
Winter Training 26/27
2026 Pairs Program
Junior Calendar (Presented by Cortney Dell)
IV. Finance/Treasurer Update
In-stride finance report
Junior’s Budget (Presented by Jen Tujague)
V. Communications Update
Newsletter and Facebook
VI. Safety Committee
AQI Guidance and Approval on the Updated Safety Manual
VII. Adjournment
Meeting Minutes
Managerial Opening Comments/Concerns
Motion to Approve June Minutes (Secretary)
June Minutes approved
President’s Opening Remarks (Anne Diggs)
Announcement of the ACBA news letter – ACBA Fest kick off is 28 Aug and updates on the Outdoor Rack and Lockroom progress can be found there
CRC is getting 9 rack spaces outside
The Lockroom project is progressing to design phase
Winterizing pipes in the bathroom to sustainment of the facilities through the winter
New 8+ received it’s new name, the Capital Cole after a foundational member and vital advocate of CRC. Naming ceremony was tentatively scheduled in conjunction with the end of the season party, co-incident with Sculler’s Narnia Chase on 7 Nov.
New 4+ will be named the Capital Social.
President provided vision for review and expansion of the CRC leadership structure. CRC is a large organization, run predominantly by volunteers, and the workload is extensive. President requested each Executive Board member to think about their roles, what they are and are not able to do as well as roles that may increase or develop in years to come
ACTION: Executive Board will work through the ideas, strategic vision, and current conditions to develop a plan in advance of next season (target March 2027 Annual Meeting)
Operations Update (Sujitra Pookpanratana)
In addition to the standard status update on the fleet (see written update from Operations), Operations highlighted.
Future Budget Item: Barges, the Barges are old, in need of replacement. There is an inquiry underway to see if a fiberglass refresh will help keep the barges going a little longer, however, these boats are an important element of LTR and we need to plan to replace them in the next 3-5 years.
Trailer Drivers are a scarce, but highly employed, group of volunteers. The responsibility falls on too few members of the club and we need to expand. After discussion, near term plus up potential in Barbara Brocker learning from Stephanie Acerra; longer term option, looking into a checklist of skills a trailer driver would like to master before confidently trailering boats. Checklist coming from Jen Perkins (via Coast Guard) to Bob Reichart.
Programs Update (Jen Perkins)
Pairs Program, the opportunity to learn on select days for interested individuals is going well. Considerations for the future are:
Number of small boats is limited; the prioritization for use (2x/2-) and how racers are prioritized as well as “selected” if there are multiple pairs who would like to race but the equipment cannot accommodate all on race day
Prioritization is getting a new look; will recirculate.
Full update is documented by Jen Perkins and available upon request
Winter Training Check-in to review the return on investment of offering the opportunity to erg through the winter versus the number of people taking advantage of the coached sessions.
After Discussion, additional analysis is valuable to determine relative participation given the number of extremely cold days and the winter’s weather that shut down access to the erg room for an atypical number of days.
Jen Perkins and Erica Prakop will revisit and consult with Juniors who also have a winter program.
Juniors program Update - Cortney Dell
Observation that Youth Sports Day went well, however there were more parents than kids, parents asking about how to get involved in Master’s Rowing
ACTION: Next year send a rep or a flyer/QR Code with information on CRC’s Adult/Master’s Programs
Junior’s Fall Season - 31 Aug - 18 Dec 2026 - Plan Highlights
3 Groups/ Middle School / HS Novice/Frosh / JV&Varsity
Juniors are at the Boathouse in the afternoons (4:30-6:30) M-F (Wed is reserved for HOCR training)
7 Coaches working in various combinations ensure the season runs smoothly
7 Races/Scrimmages scheduled between 26 Sep and Mid Nov.
Potential boat sharing conflicts/logistics challenges for SHOP (+Scrimmage the day prior), Jamie Nelson, Bob Reichart, Anne Diggs, Sujitra Pookpanratana and Michelle Hill to coordinate what is achievable.
Deconflict/coordination needed for HOCR 2x’s
Treasurer, Financial Update (Cullen McDonald)
Reference the Finance Headlines
Budget vs Actuals: CRC Finance Update.pptx Highlights/Items for review and follow-up
Check donations tracking
YTLTR revenue seems out of whack. To my knowledge we have only hosted 1 event, and I thought we cleared about $5,000 (vide $18,000)
There are a number of small dollar amounts that are code
Cole family donation of $5K is a donation not a grant.
Check $12K from BoA; bottom line is $12K short.
Jen Tugaque requested Finances for the Juniors Program to follow up on a cost analysis for Juniors 2027 seasons.
Check on Ergometer lines (what are the status of these assets); have all ergs been transferred to ACBA or disposed of in other ways?
Race Coordinator Update (Jamie Nelson)
HOCR Coverage; renting space on the trailer to pay down trailer costs. Ready to register for parking on 15 Sep;
Work hand and hand with trailer drivers to share load on travel logistics.
SHOP and Bayata on the same day, working it but no conflicts expected.
Jamie’s Budget has a great way to show cost breakdowns for expenditures.
Communications Update (Jodi Heidmous for Rachel Freedman)
The email lists for the CRC Weekly and Volunteer Call have been updated to include our most recently joined members. FYI - these mailings go to current members AND past members who remain engaged and/or interested. (There's an option for unsubscribing, which a few people do each month.) Total newsletter recipients: 576
The Capital Rowing Club Facebook group has been basically idle, with just about 13 member posts over the past 12 months. I'd like to phase out the group beginning September 1, and direct people to join our much more robust Facebook business page. The page is what I use consistently for sharing posts.
DECISION: Facebook Group can be sunset
Safety Update (Monica Freedman and Bob Reichart)
Safety Manual Update
1 - AQI - Revised - risk to athletes based on AQI (EPA)
Club AQI threshold is 151 (no training water or erg)
2- Updates based on Coxswain and sculling tests (Navigation and Hazards etc, leveling conflicting guidance between CRC documents)
3- Guidance on the types of Issues to report and how to accomplish reporting.
DECISION: New Safety Manual is APPROVED for Release.
Around the Room:
No additional topics
Stephanie Acerra, motion to adjourn, seconded by Jodi Heidmous. Meeting is adjourned.