Travis Gardner, Senior Coach
YOUTH GIRLS

For Chelmsford's inaugural season, Travis will be responsible for the novice girls squad. He also works as Executive Officer and Coach for Essex Rowing after having spearheaded the effort for the organization’s creation and development in the fall of 2006.

Novice girls crews under Travis' direction have maintained top positions in regional competition since Essex Rowing started competing in the spring of 2007 and to date, remain undefeated against Massachusetts programs. In that first season, Travis’ girls and boys teams finished with records of 28:1 and 24:3 respectively. Those results included a state championship for the girl’s novice eight (Andover High School) and 2nd and 3rd place finishes by the girls and boys novice eights at the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Junior District Championship respectively.

In 2009 Travis' novice girls crews earned the programs' first championship wins at NEMA, taking first place in both the first and second novice eights. Those crews each finished their season with records of 38:2 and 16:0 respectively.

Upon moving to the Boston area Travis served as a volunteer coach for the Boston College women’s program. In that capacity he assisted novice coach Wendy Wilbur with the development of BC’s walk-on novice athletes. Travis continued to assist at BC in a limited capacity during the fall of 2006 before turning his full attention to the formation of Essex Rowing.

Prior to moving to Massachusetts in March 2006, Travis lived in East Lansing, MI, where he served as the novice women’s coach for the Michigan State University Rowing Club. Travis also coached the novice men at his alma mater (U. Florida) in the spring of 2002 and led his team to a second place finish in the novice lightweight four at the State Championship.

Travis competed intercollegiately at the University of Florida, where he served as captain of the most successful novice team in the program’s history, a year which included state championship titles in the novice eight and novice lightweight four. Following his sophomore year at UF, Travis traveled to Philadelphia for the summer to train and compete with Malta Boat Club. After only three months in the single, Travis garnered a 6th place finish in the intermediate category at the US National Championships. He returned the following summer to pick up National titles in the Intermediate and Senior Lightweight Quads as well as a win in the Senior B Lightweight Quad at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in St. Catherine's, Ontario.

Travis continued to race competitively for the New York Athletic Club in the summers following graduation and in 2004 won his third national championship in the Senior Lightweight Double Scull. Travis has continued training intermittently since the 2004 season and currently has his eyes set on returning to national level competition in 2010.

Travis earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Florida where his studies focused on the field of Applied Behavior Analysis. Travis and his dog Trip reside in Lawrence. Return to Top >

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Mike Irwin, Senior Coach
YOUTH BOYS

Mike Irwin, veteran college coach of the Ivy League and seven time member of the United States National Team staff (including the 2004 and 2008 Olympics), will guide the novice boys program for Chelmsford High School this season.

Mike joined the staff as Senior Boys Coach and Operations Officer in August 2009 after a seven-year campaign at the University of Pennsylvania where he served as Head Coach of the Lightweight Men’s Program as well as Director of Boathouse Operations.

In his first year at UPenn, Irwin led the Quakers to their best finish at the EARC Regatta since 1997, finishing eighth. The program continued to improve under his guidance and in 2005 took bronze in the IRA [National Championship] Regatta. That same season, Irwin’s first varsity was named EARC Lightweight Crew of the Year and Irwin himself was named EARC Lightweight Coach of the Year.

Prior to coaching at UPenn, Irwin served as the Freshmen Heavyweight Coach at Yale University from 1999 to 2002 and as the Freshman Lightweight Coach from 1996 to 1999. His crews earned gold at the Eastern Sprints in 1997 and 1999, and bronze in 2002.

In addition to his duties with Yale and Penn, Irwin has served as a member of the U.S. National Team Staff for seven of the last ten years, including the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. In that capacity he served as Rigger and Boatman for the United States’ top crews.

A graduate of Trinity College in Connecticut, Irwin began his coaching career with his alma mater’s Novice Men while also servings as the team’s Boatman. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1991 and continued with a Business Essentials Certificate from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School in 2007. Return to Top >

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Karl Beck, Coach
YOUTH BOYS

Karl Beck joins the staff for Fall 2010 as Youth Boys Coach and assistant to Senior Coach Mike Irwin. He will coach alongside Mike on a daily basis and will play a lead role in developing the newly formed Chelmsford scholastic team, both on and off the water.

Karl comes most recently from Community Rowing, Inc. where he served as Men's Assistant Coach. In that capacity Karl helped guide the CRI Men's Youth 4+ to a fifth place finish at the 2010 Youth National Championship and in 2009, his Men's Youth Novice 4+ placed second at the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Junior District Championship.

His coaching career began at Wayland-Weston Rowing Association as the Men's Varsity Assistant Coach under Head Coach Tom Bohrer. Together, they guided the Men's Youth 4+ to a bronze medal at the 2007 Youth National Championship. The following year Karl assumed the reigns of the men's novice team who earned top finishes at the Fall and Spring Massachusetts Public Schools Rowing Association Championship and at the combined Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Junior District Championship.

In the Summer of 2008, Karl began coaching the Competitive Men's Sweep Team at Riverside Boat Club in Cambridge, MA. That fall his Men's Club 4+ earned top honors at the prestigous Head of the Charles Regatta with their first place finish. He followed that in 2009 with a second place in the Senior Masters 4+, third in the Club 4+ and fourth in the Masters 4+.

An alumni of the University of New Hampshire, Karl picked up rowing in the Fall of 2000 and continued his career after college at Riverside Boat Club and later at Gentle Giant Rowing Association. Racing the summer circuit in 2003 with Riverside, Karl earned numerous top finishes with his four, including 2nd in the Senior 4- at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta and highlighted by a win at the USRowing Club National Championship in the Intermediate 4+. His Senior 4+ also took 4th that same year.

Karl graduated in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Mathematics: Economics. He now lives in Somerville with his wife Molly. Return to Top >

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Stacie Hill, Assistant Coach
YOUTH GIRLS

Anastasia “Stacie” Hill serves as an assistant coach an works primarily with the junior girls athletes.

Stacie brings extensive experience to the program from her own athletic career, having competed for four years as a member of Northeastern University’s Varsity team and serving as the huskies team captain for three of those years. In 1999 and 2000, Stacie competed with the Varsity 8+ at the NCAA Division 1 Championships, where the NU Varsity 8+ finished 7th and 10th respectively. During her senior year, Stacie earned MVP honors and was named to the Second Team All America.

Stacie began rowing at Grimsby Secondary School in Ontario, Canada where she earned medals at Canadian Secondary Schools Rowing Association, US Scholastic Rowing Association and Stotesbury Cup Regattas. As a Junior, Stacie was selected to the CanAmMex Team and competed in Mexico City. In the fall and summer, Stacie rowed for St. Catharines Rowing Club where she earned medals at the US Rowing Club National Championships and Head of the Charles Regattas.

Stacie earned her Bachelor or Science in Environmental Geology from Northeastern University in 2003. Return to Top >

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