Head Coach – Chris Dadd
Chris Dadd, an HSU alumni, has been coaching rowing for 25 years. Coach Chris loves rowing for its beauty, challenge, fitness, teamwork and most of all the camaraderie it builds in a team.
From Chris:
I started rowing on the HSU men’s lightweight team in 1978.
I have coached scullers and done sculling lessons at Open Water Rowing Center in Sausalito(25 years)
I coached at Berkeley High School for the Men’s team for 20 years(4 Novice, 16 varsity)
I coached the Lake Merritt Masters women’s team for 10 years.
These were all concurrent with one another so I have been coaching for 25 years.
At BHS we went to the Youth Nationals 8 out of the 16 years. We medaled 3 times, with a national championship in 2006 in the light 4.
Also coached the LMRC masters women’s 4 to a fourth place finish at Head of the Charles twice, once in the Club 4, once in the 40 plus 4.
I row because the sport is beautiful, personally challenging, and keeps me fit. I also really like the camaraderie and teamwork of rowing.
I coach because I enjoy working with the people who gravitate toward rowing. I like seeing progress of rowers at any level, and coaching boats that win races doesn’t hurt either!
Sculling Instructor – Laura Miller
Laura Miller began sculling in 2004. She has attended sculling clinics put on by All-American Rowing, Buzz Congram and HBRA’s own coaching staff. She rows and completes with HBRA’s Masters Team. As a sculling instructor, Laura certifies individuals who want to scull both on Humboldt Bay and elsewhere. This certification includes sculling technique, docking and launching procedures, traffic patterns, dump and recovery protocols, and general safe boating rules. Laura likes nothing better than to share her love of sculling with others and to get them involved in this amazing sport.
Masters Coach – Olivia McShea
Olivia has been rowing since the summer of 2007. Originally from the East Coast, she learned to scull and sweep on the Delaware River. She rowed in high school and then Princeton University where she was a part of several undefeated crews and medaled at the NCAA DI championships.
Now a California transplant, Olivia enjoys getting to row and coach year round (hello CA winters!). Before relocating to Humboldt for grad school, she coached the Lake Merritt Youth and Berkeley High School Varsity Men in the Bay Area.
Olivia firmly believes that rowing is a lifetime sport. She loves sharing the joy of rowing with others and pushing rowers at all levels to find their best.
Amanda Morettini, Assistant Juniors Coach
Amanda Morettini began rowing in 2009 on the junior’s team at HBRA. She rowed for HBRA for five years and was the team captain for two. In her senior year of high school, she qualified and raced in Youth National Championships. After high school, she attended UC Santa Barbara and was a coxswain on the Varsity Rowing team. Upon moving back to Humboldt, she rowed on the Humboldt State University Varsity Women’s Crew. Post-graduation, Amanda began coaching at HBRA. She is currently a local artist who creates pottery and oil paintings and continues to coach at HBRA part-time because rowing has always been one of her passions and she wants to share her knowledge and love of the sport with future generations.