IRC STAFF
Jennifer Kaido (Interim Executive Director/sculling coach/coach of RowIndy Program within Indianapolis Public Schools) – Jennifer started with IRC in September of 2011. She is a four time US National Rowing Team member, 2008 Olympian, and three time World Cup medalist. She started rowing her senior year at Cornell University, fell in love with the sport and decided to continue rowing after graduation at Saugatuck Rowing Club in the OARS Program (Olympic Athletes Rowing at Saugatuck). She learned how to row the single that year, and then moved to Princeton, NJ in the fall of 2004 to train under Tom Terhaar and the US Women’s National Rowing Team. She made the 2005 US Team as a spare, made the 2006 Team as a member in the quad, was in the US double in 2007 and rowed the quad in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Jennifer is from West Leyden, NY, has two younger brothers, and supportive, hard working parents that she contributes her work ethic too.
Jackie Kleinhans (Boathouse Manager/Program Director/Varsity Junior Womens coach/Adult Rowing coach) – Jackie is head coach of the IRC Junior Program.
IRC COACHES
Stephen Eckstein (Varsity Junior Mens coach/Adult Rowing coach) – Stephen is in the business of speed and likes making boats go fast. Stephen began rowing in 2006 as a freshman at Purdue University. Like many of the others, he did not have any idea what rowing was, but after trying the sport out, Stephen found that the sport and he were extremely compatible. Stephen rowed for three years at Purdue, and while rowing he developed a passion for the sport because it is the ultimate team sport, it fed his competitive appetite, and it is simple and complex at the same time. After sustaining an injury at the end of his junior year, Stephen returned to Purdue for his senior year as a Novice Men’s Assistant, where he helped make a new group of novice men into a fast group, including SIRA lightweight 8 gold medals, second novice 8 silver medals, lightweight 4 silver medalists and novice 8 finalists, Dad Vail finalists in the novice 4 and 8, and bronze medals for the lightweight 8, ACRA novice 8 bronze medals, and 2nd novice 8 gold medals. In his free time, Stephen enjoys bowling, cranking up music, watching TV shows that include Survivor, 24, and Family Guy, and being awesome.
Greg Wilson (Novice Junior Mens coach) – Greg began rowing while in graduate school. He coached the Wabash College Crew and rows competitively with the IRC Masters. While not at the boathouse, Greg enjoys gardening and singing with a men’s choir.
Eric Stoll (Novice Junior Womens coach) – Eric has an extensive coaching background, including collegiate coaching at Villanova and Washington College. He was inducted in the Washington College Hall of Fame in 2008 for his work in rowing. He is the retired Executive Director of IRC and now enjoys teaching the novice women how to row fast.
Courtney Chan (Masters coach) – Courtney began rowing in high school at St. Ignatius (California) and was recruited to row at Syracuse where he sat at bow in the first freshman 8+ and JV 8+. After college he returned to his high school Alma Mater to coach under John Pescatore (current heavyweight men’s coach at Yale) for several years. His junior crew continually placed in top three at many regional championship races. He continued his coaching career at Lincoln Park Juniors in Chicago where he brought this newly formed team to regional medal stand in a matter of a few years. After moving to Indianapolis, he started to coach for the IRC Juniors where his junior men received several medals at the Midwest Championship races and his varsity 8+ made the grand finals every year he coached them.
Caitlin Gray (Masters coach) – Caitlin rowed at Purdue University. She is nationally ranked in Crossfit and enjoys teaching Crossfit classes.
Shawn Boyne (Masters coach) – Shawn started rowing in 1977 when “learn to row” programs included talks on how to remove embedded splinters from your hand caused by the use of wooden oars. She began her career in the bow of a novice eight boat that could simultaneously be down to port in the bow and down to starboard in the stern due to the fact that the shell was warped. These early experiences (some of which are actually true) shaped her approach not only to rowing but also to life. Her rowing experience includes a myriad of races around the country in both sweep and sculling events as well as an impressive list of injuries. Her biggest claim to fame in the sport is that she dragged her brother into it (Note: Shawn’s Brother, Daniel J. Boyne, wrote the book Essential Sculling).
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