The Riverside Women’s Sweep team consists of open, lightweight and master rowers and coxswains with competitive training and racing goals, while balancing other personal and professional goals. 

Our team is made up of young working professionals and graduate students who still want to be fast and have fun rowing on a team, while balancing other commitments in their lives. Just because you graduate college does not mean that you can’t continue rowing on a competitive team.

Coach

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captainS

Erin O’Connell

Sarah Kate Rogers

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Contact

rbcwomenssweeps@gmail.com

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Follow Our Journey

Instagram:

rbcwsweepz
riversideu23

practices

The Women’s Sweeps team typically practices four times a week in 8+’s, 4+’s, and 4-s. The team aims to develop rowers’ sweeping abilities and build speed for races such as Head of the Charles, Canadian Henley, and Henley Royal Regatta. The team additionally sculls depending on skill and interest, taking out 4x, 2x, and 1x to supplement member goals.Commitment to the team’s practices and training program is required.

Example practice schedules are listed below. Each season’s schedule is subject to change.

Spring
Monday 5:15-7:00 am
Wednesday 5:15-7:00 am
Thursday 6:15-8:00 pm
Saturday 6:30-8:30 am

Summer
Monday-Friday 5:15-7:00 am
Saturday 6:30-8:30 am

2026 Tentative Regatta Schedule

• Potential spring scrimmages

• Early July, Regatta TBD

• Mid-July, Cromwell Cup, Cambridge, MA

• August  2, Royal Canadian Henley Masters Regatta, St. Catherine’s, Ontario

• August 3-9, Royal Canadian Henley Regatta, St. Catherine’s, Ontario

• Early September, Head of the Kevin 1, Cambridge, MA

• Late September, Head of the Kurmakov, Cambridge, MA

• Early-October, Head of the Kevin 3, Cambridge, MA

• October 16-18, Head of the Charles, Cambridge, MA

• Late October, Head of the Fish, Saratoga Springs, NY

Full-time team expectations

All members must have prior competitive rowing experience. Accepted participants will have a two-week trial period during which they will be evaluated by the coach and where the applicant can decide if the team is a good fit for them. Applicants should be aware that selection for regattas and boatings will factor in erg times, and we erg test regularly as a team.

New members are expected to have 2k PRs of at least 7:45, in order to most effectively be in the mix with the team and contribute to the team’s long term goals. Additional flexibility is given to lightweight rowers.

Full time team members are also expected to regularly attend practice. Regular conflicts with practice must be discussed with the team captains and are handled on a case-by-case basis.

In addition to club dues, members on our team pay additional team dues in the Spring, Summer, and Fall for coaching, lights/speed coaches, and equipment damage insurance. Historically, typical costs have been:

• Winter (Dec to Mar): $0

• Spring (mid-Mar to mid-June): ~$75

• Summer (mid-June to mid-Aug): ~$75-200

• Fall (mid-Aug to Nov): ~$100-200

One of WSweeps primary goals is to positively represent the club at races. As such, interested parties should be prepared to invest in racing opportunities. These costs are calculated for each race. Local regattas typically range $0-100 per seat, and all fall races are included in dues. Travel regattas depend on housing, and we aim to keep trips between $200-500 depending on the length of the regatta. We usually carpool to events, splitting the cost of gas to alleviate travel expenses.

to join

Please apply to our team directly using the form below. If your application is accepted, you must complete a Club Membership Application to become a member and receive access to the club.

regattas & Past results

about our coach

Niles Kuronen

Niles has been Head Coach of the Riverside Women’s Sweeps team since August 2025 and previously served as Riverside’s Head Sculling Coach. In his first season with Women’s sweeps, he grew the team to a full-roster and lead the program with a 5th consecutive medal in the club 8+, and a medal in the club 4+.

He brings more than 20 years of rowing and coaching experience on the Charles, with a background that includes collegiate coaching at Northeastern University and training pre-elite crews for domestic and international competition. Niles specializes in long-term technical development, individualized performance, and the application of polarized training principles. His coaching is grounded in athlete-centered growth, consistency, and clarity on the water.

Coach Emeritus

Nikolay Kurmakov
Nik is one of the most accomplished coaches in Riverside history, having coached the Women’s Sweep team for over fifteen years, until 2020. Coach Kurmakov, who emigrated to the US in 1992 and once reigned as a former Soviet Union’s National Rowing champion, had extensive rowing experience. In past years he led the RBC Women’s Sweep team to numerous Head of the Charles victories, countless National Championships, Canadian Henley victories, and many of his athletes have become some of Riverside’s most accomplished rowers at the National and World level.

Kurmakov formerly coached the Ukrainian and Soviet Union national rowing squads from 1977-1992. As a rower he won gold from 1973-75 at the National Championships in the Ukraine and the former Soviet Union. An accomplished masters rower, he also won many gold medals and set numerous course records in the Senior Master’s Eight at the Head of the Charles Regatta (notably in 2006-2009) and has won numerous gold medals at Masters Canadian Henley Regatta. 

The trophy for the Women’s Club Eight at Head of Charles was dedicated as the Nikolay Kurmakov Trophy in 2021. This is the trophy that Women’s Sweeps annually competes for.