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.

Coaches

Head coach

Andrii Ivanchuk

team captainS

Erin O’Connell

Sarah Kate Rogers

Contact:
rbcwomenssweeps at gmail.com

Instagram:
at rbcwsweepz
at riversideu23

practices

Practices primarily consist of 8+s, 4+s, and 4-s. Additionally, sometimes WSweepz becomes WScullz and we take out 4xs, 2xs, and 1xs (bowing sculling boats requires passing the RBC Captain’s test). 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
Tuesday 6:15-8:00 pm
Thursday 6:15-8:00 pm
Saturday 7:15-9:00 am

Summer
Monday-Friday 5:15-7:00 am
Saturday 7:15-9:00 am

2025 Tentative Regatta Schedule

• Potential spring scrimmages

• Early July, Regatta TBD

• Mid-July, Cromwell Cup, Cambridge, MA

• August  4, Royal Canadian Henley Masters Regatta, St. Catherine’s, Ontario

• August 4-10, Royal Canadian Henley Regatta, St. Catherine’s, Ontario

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

• Early October, Head of the Kurmakov, Cambridge, MA

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

• October 20-22, Head of the Charles, Cambridge, MA

• October 28-29, Head of the Schuylkill, Philadelphia, PA

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. We understand that life happens, so absences are acceptable. However, regular conflicts with practice must be discussed with the team captains and are handled on a one-off 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: fill out the team application below and the official Riverside Membership application.

Previous Result Highlights

team application

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.

about our coach

Head Coach

Andrii Ivanchuk

Andrii has been Head Coach of the Riverside Women’s Sweeps team since August 2021. In that time as Head Coach,  he has led the team to four consecutive club medals in the Women’s Club Eight at the Head of the Charles Regatta from 2021-2024. He also coached WSweeps to a top 16 finish at Henley Royal Regatta in the Wargrave Challenge Cup in 2022 and 2024. He is also the Head Coach of the Simmons University women’s rowing team.

Ivanchuk began his coaching career in 2011 at the rowing club Regatta Kyiv. After moving to the United States, he became the Varsity Girls Head Coach at the Miami Beach Rowing Club for 2016-2021. Under his leadership, the varsity girls program won the Florida State and Southeast Regional Championships, and medaled on the national stage. His time coaching at MBRC culminated with a 2nd place finish in the Women’s Youth 4- at USRowing Youth Nationals in 2021. 

A decorated international rower himself, he is a multi-time champion and medalist for the Ukrainian National Team from 2001-2014. His national team career began in 2001 with a 5th place finish in the 4+ at Youth World Championships. He went on to have an impressive career at the European Championships, placing 4th in the 8+ in 2007, 6th in the 4- in 2008, and 4th in the 4- in 2009. He was also an A finalist at the World Championships in 2008, placing 6th in the 2+, and in the same boat class placed 10th at the 2014 World Championships. Ivanchuk also continued to compete at the USRowing Club Nationals Championship, capturing a bronze medal in 2017 and a silver medal a year later in 2018.

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.