2024 Masters Sculling Camp @ Vesper
Join Vesper coaches on Philadelphia’s historic Boathouse Row at Vesper Boat Club in Philadelphia for the 2024 Vesper Masters Sculling camp. Camp will be held from Sunday, August 25th to Monday, August 26th. The camp will utilize a holistic approach to rowing to prepare you as you go into head race season. Rowers should have some experience as this is not a learn to row however our goal is to build upon your current knowledge and skills.
On the water you will have technical evaluations, video reviews, and drills to take home to continue your progress. Off the water you will experience functional movement evaluations, a rigging class and the essentials of strength and mental training.
At Vesper we also prioritize the social piece of rowing. We will have coffee every morning, beers after the day is done and food along with current club members on Sunday night.
If you are interested in joining us you can register at:
https://www.regattacentral.com/cart/?job_id=1512&sid_490=1
If you have questions please reach out to John Leekley at:
jleekley20@gmail.com
Tentative Schedule
Sunday, August 25th
7:00 AM Check-In
8:00 AM Coffee/Welcome/Intros
9:00 AM Row
12:00 PM Lunch and Learn
2:00 PM Row
4:00 PM Coach Reviews
6:00 PM Happy Hour/Welcome
Monday, August 26th
7:00 AM Row
10:00 AM Classroom session: functional movements and evaluation
1:00 PM Weight room/strength/resistance training session
3:00 PM Row
5:00 PM Final discussion and wrap up
About Our Coaches
(Other coaches will be added soon!)
Michael Orzolek is a coach at Vesper and has been involved in rowing since 2004. As an athlete he has won several Dad Vail medals, 6 National Championships, and raced for the USA U23 Team in the Light Single. Michael holds a B.S. in Sports Medicine from Mercyhurst University and M.S. in Exercise Science and Nutrition with a concentration in Human Performance from Sacred Heart University. He is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). Michael has coached at the high school, college and elite levels, and had success at each stop along the way. In 2016 he was the head coach for the Conshohocken Rowing Center U23 program, where he coached the US men’s U23 2x at the U23 World Rowing Championships in the Netherlands. Michael started coaching at Vesper in the summer of 2021 where he worked with the U23 squad to win US Nationals in the men’s U23 lwt4+. Most recently he coached the US Lightweight Women’s 2- to a Silver at the 2022 World Rowing Championships. In addition to his coaching duties, Michael is also working in Philadelphia as a personal trainer.
John Leekley learned to row at Washington College in the 90’s after it was clear the NBA wouldn’t be calling on draft night. His coaching experience before Vesper includes time with all levels of the sport, and extends from Washington, DC, to the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Upstate NY, and up to New England. He spent nine years at Washington College where he earned six Coach of the Year awards, five Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference Championships and took the team to the IRA National Championships for the first time in 20 years. An experienced Master’s coach, he worked at the Naval Academy’s Master’s Women’s Camp for 9 years, has run training sessions for Masters athletes through his career, and is the owner of Master’s Rowing Camps. He is a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach, has an MBA from Babson College and MA from Georgetown, and has won several dozen medals at Masters Nationals rowing with various clubs.