Friends of Glastonbury Rowing, Inc.
Friends of Glastonbury Rowing, Inc.

Meet the Coaches

Steve Somosky: Head Coach Boys
ssomosky@icloud.com

Steven Somosky, Jr., is the  Head Coach for the GHS Boys Team - Varsity, JV and Novices.  Coach Steve joined the GHS coaching staff in the Fall of 2011.  Steve rowed from 1980-1983 for Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) where he won three small college national championships, including the national team title championship in 1982. During his career at FIT, Steve won the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association (SIRA) Championships six times (Freshman Heavyweight Eight, Freshman Heavyweight Four, Varsity Lightweight Four (twice),and Varsity Lightweight Eight (twice). FIT also won the SIRA team title all four years Steve rowed. Additionally, Steve won the Dad Vail Regatta (small college nationalchampionship) in 1980 in the Freshman Heavyweight Eight and in 1982 in the Junior Varsity Heavyweight Eight. In 1983 he stroked the Varsity Lightweight eight to victory. Steve has also competed in the Head of the Charles Regatta while in college, and again in an alumni boat in 2015.

 

Sean Peoples: Assistant Coach Boys
speoples@bpslawyers.com

Sean was a novice men’s heavy weight 8 coxswain at Connecticut College and went on in his sophomore and and the fall of junior years to cox a J.V. heavy 4 and Varsity heavy 8.  In the spring of his senior year he was the coxswain of the Varsity light-weight 8 that won the New England Championship and a silver medal at the Dad Vail U.S. Small College Championship in Philadelphia in the Spring of 1983. Sean returned to coach a freshmen lightweight 8 and J.V. four at Connecticut College from 1983-84.  Sean was a substitute coxswain while attending graduate school at Columbia University in 1984-85.  He has coached various crews at Glastonbury High School from 2002 to the present.

 

Olivia Norman: Head Coach Girls
olivianorman1@gmail.com

Olivia graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 2018 with a Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology. While at URI she rowed freshmen year, but due to surgery she could no longer continue competing therefore she became the team's manager.  She managed the URI D1 women’s team to the NCAAs twice (2016 and 2018). She was also an active member of rhody Hillel. Olivia currently works as a physical therapist aide in Manchester at Comprehensive Physical Therapy. 
Olivia's goal at GHS is to drive the young women on the team to aspire to greatness. Greatness in the classroom and on the water! As Head Coach, she will be an advocate for these young women as they find their own strength through athletics!

 

 

 

Kate Hickes: Assistant Coach Girls
kathleen.hickes@gmail.com

Kate started coxing as a freshman at Bucknell University, an NCAA Division 1 program. She coxed the freshman four to first place at the Murphy Cup and Mid-Atlantic Rowing championships her freshman year. Sophomore year, she coxed the Varsity Four to gold at the Patriot League Championship and silver at the Dad Vail Regatta. She coxed the Varsity Eight her junior and senior years to silver medals at the Patriot League Championships and silver medals at the Dad Vail Regatta. Her junior year, Kate coxed the Lightweight Eight to a bronze medal at the IRA National Championship, only tenths of a second behind Stanford and Radcliffe. Kate graduated from Bucknell University in May 2015 with a degree in International Relations and Spanish. In addition to coaching at Glastonbury, she was also the head coach of Central Connecticut Rowing over the summer. Kate is currently a full time sales manager for the Kraft Heinz Company out of Hartford, CT.

Wendy Burnham: Assistant Coach Land

After many years as a “Crew Mom” and FOGRI board member, Wendy made the leap to learn to row at Riverfront Recapture, and immediately got hooked. A few years into rowing with the Riverfront Rec. team, she moved on to the Master’s Women's Racing team, primarily competing in 8’s and 4's. In 2017, her 4+ won 2nd place at the USRowing Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Masters Regional Championships in Lowell, MA. She went on to compete at the USRowing Masters National Championships in Oak Ridge, TN, where the Riverfront Recapture Racing team won the overall points award. Wendy is super excited to be working with both the boys and girls crew teams as a land coach. She brings plenty of enthusiasm, and a love of rowing (and - believe it or not - erging!) to the GHS rowing program.

Betsy Davis: Assistant Land Coach

Betsy was active in GHS crew 2006-2014 as a mother of two rowers on the boys crew team.  She was a dock master for years, was on FOGRI for 7 years and was active on the Glastonbury Riverfront Park and boathouse committee.  She began her own rowing career at Hartford Riverfront program in 2017.  Betsy is a psychotherapist and dietitian who works with adolescents and their families who are struggling with eating disorders.  She also specializes in sports nutrition.

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