Loree Arnold – Head Coach
Coach Loree began her rowing career at the Bladensburg Waterfront Park eight years ago, and she has raced competitively for the last five years in a variety of boats and regattas, including The Head of the Charles in 2016. Loree also competed in the Mid-Atlantic Erg Sprints this year, taking first place in the 2000K Lightweight Woman’s Masters and Woman’s Masters Quad events. For Loree, rowing has been a life changing activity, and she believes it is very important to be aware of and embrace the role fitness plays in our health and well-being.
Loree’s interest in coaching first began with her weekly coxing of the Washington Rowing School Masters sweep rowing program over the last four years, and she has coached both individual “learn to row” lessons, and sweep rowing for the Bladensburg Races Community Challenge program. Now in her second year as assistant coach for Blair Crew, she is very proud to be part of the growing accomplishments and success of the Blair Crew program. Prioritizing individual fitness, increasing technical skills and promoting teamwork are goals she believes will result in a rewarding season. Off water, Loree is a registered architect and LEED certified professional, and also teaches as an adjunct faculty member at Montgomery College on the topic of “sustainability”.
Mike Arnold – Assistant Coach
Coach Mike Arnold has been interested in athletics from a very young age as many of us. In his formative years, he was inspired by several incredible baseball, basketball, and soccer coaches while playing club sports for most of his grade school years. While in college Mike sought out “alternative sports” of the day in Ultimate Frisbee, water polo, hand ball, cycling, sailing and technical mountain climbing. His coaching acumen evolved as an assistant coach in soccer and baseball for Boys and Girls Clubs in Prince George’s County where he coached continuously for 10 years. Rowing has been a summer diversion at a family camp since the 1990’s until he discovered Washington Rowing School at BWP where he has been a member since 2010.
Mike has been coaching for Seton Crew since 2017. As Novice Coach, he has focused on fundamentals of rowing, and development of athletes’ strength and conditioning from the ground up, reinforcing a methodical approach to the sport to help build a solid foundation upon which student athletes might progress in rowing or any other sport through their high school careers and beyond.
Coach Mike has also been working with both Masters and Junior Crew at Washington Rowing School since 2013 (including Summer and Fall Seton/WRS programs), helping to build a program focused on rowing fundamentals, conditioning, and developing determination and love for the sport in young rowers from middle school through high school to our masters rowers of all ages. Both masters and junior programs focus on training (as appropriate) for local, regional and national competitive regattas, and offer fun and challenging intersquad events like Team Biathlon (bike and row) and distance rowing and adventure rowing events on the Anacostia and at other venues.
Mike’s competitive racing efforts include everything from masters sprint (1000m) to half marathon distances in all boats from single sculls to sweep and scull 8’s He has had success in masters 1x, 2x, (mixed and mens), 2- and 4x, 4-, 4+, and 8+ (mixed and mens), winning and placing in events in many local regattas and placing in major regional regattas including Head of the Schuylkill , Masters Nationals Championships and FISA World Masters .
US Rowing Coaches Level 2 Certification
US Rowing Championship Member
Virtus, Safe Sport, MCPS certification training
USCGA/State of Maryland boating safety certification
CPR and AED certified
When Mike is not on the water he is a practicing architect specializing is historic preservation.