Lydia Boddie- (pronounced body) Rice is the recently retired Manager of Public Affairs at Rochester Gas and Electric Corporation. She was primarily responsible for managing Community and local Government Affairs and managing the Company's Corporate Contributions program. She was with RG&E for nearly 14 years, and a Rochester community leader for decades. Prior to her employment at RG&E, she was the Director of the Center at High Falls and elected Commissioner of the Rochester City School District's Board of Education. She is or has been a member of an exhaustive list of boards and committees, including, but not limited to Rochester Community Baseball and the Rochester Broadway Theatre League. Lydia holds a bachelor's degree from Brown University and a masters degree from Rhode Island College. She also earned her K-12 teaching certification from the Rhode Island School of Design. She first became interested in rowing while a student at Brown, though as an observer content to watch her classmates participate in what she found to be an amazing sport. Years later, when her daughter went off to college and took up rowing, she became inspired to try it too. What started out as a quest for an alternative, unconventional form of fitness, turned into a cause to engage minorities in this underrepresented sport. |
Oscar's first experience with rowing started with leaping into a boat as coxswain for the University of Rochester Crew team back in 2000. After coxing for four years and successfully leading the men's team to Head of the Charles, he joined Cross Currents Minority Rowing post-graduation and learned how to row. Though he rows competitively and occasionally coxes, he has also stepped up as Executive Director of the organization and is now spearheading efforts to evolve both the Adult and Youth programs through health grants, youth grants and national endorsements. He hopes to work with the leadership team to bring multiple boats to Head of the Charles and jump-start Rochester's first city high school rowing team during the fall 2010. Through his experience in public health and grant administration at Rochester General Hospital, Oscar is able to bring the world of health and wellness to the water and hopes to empower youth and adults in the Rochester area and beyond that a healthy lifestyle is attainable at any age. |
 Ben Pfeiffer | Coach
Ben began his rowing/coaching career at Bucknell University, where he was a four year varsity rower. During his time at Bucknell, Pfeiffer began coaching both youth and master rowers at the Central Pennsylvania Rowing Association, as well as novices in the Bucknell men's crew program. In 2004, Pfeiffer accepted a position as an assistant coach with the Rochester Institute of Technology crew program while completing his MBA. He directed the men's novice crew program at RIT and assisted with men's and women's varsity crews until 2006. In 2009 Ben began coaching for the Cross Currents minority rowing program in Rochester, NY. He hopes to provide a consistent coaching presence as the program attempts to increase it's roster size and reach a new competitive plateau during the 2010 season. Pfeiffer is a Product Manager at Info Directions, Inc. in Victor, NY and lives with his fiance in Penfield, NY. |
Dara Trent | Nutritionist nutrition@ccminorityrowing.com Helping our rowers reach goals through steady, manageable, and sustainable changes is her goal. Dara's reputation is diverse as her teaching style. She has been a nutrition counselor for adults in a Biggest Loser competition to mentoring youth to establish healthy habits. She received her BA in nutrition from Indiana University and noted for spearheading the Indiana County YMCA Nutrition program. |
 John BernField, MS ATC CSCS jbernfield@thephysicalforum.com JB has 35 years experience in the field of athletic training and conditioning. He is a BOC Certified Athletic Trainer and a NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. He holds a Master's Degree in Physical Education, with emphasis in exercise physiology and biomechanics. He is also a Certified Level III US Rowing Coach. JB incorporates his background, experience and knowledge into developing individualized training programs with emphasis on the physiological effects of the exercises and the consequences of faulty movement patterns. His past experiences includes: Head Athletic Trainer at the University of Rochester and Director of Sports Performance and Injury Prevention Programs at University Sports Medicine. He coached the Men's Varsity Rowing program at the U of R and the Women's Varsity Rowing at Purdue University. Most recently, JB assisted in coaching the Purdue Men's rowers during Spring Break 2011 at Clemson, South Carolina. JB's Comprehensive Training Program for Rowers has produced significant results for the participants. All participants improved their rowing ergometer scores, strength and power output considerably, and 5 participants ended the program ranking in the top 15 in the CONCEPT II 2011 WORLD RANKING for their respective age group and weight classification. Besides coaching, JB is a highly accomplished competitive rower. During his career, he has garnered more than 300 medals; over 40 metals at National Championship Regattas and twelve at the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston. At the age of 40, JB finished the year ranked number one in his age group in the CONCEPT II WORLD RANKING at 2000 Meters. He continues to actively compete on the elite masters level in national rowing competitions. |
Lydia Boddie-Rice | President & Founder
Oscar Pedroso | Executive DIrector