THE USA LIGHTWEIGHT FOUR NEEDS YOU!

Thank you for visiting the United States Lightweight Men's Four team page, and for supporting our fundraising efforts toward bringing home a medal from the 2017 World Rowing Championships in Sarasota, Florida (Sept 24 - Oct 1).  Join us as we train hard to prepare to face down the fastest crews in the world - we cannot do this without your support!

As athletes in a non-funded category (LM4-), we are entirely responsible for all expenses associated with the campaign, including airline tickets, equipment, lodging, transportation, food, etc.  The projected cost amounts to ~$3000.00 per athlete (and coach), totalling ~$15,000.00 for the team.  Any and all support would be greatly appreciated, and every donation goes a long way towards getting us closer to the podium in Florida.  

If you would like to make a tax deductible donation, please click the "Contribute" button on the right and specify the amount you would like to donate.

Thank you very much for your charitable gift, and GO USA!

- USA LM4-

P.S.: If you are wanting to know more, please check out our Instagram page @USA_LM4

follow our blog at https://davidosmith17.blogspot.com or read on below for the story of who we are and how we got to where we are today!  All five of us are nuts about rowing, about the process, and about representing our country and our sport as well as we possibly can.  We are pulling for YOU!

***The National Rowing Foundation's tax ID is 13-2554312; if you are requesting matching funds from your employer or other institution, use this number and specify that the gift is for the Lightweight Men's Four***

THE BOYS IN THE BOAT:

We have all been dreaming about making this boat a reality for a long time.  Without the support of the New York Athletic Club, Virginia Rowing Association (and Men's and Women's Teams Coaching and Support Staff), Pocock Rowing Center, and our various universities and workplaces, we would not be able to pursue our dream of representing the United States at the World stage.  This project extends far beyond just the five of us in the boat and in the coaching launch, it includes every person who has helped us along the way, supportive families, significant others, friends, coaches, teammates, bosses.  If you are reading this right now - it is becuase YOU have helped us to get here.

So who are we?  How did we get so lucky to be able to represent the USA in rowing?

Let's start with our coach - Matt Muffelman, Dartmouth '03

Matt is currently splitting his time between coaching the USA Light Men's Four and beginning a new career with Hudson Boat Works, commuting from Washington DC to Virginia to help us get as fast as we possibly can before Worlds.  Aside from Zen-like calm and pateince, Matt brings a wealth of international rowing experience, Division I lightweight coaching experience with the Naval Academy, and the wisdom of someone who has seen and done just about everything a lightweight USA rower can see or do.   A five-time National Teamer, Matt made his first squad with the Light Men's Quad in 2005, and went on to represent the United States in the Light Men's Four in 2006, and the Light Men's Eight in 2008, 2009, and 2010, earning a silver medal in 2009 and a Gold medal in 2008 - making him World Champion (and at stroke seat no less... just sayin').  He's won more National titles and NSR's than can be summarized here, but this Virginia native never neglects to acknowledge his roots going back to Matthews High School and Mobjack Rowing.  His most memorable sporting achievement is medaling in the senior eight at the Stotesbury Cup Regatta, and this Eagle Scout's favorite Olympic moment was attending the rowing events at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, the first year that lightweight rowing was included in the Olympics.  The stroke seat of the USA light four that won a bronze that year not only became Matt's future friend, but at one time both his coach and landlord!  We are extremely grateful to have "Muff" on the team, as there really is almost no one we would trust more to help us achieve in the light men's four.  His patience and wisdom keep us on track and make practice a blast.  We still haven't had "the talk" about a salary or compensation... perhaps we can pay him... in bacon?

Onto the crew:

In Bow seat, first to cross the finish line, is Andrew Neils Bucknell '08, representing NYAC and Virginia Rowing Association.  Andrew has been rowing since he took up the sport as a walk on at Bucknell University in 2008.  This is his second time on the Senior National Team, after competing in the lightweight men's quadruple sculls in the 2014 World Championships in Amsterdam.   After college Andrew rowed for Riverside Boat Club in Boston, MA for 6 years, where he was a member of the worlds fittest band (with the worlds fittest fans) as a drummer of the #TheBlades, an all rower rock band.  Since moving to the University of Virginia to complete a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering he has medaled in many of the east coast's biggest regattas including the Head of the Charles, Head of the Hooch, Head of the Schuylkill, Head of the Potomac, and the USRowing Elite National Championships.  This year he placed 2nd in both the USRowing Fall East Coast Speed order in the LM1x and also in  the National Selection Regatta 2, in the LM2x.  Andrew recalls rowing with (or against) David, Nick and Muff at one point or another throughout his career.  Highlights include acing against David Smith in Olympic Trials in the LM2x in 2012, racing the LM2x with Nick Dawe at the 2015 Elite National Championships and winning the Virginia Boat Club sprints with Muffelman in 2016, also in the LM2x.  Andrew is a big fan of the Hoos and owes his longevity in the sport to being surrounded by passionate rowing communities, like that found in Charlottesville, VA.  

At 2-seat, we have Nick Dawe Dartmouth '10, representing NYAC.  Nick began rowing in the fall of 2002 after his final season as an offensive lineman in high school football. In the transition to rowing, he went undefeated his first three years with the Cincinnati Junior Rowing Club. His first loss was a silver medal in the Varsity 8 at the 2005 Youth National Championships after winning that event the previous year. He went on to be a three-year member of the Dartmouth College Lightweight Varsity 8 and served as team Commodore and DRC Vice-President his senior year. After college Dawe became a professional rowing coach, coaching at Fordham University, The New York Athletic Club, Columbia University, and the Newport Aquatic Center. In 2012, Dawe won the US Senior World Trials in the Lightweight 8 over Vesper Boat Club and raced at the Senior World Championships. As a full time athlete and coach over the last year Dawe has won events at the Royal Canadian Henley, Head of the Charles, and USRowing Club/Elite Nationals while also leading his crews as a coach at the New York Athletic Club to do the same. Dawe was also a member of the 2017 USA Under-23 National Team coaching staff this year in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, and may be the only athlete at the World Championships this year with the distinction to have been both a coach and athlete for his country...in the same season! In October this year Dawe reaches the threshold of having rowed half of his life.

3-seat is Tom Foster Yale '16, representing NYAC and OUBC.  This will be Tom's first National Team, and he is very excited to be here.  Tom started rowing in 2011 at the Horace Mann School, right across the water from where this light four had been training out of New York AC this summer.  He walked onto the lightweight team at Yale, where he started out with a bang winning the 2013 Eastern Sprints in the first frosh lightweight eight.  Stroking most of the boats he rowed in from 2013 to 2016, he would win the light straight four at the 2015 IRA National Championship regatta, the 2V lightweight eight at the 2016 Eastern Sprints, as well as finish 4th and 3rd at the 2015 Head of the Charles and Princeton Chase.  He competed in the 2016 Royal Henley Regatta, making the quarter finals of the Prince Albert Cup, and made the spare spot for the 2017 Oxford University Boat Club.   Tom is currently getting his PhD in Astrophysics from Oxford (he's the smart one in the bunch), and he was able to convince his program to give him permission to pursue his rowing dreams in the USA before going back to school immediately following.  A big thank-you again to Tom's family for hosting the crew at their Manhattan home while training in New York for several weeks.  

At Stroke is David O. Smith Dartmouth '08, representing NYAC and Pocock Rowing Center.  "Mom, I finally found a sport I can DO!" he said after day one of a week-long Middle School rowing camp.  Dave's mom and dad have always been extremely supportive of his rowing, especially given that his athletic background consisted of videogames and drawing.  Dave's first competitive rowing was spring of 2001 for Jim Bargfrede at the Lakeside School in Seattle, WA.  He knew right away that moving boats over the water made sense to him, and that one day he wanted to make the National Team if he could somehow, possibly, get that good.  He rowed for Lakeside for four years, including twice stroking a men's coxed four in the Cincinnati Youth Invite (now Youth Nationals) in Harsha Lake... the very same course where this year's NYAC light men's four began this journey toward the World Championships, 13 years later.  Dave was recruited to row for the Dartmouth lightweight crew, and in 2007 his Dartmouth light eight won and set a course record at the Eastern Sprints under coach Steve Perry.  2012 was Smith’s first National Team, rowing in the light men’s quad, returning in 2013 as part of a light quad coached by Chris McElroy.  After failing to make the team in 2014, Dave took a look at his rowing and decided something had to change, and he headed south (at the urging of current teammate and bandmate Andrew Neils) to train in Charlottesville VA.  Head coach Frank Biller allowed Dave to train alongside the University of Virginia Men’s Rowing team, using the stronger, younger, and better-looking athletes to push his old-man limits, eventually making his third National Team in 2015, this time with the lightweight men's eight, winning a bronze medal at the World Championships in Aiguebelette, France.  His coach was Bruce Smith, who had working with Dave on and off since 2008 out of Riveriside Boat Club and Community Rowing, Inc.  In 2016 Dave moved back to his hometown of Seattle, WA, thanks to his loving girlfriend Sarah who let Dave finally hang up (or so he thought) his Fitness Vagabond lifestyle.   After training and racing in the light men's double with Josh Getz at the 2016 Olympic trials, by the grace of the New York Athletic Club at Canadian Henley, winning the light eight dash race, and coming 2nd in the senior lightweight single, setting an on-water PR of 6:58.  To support his rowing habit Dave has been coaching the Pocock Rowing Center master's men in Seattle, a tenacious group of guys beginning at 5am 3x/w

eek, as well as up to 8 other programs (simultaneously) at Pocock, thanks to the Center being extremely supportive of his wish to coach as much as possible!  Dave owes a lot to Pocock currently as well, as they will let him contiunue to work there (but now with the junior team!) after essentially taking the entire summer away to pursue his fourth National Team.  Dave loves rowing and the people in it.