Seattle Rowing Appointment

New Zealand rowing coach Richard Parr, 49, has been hired by the Vashon Island Rowing Club (VIRC) in Seattle. He comes to Vashon from the University of Otago, where he spent the past 15 years teaching coaching and exercise prescription and was a consultant to other coaches in the region. Parr has worked with New Zealand, Canadian and Irish national teams and has coached Olympic athletes. The Club performed an extensive search for a new coach. “It was almost unanimous that Richard had the chops that we were looking for,” said Jeff Hoyt, a master rower who was on VIRC’s search committee. England-born Parr will also work to complete his Ph.D. in sporting talent development while on the Island.