Rensselaer Crew Club

Fundraising Update!

Today, we are reaching out to share a special way to honor our dear friend and fellow RPI alumna, Amanda “Mandy” (Smith) Chung-Fat ’04. If you knew Mandy, you know how she lit up every room with her enthusiasm, determination, and infectious spirit. And if you didn’t, we’d love to share a bit of her story with you.

Mandy was part of the RPI family from 2000 to 2004, where she majored in Chemistry and poured her heart into the Crew Club. She brought joy to 5 a.m. practices and worked tirelessly on the club board to keep the team strong. Her “small but mighty” spirit was a force felt by all who knew her.

Mandy’s impact reached far beyond the water. She built friendships across campus with her kindness, positivity, and genuine care for others. After graduation, her journey took her from Watervliet, NY, where she started her career at Saint-Gobain Abrasives, to Paris, where she found love, started a family, and became the proud mom of two incredible boys.

Members of the RPI Crew Club during Crew Alumni Day, fall 2006

(Mandy is in the back row, middle)

Unfortunately in 2023, we lost Mandy far too soon. Now, her RPI friends and teammates are coming together to honor her in a way we know she’d love: by naming a new RPI Crew Club shell in her memory.

This initiative is not just for those who shared the waters of the Hudson with Mandy, but for everyone who cherishes the spirit of RPI and the lifelong bonds we form here. With generous gifts from Mandy’s friends, we’ve raised $16,000 toward our $45,000 goal, and we’re reaching out to you to help us reach the finish line.

Can we count on your support? By donating and sharing this initiative with others, you’ll help us honor Mandy’s memory and support a new generation of rowers at RPI. We know she’d be touched by this show of love from the community she cherished.

With gratitude,

Diana (Lauring) Ostberg ’05
Elizabeth (Widmeyer) Frederick ’05
Kelly (Borst) Ringler ’05
Keri (Kiernan) Guilano ’05
Laura (Pisterzi) Roosma ’03

Mandy’s Friends and RPI Crew Teammates

Mandy’s friends at her celebration of life

Front row: Kelly, Laura, Diana, Keri; and back row: Elizabeth

Project Background

We have set ambitious goals for the team this year, and we’re all excited about achieving them. However, to do so, we need your help. Your contribution can make a difference:

1. Rensselaer Crew’s first priority is new rowing shells. A good boat is crucial in rowing; it significantly impacts performance, efficiency, and safety. High-quality boats are designed with advanced materials and precise engineering ensuring they are lightweight yet robust, reducing drag, optimizing the rowers’ power and stroke efficiency, and ensuring the safety and prevention of injury for rowers.

After deliberation, the Rensselaer Crew coaching staff determined that the VHP-56 and VHP-53 are the best boats for the team. Vespoli’s High Performance Series is engineered for stiffness and resilience. Vespoli racing shells are made of composites, and their construction minimizes unavoidable drag all while maintaining minimal water contact. Using cutting edge fluid simulations, Vespoli has created shells ubiquitous with rapid acceleration and increased run during the recovery portion of the stroke. The addition of a VHP-53 and VHP-56 to the Rensselaer boathouse would inspire real feelings of commitment and support, building on the excitement created by the Rensselaer rowers who rowed at the Head of the Charles, ensuring the club’s capacity to perform at highly competitive regattas moving forward, and maximizing opportunities for both current and future RPI rowers

It goes without saying that crew is an expensive sport, and these shells are no exception. The total cost for these two recommended shells is just shy of $90,000.

2. As part of the Rensselaer Crew refresh, we assessed the needs for off season training. During the cold months, we spend countless hours in the erg room so it is important that it is adequately equipped for the intense training that happens there. Replacing the foam floors and adding better lighting to the erg room is essential to the well-being of our athletes. The addition of mirrors to a wall along one side of the erg room would enable rowers to observe their own technique, instead of solely relying on coaches for constructive criticism. Lastly, a fresh coat of paint would create a much friendlier ambiance, which will only help us recruit potential new rowers. All of these erg room fixes will cost no more than $10,000.

About the RPI Crew Club

Although the RPI Crew Club is not affiliated with the NCAA, we strive to become more and more competitive, representing Rensselaer as we race other schools at regattas. Without the same facilities and equipment as other NCAA teams, the RPI Crew team is at a disadvantage. New equipment will better suit our rowers and aid us as we train and condition for these events. For more information, visit our website.