Coach Bios

Coach Cathy Coffman has been rowing for over 40 years and her coaching experience spans 30 years with juniors, as well as masters and college rowers.

Coffman has rowed at Washington-Lee High School, The University of Virginia, Potomac Boat Club, Occoquan Boat Club, and Rivanna Rowing Club. She was the runner up at the 2014 CRASH-B’s in the Senior Veteran Lightweight event. As a rower, she has medalled at Stotesbury, Dad Vails, Club and Master’s Nationals, as well as the Head of the Charles.

Most recently, Coffman has been the head coach of the Albemarle HS Crew. Her crews have won New England, Scholastic Nationals, and Stotesbury. Several of her rowers have gone on to be on the junior national team and/or row in college. 

Ryleigh Katstra is going into her third year on the Duke Women’s Rowing team. She helped the team to silver at the ACC Championship and was awarded the program’s Hammer Award, given to the team member with the fastest two-kilometer time on the erg machine, in 2021. Prior to Duke, Katstra competed for Albemarle HS Crew and received invitations to the U19 National HP/Selection camp. She earned gold at VASRA State Championships in both the Junior 4x and Senior 2x, gold at the Stotesbury Cup in the 2x, and gold in the 2x and bronze in the 4x at the SRAA National Championships. She placed second in Erg Sprints in both 2019 and 2020. She competed in the Youth 1x and placed top half at HOCR 2019. She has helped volunteer with the UVA Darden LTR program with the UVA Men’s Rowing Team.

Bailey Hughes started rowing and coxing at the College of Charleston, joining the Virginia Boat Club after graduation as coxswain, sculler, and Learn to Row coach. In 2018 she took a job as the boathouse assistant at the Peter Jay Sharp Boathouse in Manhattan, and in 2020 she became the Freshman Coach for the Fordham University Men’s team. She moved back to Virginia in 2022 to coach and manage operations for the VRA Men’s team and is the Head Coach for Rivanna Rowing Club as well as an assistant for the Beaver Creek and WAHS junior team. 

Rebecca has been rowing for 6 years, since the freshman year of highschool with the AHS juniors, where she competed in the quad. She won 3 gold medals at the VASRA State Championships, and reached finals at Stotesbury. She won 2 bronze medals at the SRAA national championships. She went on to cox for the UVA men's team as well as cox for RRC. Additionally, she has volunteered with Darden School LTR events. 

Coach Walker is currently an Assistant Coach with the UVA Mens Rowing Team. He has been rowing since 2010, at Bainbridge Island Rowing Association, Lewis and Clark College, and Western Washington University. His coaching experience includes Western Washington University Mens Assistant Coach, Whatcom Rowing Association, and Bainbridge Island Rowing Association.

Certifications: USRowing Level 2 Certified Coach, Safe-Sport Certified, American Red Cross Lifeguard and CPR/First Aid certified, Virginia Boating License

Coach Ashley started rowing in high school with Beaver Creek Sculling and later with the RRC juniors and Albemarle High school until she graduated in 2014. She continued competing as a women’s single and double sculler for the University of Virginia, where she won three ACRA National Championships, two Dad Vail bronze medals, and three SIRA Regional Championships among others. She was named ACRA All-American in 2017 and finished her collegiate career as one of the most medaled athletes in Virginia Rowing Association history. After graduating from UVA, Ashley worked as a full-time volunteer assistant for the UVA Men’s Rowing program in the 2018-2019 school year. She was in charge of developing athletes’ technical proficiency through small boats training. By the 2019 ACRA Championships, many of her athletes had progressed into top boats, and both of her sculling crews made the Grand Final. She joined Albemarle High School Rowing’s staff in the spring of 2019, where she helped coach medal-winning athletes in the VASRA State Championship, Stotesbury Cup, and Scholastic Nationals. 

Roger brings 40 years of rowing and coaching experience to RRC. He rowed collegiately at University of Washington, sculled competitively at Lake Washington RC and Undine BC, winning championships at numerous regional and national regattas. He restarted the Intramural Rowing Program at University of Washington after a 30-year hiatus. He built boats with Pocock Racing Shells and Owen Racing Shells. He has coached at Lake Washington RC, Seattle Pacific, Oregon State, Wisconsin, and Virginia. He has coached at numerous USRowing Jr. and Sr. Selection and development camps, men and women, and has worked with athletes at U-23 World Championships, Pan Am games, and most recently at the Paralympics in London. He is currently the boatman at University of Virginia.

Coach Jack began rowing in 1993 for the London Rowing Club and earned elite status and the right
to wear its blazer the following year. He was granted life membership in the club in 1997.


He has rowed regularly in the Head of the River (London), the Volga Longa (Venice), London-Twickenham Challenge Cup (Henley) and numerous other head and sprint races for the London Rowing Club, Lensbury Club, Furnival Sculling Club, Alexandria Community Rowing, Occoquan Boat Club, and Rivanna Rowing Club.


Coach Jack has had the benefit of being coached by and learning to coach from three Olympic coaches: Rob van Mesdag (Helsinki 1952, men’s single sculls finalist), Paul Reedy (Los Angeles 1984, men’s quadruple sculls silver medal, and Seoul 1988, men’s quadruple sculls fifth place), and Allen Rosenberg (Tokyo 1964, coach men’s 8+ gold medal). He was invited to
join Leander Club (Henley-on-Thames) in 2004. In the fall of 2014, he served as the volunteer assistant coach for novices with the men’s program at the University of Virginia. He joined Albemarle High School crew in 2016 and enjoys coaching novices.

Certifications: USRowing Level 2 Certified Coach; Safe Sport Certified; CPR certified