GMS Rowing Center

Guenter Beutter (Technical Director) was educated at Giessen University, majoring in sports science and psychology. He published research in lactic acid production, oxygen uptake and the use of magnesium supplements among high performance athletes.He began rowing at 16 for the Rudergesellschaft Wetzlar in Germany where many world champion and Olympic athletes trained. He competed with this club for 4 years in every type of boat at the German championships. From 1984-1997 he coached Wetzlar’s intermediate and elite rowers, earning many medals during his tenure, and gaining recognition as one of the most successful young club coaches in Germany.

In 1988 he was recruited for the German National Team. From 1989 – 1997 he coached both men and women in sculling and sweep boats, taking his athletes to five world championships and earning four gold and one silver medal. In 1997, he was appointed head coach of the women’s lightweight Quadruple Scull which medaled at all the important regattas in Europe and earned a gold medal at the world championships that year.

In addition to coaching, his responsibilities for the national team included athlete selection, preparation camps, cross training at high altitude, nutrition advice, lactic acid testing, and calculating and monitoring work-out plans (one of the few coaches in the world with this expertise). During his tenure, he worked with Professor Uli Hartmann, an internationally renowned sports physiologist who consults for high-performance athletes and monitors the German Olympic teams in all sports. Mr Beutter continues his association with Dr. Hartmann who lectures at GMS camps in Europe.

Mr. Beutter came to the U.S. in 1998 where he began as technical director of coaching and head sculling coach at Saugatuck Rowing Club in Westport, CT. His master rowers have competed and medalled at US Masters Nationals and Masters World Championships. His junior rowers have competed and medalled at the U.S. Nationals and Canadian Henley regattas. They have been recruited by, and rowed for Harvard, Yale, Brown, Dartmouth, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, Georgetown and many other universities.

Mr. Beutter is also a consultant for various other rowing clubs including Henley Rowing Club in England, Piermont (NY), Willamette (OR), elite masters at Princeton and Yale Universities and other master rowers around the world. He maintains his associations in Germany as a technical advisor for the rowing website Rudern1.de and consulting for Rudergesellschaft Wetzlar.

We are pleased to announce that Yuri Kolomiets (Senior Coach) has joined our coaching staff and will be serving as a full time master’s coach, as well as coaching the juniors with Guenter. Yuri was educated at the University of Kiev where he earned several degrees in physical education, most notable, a master’s degree in human biomechanics. Yuri has been involved in the sport of rowing for many years and comes to us with a wealth of experience. He has achieved many successes coaching Elite crews as well as consistent, high level results coaching juniors and masters in the United States since he arrived almost 15 years ago. He will be overseeing all aspects of the master’s program and organizing boats for regattas for those interested in competing. He will also be available for private lessons as well as running master’s groups. Yuri is locating from the Albany area and will surely appreciate a warm welcome from the GMS community.

Linda Leaden (Development Coach) attended Western Connecticut State University majoring in science. She has been working with children for over 20 years in many different capacities.

She is a certified personal trainer and brings this knowledge to assist her rowers in developing their fitness. Linda is the head of our cadet/learn to row program at GMS. She has been coaching and has been an administrative assistant for GMS for 4 years. Linda starting rowing at GMS when the club came to New Milford, and fell in love with the sport. Coaching and instructing people on their well being and fitness is her true passion. She plans to continue her education in the coaching field. Linda currently coaches our adult learn to row and novice program, middle school and high school learn to row and novice program, and private lessons.

Matt Carey joins the GMS team as a recent graduate of Wesleyan University where he received his BA in Liberal arts, majoring in Psychology. He decided to row while trying to stay in shape for Hockey season as he attended Simsbury High School in Simsbury, CT. While rowing did serve its purpose in improving his fitness for hockey, helping him become team MVP of his high school’s first ever Division 1 state champion hockey team, it became more than just cross training. Matt decided to give up hockey in order to pursue his new obsession at College. For the past two years Matt has served as captain of the men’s crew team at Wesleyan, helping them achieve a silver medal at the New England Championship Regatta this past May. Shortly after his graduation, Matt earned his first berth on the United States Lightweight Rowing Team, competing in the Under 23 World Championships in Strathclyde, Great Britain in the quadruple sculls. In the coming years, he plans to continue training for international competition as well as coach at GMS.

Kathleen L’Hommedieu, educated at Norwalk Community College and University of Connecticut, Kathy has been involved in coaching and rowing for the past seven years. She assisted the former Romanian National Team coach in running the junior program at the Saugatuck Rowing Association in Westport CT. Kathy has also worked closely with James Mangan, founder of the Saugatuck Rowing Association.