Georgia State University Crew began in 1989 with a small group of students and two boats:  Morning Wood and Captain Morgan.  The team was student-coached and student-run organization until the fall of 1994 when Charles Huthmaker took over as Head Coach. Coach Huthmaker brought with him experience and leadership that the team had lacked at the coaching level.  The team added the boats Pink Panther and Liz and expanded to include an eight, the Hooch Wagon.  The team competed in regional regattas, including the John Hunter Regatta, then held on the Chattahoochee River and the Head of the Chattahoochee, then held at Lake Lanier.  Coach Huthmaker was recruited by Stetson University in 1996 to head up their NCAA Division III rowing program.  Following Coach Huthmaker’s departure, the team was led by a number of interim coaches until 1998, when Chris Abellana assumed the leadership of the team.  He recruited “Doc” Deron Boyles, the club advisor since 1993, to be an assistant coach.  From 1998 to 2005, the team expanded its membership and increased its presence at regional and, ultimately, national venues.  In 2002, Coach Abellana and Doc took a women’s varsity four to The Head of the Charles and placed 12th out of 54 international teams.  In 2003, the same women’s varsity four placed 8th out of 52 international teams.  In 2005, Coach Abellana left the team and Travis Landrith became Head Coach.  Coach Landrith brought years of experience as both a rower (at the College of Charleston) and coach (at the Atlanta Junior Rowing Association).  Under Coach Landrith, the team revised its governance structure and focused attention on the student-run aspect of the club. A job opportunity led Coach Landrith to South Carolina at the end of the 2005-2006 season and “Doc” Deron Boyles stepped in as Head Coach.  A former rower at Vanderbilt and coxswain for the Atlanta Rowing Club, “Doc” has expanded the coaching opportunities to include assistant coaches.  These coaches are all certified by US Rowing and include working with rowers on ergs, for land training, with coxswains, and in launches on the water.  For the 2006-2007 season, Megan Davidson, Zoe Scala, and Freddie Benschine served important roles as assistant coaches.  Helped in the spring with land training by Justin Murphy and Vasily Lantukh, the team earned 54 medals, including a repeat gold at the Head of the Chattanooga and a silver medal at the Southeastern Intercollegiate Rowing Assocation regatta (SIRA).  For the 2007-2008 year, the team will have Tim Rivas as Assistant Coach, Freddie Benschine as Assistant Coach for Land Training, Eric Morrissey as Assistant Coach of Coxswains, and Megan Davidson as Assistant Coach and Executive Director.  The overall goal of advancing rowing as a team sport at Georgia State University will take on increased focus as we near the 2009 20th anniversary of Crew at Georgia State.