Patrick O’Dunne has the kind of personality that makes you want to be on his team. That might be part of the reason why the George School Rowing team has grown exponentially since his arrival. But to hear him tell it, it’s the students who have drawn him in – not the other way around.

“Truthfully, I never expected to be as involved as I am,” he admitted. “I got sucked in organically as the kids became more interested. I think the time and effort both the students and I have put into building the team is why it has grown so quickly.”

 

Their original team of 17 nearly doubled last spring, and by this past fall doubled again, now with a roster of about 60 students. It is the perfect sport for many George School student-athletes.

“The sport attracts a very unique type of athlete,” he explained. “It’s very academic in nature and requires a hardworking and dedicated student who loves the camaraderie of being part of a team.”

A former U.S. National Team rower, Patrick O’Dunne got his start at Penn State University. Spending his time as an avid marching band member, he knew nothing about the sport in high school; but when the Rowing Club at Penn State displayed a crew shell in front of his freshman dorm in an effort to recruit new members, he was intrigued to try his hand at the sport.

“I fell in love with rowing,” Patrick said. “When you go to a school with 45,000 people, finding camaraderie with a small group is an amazing experience.”

It turned out that he was a natural; he went on to row for eight semesters while at Penn State and continued training at Penn Athletic Club in Philadelphia after graduating. In 2005, he was selected as a member of the U.S. National Team, competing in the men’s pair at the 2005 World Championships in Japan and numerous international regattas and World Championships, officially retiring from the sport in 2008.

Or so he thought.

Flash forward to 2022, when his daughter, Maggie ’26 decided to come to George School. Patrick thought it was the perfect place to start a rowing team and immediately started conversations to get involved. His timing was perfect; George School’s Director of Student Activities Shari Rossmann – a rower herself – and a handful students, including Mary Katherine Hackenberg ’24, had been working to assemble a team. With Patrick’s expertise and charisma, the team officially made the roster of Varsity sports at George School in Fall 2023.

Patrick recalled one of their first races at the start of the 2023 fall season. “The team was in borrowed Cross Country pinnies, and competed in heavy, used rowing boats against other teams with state-of-the-art set-ups. Even so, our girls boat won the novice race, and the boys boat finished in second or third; it was awesome.”

Patrick has a clear vision of the program he and his team are building; realizing it requires a great deal of work, resources – and ingenuity. Inspired by his vision, student-athletes and their families have committed to the program’s success. Together, they created a dedicated practice facility in the basement of the Alumni Gym and recruited family and friends to the cause. Parents helped clean, paint, and move equipment into their space. Students built barbells out of coffee cans and concrete. And the finishing touch included a hand-painted mural with inspirational messages.

 

Patrick traveled the east coast himself to acquire practice and race equipment that was refurbished or second-hand in order get the athletes what they needed while also keeping costs down for the school.

His efforts – and those of his athletes and their families – are beginning to pay off.

The top boats have left with major wins this fall at many of their major competitions at Mercer Lake, the Bill Braxton Memorial, the Frostbite Regatta, and the Head of the Schuylkill. The team has also already produced rowers at the collegiate level. One of the founding members of the team, MK Hackenberg ’24 received a rowing scholarship to Drexel University last year. This year, three students have committed to rowing in college: Julia Eler ’25 (Lehigh University), Ellie Remus ’25 (Wellesley College) and Anna Gluschuk ’25 (MIT).

Patrick sees the shared culture of the program as instrumental to this success. His own experience as a competitive rower taught him that the relationships between the athletes plays just as great a role as their individual strengths and talents. It is a grueling sport, so having the support of a team is crucial. Patrick is also committed to catering to all levels of athletes – as long as each one is committed to giving their best effort.

“The kids quickly fall in love with it because working really hard makes them feel good about themselves,” he explained. “But also because they form a really strong connection with their teammates as they suffer together, get stronger together and grow closer every step of the way.”

In its origin, Patrick and the founding members prioritized a set of values that have continued to guide the team. “When this team is together, all of the tiers between grades and status disappear and everyone’s very much an equal, with varsity rowers cheering on novices, the boys team cheering on the girls team and vice-versa.”

His approach has garnered some attention. After a regatta this fall, Patrick received an email from a parent of a rower from another school. She noticed how supportive the GS rowers were of their teammates, wildly cheering on the sidelines together during a race; she was so impressed that the family is considering transferring to George School.

This year, the George School Rowing Team has traded their used pinnies for varsity jackets, which they proudly wear across campus. Working in collaboration with two area independent schools, they now have newly constructed space at Core Creek to store boats and equipment. With their leader’s tireless commitment and inspired vision, the self-proclaimed “crew-gers” continue to gain momentum.