RESILIENT COACHES
PAUL ALLBRIGHT
CO-FOUNDER
Coach Paul, a Fairfax native, has 13 years of rowing and coaching experience on the Occoquan. He is the current Head Coach of James Madison HS Crew and was named All Met Women’s Coach of the Year in 2011. During his career he has coached boats to 10 VA State Championship medals, five Stotesbury Cup medals, and twelve SRAA / Youth / Club National Championship medals including the 2013 SRAA National Championship in the Girl’s Senior 8+ and the 2013 US Rowing Youth National Championship in the Women’s Youth 2-.
He rowed for Fairfax High School and graduated from George Mason in 2010 earning a B.S. degree in Administration of Justice with a minor in Psychology. Coach Paul is also an Assistant Coach with the United States Junior National Team and Director for the USJNT Mid-Atlantic Small Boat Camps. Off the water, he works in a local law office and as RRC’s Executive Director.
MATTHEW PETTY
CO-FOUNDER
Coach Petty is currently the Boys Head Coach at Robinson High School, and has 18 years of rowing & coaching experience. He rowed with West Spring eld all four years of high school receiving All-State Honors in 2002 & 2003 and named All Met 1st Team in 2003. He coached his Mens Masters 8 to three undefeated seasons in 2010, 2011, & 2012 with his Junior Boys 8 winning the Occoquan Challenge in 2012. Most recently, his Men’s U17 4+ rowed to the team’s first medal earning the bronze medal at the 2014 US Rowing Club National Championship in Oak Ridge, TN.
Coach Petty is also considered one of the DMV areas top boat trailer drivers with over ten years of experience. He is the Head Boy’s Coach for Resilient Rowing Club. Off the water, he works as the Grounds supervisor at Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale, VA, in addition to handling the mechanical and operational aspects of Resilient Rowing LLC.
BRIAN TASSI
COACH: SMALL BOATS
Coach Tassi has been with Resilient for two years and has been coaching crew for over 25 years. He has coached all boat types from singles to eights at the high school, junior, collegiate club, US rowing development camps and elite rower level. His athletes have medalled in scholastic, the Dad Vail, US Rowing Club National Championships, Canadian Henley, and the Pan American Games (US lightweight Single in 2003).
Coach Tassi works primarily with our junior and U-23 scullers and small boats.
RON LIM
COACH: JUNIOR COMP / DEV
Since 1990, Coach Lim has had the pleasure of instructing rowers at Thomas Jefferson H.S.:
1990 to 1994 - lightweight/freshmen/novice girls
1995 to 1999 - lightweight boys
2000 to 2012 - freshmen/novice girls
2013 - freshmen boys
2014 to Present - freshmen/novice girls
Highlights include Stotesbury medals comprised of 1 silver, 3 bronze, and 4 finalists. Other accolades include SRAA medals of 1 silver, 3 bronze, and 4 finalists and 6 VA State Championships. Coach Lim also recently retired with 30+ years of VA State service.
KRIS MICKEY
COACH: RACING
Coach Mickey has lived in Fairfax County most of her life. She started her rowing career at W.T. Woodson. In 1993 and 1994 she earned the gold in the senior women’s 4x at Virginia States and the SRAA National Championships. While at W.T. Woodson she was selected to attend the Olympic festival selection camp and train at the New York Athletic Club in the summer of 1993. She attended the Olympic Festival in San Antonio, Texas, winning the bronze medal in women’s junior double. She was recruited and earned a scholarship to row for Mercyhurst University. She stroked the varsity eight at the Head of the Charles Regatta as a freshman, was a varsity rower for four years, and was captain in her final two years.
Upon graduation Coach Mickey moved to Philadelphia in 1999 and was a volunteer for the University of Pennsylvania Lightweight Men. In 2002 she came back to W.T. Woodson as coach of the varsity men. Coach Mickey took a break from coaching to spend time with her family. She coached Fairfax’s varsity men in the spring of 2010, seeing them to an appearance at SRAA’s. From 2016-2018 she was a varsity assistant at Robinson, with her 2V earning a bronze medal at states in 2018. Currently, Coach Mickey is coaching the women’s varsity at W.T. Woodson.
Coach Mickey is a 3rd grade AAP teacher for Oak View Elementary School. She has been teaching for 20 years, 17 of them in Fairfax County schools. Coach Mickey has been with Resilient since the summer of 2016.
COACH: RACING
STEFAN KOCH
Stefan learned how to row at the University of Pennsylvania and JEB Stuart HS. He is skilled a sculler and sweep rower. He’s enjoyed coaching in Fairfax, Seattle, and Baltimore. Stefan began coaching at George Mason University, then served as the Varsity Girl’s Coach at Robinson, 2000-2005. His athletes won Gold in the Girl’s 2nd 8 event at Stotesbury in 2002 and a Varsity 4 Virginia state title in ’05, and numerous other States medals in those years. Following Robinson, Stefan moved to Seattle, living there for 5 years. He taught high school history in suburban Seattle, WA and coached for Mount Baker Crew. He took several crews to USRowing Youth Nationals, placing as high as 5th in the Boy’s Varsity 8. In 2010, Stefan took over as the Novice Men’s and Women’s Coach at Loyola University Maryland. He served in that role for 3 years, during which the Loyola Ltwt Women’s 4 placed 4th at the IRA National Championship.
Stefan served as Varsity Boy’s Coach for five seasons at Oakton H.S. and also coaches in the Summer and Fall for Resilient Rowing including the USRowing Junior Development Camp. The Oakton Boys team won gold in the Pair at the 2016 NSRA Nationals, in 2017 the Oakton Boy’s 2nd 8 won Silver at Virginia States and the Lightweight 4 won Gold. In 2018 the 1 st 8 finished 4th at States. The 3rd 8 won Bronze in ’17 and ’18. In November 2018 he rejoined the coaching staff at Robinson as Novice Boy’s Coach. Stefan is certified by USRowing as a Level III coach, and also works as a substitute teacher in Fairfax County.