St Catherine's College Rowing Society
[PWC
Vice Presidents: Don Barton, Richard Peters,
Sir Matthew Pinsent CBE, Ben Sylvester.

The Benjamin F. Sylvester Jr Award

The winner of the 2011 award is
Theresa Kevorkian

Phillip McCullough proxime accessit

Also nominated were: James Boxall, Leah Carden, Matt McGilvray, Duncan Reek and Malcolm Spencer.

Theresa Kevorkian receiving this year's Ben Sylvester medal from RS Chairman Kevin Skinner (left) and a bottle of champagne from RS Secretary Darren Chadwick (right). She's also holding a Cox-Box since it's the Saturday of Eights and she's still got a job to do ...

[BFS Award]

Theresa becomes the first American, and only the second woman, to receive this award since its inauguration in 2002. Apart from her coxing skills (women's 1st VIII last year, Men's 1st VIII this year) those who've nominated her have highlighted the time she's put into coaching and organising for the Boat Club as a whole. The following are just some extracts from many statements supporting her nomination:

'Theresa is a committed 'coaching cox' who never gives up improving the technique of every single rower in a boat.'

'Whenever a new student is keen to take up rowing it is often Theresa putting the time in, teaching the basics on an erg, with the offer of additional help at any time.'

'Theresa has been there from my very first day of rowing with Catz and since then I have not known anyone put in more time and effort to SCCBC ... being there for my first 2k test (without her 'encouragement' I wouldn't have made it to the end!)'

Background of the Award

At the North American alumni reunion on March 16, 2002, Sir Peter Williams announced the establishment of an award to commemorate the splendid and varied contributions made by Benjamin F. Sylvester, Jr to the College. The award has been funded by the St Catherine's College (Oxford) Foundation.
A Benjamin F. Sylvester, Jr medal will be given annually to the member of the Boat Club who has most significantly contributed to enhancing the rowing life of St Catherine's College, Oxford.
Names of winners will also be displayed on a plaque to be mounted in the boathouse club room. Nominations will be solicited from members of the Boat Club and will be judged by a committee of former College oarsmen. The medal, designed by Dana Edmondson, depicts a Catherine wheel comprised of oars on a background of water. At the ends of the oars are flames symbolizing warmth and illumination. At the center of the medal is the crest of St Catherine's College, Oxford.

Design for the Benjamin F. Sylvester, Jr medal
[BFS Medal]

Previous Winners

2010 Jack Plummer
2009 Anu Dudhia (Special Award)
2009 Malcolm Spencer
2008 James Dunbar (Dane van den Akker proxime accessit)
2007 Michael Tran (Katharine Pierce proxime accessit)
2006 Darren Chadwick (Michael Tran proxime accessit)
2005 Steve Wicks
2004 Dan Robson
2003 Mike Bull
2002 Emily Woodeson
Back to RS page