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Kit Bennett

Kit Bennett.jpg

Kit hails from London, England, where he began coaching in 2000. He served as Head Coach at Hatfield College, part of Durham University (UK), and since coming stateside he has been passionate about expanding rowing opportunities for athletes in Ann Arbor and the Midwest. In 2009 Kit founded the Skyline High School Crew , a program which in its first five years has already established itself among the region’s best, producing Midwest Regionals medal-winning crews as well as 6 Scholastic and Canadian National Champion crews. The team has grown from 25 athletes to over 80. He is now working to expand rowing opportunities for middle school, high school students and U23’s/Elite rowers through his work as the Director of the Washtenaw Rowing Center.

Kit was part of the coaching staff for the US Junior National Team sculling section for three years. He coached athletes at the Junior World Championships in Trakai Lithuania in 2013, and in 2012 he lead the US squad to multiple golds at the 2012 CanAmMex Regatta in Mexico City. With the birth of his son Finn (and now Henry), he took time away from National team to spend more time with his family.

Kit spent four years as an assistant for the Varsity men’s program at the University of Michigan, where his athletes have won multiple ACRA National Championships, as well a Dad Vail title.

His work in 2017 with the Ann Arbor Public School system won the highly sought after George Pocock Foundation “Erg Ed” grant, which will bring rowing education officially into the AAPS district 6th-12th grade PE curriculum, starting school year 2017/2018.

Kit is passionate about promoting team culture and the process that takes you to an exceptional environment.