WPHS Crew Coaches

MEET THE COACHES

Women’s Coaches

Mike Vertullo began coaching the women’s Winter Park High School crew team at the beginning of the 1999-2000 season. Prior to joining Winter Park crew, Mike coached at FDR High School in Hyde Park, New York. During his 7 years at FDR, Mike coached the freshmen boys for two years and then resurrected the girls program to national respectability and prominence, sending 14 girls’ eights to the National finals from 1995-1999. His team won the 1998 and 1999 NYSSRA Team Points Trophy and the NY State Championship. In 1996, his lightweight 8 girls were named the National Champions at the Scholastic Nationals. He was named Coach of the Year in 1996 and 1999 by the Poughkeepsie Journal. In 1998, Mike, with the assistance of other area coaches, founded the Hudson River Rowing Association, a community based rowing club where he served as head coach and program director. Last year, his first at Winter Park, both the Varsity and Lightweight eights made the National finals placing 4^th and 5^th respectively.

Mike has his own achievements as a rower. He rowed from 8^th to 12^th grade and for two years at Rutgers. In high school, he was a bronze medal winner in the Junior 8’s at the Stotesbury Regatta.

Mike received his Bachelor of Arts-Statistics from Rutgers University in 1991 and his NYS Provisional Certification in Mathematics education from SUNY at New Palz. He is currently teaching Honors Algebra2, Algebra 2 and Liberal Arts Math at WPHS. He resides in Winter Park.

Kim Cameron joins us as the Winter Park Women’s Novice Coach. She is the only coach who is a true Wildcat. When she left WPHS in 1998, she had lots of medals around her neck. She started coxing in her freshmen year and her freshmen boat won gold at Nationals that year. Kim went on to repeat this accomplishment her junior year as she drove her Junior 4 boat to a gold at Nationals. The following year, her boat represented WPHS at Head of the Charles in Boston where they were one of the top seated boats for their event.

Kim currently attends VCC and is thrilled to be back as a Wildcat where she first fell in love with rowing. She says her biggest thrill this year will be introducing the sport to all the young women and being witness to the change that it will have in their lives.

Men’s Coaches

Dan Bertossa’s career in crew, both as a rower and as a coach, can be summed up in one word: WINNING. Now in his eleventh season at Winter Park, Coach Bertossa has coached boats that have captured state championships for ten seasons running since 1990.

A 1986 graduate of Florida Institute of Technology in Ocean Engineering, Mr. Bertossa rowed from 1983 through 1986. At the Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia in 1984, he was a bronze medal winner in the straight pair. He took gold medals in the JV8 in 1985 and 1986.

As a coach, he is recognized in national rowing circles for the conditioning and techniques of his rowers. He also serves as a Southeast representative to the U.S. Rowing Association. Coach Bertossa got into coaching to stay close to the sport, after a hip injury forced him out of rowing. “Coaching keeps me attached to rowing,” he says, “and I like to see what it does for the kids.” Investing time in developing individual rowers is what Coach Bertossa does best.

In the summer of 1994, two members of the WPHS men’s team were selected to participate in Junior National Selection Camp. Only three high schools in the nation were represented by more than one rower. Both young men were chosen to represent the U.S. on a 19-member team to compete in the World Competition in Germany. They finished fifth and thirteenth in the world. In the summer of 1995, Reade Palmer, a 1995 graduate of WPHS, was named top coxswain in the country and participated in the World Championships where he received the silver medal. In the summer of 1997, Winter Park’s men crew sent coxswain James Blythe to the Junior National Selection Camp. Perhaps the biggest wins in Coach Bertossa’s career came in May 2000. First was the Stotesbury Regatta in Philadelphia where a WPHS JV4 boat won gold followed by silver a week later at the Scholastic Nationals in Delaware.

Coach Bertossa teaches Physics at Winter Park High School. He and his wife, Jeanne have three children, Alec, 8, Ellie, 7, and Cameron who will be 3 in November.

Jim Campbell has been a teacher at Winter Park High School since April 1984 teaching Chemistry, including IB and AP, and Math. He graduated from the University of Florida in 1978 with a dual major in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. He has combined active duty and reserve Navy time of more than twenty years. Although he has relatively little personal rowing experience, Jim knows athletics in general. He lettered in five sports in high school and has helped coach Track and Cross-Country. His valuable knowledge in physical development has helped the men’s crew team in their land training exercises, which take place in the fall. His experience in the weight room has helped put the power behind their stroke, an important factor in their winning formula. He has been an assistant coach since 1998.

Jim is married to Marjorie, an elementary school teacher, and has 4 children. Two years ago, Jim’s oldest son, Benjamin, was one of the men’s team captains and a rower in the State Championship Varsity 8 boat. Benjamin now attends the University of Florida. His daughter, Rachel, a junior at WPHS, is in her third year as a coxswain on the men’s team.

Lance Tyree joins the Winter Park’s men’s coaching staff this year as the Men’s Novice Coach. Lance first fell in love with rowing at Parkersburg High School in his hometown of Parkersburg, West Virginia. He rowed there for three years and was captain in his senior year. He continued his rowing career at Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio. There he began as a member of the Freshmen 8 boat and won the prestigious award of “Most Improved Athlete” at the end of the year. He moved to the Varsity 8 for his sophomore, junior and senior years. During his sophomore year, his boat placed 3^rd at Dad Vail, a National Regatta. His boat placed fourth during his senior year at this prestigious event. He was again named captain of his team during his junior and senior year.

Lance majored in Psychology and Education with emphasis on Coaching. Currently, he is a PE Teacher at Maitland Middle School. In the summer when he is not coaching or teaching, he is a professional whitewater rafting guide on the New River in West Virginia.