Guenter Beutter (Technical Director) was educated at Giessen University, majoring in sports science and psychology. He published research in lactic acid production, oxygen uptake and the use of magnesium supplements among high performance athletes.He began rowing at 16 for the Rudergesellschaft Wetzlar in Germany where many world champion and Olympic athletes trained. He competed with this club for 4 years in every type of boat at the German championships. From 1984-1997 he coached Wetzlar’s intermediate and elite rowers, earning many medals during his tenure, and gaining recognition as one of the most successful young club coaches in Germany.

In 1988 he was recruited for the German National Team. From 1989 – 1997 he coached both men and women in sculling and sweep boats, taking his athletes to five world championships and earning four gold and one silver medal. In 1997, he was appointed head coach of the women’s lightweight Quadruple Scull which medaled at all the important regattas in Europe and earned a gold medal at the world championships that year.

In addition to coaching, his responsibilities for the national team included athlete selection, preparation camps, cross training at high altitude, nutrition advice, lactic acid testing, and calculating and monitoring work-out plans (one of the few coaches in the world with this expertise). During his tenure, he worked with Professor Uli Hartmann, an internationally renowned sports physiologist who consults for high-performance athletes and monitors the German Olympic teams in all sports. Mr Beutter continues his association with Dr. Hartmann who lectures at GMS camps in Europe.

Mr. Beutter came to the U.S. in 1998 where he began as technical director of coaching and head sculling coach at Saugatuck Rowing Club in Westport, CT. He founded GMS Rowing Center in 2004. His master rowers have competed and medalled at US Masters Nationals and Masters World Championships. His junior rowers have competed and medalled at the U.S. Nationals and Canadian Henley regattas. They have been recruited by, and rowed for Harvard, Yale, Brown, Dartmouth, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, Georgetown and many other universities.

Mr. Beutter is also a consultant for various other rowing clubs including Henley Rowing Club in England, Piermont (NY), Willamette (OR), elite masters at Princeton and Yale Universities and other master rowers around the world. He maintains his associations in Germany as a technical advisor for the rowing website Rudern1.de and consulting for Rudergesellschaft Wetzlar.

Victoria Burke recently graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in Art History and a minor in Italian. She learned to Row at Saugatuck Rowing Club and has spent the past four summers rowing at GMS with the Elite Program, medaling at several National Regattas.

Victoria has been to two NCAA championships with the University of Virginia, finishing second place in the 1st Varsity 8 this past June. Additionally, Victoria qualified for Under 23 Worlds this past summer in the Lightweight Women’s Quad winning a silver medal. It was one of 3 medals won by the U.S. U23 National Team.

Victoria is attending University of Virginia and will return to coach the juniors and master programs in the summer. She will be available to take private lessons from the beginning of June.

Richard Klein, grew up in Westport, CT rowing at Saugatuck Rowing Club under the supervision of James Mangan and Guenter Beutter. From there Richard went on to Hobart and William Smith Colleges were he was a 4 year varsity athlete, rookie of the year, two time MVP, and first ever silver medalist in the Men’s Straight four at the IRA National Championships. He also competed for the USRowing U-23 National team in 2006 and 2007, earning a Silver medal in 2006, missing out on the gold by .03 of a second.

Post college, Richard moved to Switzerland and traveled around competing in the European fall racing circuit.

In 2009, Richard went back to Saugatuck Rowing Club, and became head coach for the Junior Girls. During 2009-2010, Saugatuck Junior Girls saw their most successful season ever, qualifying 7 boats to the Youth Invitation Championships (more seats than could be filled.) Four out of the five boats that attended made the Grand Final. The notable accomplishment of qualifying 2 girls quads for the A-final, finishing 2nd and 4th place, with both boats breaking 7 minutes. Making Saugatuck the first program to ever qualify two girls quads into the A-Final.

Following the championships, Richard went on to coach the Junior Girls Sculling National Team in 2010 with long time mentor, Guenter Beutter. Once again, Guenter and Richard led the Girls sculling team to the best overall finish ever, with a 6th place finish in the Junior Girls quad.

Richard is currently coaching at GMS Rowing center, and continues to train for the USRowing Senior National Team.

She is a certified personal trainer and brings this knowledge to assist her rowers in developing their fitness. Linda is the head of our cadet/learn to row program at GMS. She has been coaching and has been an administrative assistant for GMS for 4 years. Linda starting rowing at GMS when the club came to New Milford, and fell in love with the sport. Coaching and instructing people on their well being and fitness is her true passion. She plans to continue her education in the coaching field. Linda currently coaches our adult learn to row and novice program, middle school and high school learn to row and novice program, and private lessons.