Doug Welling
Head Coach Doug Welling has a broad background in sport—from equestrian, traditional team sports and snowboarding in youth, to four years of collegiate rowing while attending Bates College in Maine and the University of Otago, New Zealand. After graduating from Bates in 2001, he coached rowing at Middlebury College and the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Doug joined the Bowdoin community as assistant coach in 2011 and graduated to head coach in 2018. Doug’s crews have medaled at the New England Rowing Championships, Dad Vail Regatta, and Head of the Charles. His crews compete regularly at the Henley Royal Regatta on the Thames in the UK.
Since 2016, Doug has been selected to coach the summertime US Rowing Olympic Development Program in Ashland, Oregon.
Personally, Doug still loves to train and compete in triathlons. He has raced extensively, qualifying for numerous world championship events, including the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii twice. He also operates a multisport coaching company, The Sustainable Athlete, based in Maine.
Doug loves all things outdoors, especially when shared with his family!
He can be contacted at [email protected].
Jenny Sherman
Assistant Coach Jenny Sherman believes the best crews are built on more than strength and skill. They are grounded in gratitude, humility, and a relentless drive to improve. She carries forward the philosophy of her mentor, UVA coach Kevin Sauer: “Entitled to nothing, grateful for everything,” a mindset that shapes the culture she creates in the boathouse.
Mentored by Sauer and Lou Berl at Nobles, Jenny learned that rowing’s greatest gift is not the medal at the end, but the person you become in the process. Even after four NEIRA titles, a standing course record, and an NCAA Championship, it is the friendships and lessons that matter most.
Jenny helps her athletes chase excellence, work hard, and find joy in the grind. Drawing on her background as a yoga instructor, she integrates body awareness, breath, and mental training to build composure and resilience under pressure. She challenges her crews to commit fully to one another, building trust and connection in the boat.
She believes every rower has untapped potential and that the strongest teams leave with more than results, they leave with lasting character, resilience, and connection.
Outside the boathouse, Jenny enjoys Maine life with her partner and their four children and runs a brand and lifestyle photography business she founded in 2010.
She can be contacted at [email protected]
Gil Birney
After 22 years leading Bowdoin Rowing as Head Coach of the Men’s and Women’s programs, Gil Birney retired following the spring 2018 season. His tenure left a lasting mark on the program—building not only competitive crews but also a culture of hard work, camaraderie, and joy on the water.
A few years later, in spring 2021, Gil returned to the New Meadows as a volunteer coach. Since then, he has been a steady presence alongside the coaching staff, sharing his deep well of experience and his trademark enthusiasm with a new generation of Polar Bears.
Gil is especially energized by the chance to coach from the program’s beautiful new boathouse, a facility that reflects Bowdoin Rowing’s growth and bright future. He remains grateful to Coach Doug Welling and the College for welcoming him back during the exciting early stages of this new era.
