COACHES
Head Coach Brian Ford
Brian is a graduate of Philips Exeter Academy. He holds a BA from the University of Washington, an MA from Northeastern and a PhD in English Literature from Tufts University. He has taught and coached crew (including several regional and a national championship team) at Groton School, Noble and Greenough, and Miss Porter’s School, and has also taught at Concord Academy, Westminster School, and Dana Hall School. A dissertation on the poet Wallace Stevens led to interest in 20th century American poetry; his other great love in literature is Charles Dickens and the English 19th century, but other writers and other worlds also delight. He keeps up with Alice Munro, David Mitchell, and Anne Tyler, in particular, and, thanks to a former student’s gift some years back, Haruki Murakami. He’s been married for a considerable number of decades to M. Burch T. Ford, former Head of Miss Porter’s School, and has two grown sons. Both Brian and Burch grew up in important ways in the Peace Corps in Senegal between 1966 and 1968.
Assistant Coach Katie Wells
Katie holds a BA from Bowdoin College and a Masters degree from the University of Virginia. She has taught at Charlotte Country Day School from 2010-2013 and began teaching at Pomfret School in 2013. Katie rowed port under Coach Gil Birney at Bowdoin College, competing in the varsity four boat at the Head of the Charles and Dad Vail Regattas. Katie teaches AP US History and Modern World History at Pomfret School and lives in Girls Bricks with her wife, Katy Field who is pursuing her doctoral degree at the University of Connecticut. She attended the JR Rowing Coaches Conference in Saratoga Springs in Feb 2014 and the Craftsbury Sculling Clinic in August 2014.
Assistant Coach Pablo Montoro Alonso
I joined the crew program without knowing much about the sport but after a year learning with Coach Thorne I started to truly like this sport and everything it involves. I have been very lucky to work with great coaches in my 7 years at Pomfret and I have seen the full potential of our program and I am looking forward to helping the team succeed.
Brian is a graduate of Philips Exeter Academy. He holds a BA from the University of Washington, an MA from Northeastern and a PhD in English Literature from Tufts University. He has taught and coached crew (including several regional and a national championship team) at Groton School, Noble and Greenough, and Miss Porter’s School, and has also taught at Concord Academy, Westminster School, and Dana Hall School. A dissertation on the poet Wallace Stevens led to interest in 20th century American poetry; his other great love in literature is Charles Dickens and the English 19th century, but other writers and other worlds also delight. He keeps up with Alice Munro, David Mitchell, and Anne Tyler, in particular, and, thanks to a former student’s gift some years back, Haruki Murakami. He’s been married for a considerable number of decades to M. Burch T. Ford, former Head of Miss Porter’s School, and has two grown sons. Both Brian and Burch grew up in important ways in the Peace Corps in Senegal between 1966 and 1968.
Assistant Coach Katie Wells
Katie holds a BA from Bowdoin College and a Masters degree from the University of Virginia. She has taught at Charlotte Country Day School from 2010-2013 and began teaching at Pomfret School in 2013. Katie rowed port under Coach Gil Birney at Bowdoin College, competing in the varsity four boat at the Head of the Charles and Dad Vail Regattas. Katie teaches AP US History and Modern World History at Pomfret School and lives in Girls Bricks with her wife, Katy Field who is pursuing her doctoral degree at the University of Connecticut. She attended the JR Rowing Coaches Conference in Saratoga Springs in Feb 2014 and the Craftsbury Sculling Clinic in August 2014.
Assistant Coach Pablo Montoro Alonso
I joined the crew program without knowing much about the sport but after a year learning with Coach Thorne I started to truly like this sport and everything it involves. I have been very lucky to work with great coaches in my 7 years at Pomfret and I have seen the full potential of our program and I am looking forward to helping the team succeed.