10 Things About Janine Pothoff Melberg & San Diego Crew Classic

“The best gift anyone can give, I believe, is the gift of sharing themselves.”
– Oprah Winfrey

For 50 years, the San Diego Crew Classic (SDCC) has been an instrumental part of the San Diego rowing community and has brought the best competition from all over the world to compete against each other as well as our local athletes. While the event started as a collegiate event, it has grown to include Youth and Masters rowing as well. Janine Pothoff Melberg serves on the SDCC Board as their Hospitality Committee Chair and the Chair of the Sunday Brunch by the Bay.

#1 I grew up in Tucson, Arizona, but have spent most of the last 45 years in the San Francisco Bay Area and Denver, Colorado, wintering in San Diego the past four years.

#2 Mexico is easy to get to and our family – husband Mark and daughters Kate (27) and Jacqueline (24) – love the culture, the people, the food, the beaches, and the incredible scuba diving.

#3 High on my bucket list is to visit Southeast Asia – especially Indonesia, the birthplace of my father.

#4 I enjoy listening to two or three audiobooks per week…at 1.5 speed!

#5 On my bucket list is to walk one of the routes of the Camino de Santiago.

#6 In 2016, I co-founded Denver Adaptive Divers, an all-volunteer non-profit that trains, certifies, equips, and sends people with physical and cognitive disabilities on weeklong scuba diving trips.

#7 I learned the joy of giving and taking an active part in the community from my father who, as a family physician with a modest salary, could not give money, but gave to the community his time and service.

#8 I was by far the slowest in a singles rowing class conducted by renowned rowing coach Joe Dowd, but he never left me, and he always encouraged me to keep going. Joe exhibited how a coach-mentor-teacher can make a world of difference by providing positive and continued support when one is learning and improving skills.

#9 I was enjoying my first winter in San Diego, rowing with San Diego Rowing Club, when the former Crew Classic Associate Director – Jane Pederson – brought me on as a volunteer to secure donations for the 2020 Sunday Brunch’s silent auction. I was asked to chair the 2022 Sunday Brunch, become a member of the Crew Classic Board, and I joined as a Steward.

#10 Most exciting is seeing the regatta develop over the years, led by friends I row with at the San Diego Rowing Club and volunteers from across the nation. And I love the fact that the Crew Classic supports Para-rowers, Row for the Cure and veterans with Freedom Rows.

San Diego Crew Classic
March 31-April 2, 2023
Friday 3-5 pm, Saturday and Sunday 7 am-5 pm
Crown Point Shores
3699 Crown Point Drive, San Diego, CA 92109
www.crewclassic.org [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]