TOM KERBER
The Launch Dock Master
ST. ANDREW ROWING CLUB, Marietta, GA
Most of my family rows, so rowing has been a part of my life for 1.5 decades, yet I’ve never been in a sculling boat. They’ve taught me to be supportive of rowers, nonetheless!
How did you get started with rowing and the Hooch?
I’m not a rower, but almost everyone in my family is, so I was more or less dragged kicking and screaming into it all (big laugh).
My daughter (Riley Kerber) started rowing at 11, so I got to hear all about it driving her to and from practice. I would hear all the details about splits and strokes – I have forgotten half of it but know more than I should. I was also an amateur photographer, so the first few years that Riley was rowing (at St. Andrews) I was the unofficial team photographer.
Then I started driving boats at the John Hunter Regatta (for St. Andrews) at Lake Lanier where the Hooch used to be held. I was driving the chase boats with the referees up and down the course. That was fun.
Then when Riley started in college, I got a small breather, but was soon dragged into volunteering at the Hooch. I’d volunteered there when she rowed in middle school and high school, but once she went to college my job got bigger.
I did a couple of different jobs with the Hooch, but at some point, I met William Esterhuizen (Dock Master), so I started working with him about 7 years ago and have run the launch dock ever since.
What does the Head of the Hooch Launch Dock Master do?
Greet each rower before their event, help them relax and smile, and bring the drama down a little before they push off the dock. Keep rowers, boats, oars, helpers, equipment moving onto the dock and off efficiently.
Make sure only the people that are supposed to be on the dock are the people launching and recovering.
Guide the volunteers who come to lend their help on the launch dock. This is something you can learn, without having been a rower. Most of it is common sense. If you volunteer on the launch dock, you will experience first-hand a wide sampling of how the Hooch operates, and you get to see everyone. It’s a great place to volunteer!
Favorite part of the Hooch?
Best part of my job at the Hooch is that I am the only individual that gets to greet every rower before every event, every day. It’s a fun job and a great environment. I love teaching new people on the dock how they can contribute to a terrific experience for every rower.