RowBuffalo Coaches & Staff
Athletes are coached by a highly successful staff, made up of US National Team coaches and rowers, collegiate coaches and rowers, and experienced junior coaches.
RowBuffalo Head Coach & U23/Senior Men's Head Coach
RJ Rubino
RowBuffalo’s U23/Sr Men’s program features RJ Rubino. A former US National Team Oarsman, RJ won and medaled at national and international regattas. RJ has lead programs including Canisius High School, BSRA, RowBuffalo and the U23 US National Team. As head coach, RJ’s programs have won a U23 World Championship, eight Royal Canadian Henley’s, seven USRowing Youth and Summer National Championships, seven Canadian Schoolboys, four US Schoolboys and dozens of New York State Championships.
U17/U19 Men's Head Coach
Ryan Ficorilli
The men’s program features Ryan Ficorilli, who led the Columbia University Rowing Team as captain for two years. He holds gold metal victories in eights at the Sprints. He has coached college and high school programs for over 10 years with gold metal results at NYS Championships SRAA, and CSSRA events. He was a member of the US National Team and represented the US at the Pan Am Games. Ryan has won/medaled at every major regatta in North America.
Head Women's Coach & Washington D.C. Camp Director
Tolsun Waddle
Tolsun Waddle U23/Sr Woman’s Head Coach Tolsun founded SKCF Rowing. In his brief coaching career, his crews have won Canadian Henley, USRowing national championships, San Diego Crew Classic, Head of the Charles, and the Dad Vail Regatta. Summer 2023 saw the inaugural iteration of the SKCF pairs project, when Tolsun coached four athletes to national championships in four separate events. Two of those athletes went on to win the U23 heavyweight pair at Canadian Henley. Tolsun is a small boats specialist whose favorite boat classes are the single and the pair. He has won national titles in the single, double, straight pair, coxed four, straight four, and eight.
Assistant Director of Operations & Assistant Coach
Ryan Brown
Ryan Brown is the Assistant Director of Operations and an assistant coach for RowBuffalo. Ryan has worked as an assistant coach for Canisius High School, the Buffalo Scholastic Rowing Association, and RowBuffalo. Ryan has also worked on the International Level as the assistant men's 2- coach and team support for the U19 National Team in Paris, France.
U16/Novice Senior Assistant Coach
Tom Flaherty
Tom, a graduate of St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute and the The Citadel is a retired Captain with the Erie County Sheriff's Department and a retired Lt. Colonel in the US Army Reserve. He has been associated with several federal agencies including the DEA, FBI, and Department of Homeland Security. Tom was the Head coach for Canisius High School for many years, and is currently the President of Rowing for Canisius. He has coached crews crews to several National Rowing Championships and Canadian Henley golds. Tom also serves on the Board of Directors at the Buffalo Scholastic Rowing Association.
Assistant Coach
Anna Rubino
Anna was a dual sport athlete at Nardin Academy. She was the stroke of her rowing teams Varsity 8+ and captin of the swim team, which she lead to four Monsignor Martin League Championships. Anna was a nationally competitive and ranked swimmer, winning championships on the scholastic, country club and swim club levels.
After graduating high school, Anna became the Head Swim Coach of Sacred Heart, coaching her two sisters Lilly and Thea to win the school its first Monsignor Martin League Championship in 20 years. She is currently an art teacher at Kenmore West High School.
U16/Novice Coach
Olivia Shultz
Olivia has been a member of the Buffalo rowing community since she was 11 years old. Olivia rowed for City Honors in middle and high school and joined Friends of Albany Crew during her first year of studies at The University at Albany, SUNY. Olivia spearheaded the recruitment and retention aspect of her collegiate team, dedicated to introducing as many people as possible to the sport. When she’s not working or on the water, Olivia enjoys hiking and exploring new outdoor places. She loves to cook and bake, frequently trying out new recipes or dishes for her friends and family to enjoy. Her favorite hobby is photography, and you can often find her looking at the world through the lens of her analog camera.
Assistant Coach
Kirk Kostrzewski
Coming Soon...
Assistant Coach
Cornelia Streeter
Cornelia Streeter will be joining RowBuffalo this summer as an assistant coach and a coxswain for the U23 men’s program. After coxing for two years at Deerfield Academy, she is now a coxswain on the Columbia Men’s Heavyweight Rowing team where she is studying Financial Economics with a concentration in Hispanic Studies.
Assistant Coach
Marshall Adams
Marshall will be joining RowBuffalo as an assistant coach for Summer 2024. He is currently a dual sport athlete (rowing and swimming) at Ithaca College. A graduate of Canisius High School, he has been a part of the Buffalo Rowing Community for the past several years. Recently, has was a part of Ithaca College's first rowing Liberty League championship win; and qualifying the V8 to the 2024 IRA National Championship.