Pulling Together for Winsor

By Joan Yenawine

This fall, the Afeyan Foundation made Winsor history when it endowed the Lisa Stone Chair for Crew. This remarkable gift—the brainchild of sisters Armine Afeyan ’08, Taleen Afeyan ’10, and Lena Afeyan ’13—marks the first time that an endowed chair supports a head coaching role.

For the Afeyans, the idea for this groundbreaking gift was sparked when they learned that Coach Stone P’03, was retiring in 2022. All three sisters had rowed for her and eventually became crew captains, experiences that had lifelong impacts on them.

“Winsor rowing has meant so much to me and my family—from yelling at the sidelines as a lower schooler as my older sisters raced, to the memory of having them both home from college to cheer me off the dock for my last race,” says Lena. “Having a world-class coach like Lisa gave so many Winsor rowers these glorious memories of intense training and victory, but also allowed us to learn what kind of competitors, teammates, and leaders we wanted to be in the face of hardship or setbacks in any arena in life.”

While the Winsor crew program has a winning track record that includes taking home the NEIRA Team Trophy eight times, snagging gold medals at the Head of the Charles, as well as a prestigious Henley victory, Coach Stone is perhaps best known for promoting a “team first” mentality.

Armine remembers a team conversation in her senior year. “We all agreed that we wanted every athlete to leave with a medal; traditionally, the focus had been on the prestige of winning the first boat event, but we wanted to win the team event. Lisa led that shift and it’s had a lasting impact on Winsor crew.”

While many sports teach life lessons and the power of working together, there’s something unique about rowing. Winsor’s current Director of Rowing Maura Flanagan, the inaugural recipient of the Lisa Stone Chair for Crew, explains it like this:

“There’s a special moment in rowing when the pressure against the footplates is syncing up, the oars are dropping together and the boat starts to lift and move. Yes, it’s hard work, but you never forget how that feels. Not only do the athletes need to sync up with others in the same boat, they also have to commit to the team, where they are always pushing the other boats to be faster.”

Winsor’s crew team is a standout program for many reasons, including the iconic boathouse space they occupy. Every day, they “launch out of greatness,” says Coach Flanagan, dropping their boats into the Charles River, next to the Eliot Bridge, which is the last turn for the Head of the Charles Regatta. But more importantly, Armine notes, is that Winsor’s rowing philosophy reinforces the value of a girls’ school education, where students are encouraged to find their voices and express themselves.

“Rowing is a space where you’re allowed to be your full self, to take up space—and you’re celebrated for it. For me, rowing was a glimpse into what life could be like if I lived like that everywhere. I think it’s a crucial part of a Winsor education and a good deal of the draw for students and their families.”

In addition to endowing the Lisa Stone Chair for Crew at Winsor, the Afeyan sisters helped design and launch the Winsor Crew Equitable Experience Fund, which will support equipment and travel expenses so that student-athletes can participate regardless of their financial situation. The sisters made an initial gift to that fund and invited the Winsor community to participate in raising at least $250,000. Once that milestone is achieved, the fund will be invested with the Winsor endowment to support the program in perpetuity.

“We want to encourage the Winsor crew community to come together to make that happen,” explains Armine. Gifts of all sizes can and should support this goal. ”Extending the Winsor crew experience to more potential rowers was essential in deciding how to craft the family gift.

“My parents are both immigrants, so we’re the first generation in the United States; it was not at all apparent that my sisters and I would go to Winsor or that we would row,” Armine explains.

Knowing that rowing is equipment-intensive and requires significant travel, Taleen says they “hope this gift will ensure future Winsor rowers get this opportunity, and remove any existing barriers to creating a team that is as diverse as it is competitive.”  

As the Afeyan family looks to the future, they hope their investment will inspire others and help make a Winsor education possible for an increasingly diverse student body. To continue to make strides in that direction, the entire Winsor community is invited to pull together to support the ambitious new Winsor Leads campaign, set to launch on May 2, 2024.