A Message from the Executive Director
I am pleased to announce that Weston Cole has officially accepted the position of Junior Rowing Program Director at the Newport Aquatic Center, in addition to his Womens Head Coach position.
In this role, Weston will be responsible for overseeing and unifying all three Junior programs—our girls program, boys program, and middle school program. His leadership will extend across key areas including administrative planning, budgeting, fundraising, equipment management, staffing, and overall program communication.
Most importantly, Weston will continue to support and strengthen the core values that define our program: teamwork, integrity, perseverance, and a positive team culture.
He brings with him strong leadership skills and a clear vision for growth and excellence, and we are confident that under his direction, the Junior Rowing Program will continue to thrive.
Please join me in welcoming Weston to this important role.
GO NAC!
Billy Whitford
Executive Director
hello! my name is Kelly O’Dell. I joined the Newport Aquatic Center when i was pretty fresh out of college, moving from honolulu to costa mesa in 1999. maybe it was 2000. I grew up paddling outrigger in Kona (for kai’opua and kai E Hitu) from the age of 9 till my mid 20s. moving to a pretty weird place (compared to small town kealakekua-kona), i was amazed to find outrigger canoe paddling down the street?!!! Uncle Billy opened the door for me there at the aquatic center when i needed community but could not afford the membership. I just wanted to say thank you, Uncle Billy, hoping you are at the other end of this email. youve been through a ton of paddlers in the past 26 years since ive been there— its ok if you dont remember! i’ll try-You allowed me to trade you a sculpted glass flower lei in trade for paddling lessons. I would do it again/ donate to any fundraisers or auctions you might have!
I ended up moving to a glass center (seattle), working for the artist i looked up to the most- and eventually became a professional artist. Now i live on Lopez island, WA with my husband and awesome teenager, we built a glass shop here at our home, and this is still what we do.
guess what? a few weeks ago- i saw on the community facebook page- some folks were bringing a canoe here to Lopez island. we’ve been practicing on sundays at noon, and this unlocked a happiness in my heart i didnt even know was there.
I just wanted to thank you so much for welcoming me, when you did. i wasnt there long. i was able to do the dana point race and the catalina race with you all. we did well, and it was amazing. thank you so much. this is 26 years later! and my experience with the aquatic center is still very much with me. i wasnt there long. but it was important to me then and now.
there are only 6 or 7 of us paddling, mostly new folks, a couple experienced paddlers. its just for fun, we have a good time. the coach mentioned you, his name is Fred Anglin, and he sent an old article from 1989 to our group this evening- the article mentions you.
thank you again, so much. Aloha!!
my very best,
Kelly