Welcome to Team-Building at SDRC!

“Where individuals come and a team returns!”

A word from JoAnn Vallese, , M.E.d.,  founder and facilitator:

We are very excited to welcome every organization to the San Diego Rowing
Club! My name is JoAnn Vallese and I have been a part of the rowing community as a rower and coxswain for more than 30 years. I have developed a dynamic team building and leadership development program that fosters a hands-on understanding of how individuals working together in challenging situations can create amazing results!

Your group will be welcomed with a boathouse history and tour, you will then be trained on rowing machines and head out on the water in our eight-seated racing shells.

Learning the fundamentals of rowing on the water creates a vibrant,
experiential learning environment enabling a participant to translate newly learned skills directly to their own organization.

We can tailor our program to meet any group’s desires. I work individually with each organization to identify their needs and goals in a pre-program assessment in order to develop a unique and engaging Team Building and Leadership Development Curriculum. During our guided de-brief, we compare three core concepts participants just experienced on the water to three correlating core concepts required of any high performance team.

Typically, in our full-day, 6 hour program, a group will meet from 9 a.m. to 3
p.m. and experience a history/orientation, land training, water session,
curriculum-based guided debrief and lunch. During your on-the-water session we provide two or more experienced rowers in each of our 8-person boats. No matter what the size or physical abilities are of your group, we can adjust to meet your needs. A San Diego Rowing Club coach will be on the water riding alongside participants to provide coaching and assistance. Back at the boathouse, we meet in our Garty Pavilion to have lunch where there is an amazing view of Mission Bay and the walls are lined with historical rowing memorabilia. Our curriculum based, guided debrief facilitates reflection and encourages participants to make connections between their rowing experience as a team and roles within their own organization/workplace. Groups are also welcome to make arrangements to stay later or add days for private meetings in our beautiful pavilion. Lastly, each participant receives a custom t-shirt with your organization’s logo, our boathouse logo and the date of your event.

We also offer a half-day program, which includes a  history/orientation, land and water training only; a multi-day program including all of our full-day program components as described above, with multiple water trainings and expanded curriculum instruction. Additionally, we offer evening training opportunities following our events for local groups to row together weekly and compete in corporate events at local regattas.

If you would like more information about our Team-Building Program, please contact JoAnn Vallese jvallese@sandiegorowing.org or (858)-688-2237. JoAnn Vallese holds a Master of Education in Counseling and Leadership Studies from the University of San Diego.

Some of the companies we have served:
San Diego Airport Aviation Security Department
UCSD Sports Medicine Department
HD Supply
Hologic Medical Device Company
Agena Bioscience
Cavotec Engineering Services Company
Dago Forum, Young Presidents Organization
EMC/Dell Computer Data Storage Company
Orbital ATK/Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems
Avidity Biosciences
Red Horse Corporation
ENVOY Group

What they are saying about us:

“Outstanding program-the quality and professionalism of the instruction is what makes the format so effective.”-Vince, Red Horse

“JoAnn is a top notch facilitator and professional. Pat (our coach) was highly engaged and focused on helping us learn.”-Ken, Dago Forum

“A great experience; I appreciate the coaching and afterwards how you related it to work – the discussion was great. “–David, Dago Forum

“Really enjoyed the knowledge and engagement of JoAnn.”-Joe, Orbital

“Very much appreciated the opportunity to be challenged physically, emotionally and professionally. I value connecting with my colleagues during non-work events and in an environment we’re not used to.”-Sherry, Red Horse

“This was the most pertinent and relevant team building event I have participated in for this type of company. I have been in the biotech pharmaceutical field for over 30 years so I have seen a few of these events.”-John, Avidity

“Terrific pace, the right duration, relevant topics.”-Chris, ENVOY Group