Our mission at CREW309 is to empower women to lower their breast cancer risk through the sport of rowing. Research has shown that 150 minutes of active physical exercise a week can reduce rates of breast cancer recurrence by up to 50%. While most of the women on our team have battled breast cancer, we also welcome women with high risk genetic mutations, called previvors, to join our ranks and lower their risk of developing breast cancer in the future.
While cancer is what binds us, it is not what defines us. On the contrary, when we get together, the focus is rarely on cancer. While we may reach out to our teammates when navigating difficult treatment decisions or side effects, our conversation usually revolves around the sport of rowing and the friendships that are made on and off the water.
Nearly all of our members have never rowed before joining the team, so we welcome women of all ages and abilities. Some of our members have been in organized sports since childhood, while others are still learning what it means to be an athlete. Because we believe so strongly in the power of exercise, programming is free to any member wishing to join.
CREW309 is a registered 501c3, non-profit organization. Since our membership is free, all of our programming relies strictly on donations. We have loved partnering with many small businesses, raising awareness and funding for our team while supporting our local community. If you are interested in partnering with us for a fundraiser, please fill out our contact form.
Head Coach/Executive Board Vice President
Dr. Nicole Delinski started rowing at Murray State University in 2002 on their women’s NCAA crew team. When Nicole returned to Peoria, rowing was not an available activity. Nicole serves as the Director of Clinical Professional Development for OSF HealthCare. In 2018, Nicole was reconnected with a high school friend that was looking for a rowing coach for ROW Peoria. Nicole accepted the opportunity to volunteer as the ROW Peoria Head Coach. Nicole is a certified indoor rowing instructor and a certified rowing coach L1, and L2(ip) with USRowing.
Executive Board Treasurer
Karoline Seitz is a breast cancer survivor and Peoria local since the early 1990s. Additionally, she has been a member of the Peoria commercial banking community for over 20 years. Her focus has always been commercial banking, in particular, Treasury Management Services to assist Peoria’s businesses in improving their cash flow and efficiencies. Karoline also strongly believes in giving back to our community and has volunteered for several local organizations including Junior Achievement since 1993, Illinois CancerCare Foundation, Inc. Advisory Board member since 2016 and Co-Chair of CASABlanca Dancing with the Local Stars since 2016. In early 2018 Karoline took up rowing with ROW Peoria, as a means to stay active while recovering from cancer. The program clicked, and in 2019, Karoline joined on the executive team of ROW Peoria (CREW309) as Treasurer. When not rowing with CREW309, Karoline spends time with her husband and son biking, skiing, boating, watching car races and enjoying life together.
Outreach Coordinator/ Executive Board Secretary
Lindsay Vlaminck is a breast cancer survivor and the Outreach Coordinator for CREW309. She began rowing at Augustana College as a college freshman and by senior year, she was captain of the women’s team. She works at OSF as a Breast Health Navigator, which is a nurse that helps support and educate women going through treatment for breast cancer. Her passion is to empower and educate women to lead healthier lives after the devastating blow of a cancer diagnosis. Her husband, Mitch, is an electrical engineer at Caterpillar and they live in Germantown Hills with their 2 daughters, Kate (7) and Evelyn (4).
CREW309 is a nonprofit group and row team supporting patients and survivors of breast cancer.
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