Coaches
Coach Carabillo rowed for Simsbury High School for 3 years, graduating in 1983. In her senior year, her boat was second at the Stotesbury Cup and third at the New England Championships. She continued rowing for four years at Northeastern University.
A Simsbury coach since 1989, she coached novice boys for five years, and has been coaching varsity boys since 1994. She coached the 2004 boys varsity to a silver medal at NEIRA and a berth in the USRowing Youth Invitational. Coach Carabillo identifies rowers who may be eligible for Junior National consideration. She received USRowing Coaching Level III Certification in 2001.
During the summer months, She manages programs for developing and aspiring rowers. Coach Carabillo tends to boathouse upkeep and equipment repair in between programs. She is also the president of the CPSRA and is the head seeder for the boys eight at the NEIRA.
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Vanessa Moors is a highly accomplished rowing coach and athlete with a rich history in the sport spanning over four decades. Born into a rowing family, she began her journey at age 8, inspired by her father Brian Thorne, a Canadian National Team member with multiple international medals. Vanessa's own competitive career has been equally impressive, earning accolades such as the 1994 Canadian Youth Sculler of the Year and over 10 gold medals at the Royal Canadian Henley. Her coaching achievements include multiple NEIRA medals, Silver Medal at Youth Nationals and consistently qualifying crews for NEIRA Championships. Vanessa has mentored numerous athletes who have gone on to successful Division 1 rowing careers including one who became a decorated national team member, competing in the 2016 Olympics. Earlier in her career, Vanessa coached at several schools and clubs where her teams secured medals at Stotesbury Cup, Canadian Schoolboy Championships and Henley regattas. She also served as the Head Coach for St. Catharines Youth Rowing from 1994 to 2004, focusing on developing young talent. Vanessa continues to compete at the masters level, having completed 25 Head of the Charles races. Beyond rowing, she is an accomplished runner and cyclist, with achievements including several marathons including the Boston Marathon in 2021.
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Coach Amy started her rowing journey in middle school. She attended the summer rowing camp. She began coxing her freshman year in high school and continued on to become the boys varsity coxswain here at Simsbury High School, coached by our very own Coach Carabillo. She then continued to cox briefly while attending Marist College. She returned to Simsbury Crew in the spring of 2021, excited to share a new and different perspective on coaching given her experience as a coxswain. The highlight of her history in rowing was racing in HOCR during her years as a varsity coxswain and watching her brother compete at the Royal Henley Regatta.
Coach Drew rowed for four years at Simsbury High School from 2020 to 2024. During his sophomore and junior spring seasons, his boat placed first at the CPSRA Championship, and in 2022, he earned a spot to compete at NEIRA. He has rowed in every seat of the boat and prefers sweep rowing over sculling. In his senior year, he was elected captain of the boys' team. Coach Drew joined the coaching staff in 2025, excited to return to the program—this time from a new perspective, as a coach rather than a rower. He is currently attending the University of Connecticut, pursuing a bachelor's degree. In his free time, he enjoys running and golfing. One of his favorite memories from rowing was winning at the CPSRA Championships.
Coach Ashley Atencio began her rowing career at a learn to row camp at the Paine Boathouse and continued throughout high school. The highlight of her time at Simsbury Crew was stroking the varsity 8 to a second place finish at the 1993 Head of the Charles. The following year she was recruited to row at Columbia. As a member of the of both the crew and equestrian teams (not simultaneously), Ashley is one of the few people who can claim they rowed and rode for Columbia. While taking a year away from school, Ashley had the fantastic good fortune to coach three 8’s of novice girls at Simsbury. In the ensuing decades, she referred to this as the “best job I ever had.” While coaching, she learned to scull and competed at the 1995 Charles. In addition to rowing, Ashley has pursued a variety of athletic interests from cycling to running the NYC marathon to her current obsession with functional fitness. When not at the boathouse, you can find her collecting finishers medals at 5k’s and 10k’s and competing in local CrossFit competitions.
Coach Molly started off as the Novice Boys coach in the Fall of 2021, settling into the position of landcoach and moving into the Varsity Assistant coaching position in the spring of 2023. She graduated from Simsbury High School in 2007, where she played soccer, basketball, and track and field, as well as field hockey and lacrosse in the summers. She currently works in the Simsbury school system.