WHY I COACH:
I coach because I know that rowing builds better people. The characteristics one must develop and refine to become an effective member of a crew are the characteristics that must be developed to be successful in life; whether in family, friendships, community or career.
MY ROWING STORY:
As a coach, I mentored collegiate women in the Division I university setting for 34 years. As an assistant coach, I enjoyed opportunities at Syracuse University, which held a long and storied tradition of rowing, and at University of Iowa, where I helped engineer the start of a new women’s program just as the NCAA was bringing women’s rowing under it’s umbrella of sponsored sports. We had a lot of fun creating our own traditions as we made our mark at the top of the midwest rowing scene and at USRowing and NCAA Nationals. As a Head Coach, I led the Lady Volunteers at the University of Tennessee for 25 years. We appeared in many NCAA Championships and hosted one here at Oak Ridge! We also enjoyed victories at several South Region/Conference Championships and always finished within the top 3 of our conference. Most of all, we focused on building the whole person along the way: the student, the individual person, and the teammate. Along the way, I have also coached in camp settings across the country for the Junior National Team and Masters Women’s Camps, and I enjoy the variety that brings to my coaching kit. As a spokesperson for the sport, I have served on the USRowing Board of Directors, the NCAA Championships Committee, and as Start Area Supervisor for the 1996 Olympic Games Rowing Venue at Lake Lanier.
I learned to row at Mount Holyoke College (Massachusetts). I was so fortunate to have a unique and strong group of upperclassmen ahead of me and a 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist as my coach (Holly Metcalf). That experience was the seed that became my passion and my calling for the majority of my adult life.
MY FAVORITE ROWING MEMORY:
During college, racing – unaffiliated – at the Princeton Chase regatta during a time when we were limited in the number of races we were allowed to wear the school jersey in during the fall. We borrowed a huge, heavy Schoenbrod racing shell from the bottom of the Princeton fleet, wore black, and had a blast racing and a great performance as a crew. The best part was the commitment I and my teammates felt for the mission and working for something bigger than ourselves. To be able to bring my Tennessee crews – years later (thank you L. Dauphiny) – to the same storied venue, to create race experiences they could cherish forever, was fantastic.