WHY I COACH:
“I coach because of how rewarding and personally fulfilling it is. There is nothing better than seeing someone find a similar joy in the sport of rowing that I’ve been able to find for the last 15 years. Having the privilege to be able to facilitate that is so meaningful. Coaching younger rowers specifically is so rewarding because of the huge levels of progress we as coaches get to witness.
I find rowing to be such a wonderful sport because the effort you put in is exactly what you’ll get out of it. This isn’t necessarily true of every sport, so it invites a certain type of participant who has an incredible work ethic and joy for progress. I also have so much fun spending time with young people. I find their honesty and quirkyness to be so refreshing and there’s never a dull or boring moment when chatting with any of these young athletes.“
BIO:
Sarah began rowing in 2011 when she walked onto the Women’s team at UCLA. She was hooked immediately and along the way she helped lead the 2nd Varsity 8+ to NCAAs in 2014 where her crew finished 9th overall and her team finished 12th in the nation.
After graduating from UCLA in 2015, Sarah moved to Drake University where she held the position of Assistant Women’s Coach. During her 4 years at Drake, she helped lead the team to some of their highest finishes at the MAAC Championships.
In 2022, Sarah accepted a position as the Women’s Head Coach for Pelham Community Rowing Association in Pelham, NY. While there, she built the team from a small group of 8 girls to a competitive group of close to 30 girls. Under her guidance in 2024, the Women’s team qualified a Varsity 8+ for Nationals for the first time in program history; and in 2025, the team qualified a Women’s First Varsity 8+ and Second Varsity 8+ for the first time in program history!
Sarah continues to row for enjoyment and can be seen taking a single out for a spin or getting a quick workout in on the erg.
MY FAVORITE ROWING MEMORY:
“My favorite rowing memory happened in 2014. I was rowing for UCLA at the time in the Second Varsity 8+ and we made it to the Grand Final at PAC 12s. It was one of the fiercest races I’ve ever participated in. We were fighting with the University of Washington the whole race for 2nd place. UW had been a major rival for us that entire year. At the 1K, they were half a boat length up on us. Our coxswain was able to push us enough to gain back the boat length and just edge ahead of them at the finish, leading us to a silver medal. Our ability to come together as a boat is really what helped us earn that medal, and that race is a great representation of all the great memories I made with my boat mates that season.”