Blog Posts

2019 USRowing National Championships

7/22/2019

USRowing Nationals took place from July ninth through the fourteenth. The athletes who went had trained for the three weeks prior to the event nearly two times a day. “ We wanted them to experience training at a higher intensity level, and wanted to help them understand the impact of that on their nutrition, sleep and recovery. They also got the opportunity to row in smaller boats (2-, 1x) which is harder to do logistically during the school year,” Eliza Dickson, Sammamish Rowing Association’s Junior Program Director, said.

Alec Willett, Ethan Currie, Anna Barry, and Eliza Dickson coached twenty-four junior athletes, who all had to apply for the training camp during their spring season. Coach Dickson said she, “really enjoyed watching the group come together as well as seeing how the athletes took ownership of the experience . Regardless of results, it is also gratifying to watch them learn so much in such a short period of time.” Many of the athletes were seen coming to the boathouse early before many of their double practices to get in extra work. Their dedication to training was remarkable. “They did an amazing job,” Dickson added, “many of our athletes did seven 2k races in three days. That’s like an entire season of spring racing!”

Junior rower, Eli Rubenstein, noted how difficult but gratifying the long weeks of training were. He said, “During the weeks of training before USRowing Nationals it was extremely difficult waking up early and practicing in a variety of boats six days a week, which introduced me to a whole new type of training that pushed me to new limits. Alongside the long morning water practices- the land days three days a week were very difficult. With all these practices a lot of food and sleep was needed, but in the end all the hours were worth it.”

Many of the rowers had their own reasons for doing the camp, but Rubenstein said, “I decided to do this camp to have an opportunity to get more one on one time with the coaches so I could build relationships with them early on. One of my main goals personally for this camp was to improve my rowing technically so I can have the best chance possible for the upcoming season. This experience helped me as a rower to really advance my rowing to another level, be able to compete against the fastest nationally, and also mentally be able to push myself beyond limits I didn't know existed.”

Philip Popa, a junior coxswain of the group, also gave insight on to why he did the camp. “I wanted to gain more racing experience,” he said. “More than that, I also wanted to gain an overall feel for how the experienced boys’ team functions, since I will be joining them in the fall. As far as racing was concerned, I just wanted to place as high as possible, and be able to say after the regatta that we did our best whatever the results ended up being.” Popa and Rubenstein were both on the Junior Boys Novice team last fall and spring and will now be on the Experience Junior Boys team.

Even though the training was long, difficult, and tiring, the athletes still had plenty of fun. Rubenstein commented on one of his favorite memories during the trip to Ohio. He said, “One of my favorite moments was the day raced in the Semi-Finals for the U17 4+. Going into this race our whole boat were novices and had the least amount of experience. We were given a speech from Coach Liza and Ethan before our race that opened up our eyes to a whole new world. They told us we were the future of Sammamish [Sammamish Rowing Association], and this race was for us to push our limits more than any other. Our race was the hardest we had ever pushed ourselves and because of that a sense of pride comes to me. Although we didn't qualify for the Grand Finals we did our best and learned a lot along the way.”

Whether or not our juniors got a medal- they all came away from USRowing Nationals with successful accomplishments. From pushing their limits, forging new relationships, and discovering their unbounded potential- every junior rower has a reason to be proud of their performance in Ohio. Sammamish Rowing Association did however take home a second place finish in the Women’s U19 2- Final, and second place in the Women’s U19 4- Final. Congratulations to all of our athletes for your amazing growth, development, and success during USRowing Nationals training and the regatta!

SRA Stories: Head Girls Coach Dennis Ferrer!

7/11/2019

SRA Junior Program Director Eliza Dickson has announced Dennis Ferrer as Head Girls Coach.

"The key traits I was looking for during the search were a commitment to developing young people, both in and out of rowing; a commitment to building a full-team culture based on hard work and respect; the ability to work with all coaches on staff in a selfless and positive manner; and a history of success at the regional and national level," said Dickson. "During this process I became more and more confident that the best person for this job was right here in our boathouse."

"After working with Dennis over the past year one major thing stood out to me - the care, commitment and passion to give his athletes the best experience possible," Dickson continued. "That is the most important trait that I look for in any coach on our staff. Additionally, Dennis has a history of success coaching Sammamish boats to more than 13 Northwest Regional Championships and qualifying eight boats to USRowing Youth Nationals with four making the grand final – more than any other coach in SRA’s history. These are high achievements for an early coaching career."

“I’m humbled and excited by the opportunity to lead this team,” Ferrer said. “I’ve been a part of Sammamish for a long time and am looking forward to continuing to build SRA into the program we all know it can be. There is an incredible group of young women on the team right now and I think we are primed to make some big steps forward.”

SRA Stories: Molly Gallaher

7/1/2019

During her sophomore year of high school, Molly Gallaher played volleyball for her high school team and a competitive club team. An ACL tear forced her to stop playing. “It was about halfway through my 6 month recovery that I realized volleyball was out the window,” Gallaher said. It was then that she turned to Sammamish Rowing Association (SRA). Her doctor suggested trying rowing because it was low impact and her aunt had rowed at the University of Washington, so the sport was somewhat familiar to her. It didn’t take long for the rowing bug to bite and for Gallaher to fall in love with the sport.

Molly rowing with the UW team with the Seattle skyline in the background

Molly (second from front of photo) on Lake Sammamish for an alumni row

There wasn’t just one reason why Gallaher fell in love with the sport. She attributes part of her passion for rowing to the community she met at Sammamish. “The community was amazing, but I also fell in love with the ability to push myself as an athlete through the sport. Being amongst other women who had that same drive was inspiring,” she said. Gallaher rowed at SRA for part of her junior and all of her senior year of high school and was coached by Kelley Pope and Whitney Freygang. She made many friends- some of who she still stays in regular contact with today!

Those friends helped her form one of her favorite memories at SRA. During her senior year on the team, Gallaher was in the junior women’s V8+ that qualified for nationals. “It was the first time that the women’s V8+ had qualified in quite a few years. Before that, it was always the men’s V8+ that qualified. We were so excited to qualify the women’s V8+ and prove that Sammamish’s junior women’s team was just as competitive and dominant as the men’s”.

Molly and her UW teammate

Following high school rowing, Gallaher decided to attend the University of Washington (UW). Even before she started rowing, she knew that she wanted to attend UW for academics. After her rowing career started to get serious, she started to consider rowing in college. She got into UW without any help from the rowing team and then began to talk to coaches, and was eventually recruited onto the team. It would turn out that Gallaher would go on to become an incredible collegiate rower. Her list of accomplishments include winning 3 PAC-12 championships, an NCAA championship, and being invited to the US U23 national team selection camp this summer.

Photos from NCAA's

“Rowing in college really blew me away at first. The overall intensity was a huge step up from high school rowing. I didn’t think I was going to be able to push myself much further than I did in high school, but as soon as I got to college, my whole potential and mindset was opened up,” she said while comparing high school and collegiate rowing. “I definitely thought there would be other aspects of my life in college, but it’s mostly school and rowing, and I honestly don’t have a problem with that!”

College rowing is often characterized by tight schedules. Even though her time is predominantly spent either exclusively in the boathouse or in the classroom, she wouldn’t have had it any other way. The friendships, victories, and memories are all worth the sacrifices to a rower.

“On the final day of NCs I kept thinking ‘what’s happening, is this real?’ But of course it was real- we had been through so much together and grew so much over the course of the year,” Gallaher said, “we weren’t expecting that outcome, but no one was surprised that this group of women could pull it off”. The Huskies ended up winning the Varsity Eight, Second Varsity Eight, and Varsity Four to sweep the championship for the second time in three years. “I don’t think anything will ever be able to compare to that [sweeping NCAAs]. It was so special to have this final product of what we had been working for, especially alongside the people who matter so much to you. It still doesn’t feel real”

Molly and her UW Women's Team celebrating their sweep of the NCAA's.

Overall, rowing for the Huskies has been a dream come true for Gallaher. “It’s surreal looking back at the time that I didn’t think I was good enough to row for UW,” she said. “I looked up to the older girls on the team my freshman year, and looking where I am now it is honestly a little unbelievable. These past three years have had so many ups and downs, but at the end of the day I feel so lucky and blessed to be where I am. I absolutely love the team.”

Tea Federspeil (left) and Molly (right) at UW. The two were pair partners in the 2016 Sammamish Women's V8.

Aside from rowing, Gallaher is a dedicated student. As a biochemistry major, she hopes to do laboratory research in the medical field once she graduates. Last year she got involved with the “Electric Launch Project” with other members of her team. The project is a student led grant initiative with hopes to increase the environmental sustainability of the rowing program at UW. The project’s first goal is to convert the coaching launches from gas to electric. The overall goal of this project that the student athletes created was to make their program more sustainable and environmentally friendly, while also starting a conversation about sustainability in the rowing community.

Gallaher and other teammates, both men and women, spent time last year writing the grant proposal and ended up receiving one of the largest grant sums from the University’s Sustainability fund. The men’s and women’s rowing teams will each receive an electric motor, and Gallaher and her team are looking for more ways to bring sustainability to the rowing community. Another aspect of their project is outreach. “We had the opportunity to talk at a Sammamish Rowing Association board meeting about our project. Electric launches might not be feasible at the time for all rowing programs, but starting a conversation about environmental sustainability is a great first step. It’s been really cool to be a part of the conversation, and even cooler that SRA was also involved. UW and SRA are both leaders in the northwest rowing community and I’m proud to be associated with both programs,” Gallaher said.

Fellow SRA junior rowing alumni, Tennyson Federspiel, helped Gallaher and her project partners present at the Sammamish boathouse. It is special to see our alumni embracing one of the core values of SRA, thoughtful stewardship, beyond their time at the Hod Fowler Boathouse. It just goes to show that we coach not just amazing rowers, but incredible leaders too.

Rowing has provided so many opportunities for Gallaher- something she is very aware of. She hopes to give back to the sport she loves, and when asked if she had any advice to offer, she said: “I think if I had advice to give to younger athletes it would be to not set limits for yourself. I realize it’s easy for me to say now that I’m rowing at UW and coming off of a national championship, but there was a time not so long ago that I thought I wasn’t good enough or strong enough to row at UW.”

“I am so thankful I had the experience of going through SRA- mainly being introduced to the sport and community at SRA. The support and coaching staff at SRA is so incredible. The community at SRA pushed me to take my rowing career as far as I could.” Gallaher finished with.

Congratulations on your incredible accomplishments, Molly! SRA is so proud of the leader and the person you are now, both in and out of the boat. We can’t wait to see what your senior year of college holds for you!

SRA Stories: Lia Roberds

6/4/2019

Lia Roberds was born and raised in Kirkland, Washington. Brought up in an active family who all loved to be outdoors, sports were always in her life. She started out with ballet, moved onto soccer, and eventually found herself walking down the path to the Sammamish Rowing Association (SRA) boathouse.

Roberds coxing an Experienced High School Boys boat at SRA

Roberds and her University of Washington teammates

“I love sports, and especially team sports,” Roberds said, “My mom signed me up for a rowing camp one summer, and I wasn’t thrilled at first.” Lia’s mom, who also rows at SRA on the sculling team, always signed her up for these sort of things “I had to do the float test and couldn’t believe I had to swim with my clothes on,” Lia added. But after the 2009 summer program ended she was hooked.

Roberds joined the women's team as a rower, and found herself struggling to keep up. She was consistently seated in the 4V or 5V boats, and found that rowing wasn’t her strongest area in crew. Standing at 5’1”, her coach encouraged her to try coxing in addition to rowing. After a couple years, she eventually moved onto the men’s team as a full time coxswain when the women’s team had a surplus of coxswains. After working for so long to start having success, Roberds was rewarded during her experience at the Head of the Charles Regatta in 2012.

“Racing at Head of the Charles my senior year of high school was one of my favorite memories,” Roberds recollected. “For me it was huge personal success to make the boat in the first place. There were eighty-five boats in our event, and we placed second. The race was crazy. I remember studying the course for weeks before the race because I wanted to nail every turn.” Roberds and her boat started to pass others boats during their race. A brief clash of oars through Anderson Bridge boosted their adrenaline and they continued to take off down the course. For Roberds it was her first huge success. She finally felt like her work was paying off. “For me it was a really big personal achievement. It was huge for my boat and bonded us as a team.” They continued to find success during the Spring season with the first ever wins at Brentwood and Opening Day for SRA in the Men’s V8 and a 6th place finish at Youth Nationals.

Roberds with her fellow husky teammates

Roberds enjoying her time outdoors, a place she and her family loves

Following her high school career, Roberds went on to join the men’s rowing program at the University of Washington, where she won three National Championships. She said, “It was a smooth transition onto the Washington team, because many of my coaches at Sammamish had been University of Washington rowing alumni. I felt that same sense of strong community at Washington that I had felt at SRA. Having that connection was great.” Roberds noted that another aspect that made her fit into the Washington team even more was the presence of local rowers, some even from SRA. “Washington has a lot of international rowers that had incredible junior rowing experiences, but they also had that awesome mix of locals.” She mentioned. Sammamish continues to see our junior rowers joining the University of Washington rowing program.

That strong sense of community that Roberds felt both in high school and in college is a big factor in why she continues to play a part in SRA’s legacy. When asked why she came back to the Sammamish boathouse, she said, “I come back for the community. Sammamish helped me grow as a person in high school. I was shy in high school, but rowing taught me grit, perseverance, and how to change my mentality toward facing new challenges. I feel like I owe Sammamish a lot for my growth and the community makes it fun to come back.”

Roberds graduated from the University of Washington in 2017 with a degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering, and now works for Convoy, which is a tech company in the trucking industry. However, she still makes time outside of work for coaching and coxing at Sammamish. “I do like hopping between coaching and coxing because I can add to the team in different ways,” she said. “I coached here in the summers in college and helped with almost every time slot and every age group.” Roberds enjoys passing on her love for the sport, and seeing her rowers experience new things and gain more skills. She added, “What I enjoy is having people overcome personal challenges, whether it’s a physical or mental challenge, and feel like they get one step stronger each time they come down to the boathouse.”

On Mount Rainier

While she doesn’t know what future years may hold, Roberds knows that a long as the community she lives in has a focus on rowing, she will continue to be involved in the sport. No longer a collegiate coxswain, however, Roberds is finding enjoyment in stepping out of the coxswain seat and getting more active. She said, “rowing will always play a part in my life, but I also enjoy finding new activities and joining the communities that are involved with each unique sport.” Since her graduation, Roberds has gotten more involved in downhill skiing, backcountry skiing, mountaineering, backpacking, and running. She ran in the Seattle Marathon this past Fall and dreams of summiting Mount Rainier soon.

The mental side of the marathon was an easy barrier to conquer for Roberds, who said rowing gave her immense mental toughness. “Rowing taught me to be comfortable with pushing myself a little bit each day.” By pushing herself a little every day in rowing mentally as a coxswain, Roberds saw those learned lessons trickling into other aspects of her life. She became a better leader in class and at work, challenged herself to take on new roles at the office, and she accomplished other physical activities. She correlated the lessons she learned through crew to progress in other aspects of her life. “If you push yourself out of your comfort zone in one aspect of your life and find success, it will start to feed into all aspects of your life,” she said about her achievements at SRA and the University of Washington.

Roberds following her successful marathon run

In all of her years rowing and beyond, Roberds has gained incredible experience. She advises new rowers to, “be comfortable with being a little uncomfortable and pushing yourself a little bit every day. Challenge yourself to be faster than you are, to step up into a leadership role, or to try something new. Learning something new is hard on it’s own. Create small goals one at a time and push yourself to accomplish them.”

Lia Roberds is an incredible part of our community and continues to give back to the sport that she credits with giving her so much. She, like so many others, caught that insatiable bug for rowing, and we are incredibly happy that she did. Thank you, Lia, for all that you have done for SRA! We can’t wait to see what adventure or achievement you conquer next.

SRA Stories: Chris Ron

5/29/2019

Chris Ron, looking out at his novice boys boats at Junior Regionals

Chris Ron started rowing in middle school while he was in the seventh grade. His parents had heard about the program from other parents and signed him up. Just a few years later he moved up to the high school team and was coached his novice year by Simon Williams. His 6 years at Sammamish Rowing Association (SRA) were transformative and full of great memories.

When asked about his rowing experience Ron said, “Rowing made me tougher. I had a sense of pride that I did crew. My friends weren’t always tough enough to do it so being in the sport gave me pride.” This sense of pride is commonly felt in rowers. Rowing is a tough sport. This full body workout and activity requires strength from the mind and body as well as cardiovascular endurance. A rower has to be disciplined, motivated, and hard working to succeed and that is exactly what Ron was and still is.

His favorite memory during his time as a rower was when his nationals petition for his pair with Sam Dernis went through and was approved. He and Dernis had missed the qualifying cut by 0.2 seconds at regionals, but petitioned for their chance to race at nationals in California and eventually their determination paid off.

Ron graduated high school in 2018 and has returned to SRA as a novice boys coach and has been with the team since this January. At first, his time coaching took some getting used to. He said, “Coaching was weird at first, but now it’s good. Coaching is easier than I expected, but my mindset is what's important. I want to make practices as tough for these boys as they were when I was a rower. I want to see them improve.” Ron, along with other coaches, finds value in continuing on beneficial team culture. Passing on the lessons he learned of leadership, grit, and perseverance are top priorities in his every day coaching lessons.

Ron immediately after the novice boys team took turns shaving his head

His advice to new rowers is to look up to experienced rowers. He wants new rowers to look at experienced rowers and see how they can improve. He encourages novice rowers to reach out to the more experienced ones for advice and support. SRA has over 170 junior rowers all with their own unique experiences. We also have over 160 masters rowers to connect with. Combined with an incredibly dedicated, tenured, and knowledgeable staff- the opportunities to learn from others are endless at the Hod Fowler Boathouse.

Outside of the boathouse Ron is dedicated to his studies. He hopes to transfer to Seattle University and is currently a Computer Science major. Outside of his coaching and class work, Ron enjoys creating music. He plays the guitar and has created some solo music that he plans to release on itunes in the near future.

His final advice was, “embrace the pain (in rowing). If anything is hard it’s probably a good thing.” The novice boys team and the whole entire SRA family have enjoyed having Chris back at the boathouse contributing to the sport he loves. From middle school rowing to high school coaching, Chris has been an incredible part of the SRA community. Be sure to compliment the hair cut the novice boys gave him following Junior Regionals!

SRA Stories: Junior Girls 2V- SDCC

4/24/2019

The Experienced Junior Girls 2V boat

The San Diego Crew Classic (SDCC) has been around since 1973 and was created by individuals who sought to bring the nation’s top collegiate crews together for an incredible racing experience. One of the first attendees included the University of Washington. The university harbors an impressive and renowned collegiate team that Sammamish Rowing Association (SRA) has sent many of its high school alumni to.

Today, the San Diego Crew Classic has grown considerably since 1973. Over 4,000 athletes in over 100 races compete in this two day, nationally acclaimed regatta. Thousands of spectators flock to Mission Bay Park to enjoy watching races in person, but even more watch via live stream footage on the regatta website.

Early this April, SRA sent four masters boats and six junior boats to the SDCC ensuring that our presence was noticed in the west. Every single SRA rower gave everything they had and enjoyed impressive race results. One of the well earned finishes belonged to the Junior Girls JV 8+ that captured a second place finish in their grand final on Sunday, April 5th.

Coached by Kelley Pope and Dennis Ferrer- the entire girls team has been working hard during their practices to see results like this. Pope and Ferrer discussed how ever since this past fall they knew they had the potential for speed. The girls JV 8+ has had an impressive season and their hard work combined with unwavering teamwork and determination gave their coaches confidence as the girls headed down to California.

Pope said, “We knew that boat was going to do well. They’ve been working hard so to see them actually perform under pressure to their capabilities was awesome. That was the biggest success- they were able to execute their race against fast teams they’ve never beaten before.” The SDCC brings together top crews from around the nation. It can be quite intimidating facing crews you’ve never raced against. The junior girls were able to manage that pressure and come out on top of a difficult group of competitors.

In a pre-race meeting, Pope said the team’s focus was on having a good race and performing as well as they possibly could. She told the girls to be proud of how they finish regardless of what other crews might do. The girls were positive and excited to race, and ended up coming together as a boat to hold each other accountable. Ferrer said, “I knew they were going to do well, so it wasn’t surprising to see them ahead in the race. Watching the heat was exciting, but during the finish the biggest thing I was happy with is that they rowed well down the whole course. They maintained composure and what we’ve been working on.”

Pope was with the girls in California while Ferrer was watching the livestream up in Seattle. Pope watched the race from near the finish line and said, “I was excited to see them race Saugatuck all the way down. They fought with top teams and had a successful race.”

Following their race the girls were celebrating with hugs and big smiles. They always start thinking about what they could have done just a little bit better in the race, but were overall very proud of their performance. As the crews who went to San Diego reunited with the rest of the team the following week- positivity was high. Pope and Ferrer said that the entire team has been doing extremely well and this race helped validate all the hours, weeks, and months of hard work. Pope mentioned, “The biggest thing is they came away with the lesson that they play a part in each other’s success. Their attitude and mental positivity plays into how well they are going to do.”

Looking ahead the girls and their coaches know more hard work is needed to keep their momentum going. The route to the San Diego Crew Classic was filled with intense practices and tough work. Ferrer added, “the weekend showed their efforts paid off and they will continue to the rest of the year.”

Congratulations to the Junior Women’s JV 8+, and to all of the other SRA boats who competed at the San Diego Crew Classic. SRA is immensely proud of your work and can’t wait to see what we accomplish as a team in the spring racing months ahead.

The SDCC Experienced Girls 2V Lineup was as follows:

Coxswain: Lauren Lozier
Stroke: Kennedy Harder
7: Lexa Wendl
6: Megan Culbert
5: Kathryn Clemens
4: Alex Lalor
3: Kristina Snyder
2: Olivia Feistner
Bow: Grace Epp

The 2V pulls ahead of other SDCC crews

SRA Stories: Anne Creighton

4/18/2019

Growing up in Denver, Colorado, Ann Creighton stayed active by filling her free time with cycling, running, and skiing. After graduating from high school she headed out east to spend her undergraduate time at Yale University. Creighton majored in Geology and pursued the same subject in graduate school. However, due to a downturn in the oil industry, geology careers eluded her and she went into insurance.

Ann (left), and her twin sister (right)

Years later Creighton would move to Washington and have a family. In 2013 her daughter, Frances, joined Sammamish Rowing Association (SRA) and piqued Creighton’s interest in the sport. She said, “my daughter had started as a novice so I did Learn To Row (LTR). I’ve always done sports, but at 5’2” I had never thought of my height as a competitive disadvantage. Luckily my fellow rowers have welcomed me ,and I’ve found my vertical disadvantage can be overcome with hard work and and a good sense of humor.” As someone who loves the outdoors, she also enjoys how immersed in nature the sport is. “On a cold and wet day, when you come off the water soaking wet, we have our beautiful and warm boathouse to come back to”

For three years Creighton was on the mid-morning team, but switched to sculling because it seemed like the right fit for her light weight. SRA has four masters teams so adult members are able to row on the team that best fits their schedule. The teams are known as 5AM, Mid-Morning, Evening Competitive Masters (ECM), and Sculling.

Ann Creighton (left) carries oars at a regatta

Creighton enjoyed rowing in the mid-morning 8+ that went to the Head of the Charles in 2017, where her boat placed 6th. Creighton recalled being so proud because all the women in her boat had no collegiate rowing experience whereas their competition did. She attributed their success to the great coaching from Molly Lawrence and Kelley Pope. When talking about SRA coaches Creighton said, “Our coaching here speaks for itself. Our coaches figure out how to get us to row as a team as well as capitalize on our individual strengths.”

“Rowing anchors my life now,” Creighton commented. Her daughter is off to college at Washington State, but Creighton and her husband Mark share responsibility for managing care for their son with a profound disability. “It’s a tough aspect of my life and it is really nice for me to have something I can count on. At SRA I am with people who make me laugh and bring me joy, which makes it easier to cope with these things.” SRA provides around 2 hours of practice time for our adults. During that time all concerns outside of the boathouse are forgotten and your focus is completely in the boat or on the erg.

Another draw to rowing is the longevity of involvement in the sport. At SRA we have rowers ranging in ages twelve to eighty! Since it is a low impact sport, many people find it to be a great alternative to the sports they used to enjoy but can no longer do for fear of injury. “It’s been really fun to see the people who are ahead of us to keep us going,” Creighton said. She looks up to older rowers and is excited to continue pursuing the sport she loves.

Creighton hopes to keep making memories in her rowing endeavors, even if they come with some unfortunate surprises. “Something was definitely not right” Ann says of her practice row the day before she was set to compete in the 2018 Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR). She had spent weeks and weeks preparing for her race in a single. She’d studied the course, looked at maps, and tried to memorize angels to prepare for the famously winding and difficult race. “Knowing how critical it is to be a safe competitor at this of all events, and despite all my preparation, I pulled my entry and didn’t race”. As it it ends up, her teammate Tamara was helping her to the hospital before the weekend was out, where Ann was diagnosed with an intestinal obstruction.

Sue Amorosi, Ann Creighton, and David DeWinter (sculling coach)

Ann in bow, and Sue in stroke seat, racing together in a double (2X)

The good memories have outweighed the bad though. Sometimes a pleasant row on the flat water with her friend, Sue Amorosi, is all it takes for Creighton to feel full of happiness. She recalls one favorite rowing memory of her and Sue competing at the Cascadia Masters Championships in Canada. They won the lightweight double E event (ages 60-65), and joked that they were now international champions. The memory still makes her chuckle.

With her years of experience, Creighton had some final advice for new rowers. “Show up,” she said. “When you’re starting something new it can be hard to feel competent, but if you commit to showing up and participating with the team, it makes a big difference. Recognize that there could be people there that might be more serious than you are or better, but make it your own journey.” She also hopes that new members can appreciate how lucky we are with our Hod Fowler Boathouse, completed in 2016. Years of dedicated fundraising from rowers and their families have made it a reality for all new rowers to SRA to enjoy.

SRA is lucky to have members like Ann Creighton who light up our boathouse and add positive energy to their boats. Ann takes times to appreciate all aspects of our sport from the intricacies of technique to the simple wildlife viewings during practice. She can turn an unfortunate moment into a positive new outlook, and she enjoys the laughter she shares with teammates and friends. Thank you Ann for being a ray of sunshine at SRA even when skies are grey.

SRA Stories: Vanessa Harder

4/15/2019

At Sammamish Rowing Association (SRA) we love to praise our athletes and shower them with acknowledgement and support. As an athletic team, we focus mainly on the physical achievements of our crews. Our organization supports over 300 athletes, but our community is even larger. The countless family members, friends, coaches, volunteers, and community supporters are all just as invested in the red, blue, and white of SRA as the athletes are.

The Harder family in London

Our community also includes those who will never row, and those volunteers deserve just as much recognition. While they might not be getting PR’s on 2K tests every few weeks, their contributions can be just as impressive. Such is the case of Vanessa Harder, the SRA Volunteer of the Year for 2018.

David Harder and his daughter, Kennedy, after her win at Regionals 2018

In the Spring of 2017, the Harder’s brought their daughter, Kennedy, to the SRA open house. Initially reluctant to go as she was focused on her sports of basketball, swimming and golf, Kennedy warmed up to the idea of rowing when she saw her friend, Claire Surbeck, at the open house. She went on to row that summer and joined the novice girls’ team in the Fall, leaving her other sports and became 100% focused on rowing. Harder said Kennedy was hooked, and that her novice year with Coach Molly Lawrence was, “Transformational for our daughter. Molly is so gifted in teaching the girls rowing technique and growing them as athletes; all the while, she also creates a joyful novice team experience and improves the girls’ self-esteem.” Harder was impressed with the growth of Kennedy in both her confidence and fitness, and credits the SRA coaches and program structure.

Susan Freeberg spoke at the September 2017 mandatory parent meeting that Harder attended (as a novice parent), where Freeberg asked for someone to take charge and manage the food tent at regattas.

Harder met with Susan Freeburg at the Hod Fowler Boathouse to learn more about managing the food tent. Even though she didn’t even know how to put up a tent or connect a propane tank at the time, Harder and her husband David (who, as an Engineer, does know how to execute the technical operations the food tent requires) agreed to help. Harder soon learned that managing the food tent was almost like a full-time job in and of itself. She has a OneNote document that covers in extensive detail all she has learned so far. From recipes, food items, quantities, equipment, volunteers, efficient organization, trailer hauling, cooking, set-up, take-down, and plenty of other logistics and lists- Harder has them all explained and digitally documented.

Only a portion of the food tent food brought in by Costco

Since she was in the 7th grade, Harder has been volunteering, beginning with National Charity League (NCL) which is a mother – daughter philanthropy organization she joined with her mother. Fun fact, Harder and both her daughters have been a part of NCL here in Washington. Her donation of time and devotion to her community continued through high school, college, and up till now. When those emails kept flooding her inbox, looking for an SRA food tent leader, she felt like she should check it out. Harder said, “The thing is that it’s been with me for so long [volunteering] that giving back is part of who I am.” All her life, Harder had always focused on giving back to her community. She has logged far too many volunteer hours to count and has been involved in numerous organizations and sports. “My volunteering resume is more extensive than my career resume,” she said

A lot of what she does with the food tent, she had to learn herself; alongside her husband, or from other volunteers. Not only is she intensely focused on doing everything properly and in an organized manner, she also adds her own personal touch. She recalls once making several gallon sized zip-lock bags of homemade dry rub to flavor the steak and chicken for the chipotle style protein bowls, now know as “SRA Bowls” they had at the food tent for junior regionals last year. She focuses on staying away from pre-made food, and invests time in researching healthy, nutritious meals and snacks for the rowers and coaches.

Harder works in tandem with Pam Halverson, another junior parent, who is in charge of looking at food alternatives for athletes with allergies to ensure that every rower has plenty to eat regardless of the limits of their diets. Harder said, “We want volunteers to be happy. Getting parents engaged in the food tent and close to the racecourse makes them love it.” Harder and her husband contributed a gift to the food tent supplies- bright red Williams Sonoma aprons with the SRA logo on front. Donning these aprons, and red SRA hats, volunteers feel like they are truly part of the team as well- and they are.

The inside of the food trailer

“Doing this role with David has pushed me out of my comfort zone,” Harder admitted. Before a regatta, they are working almost full work day hours to prepare the food trailer. Harder has to order food from several businesses. She deals with Costco Business who comes to the boathouse to deliver bulk items. She then often follows up at other grocery stores for additional items, foods for rowers with allergies, and last minute necessities. She spends hours packing the food trailer with labeled coolers, and has an intricate way of layering ice and dry ice to keep food fresh.

Someone needs to drive the food trailer to regattas. Todd Lozier, a junior parent and community supporter of SRA, has been that person for 2 years. His truck is big enough to haul the heavy trailer to regattas, which has been a tremendous help to Harder. “[Lozier] is a super amazing, fantastic guy,” Harder said, “He hauls the trailer to regattas for us, helps unload and load, and is usually one of the very last people to leave the regatta since it takes awhile to pack up.” Fun Fact- Lozier even transports boats that frequently are loaded on top of our food trailer, making his role so key.

Harder has taught her children to “leave everything better than you found it,” and she is applying the same principles to her volunteer work at SRA. She finds under buying food for regattas “unacceptable” and make sure every rower can have as many servings as they like to properly fuel for races, while also making sure she is fiscally responsible to stay within SRA’s budget. Her personal touch is seen everywhere from her hand crafted menus to the oatmeal bar wagon she plans to have at Regionals this year. Her desire to make volunteering at the food tent a pleasant experience has dramatically risen the number of parents who sign up to volunteer and wear the now famous red aprons.

Kennedy is finishing up her sophomore year so the Harder’s plan to be around a little while longer. However, Vanessa is already preparing to pass on the food tent baton. “When the time comes, I want to hand it off better than I found it”. For now, she is savoring every experience as her daughter continues participating in the sport she loves.

One of Harder’s favorite memories is from Junior Regionals last year. Kennedy was stroking the Novice Girls 8+ in the finals and their boat was ahead by open water. Sprinting away from the food tent to see their daughter race, Vanessa and David were able to watch just under the last 1,000 meters of the race. The girls were crushing the competition and extending their lead with every stroke. Harder remembers Kennedy bursting into joyful and exhausted tears when they crossed the finish line along with her coxswain and friend, Mary Kirchoff. They had beaten the next best boat, Green Lake Crew, by 13 seconds.

The energy and cheers from the crowd paired with the absolute joy and happiness from Kennedy made this moment incredibly special for Harder. Kennedy’s smile was huge as she took a photo first with her father, and then her extremely proud mother. Harder was a chaperone at San Diego Crew Classic this April and was able to watch her Kennedy stroke the JV boat which placed second, making history as the first SRA girls boat to reach the Grand Finals. These memories motivate the Harder’s to keep volunteering for a program they and their rower cherish.

Kennedy Harder receives an embrace from her friend and coxswain, Mary Kirchoff, following their win at Regionals

SRA has amazing athletes, no question about it, but we also have an incredible support system. People generously give their time, attention, and effort to make this organization, “better than they found it,” as Harder would say. Without our volunteers, much of what we do wouldn’t be possible. It truly takes a team- one made up of more than just athletes- to accomplish our mission. Thank you to Vanessa Harder, SRA’s 2018 Volunteer of the Year, and all of our volunteers for the outstanding work you do for our team.

Vanessa (right) and Kennedy (left) Harder hug after Kennedy won her Regionals race with her novice eight boat

SRA Stories: Jonny Smith

3/4/2019

Rowing can be a transformative sport for junior athletes. The discipline, grueling training, and tough competition can be shocking to those outside the sport, but for rowers it is just a part of daily life. Jonny Smith is one of the many junior rowers who instantly fell in love with the sport in high school, and has continued to keep this passion in his life. Smith began rowing for Sammamish Rowing Association (SRA) the summer of 2014 leading up to his freshman year of high school.

Smith, right, proudly displaying his achievement with his teammate

Previously an avid soccer player, Smith took what he thought would be a quick break after he broke his foot during a match. Rowing would soon capture his heart. Smith said, “Rowing has been a special part of my father’s side of the family and my father found SRA online and suggested that I have a go at it. Initially I only treated rowing as a stand-in until my foot healed and then I thought I’d go back to soccer. But it was after I completed fall season of my novice year that I decided trying something new could be good for me, and it was the best decision I have ever made to this day.”

Smith embraced the rowing culture and became captain for the Experienced Men’s Team for the 2017/2018 season. The sport instilled confidence and discipline in Smith, but also had plenty of other benefits. He added, “I have nothing but amazing things to say about SRA and the community it has created for me. The friends and connections I have made during my time there cannot be matched by anything else. My experience as a rower for SRA couldn’t have been as great as it was without the coaches and teammates I worked with.” Even though he had nothing but amazing things to say about his team, that didn’t mean he always had perfect days.

Smith with his teammates embracing at a regatta. Smith described his teammates as a second family

Sammamish Rowing Association is unique from other northern programs in that our lake does not freeze over in the winter, allowing us to practice in the winter. The dark winter months grouped with cold temperatures and unpleasant rain can make some practices particularly gloomy and unpleasant. The junior rowers, including Smith, learn to develop grit and persevere through the bad days. There was something to be gained from those “bad days” though. Smith said, “There were many challenging days where my commitment was tested but getting over every one of those challenges made my love for rowing stronger. The races we took part in, the friendships we made with rival teams, and enjoying time with my teammates on and off the water made SRA a second family for me.”

One of the races he took part in turned out to be one of his favorite memories. In 2017 his teammates had their hearts set on winning regionals. They put up a good fight but didn’t quite have enough to win. The following year things had changed. Smith described being a part of a truly special boat. He said, “The trust that ran through that boat was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. To know that my teammates trusted my performance as much as I trusted theirs made our chemistry that much stronger. Sure enough, as race day came, we obliterated the grand final and became 2018 Northwest Regional Champions in the Varsity 8+. That memory is truly something special for me.”

Rowing benefitted Smith in many ways. He commented on how his fitness and overall well being improved from his involvement in the sport. Additionally, he feels special from his part in crew (rowing) culture that not many people are familiar with. Rowing tends to be a niche sport so being a part of a rowing team often makes an athlete feel unique. Although he also juggled band involvement starting in sixth grade, he quit to focus his time more on rowing since it became so important in his life.

Although he is not currently rowing, Smith has no intentions of ever leaving it out of his life. He spent a short amount of time at Western Washington University and was a proud member of the Viking Crew. As of now, he has big plans for the future. Sad to be leaving WWU, but excited for the future, Smith said, “The friends I have made there will always be family to me and I’ll always be a WWU Viking at heart. Now, I am taking a year to complete core classes at Bellevue College with the intent of transferring to the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in the fall of 2020 and enroll in the Scripps Institution of Oceanography to explore my love for the ocean and marine science.”

Smith and his crew exhausted after a race

As a dedicated student and athlete, it is clear Smith puts one hundred percent effort into his passions. Rowing gave him strong friendships and a fiery passion for athletics. He also loves returning to the boathouse to catch up with new and old rowers as well as offer his advice to younger rowers. Around Christmas break he rode in a launch with Coach Dennis Ferrer for an entire practice just to watch and support his old team. He made sure to add a message for SRA rowers, “reach out to me if you have any questions at all or if you simply want to catch up and talk. I’ll always look for an excuse to come down to SRA and see how the teams are doing. If those of you reading this have an interest in rowing or know someone who has an interest in rowing, I highly encourage you to start rowing and learn at SRA. There’s no better team for it.”

Jonny Smith and the sport he loves

With rowers like Smith, there really are not any other teams better for rowing than SRA. Our community is supportive, strong, and determined. Jonny Smith exhibits all those qualities and more and even though he isn’t at the boathouse as often, the benefits of his leadership and friendship are still thriving within the team culture today. We look forward to seeing what Jonny accomplishes in the future and SRA will always be one of his biggest fans!

SRA Stories: Kara McKown

3/1/2019

In 1998, Kara McKown wanted to try something different after years of competitive swimming. She joined SRA as a novice rower and was coached by Ryan Monahan. At the time, boy and girl novice rowers were grouped together in order to make up enough bodies for an 8+. McKown said, “One of my close friends on the swim team was also ready for a change and her mom, Kate Julin (the one the boat is named after), saw a sign for SRA and signed us up.”

Taken in 1999, this photo shows McKown and her SRA teammates

There were too many positives during her time at SRA for McKown to count, but she said one of the initial things she loved about rowing was the newness and unique aspect of the sport. As a novice she learned that the rest of the athletes came from different schools and lived in different towns. As novices none of them had ever rowed before so the excitement of a new experience in a new place with new people was invigorating. McKown commented that rowing, “was a complete separation from everything that I was used to and in many ways, tired of.”

Additionally, the sport helped her navigate and cope with tragedy. After her novice season, McKown’s dad was diagnosed with lung cancer and passed away shortly before her senior year of high school. “Rowing was critical to how I moved through those two years to graduation. It was a complete reversal where the mental was in control of the physical- much the opposite of my Dad's situation. It was something in which I had complete control, and was something where I was learning something new every day- all while being surrounded by good things,” she said.

McKown, far right, at the 2001 NCAA's with her Boston University teammates

The nature of the sport proved to be a great way to leave troubles or problems outside the boathouse. “There are very few things that allow you to completely empty your mind and be 100% present in the moment like trying to follow someone while simultaneously taking the perfect stroke while making sure you are pulling as hard as you possibly can, sustainably, in a boat while balancing it and moving it through the water with eight other people,” McKown reflected. “It's the most consuming mental and physical combination that allows everything else to disappear in the best possible way.”

Following high school, McKown went on to attend Boston University from 2000-2004 while majoring in Anthropology. Even though she enjoyed rowing, she did not let it become a factor in where she attended college. However, once at Boston University, the allure of the Charles River running through campus made rowing hard to resist. She said, “I walked-on, and ended up rowing all four years in the 1st Novice 8+/Varsity 8+. I got to compete at NCAAs both freshman and junior year when we qualified, rowed at Women's Henley and Royal Henley in England my senior year, and was Team Captain my junior and senior years as well as MVP my senior year.” Evidently rowing worked out quite well for McKown in her collegiate experience.

Once she graduated, McKown biked home from Boston. She says that somewhere around Montana she received a call from the then executive director at SRA, Gretchen Frederick, asking if she was interested in a coaching job. With no other post-graduate plans McKown happily accepted and began her first job with SRA as a coach. She joked, “My first day coaching was as an assistant to Marcy Chartier with the 5am Masters. It was a blast. Anything with Marcy Chartier is a blast. And Patrick and Marc, of course.” (Patrick and Marc are well known rowers with the 5am group.)

From her time as a rower to her time as a coach, McKown said, “The best part about coaching is seeing people experience success. It is fantastic to see kids start rowing and fall in love with a sport and constantly be hungry for more as they grow with it. For adults it’s particularly fun to watch people that never considered themselves athletes, or even capable of being an 'athlete,' win their first race and be completely transformed. For any age, rowing helps people redefine who they are in a more positive way and surround themselves with people that see them in that positive role. To be a small part of that, even as just a witness, is incredibly rewarding.”

McKown's lineup from the 2003 NCAA's

With experience on both sides of the oar, McKown couldn’t name one favorite memory. Instead she reflected on the power of community and the extraordinary people she met and interacted with at the boathouse on a daily basis. For her- favorite memories centered around people. A killer sunrise with Mount Rainier in the backdrop tended to be at the top of the list as well.

McKown worked other jobs and volunteer positions after her coaching stint and is now a full time mom of two children, Sanna who is four, and Toren who is two. She and her husband, Tom, married in 2011. She jokes that her current job responsibilities include picking up strewn Legos and making mac and cheese. However, she has and still is enjoying an active life of travel, mountaineering, bicycle tours, backpacking, skiing, trail running, and hiking.

McKown smiling in her Henley Royal Regatta blazer

Reflecting on her time as a rower and coach, McKown said, “What I have learned from rowing is probably most easily described as the importance and power of community, positivity and ability of the mind to dictate physical limits. If you want to find life-long friends that are dedicated, determined, hard-working and positive people that you respect, hang out at a boathouse for a while.” For advice she looks back on her high school coach, Tony Valluzzo, who wisely said, “Rowing will always give you more than you can give back to it.”

Many who enter the SRA boathouse hear this phrase ring true everyday. Rowing can give you friendships improve your health, give you purpose, provide a sense of community, show you your unbounded potential, and so much more. McKown continues to feel the effects of rowing on her life every day even though she has stepped away from the placid waters of the Sammamish slough and the constant happy hum of the boathouse.

Kara’s impact is still felt at the boathouse today. In one of our past SRA Stories, our featured rower remembers Kara as the first person to truly believe in her ability as an athlete. McKown looks forward to many more adventures with her family, and hopes to tackle an ultramarathon, bike Glacier National Park, climb a 6,000 meter peak, hike the Pacific Crest Trail, and much more. With her incredible goals in mind, McKown said, “rowing definitely has helped the mindset that, if you can think of it, you can probably do it. Rowing has also helped me realize that, for me personally, I have to know I committed to something 100%. For now, while my kids are still both at home, that commitment is family.”

McKown toured part of the United States on her bike in 2004

Thank you Kara for your lasting impact and legacy at Sammamish Rowing! We look forward to watching you crush your goals like you always have.

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