SRA Stories: Kat Buckley

Katherine Buckley was a cross-country athlete for three years. Before she began running, she was heavily involved in theater, choir, and voice until PE requirements at her school mandated that she join a sports team for a few seasons. Kat admitted that before she became a runner, she was not the biggest fan of sports and athletic activity. That attitude started to change after a few seasons of cross country and track, but she didn’t find the sport she was truly passionate for until she began rowing at Sammamish Rowing Association (SRA).

Kat Buckley in bow seat

Hiking Mount Dickerman

Kat’s brother joined SRA as a novice the Fall after he took place in the old Rec Rowing Program SRA offered. Through her brother’s participation, Kat heard that novice practices included plenty of running, so she decided to try it out as well. She joined the novice girls’ team in January 2015. According to her, her first day, “was very nerve wracking,” she said. “I met all these new people and felt so out of place.” However, she confessed that she soon bonded with those on her team and begun to truly enjoy what the team did during practices.

Being able to learn from and overcome failures was pivotal to Kat’s progress. By January, when she joined the team, the other girls had learned the stroke and language of the sport. For example, on her first day on the water, she had no idea what feathering the oar meant. Throughout her novice spring, Kat figured out the language and raced at Brentwood, where she transferred and finished her high school rowing career. Although Kat finished her junior career elsewhere, she considers SRA her big rowing family. She said, “Rowing really changed the entire course of my life because it led me to do an extra year of high school, go to a boarding school, and eventually get recruited to college to row. The SRA boathouse has been one of my main communities back home. It’s really fun to have a place to go back to to work out and share this sport with others. It’s especially exciting to introduce the basics of this amazing sport to middle schoolers and adults.” Kat said. 

Currently, Kat coaches Learn to Row and Middle School summer programs. Her high energy and infectious smile can be seen around the boathouse all day, and instantly rub off on those who she coaches. The middle school participants love when she sprays them with the hose when the hot sun has been bearing down on them all practice long, and the adults enjoy her unwavering energy as she teaches the basics of the rowing stroke.

One of her favorite Sammamish memories was as a coach. This year a particularly windy day forced all the teams to stay on land. “All the Learn to Row classes combined and did a bunch of erg sessions and it was really cool to see all these people come together to do something that they didn’t know how to do before,” Kat said. “We did drills and a 2K test and the energy in the room was so exciting.”

When the summer ends, Kat will study abroad at the Stockholm School of Economics in Sweden. She rows on Hamilton College’s varsity women’s team, and will graduate with an Economics major and Public Policy minor in the spring of 2021. On campus, she is also an outdoor adventure and freshman orientation trip leader. While she doesn’t have a specific post-graduate plan, she knows she wants to feel challenged in her career and leave a positive impact on her local and global community. She sees herself working for a few years before possibly pursuing graduate school. 

Kat Buckley and her father at NCAA's

When Kat began rowing in college, she noticed one big difference between her high school rowing experience and her collegiate one. At Sammamish Rowing Association, the temperate climate allows our teams to spend almost all year out on the water. Hamilton College’s location in Central New York means that all of the water is frozen throughout the winter, so they train indoors from Halloween to late March. Kat added, “It was a huge shock to spend so much time erging the entire winter at Hamilton. At Brentwood we barely erged. We only did a few erg tests. However, Sammamish land day experiences like Brentwood in a day and 5x5’ helped me deal with erg anxiety coming into Hamilton’s winter season.”

The Buckley family at 2018 Youth Nationals

As Kat said before, rowing really changed her life as it often does to many others. She hopes that people develop the same passion for the sport that she has. Her advice to novices was, “Don’t get overwhelmed by all the new language. It’s a lot of stuff you’ve never heard of before. Don’t get freaked out if you don’t know the terms- just ask. Don’t be afraid to ask questions!”

Next time you’re at the boathouse, be sure to find Kat and ask about her upcoming trip to Sweden, her family’s new kitten, or her favorite sport (rowing obviously!). We have a huge sumer staff and each and every full time and seasonal coach has worked so hard to make sure this summer has been an amazing time to row for new and familiar faces around the boathouse. Kat has done an incredible job instilling a passion for rowing in our middle school and Learn to Row participants. Thank you Kat and all of our other summer coaches.