SRA Stories: Trish Miller

Photo Credit: Brian Tosch | Tail of the Lake 2012 (Kathleen Sheehan, Trish Miller, Lori de Leuw and Lilette Player)

Novice year is a rite of passage at Sammamish Rowing Association (SRA). Every rower goes through it, but everyone has a different experience. Trish Miller describes her novice year as one that changed her life.

Miller currently serves as Activities Coordinator and teaches Leadership classes at Evergreen Middle School, where she previously taught Science and Fitness. In 2000, a fellow Fitness teacher and previous SRA rower asked Trish if she had ever tried rowing. It took Miller some time to work up the courage to try it, but after years of her colleague’s pestering, in July of 2008, Miller decided to give rowing a shot.  Miller was hesitant to join because she knew nothing about rowing and had never been good at sports. She remembered, “I tried every sport known to man growing up and I was terrible at all of them,” but she knew she needed something. “At that point I just needed something for myself. I had a two-year old son, and I needed something for fun and fitness—something on my own where I wasn’t anyone’s mom, wife, or teacher. I needed something for me. That’s initially why I started.” Trish completed Learn to Row (LTR) I and LTR II before she found out she was pregnant and had to stop rowing. After her daughter was born, it took her two years to come back to rowing, but she just couldn’t get it out of her head.

Miller started back at Learn to Row in July of 2011. Jennie Proby was her coach at the time, and Proby told Trish there was a Women’s Novice Eight going to Regionals that she thought Trish should be a part of. Miller recalls not even being interested in racing, but Proby told her, “Oh, you’re going to be good at this; you just don’t know it yet.” Miller talked about how Proby and coaches to follow, like Derek de Leuw, Aidan Hennessey, and Tom Woodman, believed in her before she believed in herself. Proby convinced Miller to take a “Learn to Regatta” class that Miller at first resisted. It was at that Learn to Regatta event that Miller fell in love with racing. “It was instant, from that first stroke, like a light bulb went off in my head,” she said about discovering her passion for competition. Not only did Miller love competition, it turns out she excelled at it.

Miller with her two children, Avery (9) and Jackson (12)

In the spring, Tom Woodman asked Trish to seat race for Opening Day. At that point she had not even been rowing for a full year. “We had one mixed eight going. When he asked me to seat race, I didn’t realize I was actually competing to go. I thought I was just helping the experienced team seat race.” She laughs, thinking about it. “I really knew nothing about this sport. I had never seat raced before.  But somehow, I won my seat race and that May I was able to race Opening Day. It was incredible to be given the chance to experience that level of competition so early on.”

One of her favorite rowing memories happened later that year at another prestigious race: The Head of the Charles Regatta. Miller opened up about everything that went wrong that day in October 2012. “There were major equipment issues. We rented a boat from CRI. Their boathouse was beyond the finish line, so had we to row about 6,000 meters through boat traffic to get to the start line. We were not even passing the finish line area when we realized we had lost our skeg.” She talked about how she wondered if they would even make it to the starting line. They saw another CRI crew who had finished rowing and asked to borrow their boat thinking what could be the harm in asking? The CRI crew agreed, and both crews swapped places on the water!

2nd Place HOCR W4+ lineups from 2013 and 2018, Miller is second to the right in both photos

Miraculously, everything in the borrowed boat was set up correctly, but they still had the daunting task of making it through all the boat traffic, in less than 40 minutes, to reach the starting line in time. The crew had to stop twice to allow Miller’s teammate, in two seat, to walk the gunwales and pull debris off their skeg. The coxswain at one point questioned the women “Even if we do make it to the start in time, with almost no steering, will you girls be able to do this?” To which the stroke seat, Lori de Leuw, responded “I don’t care if we have to row this boat like a big pair! We are doing this!” Miller said, “We had worked so hard to get there. We had spent so much time and energy. I would rather come in dead last than not have had the opportunity to compete.” Miller realized that day that these women had her back. “Not one of my incredible teammates showed any doubt that we would make it. They just kept working to get us there.” Miller saw this and thought to herself, “Well there’s no way I’m going to be the reason we don’t get there.”  With hard work, trust in each other, and a stroke of luck, the women made it to the start with seconds to spare. They pulled right into their starting position (17th in line). With barely time to grab a drink, they were called onto the course. “We basically raced a 10K!” Miller exclaimed. Her boat ended up placing 6th!

It is incredible to hear such stories of chance and accomplishment from rowers. Miller says she is lucky enough to have gone to Boston 5 times. She has placed 2nd twice (in the 40+ W4+ and the 50+ W4+). She hopes to capture gold in the future.

The support from her coaches, the newfound love for competition, having something for herself, and the people at SRA are why Miller keeps coming back to the Hod Fowler Boathouse. She said, “Even on my worst days it’s the people here who keep me coming back. I have gained so much from my experience here in terms of self-confidence. The people at SRA believe in you long before you believe in yourself. They gave me opportunities and encouraged me to really step out of my comfort zone and push myself. I am a very different person now than I was before I started rowing.”

Some of the women Miller started her rowing journey and novice year with

Miller admitted she lacked confidence and was afraid to try new things before rowing. She said she did not put faith in herself to rise to a challenge. “Now I welcome the challenge. In the last two years especially, I’ve been better about trying new things, testing my limits, and seeing what I am capable of. It all started here (SRA),” Miller said.

Miller and Tanya Wahl after their first pair win at Regionals

Trish is now a constant presence at the boathouse. Her bright smile is seen at 5 AM practice, regattas, and junior practices in her new role. Just this year SRA brought Trish on as Safe Sport Coordinator—a role where she acts as a bridge between junior rowers and coaches as well as parents and coaches. She listens to the needs of our junior community and works to make sure the juniors stay safe physically, mentally and emotionally. Miller also helps juniors feel more comfortable approaching coaches when it might seem intimidating. Kids can come to her for basic problems or even high-pressure situations. Miller has enjoyed working with the junior program. She brings the perfect blend of teaching experience and rowing experience to the position. Miller finds this is her way to give back to the club.

Miller, like many other rowers in our SRA stories, had some advice to give. She encourages new or inexperienced rowers to trust others. To her, trusting teammates is more important than technique. “Trust in a boat is the one factor that will make or break a race and will make or break a team. Always assume the best intent of your teammates. If you look at our 5AM women at a start line, we are not the biggest women or strongest women, but we absolutely trust and support one another, and I think that’s the magic. That is what makes us a winning team—that we will support each other to the end.”

Miller went on to say, “I was extremely lucky to have such an incredible novice experience, but even without all the excitement, I would’ve kept coming back. I was hooked from that first month. This is a lifetime sport for me. I think it’s because the sport itself, and the people who do it, won’t ever allow me to get complacent. You can never be perfect at it. The sport is always changing, depending on the race, the crew, the conditions. The challenges are endless. You have to keep pushing and learning, stretching yourself and growing. My closest friends are rowers, people I met at SRA. And I love them for the same reasons that I love the sport. They push me to continually strive for more than I ever imagined I was capable of. I’m not afraid to try new things anymore. I have SRA and my teammates to thank for that. Any boat, any seat, anytime, anywhere. I’m in. Bring it on.”

Trish is a wonderful part of the SRA community. From her competitive spirit to her helpfulness around the boathouse, Trish is always a constant and welcome presence. Take her advice to not only trust in others but to trust in yourself as well. You might just find that, like Trish, you discover a whole new side of yourself.

Women from the 5am team that keep Miller coming back to the boathouse