Becky Brown, past president of the Conibear Rowing Club, interviewed Sara recently about her background, her thoughts about coaching, and - well, her life.
Sara became head coach of Conibear in 1989, when Eleanor McElvaine left to coach the Husky novice team at the University of Washington. Sara has continued to be our coach all these years, except between 1994 and 1996 when she was drafted to assist US Rowing in Indianapolis and then recruited to organize the rowing venue for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta. |
Becky: Where did you grow up?
Sara: I was born in Los Angeles, California and grew up in the San Fernando Valley, a suburb or L.A. Although this was the home of the famous Valley Girl movement, I escaped to the Northwest to attend college at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma prior to any permanent effect on my vocabulary or shopping tendencies.
Becky: What experiences in your "growing up" might provide a clue that you would end up coaching rowing?
Sara: I always loved sports but was best described as a "jack of all trades", rather than a stellar athlete in any one area. Our family spent many vacations waterskiing, often introducing family and friends to the sport. Giving instructions from a powerboat, being out on the water, teaching a very sequential and rhythmic activity... maybe it was a natural transition!
Becky: What has been your own rowing experience?
Sara: I rowed at PLU for three years. Being a Physical Education major, hoping to go into Adaptive PE (special education p.e.), it was required that I participate on a sports team. My "jack of all sports" status reduced the chances of being a successful walk-on at the college level. I saw a notice for crew and realized that they took novices.
The PLU team was a small club program with a part-time coach and limited team members. As the Varsity team had only six openweight rowers to start the Spring season, I had a chance to row in both the Novice 8+ and Varsity 8+ my first year. Although we spent the majority of our time in 8+s, like most colleges, I did compete at most regattas in a four also, and even a pair during my senior year. Highlights (and the biggest regattas I competed at!) included rowing in a Varsity 4+ at Opening Day and winning at the 1983 NW Collegiate Regionals in the pair.
Becky: How did you happen to get into coaching rowing?
Sara: My schooling and longtime interest had been education. More formally, teaching Sunday School or even informally, as my little sister had to endure my classroom simulations when we played or later try to make quick cuts on her waterski when I used a whistle to signal her from the boat!
After graduation with a degree in Education and majors in physical education and special education, I moved back to California. There were not any opportunities to keep rowing myself, so I volunteered to help coach the women's novice team at U.C.L.A. while I attended Cal State University Northridge to earn my Adaptive P.E. credential.
Realizing that I belonged in the Northwest, I made my way back to Seattle after a year and began substitute teaching while I searched for a full-time position. I was lucky to get a volunteer internship with the UW crew team, working one year with Jan Harville and one year with Bob Ernst that strengthened my coaching skills. In 1985 I heard about a new rowing facility opening at Mt. Baker. I thought it would be a long commute from Seattle to Bellingham, so it was a relief to learn that the facility was in the community that looked at Mt. Baker, not was located there.
When the facility opened, I coached the juniors and all levels of the adult program. During those early days another coach and I arrived for the 5:30-7:30am competitive adult class, coached the juniors from 7:30-9:30, the mid-day adults till 11:30 and then did boathouse chores, rowed ourselves, took naps in the upstairs meeting room, and then coached two evening adult learn to row classes at 5pm and 7pm. Not a bad way to spend summer days in Seattle!
By late Fall, some management changes occurred and I was hired as the facility manager. I helped develop the policy to allow private clubs to row at the facility when Dick Erickson began looking for a new home for Conibear Rowing Club and convinced one of my new junior coaches, Eleanor McElvaine, to assist Dick in coaching this growing group of women.
Although I moved toward program administration and event coordination, I always enjoyed coaching and continued to work with Conibear off and on after starting with one of the novice classes in 1987.
Becky: What do you like about coaching?
Sara: What I like best about coaching is assisting as those light bulbs go off in people as they develop skills and meet challenges. I definitely view coaching as an extension of education and teaching. What always amazes me is the sense of empowerment and pride that are fostered when any individual discovers a new ability or reaches a new threshold of accomplishment.
Becky: What do you like about coaching Conibear?
Sara: What I like best about CRC is the foundation of individual diversity that blends into our strength and longevity as a club. Yes, the members are primarily women, but the mix of personalities, physical abilities, lifestyles, business and community accomplishments, stages of family involvement is fascinating to me. While this diversity and mix has sometimes brought struggles to our club - we have faced those struggles and emerged each time with increased maturity, both as individuals and as an organization. Some would say SYNERGY!
Becky: How would you describe your coaching philosophy?
Sara: At one level I think my coaching philosophy is a simple, two-fold belief. Everyone can develop their skills if given the opportunity and guidance. Athletic activity and competition develop not only the body, but also character and confidence that extends to all aspects of a person's life.
Maybe I can modify something I read recently by a writer, Allan Gurganus, which really struck home with me. He wrote, "My ambition as a writer is not only to take the characters through a series of events in their lives but to pull readers more deeply into the center of their own lives. This, for me, means taking people into their own courage, a word that comes from heart." Now my version: " My ambition as a coach is not only to take the team through a series of competitions during the season but to pull athletes more deeply into the center of their own lives. This, for me, means taking people into their own courage, a word that comes from heart."
Becky: How has your own work career evolved over the years while you have coached Conibear?
Sara: I'll just refer you to my resume. Sara's Resume
Becky: In what way does coaching complement your own work and career?
Sara: I have often found my way to a management position, quite quickly and without a lot of formal preparation. In many ways, I believe that my coaching has equipped me to be successful in creating a sense of team with my staff and maintaining a focus on helping them develop their skills and succeed in their responsibilities. It goes without saying that these two elements then help us succeed in the larger endeavor of the organization.
Becky: What are your other activities and interests?
Sara: Family - both my personal relationship with Eleanor and our extended families are important and a source of great times and lots of love. We both are very dedicated to our role as Aunts. My lifelong love of reading, especially anything by Stephen King continues. Recently my stack of books to be read has increased as my start in the Educational Leadership and Policy Study Master's program has packed on numerous textbooks.
Finally, by the time this is published, there should be a new addition, tentatively named Alberta, to our immediate family...and our soon to be extended carport. We are purchasing a 24' powerboat to expand our opportunities of cruising in the Sound, camping, and, of course, waterskiing and fishing. In our search, we were both quick to explain, as we both spend a great deal of time talking through megaphones trying to coordinate and motivate a multitude of movements to increase the speed of a sleek craft on the water... there is something very appealing about just pushing down that throttle and taking off!
Becky: In what way is the sport of rowing changing? Is it going in the right direction? Does it need to be changed in some way?
Sara: I spent many years working on the political and organizational side of rowing and I will withhold my opinion of the current status on these fronts.
The world of master's rowing is interesting and something I continue to watch with pride and concern. On one hand, it is exciting to see the growth - both locally and on a worldwide level - which has occurred in the last 20 years. At the same time, I worry that we can lose sight of the proper priority and place for rowing. I do not like to see individuals or teams lose what balance I believe is necessary for a healthy life. Rowing is just a sport....albeit a very special one! And yes, I like the competition and all out physical demands that it requires. But as hard as we strive to improve our skills, build our endurance, apply our power, and develop our competitiveness on the race course, I see rowing's place as a positive contributor to the things that are central to the rest of our lives - not the centerpiece itself.
It goes back to my coaching philosophy. It is not about winning any one race or medal, it is about the ability to discover what we can achieve, face our fears and challenges our weaknesses. It is about gaining the confidence and courage to realize our potential. Maybe this last week (9/11/01), we have all had more occasions to stop and reflect on what is important. I appreciated the moments of quiet on the water at a time when the world seems to be whirling at a new pitch of fervor and confusion. It confirmed to me that rowing is important because it allows me to be stronger in facing the other aspects of my life and it offers me a strong community of friends to face those challenges with.
Becky: Is there a particular rower in the rowing community that you admire. If so, why?
Sara: When I pondered this question, I had a flash of many faces of Conibear Rowing Club members. There are many personal stories that I have been privileged to share with club members who have faced challenges in various areas of their lives. Often a rower has explained how rowing (the activity and/or the community) played a part in empowering or sustaining them through the tough times. I have been lucky to watch many members grow, as athletes first and then as powerful women in their daily lives. In this flash there were many women that I admire and am blessed to have as role models for my life.
Outside of Conibear, I would identify many members of the 1980 Olympic Team as rowers that I admire. This was the group that did not attend the 1980 Olympics due to the U.S. decision to boycott the Games. I had a chance to meet and interview some of these individuals Carol Brown, Tiff Wood, Jan Harville, Tom Woodman, Ginny Gilder, Anita deFrantz. What I grew to admire was the level accomplishment they attained and how they responded when their ultimate goal was suddenly snatched away from their grasp.
The community of rowing, and in some cases the world of sports, was lucky in many ways to reap the benefits of their response. Each of these individuals has served the sport through their leadership and amazing contributions in a variety of avenues. Their motto in 1980 was "Never again" and yet their dedication and contributions to sport showed their ability to not become bitter but to work to provide increased opportunities for the athletes that followed them.
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