I am a dream-believer who came to the sport of rowing at a very late age, as a master rower! Against all odds of age limitation, learning ability, narrow sport selection and financial support, I seized the chance to pursue a life-long dream: to compete at the Olympic Games.
Why Rowing: I love the gliding motion when you get the technique right, together with your own body’s strength to achieve speed. Competing is the opportunity to use my body and mind to its absolute best always with passion and determination.
Something I didn’t expect, but through my journey as a lightweight rower, I gained interest in all things food related. From culinary arts to seeing how something so simple can make a huge difference in people’s lives. I am really interested on how I can be part of the solution towards obesity and diabetes. I write often in my blog for fullpaletteliving and hope you will follow along with me as I try to change wellness and eating patterns.
Rowing as a MASTER first:
I started rowing at a Learn to Row Class at Greenlake, Seattle. I rowed my first race in the masters regatta called Frostbite in a coxed novice 4-. After that I moved to Lake Stevens. But only 2 years later did I take up rowing again with Lake Stevens Rowing Club. My passion for all aspects of rowing grew quickly. It was not long before I started to work as the general club manager for LSRC mainly managing the masters program, but also serving as an assistant coach to the juniors. With my right hand, Greg Williams, we kept the boathouse and its equipment in top shape. These are my golden days, for nothing compares to the comraderie of master’s rowing. I remember the breakfasts after early morning rows, always talking about rowing, the search for the perfect stroke, squeezing in training between work, organising regatta line ups, which can be mixed men and women and working out age-handicaps and then hot seating and racing multiple times with multiple partners in all different boats, and it was fun!
The funny thing is, I raced in the AA category. But at 26, the official age for the master’s category of AA is 27. So I was disqualified after winning the heat. I protested, so USRowing let me race the final, but only in an outside lane 8. I still won but when the medals were called I was not expecting my name to be announced but it was. So I have a medal for the master’s national in 2006!