Yasmin Farooq Named Head Women’s Rowing Coach ashington Rowing welcomes longtime U.S. and after spending some time with Yaz, it didn’t take long National Team coxswain Yasmin Farooq as the to realize she was the right fit to lead us into the future,” Wwomen’s rowing head coach. said Jennifer Cohen, UW director of athletics. “Her resume A two-time Olympian, Farooq, known as “Yaz,” comes to speaks for itself, but the further we looked into her Conibear Shellhouse after 10 seasons as head coach at background, the more we realized that the work she has Stanford, where she won an NCAA championship in 2009. done echoes our core objectives of positively impacting The Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association National Coach student-athletes, building a championship culture, and of the Year in 2009, she has also been named the CRCA uniting community.” West Region Coach of the Year in 2009 and the Pac-12 Farooq began her career as a coxswain as a freshman at Coach of the Year in both 2008 and 2014. Wisconsin in 1984, winning a national championship in the “I am extremely excited to take the reins of such a JV8 in 1986 and eventually serving as captain and earning storied program,” Farooq said. “Washington Rowing has a team MVP honors as a senior. long-standing history of excellence, and I can’t wait to get A native of Waupun, Wis., Farooq has served as a to work to find out where we can take this team.” television commentator for NBC Universal for the last At the 2016 NCAA regatta, Farooq led the Cardinal to a four Olympic Games and, along with her husband, has fourth-place overall finish, one point ahead of the fifth- produced instructional DVDs for coaching coxswains. She place Huskies. The Stanford varsity eight finished third in earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from the grand final, just a couple of feet ahead of fourth-place Wisconsin in 1988. Brown. Welcome Yaz! “This program is a source of great pride to many people, Windermere Cup Highlights................. 9 In this issue Shell Dedications....................................10 Stewards’ Letter ......................... 3 Class of 1966 50th Reunion..................11 Women’s Season Review........... 4 News & Announcements.......................12 Men’s Season Review................ 5 Out & About............................................13 The Washingtonians...................6 In Memoriam..........................................14 Olympics Update........................ 8 Race Schedule.........................................16 Cover: Washington Rowing swept every event at the 2016 Windermere Cup. 2 THE WASHINGTON ROWING MAGAZINE Stewards’ Letter experience, he reinvigorated the program instituting the notion of “winning the right way,” prioritizing first and Dear Friends, foremost physical and mental well-being. What followed was a string of parents reaching out to the Stewards and the athletic department commenting on the positive experience their kids were enjoying. Additionally our student-athletes achieved one of the team’s best results arely do we have the opportunity to see our at NCAAs in the past decade. Conor is a leader, a mentor program through anything other than our own lens. and is destined for great things. RThe search for the women’s head coach provided Those of you who traveled to Lake Natoma or Mercer us with such an opportunity. We heard time and again Lake this spring why the University of witnessed the character Washington is the best of Washington Rowing. program in collegiate Both teams stood at the rowing. Our facilities water’s edge, pulling are without equal. The for their teammates athletic department irrespective of their has prioritized rowing, boats’ results. The subscribing to the character embodied by concept of being these student-athletes Rowing University. The speaks to the attributes community embraces prioritized by the the sport of rowing coaches. They are team and its history unlike first and a credit to the any place in the legacy of Washington country. Finally, you, Rowing. the Stewards, provide Michael Callahan a level of support affirmed that the level unique to the University of collegiate rowing has of Washington. The taken yet another step resources you devote forward. Our program to this program began to craft its response just after the season’s are unparalleled. Prospective coaches consistently final strokes were taken, beginning with the hiring of commented how fortunate we are to have such a broad Yaz Farooq, our new women’s head coach. What Yaz foundation of support. Inasmuch as the Stewards accomplished in her time at Stanford is an unqualified operate behind the scenes, you have made waves success. As one of only six active coaches to have won throughout the rowing community. a Division I NCAA championship, Yaz is on familiar A thank you is due to all of you who dedicated time terms with boat speed. We are excited to begin the “Yaz and energy to enhance the program: the race day Era” at Washington and believe with her addition, the “Stream Team,” gear sales, VBC Banquet, Women’s nation’s two best coaches have offices in the Conibear Alumnae Brunch, Class Day Cruise and Barbecue, Shellhouse. reunions, Alumnae Race, Opening Day Stewards’ Continuous evolution is standard practice with the Enclosure and away regatta hospitality tents. Your Washington Rowing program. Such is the nature of tireless volunteering and incredible monetary support sustained excellence. We are excited to embark on the impact the program on a daily basis. We thank you. journey with them and invite you along for the ride. Conor Bullis was the right person at the right time for Washington. With no collegiate head coaching Go Dawgs! Sincerely, Co-chairs Washington Rowing Board of Stewards Jane Powers Trevor Vernon 3 Women’s Season Review Tempered Satisfaction Brunch. Thank you to all of the alums who came to see the team and ride in the coaching launch. Thank By Conor Bullis you to Jane Powers and Trevor Vernon (co-chairs of the Washington Rowing Board of Stewards) for their unwavering support through a tough year. isappointment with tempered satisfaction.” The support from inside of Conibear was integral to That is how The Seattle Times summed up our our success as well. Thank you to our team trainer, “Dyear and I completely agree. We expected Chris Melton, and his training room staff for all of to win the big races this year, but given the November the support. Thank you to Jeff Bechthold, director of change in coaching staff and the changes we made to athletic communications, for covering a staff change the training plan, rowing stroke and mentality, I am in his department and managing all of the Sports proud to say that we did a good job winning three out Information for the rowing program. Thank you to of four in the dual against eventual National Champion Sandy Erickson, director of operations, for her support California; taking 3rd place in the Pac-12, one tenth of and passion for the team. Thank you to our coaching a second from second place; and finishing 5th in the staff, Alan Meininghaus, Ben Hise, Haley Yeager and NCAA, two hundredths from 4th place, with two boats Lana Harshman, for doing the hands on day-to-day work on the podium. I am proud of our team and all of the to mold the team. Thank you to Michael Callahan for courage, passion and unity we displayed this year, but I working closely with me and guiding me through my am looking forward to seeing them go faster. immersion into head coaching. The support from outside of Conibear was integral to We are a product of what we are willing to do for our successes. I would like to thank all of our alumni, Washington Rowing to push for excellence in all aspects parents and fans that helped to keep us together to of our program. Our community is strong and able move forward towards our goals. We experienced the to do such incredible things in rowing and the lives of best attendance at our home races that I have ever our student-athletes. I am honored to have been the seen, and the emails and texts of support always kept interim women’s head coach during the 2016 season. our energy up. I would like to thank Adrienne Hunter The team is very strong team and has a strong incoming and Jane Powers for organizing the first Alumnae class. The future is bright for Washington Rowing. 4 THE WASHINGTON ROWING MAGAZINE Men’s Season Review The Burden of Expectation By Michael Callahan The freshmen showed a lot of resiliency this year. In that part of our team we have a lot of young, great, talented owing at Washington has always carried the burden and hard-working rowers, and now it is time to bring of immense expectations, but that is maybe true them up through the program and see them at their full Rmore now than ever after the success that the capability by the time they are seniors and juniors. program has enjoyed over the past decade. We have I’m also proud that we have the most students on the challenged the student-athletes, the coaches and Pac-12 All-Academic first team with 10 first team while support staff, and the alums and friends of the program Stanford has 9 and Cal has 3. Graham Henry won the with making Washington Rowing the best intercollegiate overall Athletic Department academic excellence award. rowing program in the world. This year, the Varsity 8+ Maybe most importantly, all of our seniors graduated and the team as a whole finished fourth in the country. with degrees in subjects that they are passionate about. There are a number of contributing factors to this but behind them all is the simple fact that when people experience overwhelming success over and over, they often forget the hunger, hard work, and process that drove them to success in the first place.