[S3] Ep. 17 - East Bay Rowing Club Gains Speed in Oakland

cultureclubscoaching

Aug 19

Written By Rachel Freedman

This episode was made possible in part by our Patrons, Concept2, and Lake Washington Rowing Club.
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This is a wide-ranging, roundtable chat with East Bay Rowing Club President Denise Martini, DEI Committee co-chair Carla Jourdan, and Erin Cafaro, two-time Olympic gold medalist and new Head Coach of Oakland Tech Men’s Varsity program.

Founded as a women's team, EBRC is growing to meet the needs of its Oakland, California community. Through recruitment, scholastic programming, and intentional DEI outreach, the boathouse looks different than even just a year ago. And EBRC is proud of that change.

Just some of what you'll hear:

• When landmarks go missing!

• Growing a rowing club to meet the needs of – and look like – the community

• Beyond standard certs for coaching education

• Boycotting USRowing Masters Nationals and hosting Boats Without Barriers regatta as an alternative

TIME STAMPS
[00:00] Episode lead-in

[02:37] Intro and welcome EBRC

[08:20] Rowing Week - Carla, Denise 20k tour of the Estuary; Erin back on the water (in a launch!)

[11:45] Six degrees of Coach Sarah Nevin

[12:30] Rapid Fire Q&A

[22:49] Established as a women’s team, EBRC has thrown open the boathouse doors to men, added scholastic rowing, and hosts regular LTR days as part of a DEI initiative

[29:13] Recipe for success: Providing opportunities that minimize barriers to entry

[32:35] Creating a welcoming and inclusive boathouse is an ongoing work in progress

[37:35] DEI committee, STEM to Stern, Arshay Cooper

[40:51] Additional outreach to the community, getting in front of Oakland Unified Schools ADs to introduce kids to rowing

[42:51] Coaches can meet people where they’re at; Positive Coaching Alliance as a resource for athletes, coaches, and parents

[47:55] Masters Nationals boycott and EBRC’s decision to host Boats Without Barriers regatta