Rowing's Cultural Connection for Pacific Islander Youth
At Peninsula Community Rowing Club, Tongan American coach Anthony Heimuli is making an impact in his San Francisco-area rowing community, providing young athletes a deeper understanding of community and self. And with his eyes set firmly on the 2026 Youth Olympics and LA2028, Anthony is working to establish the Pacific Islander Rowing Association to develop high-performance athletes for international competition.
This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode Intro
02:16 - Rowing week: On a scale of 1-10, Anthony's was a 9 while prepping two youth for New Zealand Rowing Coastal Sprints
02:54 - The Huddle: A quick get to know Anthony
03:40 - The Hot Seat Q&A
05:22 - Rowing origin story: A very short-lived football career led to a rowing team tryout
07:55 - Being recruited to – and divorced by – the University of Washington
12:48 - After a 10 year rowing hiatus, coaching middle schoolers was “insane”
17:57 - The Pacific Islander community in San Francisco
20:54 - Working with community partners to introduce Pacific Islander youth to rowing
28:22 - Coaching philosophy: "It's just rowing. Let's have fun!"
31:26 - Working to make the Peninsula Community Rowing Club a recognized member of the Tonga Rowing Association
37:47 - Steady State Network news and notes
Episode Mentions
EVENTS
2026 Youth Olympic Games
2028 Olympic Games
LEADERSHIP
Emily Koenig, Director of Pacific Rowing Club
NATIONAL GOVERNING BODIES
Tonga Rowing Association
ORGANIZATIONS
Camp Unity
National Olympic Committee
Tonga Athletic Sports Association
World Rowing
REGATTAS
Green Lake Sprints
Head of the Lake
UNIVERSITY PROGRAMS
University of Washington