UW 'Brain Trust' Offers Unprecedented Experience
August 30, 2017 | Women's Rowing
UW women's rowing coach Yasmin Farooq calls them her "brain trust."
Between them, and including the second-year Washington head coach, they have participated in eight different Olympic Games, winning five Olympic gold medals and innumerable World Championship and World Cup honors. They include two Husky Hall of Famers, four National Rowing Hall of Famers, and both the Pac-12 Rower and Coach of the Century.
"Brain trust" might just be understatement.
Along with Farooq, who guided the Washington women to the first-ever sweep of the NCAA grand finals last May, the foursome is made up of former UW and U.S. coxswain Mary Whipple Murray, former Stanford and U.S rower Elle Logan, and from time to time, former Husky and U.S. rower and longtime UW head coach Jan Harville.
While, along with Farooq, only Logan has a defined role on the UW rowing staff (she's a volunteer assistant coach), early-morning visitors to the Conibear Shellhouse might sometimes see all four of them on a coaches' launch, observing and critiquing the Husky rowers' practices. The wealth and breadth of knowledge the four of them share clearly played a role in Washington's rapid re-ascent to the top of the collegiate rowing world.
"They are our not-so-secret weapons," Coach Farooq says. "Their experience and passion for rowing is ever-present. As athletes, they loved making boats go fast and they convey that pure joy as coaches. It's impossible to not be inspired by them."
As a former coxswain herself, Farooq shares a specific perspective with Murray, who spent more than a decade guiding the powerful United States women's eight. Since retiring from international rowing, Murray, who now lives in Leavenworth, Wash., has spent much of her time coaching coxswains.
"Mary and I have been friends for 15 years," says Farooq. "She is so humble, but she was a key contributor to the success of the U.S. women's eight in her three Olympics. She is the premier coxswain coach in the country. As fellow coxswains, she and I see the boat differently and speak the same language, so I really value her keen eye and input."
Despite her worldwide experiences in the sport, Murray counts herself as fortunate for the time she spends on the UW coaching launch, watching the Huskies practice. Like Coach Farooq, she also enjoys breaking down video from the UW coxswains' perspective.
"I almost pinch myself," she says. "It's so much fun being on a launch with all of those women. It's great to talk shop with people who all speak the same language. I feel lucky. Yaz is always thanking me for coming along, but I always react that it's me who should be thanking her."
Despite living east of the Cascades, Murray is a frequent visitor to the Shellhouse.
"Whenever my travels take me anywhere near Seattle, it's the first thing I think about," she says. " 'When's practice?' 'Can I squeeze it in?' 'Is there room on the launch?' The answer is always 'yes!' "
While the two former coxswains share their view, the input from a rower as accomplished as Logan offers a different perspective – one based on another long-standing relationship with the Husky head coach.
"Elle's first year at Stanford was my first year there too," says Farooq. "She was raw talent. But what she did to become a three-time Olympic gold medalist took incredible discipline and perseverance. As a coach, she is such a steady hand and cool head."
Logan, who lived and trained in Bellingham for many of the years after she graduated from Stanford, moved to Seattle with her husband last year. Having finished her competitive rowing career (three Olympic gold medals) and moved into a "normal" job and life, it was a happy coincidence that her former college coach had moved to Seattle to take over the UW program.
"I just finished the Olympics and rowers are very addicted to rowing, so it was a great way to stay in touch with an amazing rowing program," Logan explains. "Michael Callahan [the UW men's coach] was a U-23 coach when I was in that program and he's been a great supporter. I have a lot of connections. They've been generous to open their doors even though I'm a Stanford grad."
Since she's often in the company of two former coxswains, Logan is able to share a viewpoint from another direction.
"Elle brings a level of confidence," Murray explains. "She brings the reassurance that the women can handle it. She's always saying, 'yes, they can do another piece. They're prepared. They're tough.' "
Logan also has more insight than most on Farooq, given that their careers essentially began together in Palo Alto in 2006. In 2009 in Farooq's third year with the Cardinal and in Logan's sophomore season, Stanford won the NCAA championship.
"Yaz's first year of coaching was my first year at Stanford, so it's been 10 years," says Logan. "To see the coach that she's become in just 10 years is fun for me to be a part of. I really think she's amazing in taking her experience from each year, learning from it and getting better every year. She never really makes the same mistake twice."
Harville, who rowed at Washington in the 1970s, was selected to the U.S. team for the boycotted 1980 Olympics and then rowed in the women's four at the 1984 Games, retired as Washington's head coach following the 2003 season. The nine-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year and Pac-12 Coach of the Century, Harville led the UW to three NCAA championships in the first five years of that regatta.
While her presence at Husky practices is less frequent than those of Logan and Murray, Farooq still counts her as a key factor in her coaching career.
"Jan has been an amazing mentor for me," Farooq says. "She has so much wisdom and so much love for the program. When she's around I just want to listen. Having all three of these amazing women in the launch right before NCAA's was so special. They are amazing role models for our student-athletes, and I'm beyond grateful for their friendship and desire to help this team succeed."
Between them, and including the second-year Washington head coach, they have participated in eight different Olympic Games, winning five Olympic gold medals and innumerable World Championship and World Cup honors. They include two Husky Hall of Famers, four National Rowing Hall of Famers, and both the Pac-12 Rower and Coach of the Century.
"Brain trust" might just be understatement.
Along with Farooq, who guided the Washington women to the first-ever sweep of the NCAA grand finals last May, the foursome is made up of former UW and U.S. coxswain Mary Whipple Murray, former Stanford and U.S rower Elle Logan, and from time to time, former Husky and U.S. rower and longtime UW head coach Jan Harville.
While, along with Farooq, only Logan has a defined role on the UW rowing staff (she's a volunteer assistant coach), early-morning visitors to the Conibear Shellhouse might sometimes see all four of them on a coaches' launch, observing and critiquing the Husky rowers' practices. The wealth and breadth of knowledge the four of them share clearly played a role in Washington's rapid re-ascent to the top of the collegiate rowing world.
"They are our not-so-secret weapons," Coach Farooq says. "Their experience and passion for rowing is ever-present. As athletes, they loved making boats go fast and they convey that pure joy as coaches. It's impossible to not be inspired by them."
As a former coxswain herself, Farooq shares a specific perspective with Murray, who spent more than a decade guiding the powerful United States women's eight. Since retiring from international rowing, Murray, who now lives in Leavenworth, Wash., has spent much of her time coaching coxswains.
"Mary and I have been friends for 15 years," says Farooq. "She is so humble, but she was a key contributor to the success of the U.S. women's eight in her three Olympics. She is the premier coxswain coach in the country. As fellow coxswains, she and I see the boat differently and speak the same language, so I really value her keen eye and input."
Despite her worldwide experiences in the sport, Murray counts herself as fortunate for the time she spends on the UW coaching launch, watching the Huskies practice. Like Coach Farooq, she also enjoys breaking down video from the UW coxswains' perspective.
"I almost pinch myself," she says. "It's so much fun being on a launch with all of those women. It's great to talk shop with people who all speak the same language. I feel lucky. Yaz is always thanking me for coming along, but I always react that it's me who should be thanking her."
Despite living east of the Cascades, Murray is a frequent visitor to the Shellhouse.
"Whenever my travels take me anywhere near Seattle, it's the first thing I think about," she says. " 'When's practice?' 'Can I squeeze it in?' 'Is there room on the launch?' The answer is always 'yes!' "
While the two former coxswains share their view, the input from a rower as accomplished as Logan offers a different perspective – one based on another long-standing relationship with the Husky head coach.
"Elle's first year at Stanford was my first year there too," says Farooq. "She was raw talent. But what she did to become a three-time Olympic gold medalist took incredible discipline and perseverance. As a coach, she is such a steady hand and cool head."
Logan, who lived and trained in Bellingham for many of the years after she graduated from Stanford, moved to Seattle with her husband last year. Having finished her competitive rowing career (three Olympic gold medals) and moved into a "normal" job and life, it was a happy coincidence that her former college coach had moved to Seattle to take over the UW program.
"I just finished the Olympics and rowers are very addicted to rowing, so it was a great way to stay in touch with an amazing rowing program," Logan explains. "Michael Callahan [the UW men's coach] was a U-23 coach when I was in that program and he's been a great supporter. I have a lot of connections. They've been generous to open their doors even though I'm a Stanford grad."
Since she's often in the company of two former coxswains, Logan is able to share a viewpoint from another direction.
"Elle brings a level of confidence," Murray explains. "She brings the reassurance that the women can handle it. She's always saying, 'yes, they can do another piece. They're prepared. They're tough.' "
Logan also has more insight than most on Farooq, given that their careers essentially began together in Palo Alto in 2006. In 2009 in Farooq's third year with the Cardinal and in Logan's sophomore season, Stanford won the NCAA championship.
"Yaz's first year of coaching was my first year at Stanford, so it's been 10 years," says Logan. "To see the coach that she's become in just 10 years is fun for me to be a part of. I really think she's amazing in taking her experience from each year, learning from it and getting better every year. She never really makes the same mistake twice."
Harville, who rowed at Washington in the 1970s, was selected to the U.S. team for the boycotted 1980 Olympics and then rowed in the women's four at the 1984 Games, retired as Washington's head coach following the 2003 season. The nine-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year and Pac-12 Coach of the Century, Harville led the UW to three NCAA championships in the first five years of that regatta.
While her presence at Husky practices is less frequent than those of Logan and Murray, Farooq still counts her as a key factor in her coaching career.
"Jan has been an amazing mentor for me," Farooq says. "She has so much wisdom and so much love for the program. When she's around I just want to listen. Having all three of these amazing women in the launch right before NCAA's was so special. They are amazing role models for our student-athletes, and I'm beyond grateful for their friendship and desire to help this team succeed."
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