Olivia Coffey graduated from Harvard Radcliffe in 2011 and is currently set to race in the United States W8+ at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
1. What inspired you to go to your first rowing practice; was there anything memorable about it?
When I was in middle school, my parents took me down to the local inlet for my first ever row. My dad plopped me down into a single that he built and held the stern while took some practice strokes. Once I could keep the boat upright, he got into his own boat and we went out for a paddle. I could sort of make my way down the canal, but every time I tried to put a little something on the stroke, I'd flip. It was no big deal though; I'd just swim the boat to the shore and hop in again. Even though I didn't really know what I was doing, I remember my dad emphasizing that it was important to be smooth during the stroke, and that's something I still think about when I row now.
2. Was there a practice, race or other event when you fell in love with the sport, or when you knew you might not be too bad at rowing? When you thought you could make the national team?
One of my first practices early on at the Training Center was a peak power test. I remember we did it in the Princeton erg room and Erin Cafaro held my erg. When the coach said go, I gave it everything I had. I didn't know how my score would stack up, but when Erin saw it, she asked if my erg was broken. Turns out it wasn't; I was just really strong.
3. Best race/practice, worst race/practice?
One of my favorite races, outside of competing with the National Team, was the May Bumps regatta at Cambridge in 2018. If you've never experienced the race before, it combines the excitement and atmosphere of a Saturday at HRR with the backdrop of a scene straight of the Wind and the Willows. The goal of each boat is to physically bump the crew ahead of them. There is so much fanfare and tradition associated with the event, and it was really cool to see the entire University brought together by rowing along the banks of the Cam.
As for my worst race/practice, way too many memories come to mind. One thing I will say, though, is you are guaranteed to have a bad time rowing if you have slippery handles. So make sure to wash your hands after applying sunscreen, scrub down the handles occasionally, and, if that doesn't work, wrap some athletic tape on there.
4. Best/Anything you've done in the sport no one knows about?
I have the biggest wingspan on the Women's National Team - 6'7'.
5. Any/Most important advice for young rowers?
Don't focus on rowing too early in your athletic career. It's much more important to become a well-rounded, healthy athlete than it is to get a good erg score for college recruiting. Most of my teammates were walk-ons in college and ice hockey was my primary sport throughout high school. If you enjoy rowing, want to improve, and are a good athlete, you'll eventually find success.
Hometown: Watkins Glen, N.Y.
Club Affiliation: Princeton TC
Date of Birth: January 29, 1989 Height: 6'1"
Weight: 170
Education: Harvard University, 2011
Training Location: Princeton, NJ
Current Coach: Tom Terhaar
National Teams: Nine - Under 23, 2009-2011; Senior, 2013-15, 2018-19; Olympic, 2020
International Results: Finished third in the the eight at the 2019 World Rowing Championships...Won silver in the eight at the 2019 World Rowing Cup II...Finished fifth in the four and eighth in the pair at the 2019 World Rowing Cup I...Won gold in the eight at the 2018 World Rowing Championships...Won The Boat Race for Cambridge University in 2018...Finished third in the eight at the 2018 World Rowing Cup III...Finished sixth in the quadruple sculls at the 2016 World Rowing Cup II...Won gold in the quadruple sculls at the 2015 World Rowing Championships...Won gold in the eight and the four at the 2015 World Rowing Cup II...Won bronze in the quadruple sculls at the 2014 World Rowing Championships...Won gold in the four at the 2013 World Rowing Championships...Won bronze in the eight at the 2011 World Rowing Under 23 Championships...Won gold in the eight at the 2010 World Rowing Under 23 Championships...Won silver in the eight at the 2009 World Rowing Under 23 Championships.
National Results: Finished fifth in the pair at the 2015 National Selection Regatta I...Finished third in the pair at the 2014 National Selection Regatta I...Won the four at the 2013 World Championships Trials.
Personal: Olivia was born on 1/29/1989 and attended Phillips Academy Andover. Her father stroked the men's pair to a silver medal at the 1976 Olympics. She has three older sisters...Olivia also attended Cambridge University, where she received her MBA.
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