The Marin Rowing Association

Sandy Armstrong

Sandy Armstrong
Director, Marin Rowing Association & Varsity Girls' Coach

Sandy stroking a 4+ on the creek in high school.

For longtime Greenbrae resident Sandy Armstrong, what started as a passion has continued as a lifelong career (oh, but if we were all so fortunate as to be paid for doing what we love most! MRA Juniors – take note!).

Sandy picked up her first oar as a Redwood High School sophomore in the fall of 1979. A soccer player at the time, she thought it would be cool to try out this new sport, and back then, Redwood's women's crew was in its infancy (the women's junior team, exclusively a Redwood team at its inception, was formed in 1977 by Coach Jana Barto). In fact, her old, heavy wooden Pocock oar from high school is prominently displayed in her office. What Sandy didn't know at the time was that she would ultimately fall in love with the sport, and that this was a life-defining moment.

"I love being on the water – loved it then, and I love it now," says Sandy. "It was a different sport, it was super challenging, very tough but so new and so different."Her coach Jana Barto was a great role model. "She was strong and aggressive but really caring, encouraging and a great mentor for me,"adds Sandy "She and rowing defined me."

Coaching the Novice Girls team in 1985.

By her senior year, Sandy was stroke and captain of the Redwood Women's Varsity crew leading her Women's 4+ to a gold medal at what is now the Southwest Regional Championships (formerly BARF believe it or not, for Bay Area Rowing Festival). Upon her graduation from Redwood in 1982, Sandy moved on from rowing.

"I had no idea what I was going to miss out on, "she says. "My senior year, coach John Davis from Stanford came to recruit from the varsity team and said to me, 'We'd like to have you row for Stanford.' 'Me?' I thought.– ''I didn't even think that was possible.'But a high tuition along with not being prepared held her back from accepting that offer.

"I regret not rowing in college for two reasons – one, the experience of doing it and two, for every single person who has asked me over the past 22 years where I rowed in college – it would be nice to be able to say something," Sandy reflects. "But just being sought after was eye opening for me – it opens up your world to things that you never thought possible."

She attended and graduated with a degree in Clinical Psychology from SF State, and although there was no rowing team, Sandy was never far from her passion to row. In 1984, Barto started MRA's Masters Women's team and recruited Sandy to row/help coach it while she attended college. That evolved into coaching MRA's Novice Girls from 1985 to 1988. Back then, the girls rowed in the mornings and, as Sandy recalls "We were the lucky ones; great water and free afternoons."; The boys had the afternoons. So here's Sandy's "trudging-through-the-snow-for-two-miles-to-school-each-day" story: she rode her bike to the boat house at 5:00 a.m., coached the Novice Girls, then went to school at SF State during the day, then worked at a restaurant and in her dad's advertising agency at night to pay her way through college. Now that, my friends, is dedication!

Sandy (center) during her coaching days at Tulane University.

Upon her graduation from college, she spent a two-year stint ('88 to '90) coaching the Varsity Girls at Tulane University in Louisiana and attending the University of New Orleans Physical Therapy program before returning to Marin to pursue a career in Physical Therapy. Once back in Marin she "got sucked right back into coaching,"even though she was determined to "get a real job." She says that she had an epiphany of sorts and came to the realization that she was already doing what she wanted to be doing; working with high school students, working with athletes and working on the water.

"I love athletics, and I love working with kids," says Sandy. "I realized I was already doing exactly what I was supposed to be doing. This was in fact my career, and this was in fact a very 'real', very important job."

Stroking the gold medal 4+ at the
1992 FISA Veteran's World Regatta in Miami. Behind Sandy is Stacey Grossman, current member of the club's Masters Women team!

Sandy has been at MRA ever since. In 1991, she became director of MRA and coach of the Varsity Girls, dual roles she has held ever since. She is the backbone of MRA – the "mother," friend, leader, visionary and soul of the MRA family. In fact, it's hard to imagine MRA without Sandy at the helm.

"Right now, I feel as though MRA is the strongest it has even been," comments Sandy. "My vision of the past ten years has now come to fruition – we have this incredible facility and a well developed, strong rowing program for juniors, masters and scullers. My goal is to win national championships for Marin Rowing and it's my job to ensure that our programs are set up in such a way as to create that level of success while at the same time offering the sport of rowing to the community at large. My passion and the mission of this organization lie in the junior program, and while I will look out for everyone, I will make sure that what the junior program gave to me is available to every student-athlete that walks through the door.

"We are just beginning to reach out beyond the nucleus of the Marin community to introduce the sport of rowing to others who may not consider it within their means – to open the sport up to as many people as we can," adds Sandy. "In addition to our outreach efforts, I see us moving into the corporate community. There are so many lessons to be learned through rowing that can help to teach people in business how to work together effectively as a team, and what it means to be a successful leader. It's an avenue we plan to explore moving forward."

Sandy congratulates junior rower Gemma Edward-Aron following their gold medal win at the State Championships.

Sandy has amassed an impressive rowing resume with her high school and masters rowing and coaching experience: 15 years of Regional Championship regattas totaling nine gold, four silver and one bronze medal; she has qualified her Varsity 8+ ten times for the National Championships, participating in six of those resulting in three silver and two bronze medals. She has served as Assistant Coach for the Junior National Team Selection Camp ('92), Head Coach for the Junior National Team Development Camp ('93), has chaired and been a member of the Junior Women's National Team Committee ('94-'01, '04-present) and was voted by her peers to represent the SW Region as a Steward on the Southwest Regional Board of Stewards, a position she has held since '95. Sandy was asked by USRowing to speak on coaching juniors at the '98 US Rowing Annual Convention. She has represented MRA as a master rower at numerous regattas over the years including the 1992 FISA Veteran's World Regatta in Miami, racing to a gold in the 4+ and a silver in the 8+, the Head of the Charles and the Master's National Championships.

A nationally revered rowing icon, Sandy's phone continues to jingle with offers to coach elsewhere. Thank God mother hens never leave their nests! Sorry Sandy, it's a lock.

Last Updated Wednesday, February 08 2006 @ 08:38 PM PST

Sandy Armstrong Director, Marin Rowing Association & Varsity Girls' Coach

Sandy Armstrong
Director, Marin Rowing Association & Varsity Girls' Coach