It's Fall semester at the University of Wisconsin, 1984. The United States, just weeks before, had won the first-ever W8+ Olympic gold medal at the Los Angeles Games. And a 5’4” freshman named Yasmin Farooq walks on to the Wisco crew as a coxswain and wonders “Can I win an Olympic medal, too?” More than 40 years later, this Olympic captain, world champion, and Hall of Fame coach continues to shape rowers and coxswains. Her influence is evident not only in championship trophies and Olympic medals, but in the athletes she has developed and the enduring excellence of the Washington women's rowing program, which she has helmed since 2017. Yaz gets into it with us about the importance of skill development, tradition, student-athlete success, and the post-practice huddle. GUEST Yaz Farooq | Head Coach, women's program, University of Washington IG: @Yaz_farooq FB: /yasmin.farooq . QUICK LOOK 00:00 - Introduction 4:15 - Welcome and The Huddle 5:12 - Side bar on a coach's life and Yaz's support staff 06:51 - Walk-on culture at University of Washington 08:01 - Hot Seat Q&A 11:46 - Walking on at Wisco within weeks of the US W8+ winning gold at the 1984 LA Olympics 13:21 - Coxing 101, moving beyond F-bombs, and asking “where is speed”? 18:02 - The coxswain’s role outside of the boat 20:00 - UW’s investment in coaching coxswains 22:24 - The life of student athletes: great performances coincide with good grades 24:02 - Building a collegiate program; adding to the legacy 26:50 - UW legacy and tradition: “throwing dubs,” Class Day, Cut paintings 30:40 - The importance (and dilemma) of the post-practice huddle 35:52 - Giving back: it’s about the next generation and accessibility for everyone 39:48 - Steady State Network news and notes: Coffee Chat, HOCR, Allies with Oars . To see photos of Yaz and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website. . Steady State Podcast is a production of Steady State Network. It is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is Open Mind by Soundroll. . SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support CONNECT: FB - /SteadyStateNetwork IG - @SteadyStateNetwork FB - /AllieswithOars IG - @AllieswithOars Connect on FB and IG with the hosts: Rachel Freedman - @RowSource Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
