Mya Bretzke '24 Recruiting Profile

When I first witnessed rowing, I was in 5th grade, staring at a picture of an 8 rowing in a misty morning that was on my teacher's wall of her classroom. That picture was peaceful and beautiful. That day, I told myself I want to do that, that looks so cool. In fall of my sophomore year, I joined crew and I would've never guessed that I would become a state champion in my first season nor two years in a row. I completely fell in love with the sport and those involved in it. Eventually, crew became a huge part of my life and allowed me to continue to develop my skills of commitment, discipline, and teamwork. Not only did I achieve the title of State Champion in VASRA W-JR-8+ category two years in a row, I also had the honor of placing 3rd at Stotesbury Cup (2023). These regattas gave me experience of resilience and intensified my desire to push myself for improvements. My goals is to get faster on the erg and on the water, I know I'm not the fastest nor have the perfect stroke but I believe this humble attitude is important because I want to improve, making me coachable whereas those with an ego usually have a hard time improving because they think they are the best and won't take in coaches or teammates advice or considerations. Even with the promotion from 4 seat to stroke seat, I remain my humble attitude and still look for feedback from my coaches and teammates because I believe that there is always room for improvement. Becoming stroke seat also improved my communication and my trust in my teammates. Beyond my accomplishments, what sets me apart is my work ethic, coachability, and my willingness to learn. I approach each practice and regatta with an open mind, ready to absorb feedback and apply it into my performance.