Sofia Olivar '25 Recruiting Profile

Before rowing, I studied ballet for six years. While it can be an individual art form at times, there is a necessary trust between each dancer. When you're on stage, you don't know if all the effort you're putting in looks good to the audience, but you still trust yourself and your fellow dancers to try their hardest and give every movement their all. 

As a freshman, I joined my school's rowing team. I wanted to try a team-oriented sport that allowed me to push myself mentally and physically. Just like ballet, I enjoyed how I could pull not just for myself but for the other dedicated women in my boat and on my team. My "why" for rowing started to shape, and I fell in love with the process, recognizing that a race isn't defined by the finish but by every stroke taken down the course. I learned to commit to every stroke with my teammates to achieve something bigger than us and take every opportunity to improve. 

During my novice year, I quickly moved up to the JV team during the winter season and received my varsity letter after qualifying for Youth Nationals in the u17 4x-. Over the summer, I coached incoming freshmen at my team's learn-to-row camp, improving my leadership skills. At the beginning of the following season, I was selected as the sophomore women's team captain and had the honor of mentoring the novice team I had coached during the summer.

My sophomore year I ranked in the top 8 girls in my program and was selected again for the varsity team. Throughout the year, I competed in various team boats and finished my season off competing at Youth Nationals in the u19 4-, creating history by being part of the first women’s sweep crew my team has sent to nationals. Though my team is primarily a sculling club, I found a passion for sweeping through my experience with the four. I enjoy both and find the differences in technique exciting. 

Rowing allows me to see the improvement that comes with dedicated work and to both experience and create community. I plan to continue rowing in college, always striving for growth in the sport and as a person.