First, can you let me know what you are up to now? How have you worked to maintain that competitive spirit? Or as a mother of five – is that much more competitive than any sport you’ve played?
Well, I’m hoping this will help me get on Dancing with the Stars!
I think my competitive spirit has taken a back seat a bit, but I’m definitely seeing more competition among my children! Since I have five kids, seven and under, my role as mom includes coach, mentor, and referee!
It has been an incredible journey since Rio – diving into coaching and motherhood afterwards. I coached at Clemson for about two years after Rio. After having our first daughter, my husband and I decided it was best for our family for me to step away from collegiate coaching year-round. As much as I enjoyed being a part of athlete development, it wasn’t conducive to our family’s goals.
I have not left the rowing world completely. For the last three summers, I have had the opportunity to recruit and coach as a part of US Rowing’s Olympic Development Program. Being able to inspire and teach our next generation of rowers has been very rewarding and it has created a great balance for our family.
You also work in helping others with health and wellness, correct?
My husband, Eric Sobolewsk, and I launched Health and Wellness Coaching | Heart for Gold -it’s a consulting business for health, wellness and performance for women and men in sports, and also for dads and moms who need more energy, help with weight management, or an overall healthier lifestyle.
We’ve been married for eight years and have very busy lives. We know how hard it is to make yourself a priority while keeping track of work and kids’ schedules. Our goal is to help parents take care of themselves so they can support their families. Our philosophy is that the farm to table process is not the most effective in keeping our food high in nutrients, so we personalize all natural routines to help families, adults, and athletes feel and perform at their best.
I know you started off at Oakland Catholic High School as a basketball player and helped Notre Dame to four consecutive Big East Conference rowing titles and Notre Dame’s first NCAA Championship appearance. Is that still a big passion for you?
Regarding basketball, you have impeccable timing! My husband just signed me up to a women’s basketball league – I didn’t know he was going to do that! I’m excited to see if I still have the touch! To be continued!
In being a part of Notre Dame’s Rowing team to help win four consecutive Big East Conference and their first NCAA Rowing Championships team appearance I have felt very honored to work with the women during my time at Notre Dame to achieve these goals. In 2006, our team’s ranking of 9th overall still stands as the highest team standing in Notre Dame Rowing’s history.
How encouraged are you to see the continued rise of women’s sports?
Most recently I have been very encouraged by following Caitlin Clark’s impact on women’s basketball. On the rowing side, I get the opportunity to connect with the ACC rowers for the last three years through my ESPN commentating for the ACC Rowing Championships.
You discovered rowing in high school as a way to work on your strength for basketball, correct?
I was a Sophomore in high school when I moved up to varsity basketball – that was 2001-02. After the basketball season was over I was talking to one of the rowing coxswains (their role is primarily to steer and manage the boat), Bryce Pochapsky, on Oakland High School’s rowing team. She encouraged me to join the sport – I thought it would be good for basketball’s offseason to help me build up leg strength so I could jump higher and box out stronger. Often times, people associate rowing with incredible arm strength and even though that is a part of the stroke, the primary source of moving a boat is through your legs. Once I learned the technique of the stroke, I fell in love with the sport.
Rowing isn’t something people identify with the city of Pittsburgh – how prevalent is it in the city now and how is it rowing on the rivers?
Great news for the Pittsburgh Rowing Community this year is that our city has gained another Olympic Gold Medalist recently from the 2024 Paris Games, Michael Grady (Central Catholic ’15). Hopefully Michael’s victory with his teammates will re-inspire the next generation of athletes in Pittsburgh. When you are passionate about your dream, do not give up.
Rowing on the Allegheny was very unique. Training on water with flow and barges early in the morning made it challenging. However, I think because of these tough conditions, it made the Oakland Catholic team stronger and more adaptable. Because we trained in these conditions, we often had races on lakes with no wind or flow, which really set us up for success.
Like running with weights then taking them off for races?
Exactly! It’s exactly like that!
What about the Pittsburgh culture do you think impacted you most as an athlete?
That’s a great question. Whenever I talk about Pittsburgh, I feel pride. I think growing up in Pittsburgh made me tough. When I would join my dad and brother to cheer on the Steelers, Pirates, and Pens, you could feel the toughness we present as a city. All our opponents will be challenged when you compete with us – that was always instilled in us. In those “Can I do it?” questionable moments, it helps me to fight and say “I can”. I know very few Pittsburgh people who run away from a challenge.
In 2012, you were ranked among the top 10 female rowers in the country and were selected to represent the U.S. National Team. How do those rankings get determined for rowers – what is that process like?
First, based on a 2,000 meter Erg (indoor rowing machine) test, your individual score helps to qualify you to be considered to join the National Team training. Once invited by the National Team/Olympic coach to camp, you compete among 30-40 women for a spot in a boat. During my time at camp, every result on the water and on the erg was used toward an overall ranking.
How difficult was it not making the Olympic team at first when they deferred to more veteran rowers? How did you bounce back from that?
The 2012 journey was difficult. At the 2012 London Games, I was an alternate. Leading up to the games, I broke a World Record in the Women’s 8+ at the last World Cup before the Olympics. At that time, I was seen as a younger rower – we had a number of veteran rowers come back, so I just missed the top eight. In an attempt to still compete, during the finals of the Olympic trials in pair rowing, my partner gave out in the last 20 meters and the other crew sprinted through us to claim their Olympic dream. I was devastated. I thought I was done. Then, the Olympic Coach asked me to compete for a seat in a different kind of boat. Sculling – two oars. I tried out in a quad and missed making the lineup by 0.1 second. My coach followed that unfortunate news with telling me “I’d be the best alternate they ever had on the team.” If you know me, this was a big slap in the face. I guess that was part of my Pittsburgh side coming through!
I accepted the position and worked really hard, in case the team needed me. I went to London with the team, but being an alternate was honestly awkward. You are there to support the team and jump in a boat if need be, but it really didn’t make me feel a part of the team at all. You don’t get a medal as an alternate if a boat medals in rowing – very different than other sports, like basketball!
Can you describe the feeling when you won the gold? Was it vindication? Relief?
After some time away from rowing, I decided to come back. I just couldn’t end my rowing career on that note. I did things very differently this time that ultimately helped build my character into a stronger, tougher, and more confident person and athlete.
Before Rio, I was tested in the eight again in a very similar manner from 2012. This time, I had the confidence to feel that I would crush any test I was put through. It was a big difference for me in confidence and I was the fastest I had ever been.
When we raced for the gold medal, we were down at the 1,000 meter mark, which was not typical for us. Right then our coxswain, Katelin Snyder, made the call “We are the US women’s eight!” The next stroke was the most dynamic stroke I ever felt – it was almost as if we hit a turbo button. That stroke gained us the lead and set the tone to increase margin on the other boats till the finish.
At the finish line I remember yelling “Yes!” as loud as I could. I thought, “Did that just really happen? Did we do that?” Then in the next moments, I felt like I was in a movie – I had a reel of my journey remembering the tears, sacrifice, and support – it was so overwhelming. I broke down and felt so grateful – it was the culmination of a beautiful journey.
After that I celebrated with my teammates in the boat, and then said “Let’s go get our medals!”
As a parent – are there lessons from your experiences you hope you pass on to your children and others?
On the daily! My seven-year old and five-year old daughters are starting to play sports and my husband and I are exposing them to many different sports to figure out what they like best.
Currently, the two questions that I ask are “Did you have fun and did you do your best?” In testing the waters with new sports, I encourage them to give their best and to finish what they start. I have told them it is okay not to like what you are playing, but you still have to show up and give it your best to finish strong for yourself and your team.
The other lesson I am working to pass on to my children is the importance of hard work. The time that athletes put into getting better in their sport makes a difference. It’s behind closed doors that the grind helps build character and toughness. For me, I am more proud of my kids’ effort than winning and losing. Once they find their passion, I hope to support them in any way I can to help them achieve their goals and dreams.
