ELAINA SPITAELS-GENSER ’81 AND THE EARLY DAYS OF STANFORD WOMEN’S ROWING

Elaina Spitaels-Genser rowed her sophomore year, 1978-1979. Like many women in that era, she was recruited during course registration at Maples. In response to Title IX mandates, which at that time required equity in the number of women and men in sports, novice crew rosters helped balance out overall numbers. The women's crew team sought women willing to be on the water at 5 am and do regular workouts in the afternoon (running stadium steps, weight lifting, rowing on the erg, etc.). Because it sounded like it would be fun, Elaina signed up. At only five feet tall, she ended up in the bow seat.

In those early years, Elaina recalls that rowing was “often a struggle.” They used the men's cast-off shells which were “wood, very heavy, and not in the best of shape.” Many women had never rowed before, but what they lacked in experience, they made up for with tremendous enthusiasm.

In spring of ‘79, the women’s team had just gotten its first slightly-used fiberglass eight. During an early morning row at low tide, they ran aground. The coach, Biff, went ballistic about possibly scratching the fiberglass hull. He made everyone get out and step into the Bay mud that was filled with glass, shells, and who knows what else to lift the shell up and carry it out to deeper water. As a shorter person and in the bow, as the mud-level approached her chest, Elaina remembers yelling, “If I don’t get in the shell soon, I’ll be swimming.” Once back at the boathouse, it took two hours to clean the filthy shell. Needless to say, none of them made it back to campus for nine am classes, which for Elaina was the Human Biology core.

That same spring, Elaina remembers competing in the Bay Area Rowing Festival (BARF) at Lake Merritt. Though Elaina had never coxed before and really didn't know how to steer a boat, when the coxswain couldn’t be at the race, Elaina agreed because the alternative was scratching. Not wanting to let the team down, Elaina stepped in to cox, while someone from the Women’s Four took her bow seat in the eight. They got off to a great start and were way out in front, but they drifted into the next lane (the lanes were marked off by floating gallon milk bottles). The race officials kept yelling, "Stanford, get back in your lane.” As Elaina recounts the race, “Our stroke, Joanie, kept asking what was going on, and I said ‘just keep rowing and keep up the pace,’ which she did, and the boat followed. I kept trying, and we finally got back into our lane but came in third. Looking back, I truly believe we could have won that race if I'd known how to steer better.”

By her junior year, they were recruiting women who were at least 5'8. “They asked me to become a permanent coxswain, but I really wanted to row. I'm sure my decision not to cox was influenced by my negative experience at BARF.”

Originally from Massachusetts, Elaina was lucky enough to go to Stanford on a scholarship. After Stanford, she put her HumBio major (with a healthcare concentration) to good use. She began a career in the healthcare industry as a consultant before becoming an executive recruiter. She started at Korn/Ferry and later became a partner at the international firm WittKieffer. Over the years, she held many leadership roles there, including serving on the Board for eighteen years.

She married her college sweetheart and moved to his hometown, Richmond, CA, where she’s been for 44 years. They have two kids, Joseph and Janet, who are both now married. Her daughter lives in New York and just welcomed a baby girl. Her son lives nearby in Emeryville. Unfortunately, she lost her husband a few years ago to a heart attack.

Elaina continues to support Stanford Athletics. She’s had football season tickets for 44 years and believes in giving back. Having attended Stanford on a scholarship, she recently established a Women’s Rowing scholarship.

Looking back, Elaina notes, “I haven't rowed since leaving college unless you count time on an erg machine, which I do not!. It was great to be part of a real team, compete with people who were dedicated and worked hard. I think that approach worked well for me in my future life. Most successful business people have been part of a college team, and that was my experience.”