MEET THE COACHES: ANTONELLA KUGLER SCHOFIELD
Stanford Women’s Rowing Assistant Coach
The Rowing Association would like to give our Community the opportunity to get to know our coaches a bit better. As we know, our coaches play a central role in defining the essence of Stanford Rowing and leave their signature on the Program as much as the athletes do. We are witnessing a pivotal era of Women’s Rowing, and the Assistant Coaches play a significant part in that. For this edition of Boathouse of Champions, we got the chance to connect with Antonella Kugler Schofield, Assistant Coach / Coxswain Coach of of Stanford Women's Rowing.
TRA: Tell us about your coaching journey. When did you know you wanted to coach, and how did you end up at Stanford?
AKS: My coaching journey is simple in the sense that I became a coach because someone asked if I was interested in coaching. I was at Austin Rowing Club about eight months after graduating from Boston University, and I had joined the Masters Team as a fun way to get back in the coxing seat. What started out as attending only Saturday practices became attending every day, and eventually the Head Coach, Taylor Brown (now crushing it with Penn Lightweight Rowing), asked if I would be interested in becoming an Assistant Coach.
I remember thinking I wasn't qualified enough and that I hadn’t studied coaching in undergrad, so I didn’t know enough, but Taylor assured me that he would mentor me throughout the process. The transition from coxing to coaching was much smoother than I anticipated, and I realized that fundamentally, the roles are quite similar: use your voice to support athletes in accomplishing goals they didn’t know were possible.
After a few months of Assistant Coaching, Taylor told me that he was moving away from Austin and wanted me to take over the team. I was unsure, to say the least. So I did what any good coach would do — I called on my network. I spoke with my former college coach, Malcolm Doldron (BU Women's Rowing); my former high school coach, Andy McLaughlin (Tufts Men's Rowing); and the woman who inspired me the most during my high school career and mentored me throughout college, Molly Hamrick (Stanford Women's Rowing!). All three offered sound, thoughtful advice, but Molly’s was the most impactful: “You should be coaching collegiate women.”
From there, she helped me apply for collegiate roles, and I began to consider what coaching outside Austin and Masters Rowing could look like. I was fortunate enough to land at Stanford as the Lightweight Assistant Coach, with my then-boyfriend, now-husband, Jack, agreeing to drive out the car and the dog. After two years with the Lightweight team, I transitioned to the Women's team, and now I'm in my fourth year on The Farm. Every time I see the sunrise on the water or drive onto our palm-tree-lined campus, I feel immense gratitude for being here.
TRA: How would you describe your coaching style?
AKS: I would describe my coaching style as athlete-centered, process-driven, and anchored in continuous learning. I view my role as a coach as supporting each athlete’s journey, and that requires being adaptable for each one of our 46 rowers and coxswains. To stay process-driven, we often use the phrase “bloom where you are planted” to capture the sentiment of being where your feet are and making that the best situation it can be.
My college coach, Malcolm, once told us that as coxswains, we needed to be “students of the sport,” and I carry that notion with me as a coach. In the past three years, I’ve completed USRowing Level 2 and am about to earn my Level 3 Certification; I’ve attended two conferences, completed two Stanford courses related to coaching, and finished the ACC “Coaching the Whole Athlete” course. I feel incredibly grateful for the support of our athletic department as I continue my learning journey, and I’m so excited to take my third Stanford class next quarter, taught by Stanford legend Tara VanDerveer.
TRA: Many attribute the recent success of the women’s program to team culture as much as a solid training program. How would you describe the current positive team and boathouse cultures? Are there any qualities that you think make Stanford Rowing / WROW special? Where does the direction of the culture come from?
AKS: I would describe the Stanford Women's Rowing team culture as equal parts supportive, competitive, and fun. Our athletes work tremendously hard and root for each other while doing it. We focus on the process and executing each step towards NCAAs to the best of our ability. All of these components, plus everyone's really good sense of humor and joy, have created a recipe for success year-over-year. What's even more special is that the direction of our culture comes from the athletes themselves. As coaches, we set the help to set standards and cultivate the environment, but they set the tone.
The Stanford Boathouse is a welcoming environment where all of us, as coaches and athletes, are pursuing excellence both on and off the water. When we pass each other on the water, you can hear "Yeah Stanford" or "Go Card" being passed across from program to program. As a young coach, I feel incredibly grateful that I get to collaborate with the coaches across all three squads; there is always someone who has the answers to my questions.
TRA: If you’re recruiting a top rower who is also being recruited by other top schools, what’s your "Come to Stanford Pitch?”
AKS: I love this question because I don't really think about recruiting as being a "Pitch" or selling someone on Stanford. Ultimately, every woman on our roster has made the confident decision that Stanford is where she would like to learn, train, and compete for her four-year collegiate experience. I view it as our role to show recruits what that experience looks and feels like through phone calls, Zoom conversations, and most importantly: her official visit. We walk recruits through an authentic experience during their time on The Farm, including staying in real-life dorm rooms, attending classes, riding along for practices, and spending time with her potential future teammates. They also get a VIP golf cart tour of campus and our state-of-the-art athletic facilities; we talk them through the Home of Champions displays and introduce them to all of our masterful support staff. By the end of her Official Visit, each recruit understands that Stanford Women's Rowing is synonymous with Academic & Athletic Excellence. If a recruit can see herself learning, training, and thriving in this environment, then Stanford is the right home. Our job is simply to show her what that could look like.
TRA: What do you like to do in your free time?
AKS: In my free time, you can find me on a walk with my dog Boba (like the tea!), trying a new restaurant, going to a concert, exploring the Bay Area, taking hot yoga classes, cooking a new recipe, or baking my tried-and-true brown butter chocolate chip cookies. I’m usually with my best friend and husband, Jack, who is Stanford Women’s Rowing’s #1 fan.
