SPRING ‘25 COACHES REPORT — MEN
Ted Sobolewski, Farwell Family Director of Men’s Rowing
NO MUD, NO LOTUS
Writing this recap has become an important part of my yearly reflection process. I always start by reading what I wrote the year before, as it helps ground me in where my thoughts were roughly 365 days ago.
In my memory, I was frankly unhappy at this point last year, mostly with my performance and the way I saw it reflected in our team culture. However, when I read the recap, I was proud of how it captured the essence of that year and the positive steps we took in the absence of competitive success.
While I want to tell you that the work we did this year feels foundational to something greater—and I believe it is—I also believe it’s worth acknowledging that the real foundation was laid in the struggles of the 2023—2024 season. In reflection, I’m reminded of the phrase "no mud, no lotus," a teaching from Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. The lotus is a beautiful flower that grows in muddy, murky water. Without the mud, there’s no lotus. Without struggle, pain, or difficulty, there is no growth, beauty, or transformation.
The losses, frustration, and hard days in 2023—2024 often felt like we were stuck in the mud at the bottom of the Port of Redwood City. But that experience created the conditions for the attitude, effort, commitment, and belief we saw take root and grow this season. As I reflect specifically on the 2024—2025 season, I feel a tremendous amount of excitement and energy about how much our team has evolved.
The 2024—2025 team made a major commitment to reset its work ethic and, through that shared effort, build the trust required to let it loose on the racecourse together—or as we like to say, race with abandon. The squad invested themselves physically and emotionally from day one, with no guarantee of future success.
Through the winter and early racing in March, we saw signs of progress. The group had good energy, and the speed we showed in training backed it up, but we knew our racing in early April would be the real test.
To say I’m proud of how the team handled that April racing would be an understatement. Upsetting a very strong Brown varsity, ranked third at the time, was a huge moment. Beating Syracuse in both the Varsity and 2nd Varsity after several years of losses was another. We recognize those were early-season results, and both teams went on to place higher than us at the IRA. However, they were important steps in the right direction for our program.
Unfortunately, our momentum out of that racing was short-lived. We lost our varsity stern pair and bow seat for most of April and early May as they rehabbed overuse injuries. Our roster is not yet at the place where we can successfully weather situations like this. While many athletes stepped up, we struggled to maintain speed, consistency, and momentum into the championship portion of the season.
We managed to pull things together and arrive at the IRA confident in our ability and ready to race. I think it was apparent to anyone watching closely that we learned a lot through the weekend. Learning exactly how to race with abandon is a process, and learning how to do it at the IRA is another step. There is institutional knowledge that comes from having a team full of people who know what that means. Frankly, we didn’t have that going into racing this year. However, by the finals, I think all of our crews reset the standard for the mental, emotional preparation, and physical output needed to succeed at that level.
Our races in the final honored the work we put in all year and set a clear marker for how we want to race going forward. Next year, the goal is to deliver that level of performance in the semifinal and earn the opportunity to let it loose again in the A-Final. This year, more than ever, I’m grateful for the leadership and character of our senior class: James Fetter, Logan Morley, and Noah Tan. These three athletes walked on to the team and, under extraordinarily challenging circumstances, provided stability and maturity at a crucial time in our program’s growth. Their legacy will be felt for years to come.
We also got a big boost from our postgraduates, Adrien Richez and Max Shakespeare. Both gave everything they had in support of the team and ultimately played big roles in our Varsity Eight. I am forever thankful for their effort and leadership this year. I’m also deeply grateful for our staff, John Pojednic, Niles Garratt, and boatwright Gabby Oliviera, for their passion, skill, and day-to-day commitment. And a special thank you to Jay Banfield ’90, whose mentorship helped me and the team reset and refocus after the ’23—’24 season.
Finally, I want to thank all of our alumni and supporters. In a time of uncertainty across collegiate athletics, Stanford Rowing is in a position of strength. While other programs may be scaling back, we’re on track to add resources in the years ahead. We took the hard path to get here, but it was worth it.
The Stanford Rowing community continues to inspire me. We need to keep celebrating the experience of rowing at Stanford and the people who’ve been shaped by it. Whether it’s a word of encouragement, showing up at races or TRA events, or simply reading this newsletter, your involvement helps sustain and elevate everything we’re building. Our current athletes feel that support every day, and we’re proud to carry it with us into the season ahead.
Thank you and GO CARD!
