SAM CHANG ‘05: A LIFE IN ROWING
The Rowing Association catches up with Sam Chang ‘05
Rowing might be one of the last varsity sports accessible to college walk-ons. My time with Stanford Men's Rowing was exactly what you'd expect of a walk-on, novice coxswain not accustomed to sports. Through my entire college experience, Stanford Men's Rowing gave me the original collegiate athletic experience: to teach lifelong values that complemented the academic experience and would help me be a better, more well-rounded human.
The early aughts at Stanford were an inflection point in Stanford's fortunes: we moved into the boathouse in my junior year, Craig Amerkhanian had kickstarted a talent recruiting revolution in the roster, Jon Allbin was recruiting and retaining a hardened corps of freshman Stanford athletes, and just after I graduated, the Stanford men's varsity would win silver at the IRA regatta. I'm lucky to have had several teammates who were U23 and senior national team athletes, as well as an Olympic gold medalist (Adam Kreek). Training with them, as well as the numerous other exemplary, hard-working Stanford rowers, taught me lessons that I didn't fully appreciate until after Stanford. Because I hadn’t experienced the junior rowing scene, it wasn't until I started Masters rowing that I realized how special rowing at Stanford (and other collegiate varsity programs) was seen by the wider rowing community. As a Stanford rowing alum, I hope to support the student-athletes who are following in our footsteps, and I want them to have an even better and more meaningful experience than we did.
After three coaching certifications and a few years of Masters rowing, I was recruited into the USRowing Referee Corps by a referee in my rowing club. Refereeing is a volunteer effort (moderately compensated at best!) that ensures safety and fairness for rowers at regattas. While there are many ways to become a great referee, it was the Stanford rowing experience that equipped me with the skills necessary to advance and stay in the referee ranks for so long.
Referees work at regattas of all levels, and we choose our level of commitment, from helping out a local venue/club to flying across the continent for a national championship. The goal of having a national referee corps is to establish a consistent standard for safety/fairness through rules and referee procedures. Not only do referees self-govern, vet proposed rule changes, and host rules clinics, but some also earn international umpire licenses, which allows them to be selected to World Rowing regatta juries. The primary focus of the Referee Corps is, however, working at regional and national regattas under the auspices of USRowing. We prevent/adjudicate racing interference, ensure the integrity of race results, and oversee safety on the water. It’s a completely different way of seeing regattas and racing from both land and water.
This year, I was fortunate enough to be selected for the IRA regatta jury. Seeing the Stanford Men and the Lightweight Women race well at the highest level in person was an immense privilege, and being part of the officiating team that helped ensure the championship’s competitive integrity was incredibly fulfilling. Collegiate racing has definitely evolved over the last twenty-plus years, and I can confirm that Stanford rowers continue to answer the challenge.
If you’re interested in becoming a referee, send me (or the referee nearest to you) an email or find me in person at a regatta near you, and I’ll be happy to tell you all about it and walk you through the process. Refereeing helps me stay in touch with rowing at a high level on my own schedule, and if that or any of the above aspects of refereeing resonate with you, it’ll be worth a try.
It’s been sixteen years as a referee, three different rowing clubs, two on-and-off years of volunteer coaching, and two Olympics (as a spectator!), and sometimes it feels like I’m just getting started in my post-Stanford rowing experience. Here’s to the next adventure and seeing more of the Stanford rowing family along the way!
P.S. If anyone will be at RowFest Masters nationals or the Charles this year, say hi! It’s always a pleasure to run into Stanford folks in the wild — shout out to Gary Smith, Erin Manfre, and Ann Cuthbertson for wearing their Stanford gear over the last few years.
