Coach Ann Strayer on Inclusion and Self-Worth in Rowing

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Written By Rachel Freedman

This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty Group, Concept2, Live2Row, Barb, and our Patrons.

This is the second episode in a special series on gender identity policies in rowing. (Listen to episode 1 here.) We’re getting to know some of the people behind initiatives challenging the notion of fairness and inclusion in our sport.

Since December 2022, World Athletics, World Rowing, USRowing and other national governing bodies, have announced updated gender identity policies. The Biden administration is proposing changes to Title IX. In response, voices across the rowing community have stood up for "fairness for women" and alternatively "inclusion for marginalized athletes." We're taking a closer look.

Ann Strayer, OLY, a self-described ”natural” in high school, quickly earned a seat on the 1978 Junior National Team, went on to row at Princeton University, and earned seats on six National Teams in the 1980s, culminating in a spot on the 1988 Olympic squad.

Today, Strayer is the Varsity Women’s Coach at Oakland United Rowing in Oakland, CA. In response to the ICONS petition seeking to define "eligibility for the women’s/girl’s categories to participants born female," Strayer and fellow OUR coach and Olympian Erin Cafaro have written a letter in support of USRowing's gender identity policy. They, along with 50+ Olympians and coaches who have signed the letter, strongly believe that the most important thing for transgender and non-binary scholastic athletes is to welcome them into the boathouse, and allow them to row as the gender they identify with. 

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT: SIGN THE LETTER

QUICK LOOK

00:00 - Rachel and Tara talk gender identity policies, the ICONS petition fighting for fairness for females, and the letter that Strayer and Erin Cafaro have written in support of gender inclusive policies
08:15 - Team Huddle: Coach Strayer's bio in 45 seconds 
09:10 - Rapid Fire Q&A
12:40 - Growing up in Cape Cod, MA: sailboats, softball, and basketball. Being a “natural” rower in high school and making the Junior National team
14:40 - Early post-Title IX experience at Phillips Academy, and how it was different at Princeton
19:10 - Balancing Olympic dreams and rowing for Princeton under Coach Kris Korzeniowksi
23:45 - The transition from coxed quad to straight quad
25:48 - On USRowing’s gender identity policy, Strayer’s own experience coaching trans kids, and the letter of support she and Erin Cafaro penned
32:27 – Contemporary perspective on gender, and why trans women should row in the women’s category
36:10 – Coaching with Erin Cafaro and the search for a media distribution of their letter
43:33 - Strayer's personal experience in the 1980s lining up against Russian, Romanian, and German squads that were doping
47:37 - Early days of coaching in Boston, and getting back into it decades later in California
52:25 - Coaching as a volunteer for OUR out of a passion for the sport
55:07 – A vision for the future of rowing

For a firsthand account of the experience of transgender scholastic and collegiate rowers, listen to our 2020 conversation with Cillian Mullen and Liam Miranda.

EPISODE Mentions

This episode was written, produced, hosted, and edited by Tara Morgan and Rachel Freedman. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.

Rachel Freedman http://www.steadystatenetwork.com
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Rebekah Armstrong on Getting and Giving Support
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Dr. Mary O’Connor: Fighting to Save Women’s Rowing