Coaching couple have recipe for success

By Shaelyn Stone

Dallas based White Rock Rowing, home to the most high school level national championship titles in the central region, recently made two major transitions to its coaching staff as it welcomed acclaimed coaches Christopher Leonard and Ann Couwenhoven as the men’s and women’s varsity head coaches, respectively. Since their arrival, the program has placed in the top three at the notorious Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, Mass., and competed internationally in Prague, Czech Republic.

“It is so exciting to see our coaches turning young Dallas area athletes into some of the most competitive in the nation, while shaping them into admirable adults. That’s exactly what White Rock Rowing is all about,” said Sue Ellen Chambers, president of White Rock Rowing board of directors. “We want to lead the charge of elevating Dallas as a rowing destination that’s regularly mentioned in rowing circles across the U.S.”

Coaching duo Leonard and Couwenhoven, married last year, moved to Dallas to become head coaches of the program’s varsity high school teams in 2021. They arrived in Dallas from Capital Crew in Sacramento, Calif., following an extremely successful national championship-winning season.

“Coming to White Rock Rowing meant walking away from our coaching success in California after building a powerhouse team. But once we saw the White Rock Boathouse and talked to the people involved with White Rock Rowing, we knew the opportunity was too great to pass up,” said Leonard.

Originally from New York, Leonard attended Marist College in Poughkeepsie, where he was a coxswain for four years, served as team captain for a year and was nominated for Marist college athlete of the year. Leonard also competed as a coxswain for the under 23 national team in the World University Games in 2013, and he was invited to train as part of Team USA for the 2020 Olympics at the Princeton National Rowing Association’s Olympic training center.

After graduating, Leonard worked in business administration and finance before moving to Boston to join the Institute for Rowing Leadership. Seven years of coaching has taken Chris from volunteer assistant with Harvard University’s lightweight men’s team to varsity boy’s head coach at Capital Crew in Sacramento, Calif., to head coach of varsity men’s at White Rock Rowing in Dallas.

 “My goal as a coach here is to develop young men in Dallas into leaders, both at the boathouse and in the community at large. The results on the water should follow from there,” Leonard said.

Leonard’s partner, Couwenhoven, grew up in Monkton, Md. She was first introduced to rowing when she was enrolled in rowing camp at the Naval Academy as a sixth grader.

“The closest boathouse to our home was 45 minutes away, but my mom drove me twice a day every day to go down and row,” said Couwenhoven on her early rowing days.

Couwenhoven attended Syracuse University on a full scholarship for rowing and sat bow seat on the varsity 8+ boat. She also participated in the grand final at U.S. Rowing Youth National Championships in ’06, ’07 and ’08. She won a national championship title in the Women’s Intermediate 1X in 2010, and she placed second in the women’s 1X and 2X in the World Championship Trials. But her proudest accomplishment is winning a race with her mother in the parent-child event at the Masters National Championships in 2018 — the year her mother beat breast cancer.

Since 2011, Couwenhoven’s coaching experience has included novice women’s head coach at Philadelphia City Rowing, novice women’s assistant coach at College of Marin, varsity women’s assistant coach at Capital Crew, and now varsity women’s head coach at White Rock Rowing.

“I love the team aspect of rowing — how everyone must work towards a common goal together. It develops great athletes, and it develops great character. There really are no ‘star players’ and it’s extremely rare to find a naturally talented rower. Everyone has to work at it to be good,” said Couwenhoven.

“The coordinated teamwork that goes into this sport is like no other I can think of,” added Leonard. After watching the White Rock Rowing teams row for the first time, the coaching couple admits they knew instantly this was a team that could go far in championships. 

Since the coaching duo’s arrival, White Rock Rowing has secured:

• 2021 National Champions in women’s under 17 2-

• 2021 National Championship Bronze Medalists in women’s under 17 4+

• 17th place at 2021 under 23 World Rowing Championships

• Third place for men’s under 17 4+ at Head of the Charles Regatta 2021 in Boston, Mass.

• Six different placements above third place at the Head of the Colorado Regatta 2021 in Austin, Texas

• 17th at 2021 Youth Nationals men’s varsity 8+

Additionally, dozens of White Rock Rowing athletes have been recruited to the nation’s top universities and colleges on rowing scholarships, including Syracuse University, University of Texas at Austin, Southern Methodist University, Brown University, Purdue University, University of Massachusetts, University of Delaware, Kansas State University and Seattle University.

White Rock Rowing leadership and head coaches foresee Dallas being a big name in youth rowing circles across the nation. 

As the number one recruited collegiate sport for women and a character-developing team sport for youth, more and more students are choosing to row during the off season of other mainstream sports. Some are even choosing to forego traditional sports all together in favor of rowing.

“With one of the largest boathouses in the nation, a beautiful lake and now two of the best coaches around, we have all the ingredients to make Dallas a national hub for rowing,” said Chambers. “When we host regattas, we bring in renowned rowing colleges like Dartmouth, Princeton and Texas. And we just secured the Texas State Championships to be held at White Rock Lake this year for the first time ever. That’s the great work of our coaches advocating on Dallas’ behalf and turning our city into a well-known name in rowing!”

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