Sarah Laakmann '26 Recruiting Profile

My family moved from Pennsylvania to California in the fall of my junior year of high school, and while this was definitely a challenging transition the best thing about it was finding my current rowing club, the Channel Islands Rowing Club led by Coach Tammy Coburn. When I joined the Channel Islands Rowing Club, I committed myself to rowing full-time, year-round.  In order to devote myself to rowing and to maximize my performance, in January 2025 I decided to switch from my local public school to a more flexible school model while still maintaining a rigorous academic program (5 AP courses).     

My goal is to train and work as hard as I can to maximize my potential, and to have the opportunity to row in college. I know that I still have a lot to learn about this sport, but look forward to every practice and finding ways to improve each time I am on the erg or on the water.  I love the camaraderie of being on a team, as well as the opportunity to work towards improving my individual skills and striving for new personal best times. I have not had much rowing experience, but look forward to continuing to work as hard as I can to get the best out of myself each day, and to encourage my teammates to bring their best as well.  

I have not decided what field of study I will focus on in college, but academics is important to me and I would like to find a college with strong academics in addition to a crew team that is a good fit. Balancing a very difficult course rigor this year with my intensive rowing club, in addition to adjusting to California since moving across the country, has definitely been very challenging, but I give my all both in the classroom and on the water. I am excited to continue to improve and develop my rowing skills in my last years of high school, and to pursue my rowing journey at the collegiate level.