Stella Hren '26 Recruiting Profile

Hello! This is honestly pretty difficult for me to write because I struggle with writing about myself, but what truly sets me apart from others is my leadership skills and my enthusiasm. I started rowing in sixth grade for my club team, CLRA, and my first season was cut short due to COVID-19, but for the next one and a half years I spent my time as a coxswain for the high school students. In this time I grew and become so much more confident in myself and my abilities and I'm extremely proud of that growth. When I started eighth grade, I switched over to do more rowing and since then I have mainly become a rower while filling in as a coxswain when my team needs me too and I feel right at home in this role. I have always been flexible regarding my seat placement. However, in the 2023 season I found I thrive in stroke seat. My coaches have acknowledged this and have openly said that I thrive in that seat because of my natural ability to find a rhythm. My crew has also told me that my roll-up and feather are easy to follow. In regard to my enthusiasm, I’ve been told by my coaches that my enthusiasm for rowing is contagious and that whenever I give positive feedback to others it’s very helpful for my teammates and brightens their day and in turn it brightens mine, even if it was a rough row. I am also very coachable, and I’m always looking for ways to improve my rowing technique and become even better.

These traits have become huge pieces of other parts of my life outside the team. Since the start of tenth grade, I’ve been working with the CLRA Board and my high school to try and get rowing as a varsity sport at my school. My main goal in the end of this project, even if it’s unsuccessful, is to get word around Chautauqua County and the surrounding counties about rowing and grow the team to more than twenty-five students by the time I graduate. So far, I’ve recruited seven out of the seventeen students on our team and while it may seem like a small amount, having seventeen people on the team is a big step for us and I’m so excited to see what the future brings!