Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/1542879
24 WAC Magazine | wac.net living fit meet the athlete Meet the athlete McKenna Bryant By Mae Folsom Jacobson McKenna Bryant began rowing in late high school. When it was time to choose a college, she reached out to the University of Washington. Although her first email didn't go anywhere, McKenna emailed the recruiting staff again. The squeaky oar gets the grease! McKenna was offered a spot at UW rowing and made the varsity four-plus-coxswain crew her freshman year. Two years later, she helped the U.S. eight-plus-coxswain crew to a gold medal at the 2021 World Rowing Under-23 Championships. She now works as a technical project manager at Lululemon and joined the WAC this past November. Q. What was the most notable race of your career? A. My junior year at UW, when we won the NCAA champi- onships. I was stroking the Second Varsity Eight. With only 250 meters le of the 2,000-meter race, we walked through Stanford to victory. e pure determination from the whole boat was remarkable. Q. What lessons from rowing do you bring to your everyday life? A. e power of the collective. Rowing is unique because you must be in sync as much as possible. One person alone can't power the boat; everyone has to work together. e concept of "all of us or none of us" rings true in my life on the boat and off. Q. How do you use the WAC? A. To work out and recover. I'm also excited to attend more events where I can meet other individuals and learn about their professional and sports backgrounds. Q. What advice would you give young women rowers? A. Believe. Don't get in your own way by using the words "I can't." You can do anything you set your mind to if you're willing to commit to the process and trust yourself. e rest will follow. WAC ROWING TEAM SEEKS CREW MEMBERS McKenna Bryant is helping to build a women's rowing team at the WAC. The team is recruiting those with collegiate experience and aims to make its race debut at the Windermere Cup on May 2. Know someone who would make a great team member? Email Wayne Milner at wmilner@wac.net. C O U R T E S Y P H O T O u Former UW rower McKenna Bryant brings her boat expertise to the WAC in efforts to form a women's crew for the Club!