STEM to Stern
Oakland Strokes’ STEM to Stern is a program that works with local middle schools to make rowing accessible, diverse, and competitive, removing barriers like transportation, swim lessons, and fees.
Est. 1974 / Oakland, California
We build student athletes
A 501(c)(3) youth rowing nonprofit on the Oakland Estuary, welcoming middle and high school students from across the Bay Area since 1974.
Try rowingMission
Why we exist
Our mission is to empower youth from all backgrounds to row and develop on a nationally competitive team.
College coaches seek out our rowers based on the strength of our community and our passion for instilling the best values of rowing. Yes, we make boats go fast, but our larger goal is to build character and commitment in the young women and men of Oakland Strokes. Our club depends on the generosity of families and alumni: see how to support the team.
We offer need-based aid for every program, and our community programs reach out across Oakland to find the athletes who will benefit most from this club. Our alumni tell us again and again that their time on the team helped them forge self-confidence, determination, and lifelong friendships.
Video
Fifty years on the Oakland Estuary
Filmed for our 50th anniversary, featuring our 2024-2025 roster of athletes.
Community
The front door to the sport
Community partnerships are a key part of the Oakland Strokes mission. Programs led by people already working in the Oakland community open the sport up across Oakland.
Partner schools and nonprofits
We partner with East Oakland and Fruitvale schools and organizations, including ARISE High School, We Lead Ours, and the East Oakland Youth Development Center, from drop-in sessions to weekly PE programs with our equipment and coaches.
Partnership inquiries: Carla Jourdan, carlajourdan@oaklandstrokes.org. Sponsorship and contributions: Dana Hooper, Executive Director, danahooper@oaklandstrokes.org.
1974Founded
24National championships
250Rowers on the 2026-2027 team
The College Opportunity
Interested in Being A College Athlete?
College programs actively recruit from the Oakland Strokes and many of our athletes continue to row in college. The Oakland Strokes are represented at many of the top Division I, II, and III colleges, including those shown below.
- Cornell
- Dartmouth
- Hobart
- Oregon State
- Penn
- Princeton
- Purdue
- Stanford
- Tufts
- UC Berkeley
- UCLA
- UCSD
- University of Michigan
- University of Washington
- USC
- Wesleyan
- Yale
Home water
The Tidewater Boathouse
Our boathouse sits on the Oakland Estuary, five miles of protected water that has been home to championship crews since the turn of the 20th century. UC Berkeley rows here, as does the California Rowing Club, which trains athletes for the under-23 and senior national teams. It’s one of the best stretches of rowing water in the country.
The Tidewater Boating Center is an architectural gem on the Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline, just southeast of the High Street Bridge. Built in partnership with the East Bay Regional Park District, it has been our permanent home since 2011: two boat bays, an erg room, a weight lifting area, an exercise mezzanine, and a public dock that brings life to the south end of the Estuary.
Tidewater Boating Center / 4675 Tidewater Avenue, Oakland, CA 94601
From I-880 or I-580: exit at High Street and head south, take the last left before the High Street bridge onto Tidewater Avenue, then turn right into the EBRPD Tidewater Boating Center driveway.
The people
Leadership and coaches
Our coaching staff includes former Olympic, international, and collegiate rowers, coaches, and coxswains.
Middle school, women’s and men’s all sit under a single Director of Rowing, so an athlete meets the same standard and the same technical language from their first day in a barge to their last race as a senior. Coaches teach technique before strength, and hold enjoyment to be part of how athletes get fast rather than a distraction from it. The thing they coach hardest is not an erg score. In Allison Ray’s words: “We strive to build and maintain a strong team culture. We enjoy competing with ourselves and each other, we are kind, and then the speed is sustainable.”
Executive Director
Dana Hooper
Dana started rowing for Oakland Strokes in 1990 as a student at College Prep, then rowed at Cornell. He coached the Strokes from 1999 to 2006, came back as Managing Director in 2014, and has been Executive Director since 2018. He lives in Alameda with his wife and two kids.
danahooper@oaklandstrokes.org
Director of Rowing and Women’s Head Coach
Allison Ray
Allison has coached since 1998 at every level of the sport in the US and Canada, including at the Olympic Games. At Oakland Strokes she has led the women to national championships and standout races at the Head of the Charles. What she is proudest of is the culture: a team where everyone belongs, everyone gets to compete, and alumni want to come back.
allisonray@oaklandstrokes.org
Head Coach, Men’s Rowing
Sean Gibel
Sean has coached at the Strokes since 2023, becoming Head Coach of Men’s Rowing in the summer of 2026. In the spring of 2026, he led the U17 men to regional medals and the 2026 U17 8+ national title. He rowed at Georgia Tech and won bronze stroking the USA lightweight 8+ at the 2013 World Championships. He coaches with patience, a growth mindset, and a belief in hard, smart work.
seangibel@oaklandstrokes.org
Director of Middle School Programs
Brian Marcais
Brian leads the middle school programs. He has coached juniors and masters across the country since 1999, including the varsity men at Oakland Tech, and still races as a masters coxswain with East Bay Rowing Club.
brianmarcais@oaklandstrokes.org
Head of Community Programs
Carla Jourdan
Carla leads community programs. She helped launch STEM to Stern at Oakland Strokes and rows competitively with East Bay Rowing Club.
carlajourdan@oaklandstrokes.org
Program Coordinator
Emma Bernou
Emma learned to row in Oakland and rowed all four years at Oregon State, winning a silver medal in the women’s pair at Youth Nationals in 2017. She joined the Strokes in 2022 and keeps both the women’s team and the club’s day to day running.
emmabernou@oaklandstrokes.orgContact
Find us
Boathouse
Tidewater Boating Center
4675 Tidewater Avenue, Oakland, CA 94601
4675 Tidewater Avenue, Oakland, CA 94601
Oakland Strokes, Inc.
4096 Piedmont Ave., PMB 308, Oakland, CA 94611
4096 Piedmont Ave., PMB 308, Oakland, CA 94611
Reach us
Fifty years of first strokes
Every alum started with one stroke on the Estuary. Hear what it turned into, in their own words, then take your first.