Oakland
Strokes
The women's eight lifts the team trophy together, gold medals around their necks

Alumni / The college opportunity

Rowing opens doors

In the last three years alone, more than fifty Oakland Strokes seniors have been recruited to row in college, at top Division I, II, and III programs across the country. College coaches come to Tidewater to watch our athletes practice.

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Home water, always

Alumni Are Always Welcome

Even after you’ve left the Estuary, you’re always welcome at Oakland Strokes. We are extremely grateful for our alums and all that they do to help spread the word about the fantastic and rewarding sport of rowing. Below are some of the ways that you can stay connected with the Strokes community. If you want to get more involved or have other ideas or suggestions for alumni activities, please email alumni@oaklandstrokes.org.

Join the alumni mailing list

Calling all alumni. Please complete the form to stay connected with the Strokes alumni community, receive our newsletters, and find out about upcoming events. Feel free to pass this form along to anyone else you rowed with at Strokes.

Sign up for the newsletter

Alumni Rows and events

Twice a year, alumni come back to the boathouse to row together: a summer Alumni Row & Picnic and a winter Alumni Row & Reception. Whether you want to get on the water or cheer from the shoreline, the more the merrier.

Our next Alumni Row: The winter Alumni Row & Reception will take place at the Strokes boathouse on Saturday, December 19, 2026, and official invitations will be sent out later this fall.

Visit us at Head of the Charles: If you’re in Boston for Head of the Charles, come find Oakland at the finish area launch site (FALS). We would love to see you and catch up. And if you’d like to help bring together an official Oakland alumni meetup that weekend, please reach out to alumni@oaklandstrokes.org.

  • Sign up for an Alumni Training Pass: Alumni home on summer break get access to the boathouse and the water at Tidewater, so you can keep training with the people you started with. It is for Oakland Strokes alumni back in the Bay Area, most often college athletes home between spring and fall seasons who want to keep their hands on an oar. Registration runs through Active alongside our other programs. Find Alumni on Active, or email information@oaklandstrokes.org.
  • Share your story and a favorite photo from your time at Strokes: We are building a library of alumni stories to inspire the next generation of rowers. Please let us know how Strokes impacted you.
  • Network with current Strokes parents: If you’re a recent alum looking for an internship or job in the Bay Area, please fill out this form and we’ll help connect you with our enthusiastic Strokes parent community.
  • Join the Strokes alumni group on LinkedIn

Where alumni row

Where alumni have rowed

More than fifty colleges and universities. Alumni have also represented the United States at every level of the national team.

55 colleges and universities, A to Y

  • Amherst College
  • Boston College
  • Boston University
  • Brown University
  • Bucknell University
  • Cal Poly
  • Colby College
  • Columbia University
  • Colorado School of Mines
  • Cornell University
  • Dartmouth
  • Duke University
  • George Washington University
  • Georgetown University
  • Gonzaga
  • Harvard University
  • Hobart College
  • Indiana University
  • Loyola Marymount
  • MIT
  • Miami University
  • Notre Dame
  • Ohio State University
  • Orange Coast College
  • Oregon State University
  • Princeton University
  • Purdue University
  • Regis University
  • Rutgers University
  • San Diego State University
  • San Jose State University
  • Santa Clara University
  • Stanford University
  • Tufts University
  • US Naval Academy
  • UC Berkeley
  • UCLA
  • UC San Diego
  • UC Santa Barbara
  • University of Edinburgh
  • University of Miami
  • University of Michigan
  • University of Oklahoma
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • University of San Diego
  • University of Texas
  • USC
  • University of Virginia
  • University of Washington
  • University of Wisconsin
  • Villanova University
  • Wellesley College
  • Wesleyan University
  • WPI
  • Yale University

How it works

From the Estuary to a college boathouse

Coaches come here

College coaches come to Tidewater to watch our athletes practice, and our crews race at the biggest regattas in the country, from the Head of the Charles to Youth Nationals.

We know the process

Erg scores, film, questionnaires, outreach, the June 15 contact date, campus conversations. Our staff has walked hundreds of athletes through it, and the whole process is written down for you in our recruiting guide.

Commit

Every spring, seniors sign to row in college and the whole team turns out for it.

It starts with one stroke

Every alum on that wall started exactly where you are: never having rowed.

Try rowing