June 2020 Team Statement on Equity & Diversity

The Strokes Board of Directors emailed our athletes and their families the following statement on June 10 2020, in response to the world-wide protests and the Black Lives Matter movement:

To our community,

We at Oakland Strokes are saddened and outraged by the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and scores of Black men and women before them. We recognize that these murders are not aberrations, but tragic manifestations of centuries-old systemic racism and oppression. We cannot fully comprehend the loss experienced by their families and friends or by their communities. We share in their grief and anguish.

But we must do more. To start, we must answer the question of what we can do – in action, not in mere words – to help eradicate the entrenched inequality in the rowing community and in the communities in which we row.  Toward that end, we are committed to looking honestly at the culture within our organization and the boathouse and to taking the following steps:

First, we are working to increase the awareness of our Board, coaches, athletes, and their families of our privilege, the role that it plays in systemic oppression, and how it can be used to effect positive change. Through the leadership of our athletes and coaches, we are connecting members of the Strokes family with educational resources, opportunities for activism, and names of organizations that are engaged in this fight and that need our help. 

Second, we are redoubling our commitment to our long-standing Community Outreach Program. Through this program, Oakland Strokes has built partnerships with Oakland schools and community organizations to introduce Black youth and other youth of color to rowing. While we are proud of our Community Outreach Program and the tireless work of our coaches and staff, we can do better. The Board has established a working group that will pursue expanding our collaborations with community organizations and enhancing the opportunities and programs that we offer. We will communicate the specific steps and actions that result from this effort.

Third, we will continue to use our platforms to express our support for the Black community, to help raise awareness of the continuing inequality in our sport, and to promote ways in which members of the Oakland Strokes community can engage in the fight against systemic racism and work to bring greater diversity and inclusion to rowing.

Our organization was founded on and is guided daily by the principles of teamwork, selflessness, humanity, and accountability. Those principles require us to reject complicity through silence and to act. 

Black Lives Matter.

In solidarity,

Oakland Strokes Board of Directors and Executive Director

Additional information and educational resources can be found on our social media sites: Instagram & Facebook.

Two Strokes alumni, Nyah and Kelly ‘19, started @rowers4BLM- a global, virtual ‘ergathon’ and have since raised over $20,000 from the rowing community for national civil rights organizations. View their Instagram for educational resources, organizations, and to donate.

Listen to the ‘Rowing in Color’ podcast, about promoting diversity within our sport.

Read USRowing’s updated statement on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and their DEI Resources Page. USRowing members can also view their educational webinars.

Learn about Strokes Community Outreach Program here.

2019 Head of the Estuary

Oakland Strokes was excited to host the annual Head of the Estuary Regatta this past Saturday October 10, 2019. The regatta included junior and masters crews from throughout the Bay Area.

The Park St. Bridge served as the start and finish line, with the racecourse circumnavigating Coast Guard Island.

The Oakland Estuary waterway is currently home to some of the best junior rowing programs in the country, but in a previous era the UC Berkeley Men’s Rowing crews that represented the USA in the 1928, 1932, and 1948 also trained here on the Estuary. The USA National Team Training Center has now returned to the Estuary this past year - the men’s 2020 Olympic team is currently training out of the Rogers Rowing Center in Oakland.

Results available on HereNow

Photos of the event can be seen here, here and here.

Thank you to all of our competitors and volunteers!

2019 San Diego Crew Classic

Oakland Strokes traveled to sunny San Diego to race at the annual San Diego Crew Classic! Regarded by many as the first major regatta of the year, the San Diego Crew Classic brings together thousands of athletes from more than 100 universities, clubs and high school programs from across the United States to participate in this premier rowing event. The Strokes sent five Varsity and two Novice crews south to San Diego to compete.

Results include 3rd place finishes in the Men’s Novice 8+ and Women’s Lightweight 8+, 4th place finishes in the Women’s Varsity 8+, Men’s JV8+, and Men’s Lightweight 8+, a 7th place finish in the Men’s Varsity 8+ and 8th place finish in the Women’s Novice 8+.

You can find results from the event here and pictures here.

Our varsity and novice squads also raced on our home waters on the Oakland Estuary at the 510 Sprints against various local teams including Artemis and St. Ignatius.

You can find results from 510 Sprints here.

2019 Shamrock Regatta

The 2019 Shamrock Regatta took place March 16-17th at Redwood Shores for some head to head racing on one of the premier race courses on the west coast. 

You can find results on HereNow and photos from the event here.

2019 Battle of the Bay

The 2019 Battle of the Bay took place on the Oakland Estuary with crews racing from Marin, Pacific and St. Ignatius.

You can view results on HereNow.

And you can find photos from the event here:

Kevin Layer’s Photos

Shirley DeFrancisci’s Photos

Chiara Seidl’s Photos

Oakland Strokes kicks off the 2019 Racing Season at Faultline Faceoff

Oakland Strokes kicked off its 2019 racing season by hosting the 2-day Faultline Faceoff at San Pablo Reservoir on February 23-24th. With teams representing the entire Southwest region, Faultline Faceoff has grown into one of the largest junior regattas on the west coast! A big thank you to all of our volunteers who helped make this event successful!

Results are on HereNow

A big thank you to our parents who took great photos from the weekend:

Kevin Layer's Photos

Shirley DFrancisci's photos

Jeff Pruss's Photos