According to the rumor mill, Ken Jurkowski has been selected as successor to Paul Mokha has the Head Coach of UCLA Men’s Rowing. Jurkowski is an extremely accomplished oarsman, having rowed during his collegiate career at Cornell, and having had multiple stints with the US National Team. Most recently, Ken competed at the Beijing Olympic Games, representing the US in the Men’s 1x, and finishing a very respectable 11th overall in an extremely competitive field. He placed 9th overall in the Men’s Quad in 2005, and won a bronze medal at the World Championships in 2006 in the Men’s VIII before switching over to the single where he has truly made his name.
Amazingly, Jurkowski has done most of his training in the 1x without a consistent coach, and has developed his own approach to the sport. To have achieved such excellent results as a self-taught sculler speaks to his ability to break down the stroke and analyze the finer points of the sport. These are skills that will be very useful as he takes on his next challenge, and we are quite lucky to have him on board. The freshman coach from last season, Robert Hermann, will be returning this year and will be looking to build on last year’s experience. For the first time in recent history (possibly ever), both members of the UCLA Men’s Rowing coaching staff have experience as oarsmen at the international level*, with Hermann having raced in the Lightweight VIII in 1991, winning a bronze medal in the event while representing the US at the World Championships. As a former Bruin and supporter of the men’s crew, I’d like to wish the coaching staff and the team the best of luck for the coming season.
(Photo: Ken Jurkowski races at the 2008 Olympic Games)
*Paul Mokha was a coxswain and coach for the US National Team during the 1990s, so the team continues to be guided by a coach with National Team experience.
Photo credit: http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0gD6gPq1UfcIh/610x.jpg
