Coach of Novice Crew Kevin Harris Emphasizes Attitude

A note on novice crew coach Kevin Harris's office door says "What the mind believes the body can achieve." He says "attitude" is the most crucial requirement for a successful rower. "Many coaches would say size or strength is more important, but if a team is positive, willing to work hard and to believe in themselves and each other, no one in the world can beat them."

<<< Novice crew coach Kevin Harris discusses the race course with coxswain Serena Schiller '00 before a recent competition.

Harris knows that not all forty-three women he's training can be Olympians, but he pushes each toward her potential. This means two-hour daily practices on the Connecticut River starting at 6 am; running, calisthenics, and weight training; and weekend races all fall and spring. Over the winter, there's weight training and "erg" (rowing machine) work. Despite all the physical conditioning, Harris believes "80 percent of the job is mental." Alix Bishko '00 says Harris "focuses on getting us feeling that we're all one team, working as one and doing our best in every practice or race."

Even though varsity rowers get the most attention, Harris reminds that "the novice team will be the varsity team soon. I'm looking today at the College's varsity eight for four years from now."

Harris stands out both for his coaching success and as the only African American coaching crew in NCAA matches. "It's a shame that, in 1996, I have to be the first," he says of this "dubious honor."

Life and athletics seem to be one concept to Harris. He began rowing at thirteen, competing in high school and at the U.S. Naval Academy, then coached and taught history in Washington, D.C., area high schools. Harris also coached women at the Potomac Boat Club, leading one group to win the prestigious Canadian Henley Regatta in 1995. "For club rowers, it's like going to the NCAA final four," he explains.

Now in his second year at MHC, Harris has built a strong team that he predicts will be the best in its New England division by May. "This year's novices are fast; their athletic ability is phenomenal." In their first race, the MHC boat won by fifteen seconds over Tufts, last year's New England champions. Fulfilling Harris's prediction would be a fitting tribute to celebrate this, the twentieth anniversary of crew at Mount Holyoke.