Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Hill
Hi Michelle, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Michelle was born and raised in South Africa and began her rowing career at Stellenbosch University, where she was a member of the Varsity 8 for 5 years, participating in 5 University Boat Races, 5 University Championships and 2 National Championships. Michelle began coaching at Stellenbosch and served as president of her college rowing club.
Michelle was the first woman to be elected to serve as President of South African Student Rowing, in which position she coordinated and ran all Student rowing events and clubs in the country.
Upon graduating with undergraduate and graduate Law degrees, Michelle’s passion for the sport of rowing led her to Britain where she rowed extensively and earned her Amateur Rowing Association Coaching credentials and coached 2 college crew teams at Oxford University.
After leaving Britain Michelle came to Falls Church Virginia, where she coached the Lake Braddock Freshman/Novice girls to an undefeated season in 2001. She then took on the position of Graduate Assistant Coach and Later Novice/Freshman coach at Southern Methodist University, where she coached for almost 3 years.
In 2006 Michelle began coaching at Lake Brantley High School, where she was Head Coach of the Boys High School team. During her 2 seasons at Lake Brantley they won a State Championship title for the Lightweight 4+.
Michelle took a break from rowing to focus on her family and taught for Orange County High School for 8 years.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
When Michelle began her career back in what she refers to as “the dark ages of rowing” it was a sport dominated by white males. Being a driven, competent and independent woman in that environment provided many challenges. Thankfully the sport has flourished and grown and is now far more diverse and inclusive. Traveling to a foreign country to pursue her rowing ambitions also meant leaving family and friends behind, which was of course hard to do. Thanks to the support and love of her mother and her close friends she was able to follow her dreams and still remain connected to those she left behind. Working in a foreign country also brings immigration challenges and the visa process with its many pitfalls and obstacles was something Michelle had to navigate in both England and America. In addition she arrived in America at the end of August 2001 and needed to travel to Mexico to apply for a change of visa status. Consequently she found herself outside the US Embassy in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on September 11 when the planes hit the World Trade Center. There followed a 10 day adventure with fellow international students and workers, which involved being stranded in El Paso Texas, a day long car journey across Texas and a flight back to South Africa at a time when tensions were extremely high.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
In 2019 she stepped back into the rowing world, taking on the role of Head Coach of the Winter Park Middle School Crew Program. Having coached in 3 countries and at every level from Middle school up to Division 1 collegiate rowing, Michelle found her calling coaching high school athletes. Michelle is currently the Head Coach at Seminole County Area Rowing.
Having been appointed Head Coach of Lyman High School Rowing Association in 2021 Michelle set about broadening the access to this wonderful sport to include all middle and high school students in Seminole County. In order to do this she guided the program’s transition from Lyman High School Rowing to Seminole County Area Rowing. Under her guidance the program has flourished and last year enjoyed their most successful year ever, winning 2 State Championship titles, one National Championship title and a fifth place finish at the National level, as well as winning medals at every regatta in which they competed.
What matters most to you?
Michelle’s passion for the sport of rowing stems from the deep seated belief in the benefits the sport holds for athletes of all ages, but particularly students. Rowing is the second most physically demanding sport (after only cross country skiing!) and its practitioners achieve excellent cardiovascular and muscular fitness. The physical benefits are obvious for anyone to see. But it is the less obvious benefits that Michelle likes to emphasize. The sport is technically extremely complex, requiring highly developed mental skills. It is, in her opinion, the ultimate team sport, requiring individuals to work in synchronicity throughout the boat, teaching teamwork at its finest. The level of dedication and commitment required to be successful is also a valuable skill for young athletes to learn. They learn the benefit of working hard to overcome difficulty and achieve success. All these skills are important life skills that prepare rowers to achieve success off the water as well.
The team also rows on one of the most pristine lakes in central Florida which means these athletes get to enjoy the benefits of spending several hours outdoors in a beautiful setting on a daily basis. Manatees, turtles, bald eagle, spoon bills, herons and other creatures are regular guests at practice. Watching the kids as they arrive at practice frazzled from school and then seeing them relax and destress in the natural environment is a joy. Being surrounded by the many species that call the lake home and having to deal with the sometimes unpredictable nature of the lake gives these athletes a greater appreciation for and understanding of their natural surroundings as well.
A further benefit of rowing is the expanded college access it offers to Seminole County youth. Rowing currently has the most NCAA scholarships available to women of any of the NCAA sports, and with a whopping 68 allowed scholarships it ranks second only to football for the number of scholarships available. For men there are definitely less scholarships available through rowing, but no less opportunities. Many University Men’s teams will recruit high school rowers and this provides valuable assistance in the competitive admissions process for prestigious institutions. As a testament to the opportunities available through the sport, all three of SCAR’s 2024 graduating seniors have gone on to grasp opportunities to further their education and continue rowing. Morgan Northey, who only started rowing in her senior year, was recruited by and is currently rowing for UCF. Hannah Hill (who is Michelle’s daughter) is currently rowing at the University of Virginia and her attendance at what is one the nations top schools is fully covered by grants and scholarships. And Aiden Shilling is going even further afield. Aiden leaves this month for Oxford, England, where he will be rowing for Oxford Brookes University, one of the best collegiate rowing programs in the world. Michelle herself has lived and worked on three continents all due to the opportunities and connections provided by rowing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.scarowing.org/page/home
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scar_crewteam?igsh=MzFuc2c5ZDU2Mmw=
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/seminolecountyarearowing/
