Feature Stories
Sarah Zelenka, '09
Life has been speeding up for Sarah Zelenka, ’09 since graduation. In
2009, she represented the U.S. in the World Rowing Championships and
has been setting and achieving goals one after another ever since. To
achieve her goal as an Olympic rower, she first had to propel herself
through some rough waters.
Zelenka joined the Grand Valley Rowing Team in her freshman year
with no prior experience. One of the first setbacks that she
encountered was the expense of rowing. Since crew is not one of Grand
Valley's varsity sports which offer some sort of financial support for
a limited number of university athletes, Zelenka was not eligible for
scholarships. Like many other Laker athletes, Zelenka had to pay for
tuition, school supplies, and living costs out of her own pocket.
Despite this challenge, she immersed herself in sports and
participated not only in the rowing club, but also in intramural
basketball and intramural badminton. Getting accustomed to a demanding
schedule is what she says prepared her for a hectic life as an Olympic athlete.
I am very confident in the education I received at GVSU,” she
said. “The great experiences I was exposed to while studying at GVSU
have made a great impact on me and will stay with me forever.
When she helped win the “Under 23 World Championships” in 2009,
Zelenka was invited to work out at the national training center where
she tried out and competed with the Unites States rowing team. Once
she had secured a spot, Zelenka helped the team win gold medals in
both the 2010 World Cup and 2011 World Championships. These triumphs
took her all the way to the U.S. Olympic trials where she and partner
Sara Hendershot from Connecticut took home the victory and the right
to represent the U.S. in the 2012 Olympics.
We ended up being about two boat lengths down on the other crew
halfway through the race,” she said. “Sara [Hendershot] told me that
we needed to make a big move if we were going to get back in the race.
So we shifted the rate up and increased the boat speed. We overtook
the other boat within 20 strokes of the finish line!
With her ultimate goal – an Olympic gold medal – in sight Zelenka
has more motivation than ever. Not even the rigorous training schedule
can deter the passionate Laker.
I train for three to four hours in the morning, eat, nap, train
for two to three hours in the afternoon, eat, sleep… wake up and do it
again,” she said. “But I can’t imagine something that would top this
summer in London.
Whatever happens in London, Zelenka hopes to return to Grand
Valley to pursue a graduate degree in sports administration. I could
see myself coaching or serving as an athletic director someday,” she said.
In addition to a full day of training, Zelenka also works odd
jobs to support herself. She babysits, dog sits, and works part-time
at the YMCA in Princeton, New Jersey where she is currently living.
Although the journey to the Olympics has not always been a smooth
ride, her countless hours of morning training on the Grand River has
helped pace herself and ultimately put her goals within reach.
"Follow your dreams,” she said. “Work hard and truly believe
in yourself and everything will fall into place!
Update: Zelenka placed 4th in the women's pair in the 2012 London Olympics.
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