Defining
undaunted

Passion never rests

When Eleni Englert began her freshman year at the University of Washington, she was already making waves. After representing the U.S. at the 2012 Paralympics in London, Englert arrived in Seattle, where her first quarter was punctuated by interviews, photo shoots and even a first pitch at a Seattle Mariners game. Beyond the thrill of competing in the Paralympics, the stories captured something else: Englert’s resilience, which led her to rowing and the UW.

In middle school, Englert was diagnosed with Stargardt disease, a degenerative eye condition that causes progressive damage to the retina. But that hasn’t stopped her from competing in both national and world rowing championships as well as excelling at a number of other sports, including snowboarding and CrossFit.

Accompanied by her attentive guide dog, Briggs, the graduating senior sat down to reflect on her time at the UW: rowing, life as a Husky and pushing past limits.

UW: How did you first get involved in rowing?

Englert: I first tried rowing my freshman year of high school, when I attended a National Federation of the Blind conference. At the conference, there was an erg machine competition, and I beat everyone there — even some Paralympic athletes — who then suggested I try rowing. I’m kind of an oddity; there aren’t many other blind people that are my height and athletic.

After that, I approached a local crew club, but they wouldn’t bring me on because I was blind. So I just tried another team. On the first day, I went up to the coach and I told him that I’m visually impaired and I wanted to row. He just said, “Great! You won’t look out of the boat.” He let me do everything; he even put me in a single — one person, rowing by herself. You wouldn’t normally put the person who can’t see in a single and send them off, but you know, I’ve only hit one buoy, and some coxswains can’t say that.

Why did you choose to attend the University of Washington?

I chose the UW for the disability resources for students. When I was looking at colleges during high school, I found that some universities wouldn’t even consider having Braille services. But here at the UW, the Disability Resources for Students staff hit every accommodation I might ever need to succeed. Additionally, I wanted high academics and high-level rowing, so it really was the perfect fit.

The summer between high school and college, you competed in the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. Tell us about your experiences there.

There were so many cool people I met. Since I’d rowed the past couple of years, I got to see a lot of other athletes from different countries that I knew, and I loved being in the Olympic Village and watching events with them. After our racing was over, I stayed in London to watch the rest of the games and take part in the closing ceremonies. I got back right before I came to the UW, so I didn’t even have time to pack my own bags for college, my mom had them ready to go.

But honestly some of the best things to come out of London were the stories about Briggs. He has better stories than me! A camera crew met each team off the plane, and they ignored all the rowers and went straight for Briggs. He was definitely the star of the show.

After the games, you got to go to the White House and meet President Obama. What was that like?

They have really good cookies! Oatmeal. Originally, President Obama wasn’t going to stay long, but he ended up hanging around and meeting everyone, shaking our hands. I even secretly took a selfie with him in the background that somehow lined up, since I couldn’t actually see the screen. But Briggs was the real star. The president saw him and said, “Oh, who’s our little friend?” Briggs also got a belly rub from Michelle Obama.

You’ve rowed for the Huskies since you walked onto the team your freshman year. What do you think sets UW rowing apart?

I think what really sets us apart is our heart. I’ve rowed with a lot of people, and I’ve never been around such determined and driven athletes. We are a group of fighters who want to get better and push on every day. Every single person on the team works their butt off to push themselves and everyone around them. No spot is set or reserved, you have to fight constantly to earn your seat. We also know that we’re more than athletes, and there is a huge amount of support for each other off the water.

My favorite thing about the team is that we have fun, though. We’re spunky and goofy and it’s absolutely great. I’m going to miss our pre-practice dance competitions and spontaneous cheers on the water. It’s really hard to describe our team right now, but it’s honestly the most passionate, competitive and supportive group of strong young women I have ever had the privilege to be with.

What was your favorite race at Washington?

One of my favorite races was my first race for the UW: the San Diego Crew Classic. I was in the freshman eight, and we won by 0.16 seconds. We went undefeated for the rest of the season. Our mentality was, “We’re going to win, whatever it takes, and then we’re going to win as much as we can.” That points to how amazing the team is right now, because that mentality carried on through the years.

The UW has a history of being open to walk-ons, so that freshman eight boat was pretty evenly split between new and experienced rowers. Despite our different experience levels, we all brought an unwavering mentality that we should win everything, and we did.

After you graduate in June, what’s next?

I’m majoring in information systems. It’s a really exciting field with a lot of potential, and I actually just got into the Foster School of Business’ Master of Science in Information Systems program, so I’ll be sticking around for a bit longer, going to grad school and working.

I’ll keep watching UW crew races, but I probably won’t come to practice. I’ve been rowing for eight years, and I think it’s time I retired. Through crew, I’ve made some of the best friends of my life. My graduating class is really tight and goofy — very goofy — and we’ve made it through a lot together, so it’s bittersweet graduating and thinking I won’t see them every day.

What would you say to other athletes with disabilities?

Failing’s not the worst thing in the world; it’s better to just try. The way I grew up, I didn’t have many limits put on me. [Stargardt] was never made into a “big thing” in my family. My parents would say, “She’s a kid, let her go snowboarding, let her go mountain biking, just get a guide.” That’s something I was very lucky in; not everyone is fortunate to grow up in an environment like that.

I’ve only ever felt limits other people have tried to put on me. I’ve fallen into the trap of thinking to myself, “Well if they don’t think I can, then I guess I can’t.” Pushing past that is hard to do, but you can. When other people put limits on you, ignore them. So what if you fail, at least you can say you tried. Honestly, that’s just kind of what I’ve done, and more often than not, you succeed.

Read more of Englert’s story in a 2012 interview with UW Athletics.

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