Hana Anderson is taking her promising rowing career to the picturesque Snake River Canyon.
The Delta Deas Rowing Club member and 2020 South Delta Secondary graduate has earned a lucrative scholarship deal to Washington State University. The Cougars make their home at the Wawawai Landing on the Snake River, considered one of most scenic courses among NCAA Division One rowing schools.
Anderson was initially considering programs at Queen’s University and UBC. That all changed when she was approached WSU head coach Jane Lariviere at the 2019 RCA National Rowing Championships last September in Burnaby. The dialogue continued until she made an official visit to the Pullman campus on Halloween weekend.
“It was a four-day visit where I toured the university, went to a practice to see how the team worked and hung out with them that evening,” recalled Anderson. “I just loved the campus. I kind of knew I would like to go to a smaller university.”
Anderson was impressed but didn’t want to rule out her other options just yet. She returned from a trip to Queens in Kingston, ON and was given an additional week, beyond the national signing day in the U.S., to make her final decision.
“(WSU) was definitely up there, as was Queens,” she continued. “I spent some time on the phone with my (DDRC) coaches to talk about both.It came down to the ability to row at the NCAA Division One level. It’s a once in a lifetime amazing experience. I decided just to take the chance and go for it.
“The first couple of years I would say I was a little more casual about rowing then in my Grade 10 year. I was friends with some of the senior rowers and they started going off to Canadian schools. One of my training partners when I was Grade 11 was considering the States and it made me kind of think about it and how it would be a cool option to pursue.”
Anderson’s deal will cover about 75 percent of her tuition costs. She has additional academic scholarships and there is an opportunity to improve her WSU funding to full-ride status based on her overall performance moving forward.
WSU’s fall semester classes are online only. As an international student, Anderson is taking advantage by remaining at her Tsawwassen home and corresponding with the Cougars coaching staff for training that will be done at DDRC facilities. The plan now is to head to Pullman in January.
“Gives me a lot of comfort in the school I’m going to. I know they are going to take care of us when we get down there,” Anderson continued. “The spring is the main season with usually a training camp in January. The fall is your bulking season where you are doing as much training as you can and getting fast as possible.”
After focusing mostly on doubles and sculling in the last couple of years, Anderson will be shifting to four and eight boats.
“I did a lot of fours last spring season and I loved them. Eights are really fun because you can get them moving fast,” she added. “I really like sweeping comparing to sculling so I’m really looking forward to that chapter. Just focusing on that technique.”
