Miller Named Wisconsin's Women's Lightweight Rowing Coach
July 26, 2006 | Lightweight Rowing
Wisconsin head women's rowing coach Bebe Bryans has named Erik Miller varsity women 's lightweight rowing coach. Miller begins his duties with the program on Aug. 1.
'We were expecting to have really high level candidates for this job based on the performance that our team has had in the past and we achieved that, ' said Wisconsin head women's rowing coach Bebe Bryans. 'We were very happy with the depth of quality of the pool of candidates. What set Erik apart was not only his experience, but his knowledge of this program, his knowledge of elite-level rowing, the number of coaches he's had to work with and his really strong enthusiasm and desire to be the coach of this team.'
A Renton, Wash., native, Miller joins the Badger women after working in close proximity to the program in 2005-06. He served as a volunteer assistant coach with the Wisconsin men's rowing program before spending this summer as head coach and camp coordinator for the Camp Randall Rowing Club's collegiate women's rowing camp in Madison, Wis. Miller also coached in 2004-05 at the University of Washington where he was a volunteer freshmen coach, helping his charges to an undefeated campaign.
Prior to his past two years of coaching, Miller spent eight years as a member of the U.S. national team from 1997 through 2004, including in 2000 when he won a world championship in the men's lightweight eight in Zagreb, Croatia. Miller was also the spare for the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team in the lightweight men's double. From 2001 through 2006, during much of his time training as a rower, Miller served as an Olympic Jobs Associate working for The Home Depot.
Founder and President of the Mercer Lake All-Star Rowing Club (MLARC) since 2002, he created the club as an alternative rowing club for elite level rowers, allowing them to train at a location in an addition to the national team rowing center.
'The way our coaching staff is set up is a little different because I am the head coach and everybody else is an assistant coach,' Bryans added. 'There isn't the normal hierarchy on our staff. We are really collaborative even though we really are in charge of our own squads. He understands that completely and is very eager to work in that type of system.'
Miller earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Washington in 1997 with a major in political science and communication and a minor in Scandinavian area studies.
'Graduating six seniors last year and coming off our third consecutive national championship, it is definitely going to be a new year,' analyzed Bryans. 'I think this is the perfect time to bring in someone like Erik who can take the experience that he has to build on Wisconsin's past and create a new road in the future.'
