SPU’s athletics department maintains a substantial presence of faith in their coaches and athletes alike, and in September of 2023, SPU welcomed McKenzie Waltar as the new assistant coach for the women’s rowing program. For Waltar, faith is a particularly important part of her coaching journey.
“I started rowing forever and a half ago because a lady at church saw that me and my sister were both really tall, and she asked, ‘Hey, have you guys tried rowing?’ and we were like, ‘What’s that?’” Walter said. “Then I tried it, and I haven’t stopped in [about] 10 years.”
Waltar graduated from the University of Washington in 2018 with a degree in English and an impressive career in Division I competition. During her time with the Huskies, Waltar competed in the second varsity 8+, varsity 4+ and the varsity doubles.
The Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association even named Waltar a National Scholar-Athlete in 2018, her senior year at UW. In 2017, Waltar was part of the PAC-12 team that swept first place at the NCAA Division I Championships.
Waltar began her coaching journey in 2019 with the Sammamish Rowing Association (SRA) at her high school in Redmond, Washington. She has remained a coach with the SRA for the last five years, coaching a range of masters, juniors and novices.
“After college, I spent a couple of years working in ministry, and then I kind of missed rowing, so I saw an opening at the Sammamish Rowing Association,” Waltar said. “They accepted me and I have been coaching there ever since.”
Outside of coaching, Waltar has been working full-time in vocational ministry since 2020 with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), where she guides high school athletes in their faith journeys. After spending years as a youth coordinator, coaching adults in the SRA was a big adjustment for Waltar, but it helped her realize her main goal as a coach.
“I had a big reckoning with that when I first started coaching masters because they’re all older than me, and that was a weird power dynamic,” Waltar said. “The thing at the forefront of my mind, no matter who I’m coaching, is to bring the joy of the sport because that’s what I love about it. A phrase we used to say at UW was ‘embrace the suck,’ and it sounds silly, but it’s so true [and] applies to all age ranges in all stages.”
In addition to her goal, Waltar finds her experience across age groups to be the most fulfilling aspect of her coaching journey. She hopes to cultivate a cumulative culture of her experiences from her time at UW and apply it to her work with the SRA and FCA.
“It’s cool to see the different levels of the sport and to be a small part of these high schoolers’ development and then hopefully a larger part of these college girls’ development,” Waltar said. “We’re able to do more than we think … especially because the girls next to you will push through that wall [with you]. I’ve seen great success with that, so if I can bring that to SPU, I’m all about it.”
Waltar’s connections with the FCA are how she was directed to SPU. She learned of the open coaching position from Anna Cummins, a gold and silver Olympic medalist at the 2008 and 2004 Summer Olympics and a mutual friend of Caitlin McClain, the head coach for SPU women’s rowing.
“This last year, I was going through a job transition, trying to decide what’s next. I did my last job with the [FCA], and then [Anna] said her friend was looking for an assistant coach,” Waltar said. “I remember, I immediately thought I was not qualified. [It was] super intimidating, but then in my first meeting with Coach Caitlin, we got talking and I [knew] I wanted to work with her.”
SPU’s faith-centered community assisted Waltar as she transitioned into collegiate coaching. The open arms of Coach McClain and the rowers allowed her to open herself to them as well.
“I was able to share hard things in my life with these students because it’s so important to have a role model who gives hope even when things are not pretty,” Waltar said. “Translated to coaching, I try to be authentic with the girls. If someone’s having a hard day, I try to meet them in that space. It’s been a good transition, and it’s cool that this is a safe space for faith. I’ve been able to share that with the girls and some of them have shared prayer requests with me.”
The rowing program’s mix of faith and sport is the most assuring facet of Waltar’s first seven months with SPU.
“Coach McClain and I were having a meeting with one of the girls, and I can’t share why, but it was a hard meeting. I remember it got pretty emotional. At that moment, I felt the Holy Spirit say, ‘Kenz, you gotta say something.’ From there, I asked her how faith ties into rowing for her,” Waltar said. “I don’t remember exactly what I said because the Holy Spirit talked through me, but I remember the room felt lighter. That was really, really special, and I hope it was a transformative experience for that athlete, but I know, at least for me, it was just that confirmation that I’m in the right spot.”
