Getting to Know Coach Leeanne Crain

NORMAN, Okla. -- When Leeanne Crain was hired as the first head coach of Oklahoma's rowing program, she was charged with the task of building a championship-caliber team from scratch.

A former member of the UCLA and U.S. National rowing teams, Crain came to OU after head coaching stints at both the University of San Diego and the University of Central Florida where she led the Golden Knights to an NCAA appearance in 2007.

Now that she's settled in Norman, Coach Crain sat down with SoonerSports.com to talk about her career, her favorite things and her vision for OU rowing.

View Interview with Coach Crain | OU Rowing Main Page

What are your first impressions of Norman and the state of Oklahoma?
"Actually I've been very impressed with everyone here on campus, obviously in athletics and out in the community. Everybody's very supportive of what's going on here. There's so much tradition of excellence that the community is very much supportive of all the teams. With rowing being new, you see a lot of support there too."

Is it a little different than California or Florida?
"A little bit. The nights are cold, and of course I haven't been through a winter yet, so that will be a bit of a shock."

What drew you to the OU job?
"As I mentioned there's just such a tradition of athletics excellence that's here. I think this program has a great amount of potential. If you're going to pick one program in the country to go to as a head coach, you want to find one that has potential to be nationally competitive and that's definitely what this program is capable of."

How did you get involved with the sport of rowing?
"I actually was a walk-on at UCLA, so I started rowing in college. From there I became a pretty good athlete at UCLA and then got into coaching shortly after graduating."

How would you describe your coaching style? Are there any other coaches you try to emulate?
"I think my ultimate idol is John Wooden, the legend from UCLA basketball. I've had a lot of great coaches in my time, so I think I've learned something from each of them. I think my style is pretty laid-back, but I've very competitive and I think I try to draw that competitive nature out in the student-athletes that I coach."

What is your best memory as an athlete? As a coach?
"As an athlete I have so many, but I think my collegiate days. Certainly competing on a collegiate team is something that's unique. I don't think I can draw on one race in particular, but just the experience there was tremendous.

"As a coach, I think seeing some of my athletes go on to the elite level after college. That's something that's very rewarding because it shows that they have a passion and really learned to love the sport to even follow through after their college days."

What is your second favorite sport?
"I played softball in high school, so I'd probably have to say softball."

What is your favorite food?
"There's not a food that I don't like. I think if I was going to pick a restaurant to go to it would probably be Mexican."

How do you like to spend your free time?
"As a coach you don't have a lot of free time. But when I do I like to get out and ride my bike. I enjoy cycling and it's something that I do in my spare time."

How would you describe your taste in music?
"I kind of have an alternative taste. I think I would go for the alternative."

Where is your favorite place to go on vacation? Any place in particular?
"I love the beaches. Beaches and snow skiing. I think the mountains of the beaches. I really love Lake Tahoe in California."

What are some of your favorite TV shows or channels?
"I watch a lot of Discovery Channel and also the Food Network. I'm a big fan of cooking."

How did you get involved in coaching?
"I got involved shortly after graduating from UCLA. I always knew that I liked to teach and thought that it would be an interesting career. Shortly after my time rowing became an NCAA sport and the career evolved and I got in as an assistant and loved it so I just followed through from there."

What is the best part about being a coach?
"Definitely the interaction with the student-athletes. I think, as a coach, you learn as much from them on a daily basis as they do from you."

What is something people might be surprised to know about you?
"Probably that I have such a competitive nature. I think I'm pretty shy as a person, but when it comes to playing and competing I'm very competitive."

What do you think about the surge in the popularity of rowing in Oklahoma that's happened in the last few years?
"It's phenomenal. I'd say in the last three years the sport has really taken off here. With the growth of Oklahoma City and the riverfront and everything that's happening up there with the venue, the Chesapeake boat house and plans for other colleges that are adding rowing to build boat houses along the riverfront, it's a community and I think it's taking off and gaining national recognition."

What are some of the pros and cons of building a program from scratch?
"The pros are you get to build it the way you want it. I think as a head coach you can come in and sort of create from the ground up. The cons are recruiting athletes it's going to take us a while to get the program off the ground. I don't think it will take long for us to draw the best prospects in the country, but certainly there's a bit of a startup and there's got to be a phase of building before you can get to the point of being very competitive."

What is your ultimate vision for the OU rowing program?
"I think there's no doubt that this program can be a national-caliber program. I think the ultimate goal is to win national championships. Obviously there are steps getting there and many of them. I think building and working within the Big 12 and trying to win national championships and Big 12 championships every year is the ultimate goal."

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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