It all started with a bribe in the form of chocolate bars. Sara Mansouri had recently entered high school when her mother began encouraging her to join the crew team. She wasn’t interested in the sport at first, but after two weeks of persistent bribing, she agreed to give it a try. Now, three years later, Mansouri has continued rowing and thoroughly enjoys it.

Mansouri is a junior and one of the three captains of the women’s crew team. Her position is the stroke seat, which is the first seat at the front of the boat, just behind the coxswain.

Her motivation comes from the determination to succeed in the sport and the encouragement she gets from her teammates. One of her favorite things about the crew team is the strong community that they’ve built and the deep friendships she’s been able to form, friendships that might have not been made otherwise.

“If we have anything in common, it’s that we all support each other unconditionally. We’re all really good friends,” Mansouri said.

As a captain, Mansouri provides an inclusive and positive environment with her energetic nature, giving support to new rowers. Mansouri encourages their growth and development on the team, helping them feel welcomed.

“I spend a lot of my time coaching our novice rowers, and she, as leader on the team, has taken a lot of initiative in bringing them in and supporting them in their growth and development on the team, which has been really exciting to see,” coach Zoe Wolfel said.

Junior rower Grace Keehn describes Mansouri as fun, energetic and sassy. As a captain she cultivates a good team environment, bringing her energeticness to the team.

Head coach Christopher Graves has enjoyed watching Mansouri grow and develop in the three years she has been on the team. He describes her maturation from being a freshman just learning to row, to now being a leader on the team.

“There’s been a metamorphosis from someone who I thought was going to quit to now being a leader on the team,” Graves said.