Coaches

Paulette Bergh

Paulette started rowing while in college at PLU. After graduation she moved to Minnesota where she rowed with the Minneapolis Rowing Club for 7 years. She was the women’s captain there and started doing some coaching. After moving to Bellingham, she coached the WWU women for several years as the varsity coach. After several years of coaching there, she was elected to the board of directors at USRowing from 1994-1998. She is in the PLU Athletic Hall of Fame, and has won several medals including gold at US Nationals. Paulette loves all types of boating and makes her living on the water teaching sailing and powerboating. She loves sharing her love for the water and helping others build their skills. In addition to teaching sailing and yachting, she has been facilitating team building on sailboats for over 10 years. Paulette is especially passionate about rowing and has witnessed the positive influence the sport has on so many lives. She continues to both row and coach at WRA.

Sydney Bichsel

Sydney began rowing as a middle schooler for Three Rivers Rowing Association (TRRA) in Pittsburgh, PA in 2011. After trying so many sports, rowing was the one that stuck. She fell in love with the rhythm and challenge of big boats and the Growing in competitive speed and ability with TRRA, Sydney qualified for and raced at USRowing’s Youth Nationals in a lightweight 4+ her senior year as team captain. After five years with Three Rivers, Sydney moved to Buffalo, NY where she was recruited to row for Canisius College. She raced all four years in the first varsity 8+ which broke school records for the highest conference finish. Sydney also co-captained her team for 2 consecutive years, earned All-Conference Second team and All-Conference Academic team honors. In the summers, she had the opportunity to row for West Side Rowing Club (WSRC) where she was able to race in several events at the Canadian Henley and earned the WSRC Women’s.

Sydney began her coaching career working summer Learn-to-Row camps for both TRRA and WSRC. She interned for the USRowing Men’s High Performance team as well as the Midwest Olympic Development program over the course of several summers. She moved to Ashland, Oregon in 2019 where she began coaching with Rogue Rowing. There, she built and maintained a robust novice program and later became the Head Coach and Development Director of the juniors program. She believes that each athlete who comes into the boathouse matters and plays an integral role in building and developing long-lasting personal and team success. Focusing on building body and boat awareness, Sydney turns to what athletes can do rather than what they cannot. She aims to build an environment that is challenging, supportive, and welcoming to any and all who wish to show up for both themselves and their boatmates.

Sarah Jones

Sarah Jones is a two-time U.S. Olympic rower and coach with more than three decades of experience in the sport. She represented the United States at the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games and spent ten years training and competing within the U.S. National Team system, earning international medals along the way.

Following her competitive career, Jones served as Assistant Rowing Coach at Clemson University, where she supported varsity athlete development and recruiting efforts. She later became Recreational Sports Director at Academy of Art University in San Francisco, designing and launching the university’s recreational and club sports programs.

Jones holds a USRowing Level II Coaching Certification and continues to work with athletes through technical instruction and performance development. Her coaching draws on firsthand experience inside elite training environments, with an emphasis on technical precision, structured progression, and athlete education.

In addition to her work in sport, Jones has founded and led multiple businesses, bringing organizational leadership and team-building experience to her coaching practice.

She lives in Washington State and remains actively engaged in the rowing community.

Hugo Pizarro

Hugo first tried out rowing in 2018, simply as a way to stay active. He ended up sticking with it, rowing for Bainbridge Island through high school, competing at various events, including winning gold at the American Lake Fall Classic regatta in 2021, winning gold at regionals in 2022, and competing at nationals in Sarasota Florida, also in the spring of 2022. Hugo is now in his 3rd year at Western Washington University, working to complete his major in graphic design. He also rows for the WWU men’s team and enjoys his time practicing on Lake Whatcom every morning from 5 – 7 am. During the summers of 2023 and 2024, Hugo coached both Junior and Adult rowers at Bainbridge Island Rowing, on and off the water. Rowing has been a big part of Hugo’s life for the past seven years, and he’s excited for the endeavors that await.

Owen Sykes

Owen started rowing in 2017 at Bainbridge Island Rowing (BIR) and quickly fell in love with the sport. He rowed at BIR for the rest of high school and went to Youth Nationals in the Men’s Lwt 8+ in 2019. Maintaining a connection to rowing through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic was difficult but not impossible, and lucky for Owen there was the opportunity to row during the lockdown. What followed was two years of small boat work which gave Owen his love for the details in technique.
Graduating high school 2021 Owen set his sights on pursuing a BS in Environmental Science at Western Washington University (WWU). He has been rowing at WWU since 2021 and has medaled at ACRA’s in 2022 and was elected as the captain for the 2024-2025 seasons. Over the summers, Owen would return to BIR to coach Juniors, Masters, and learn-to-row groups of all ages, fix boats and take time to row for himself. Owen’s favorite part of rowing, however, is getting new rowers hooked on the sport like it hooked him in 2017 and fostering a welcoming community so that new rowers can flourish.
When he’s not rowing, you can find Owen taking classes at WWU or exploring the great outdoors on his bike.

Go Whatcom!

Whatcom Rowing Association (WRA) is a nonprofit community-based rowing club that has served Whatcom County since 2011. Whether you have previous experience or have never touched an oar, we have something for you.

Have Questions?

Please fill out the program information form to learn more and connect with us at WRA.