July 25, 2012

Alumna rows her way to 2012 Olympics

When viewers tune in to the London 2012 Summer Olympics, they can cheer on a Pioneer. Amy Clay Ives BA ’01 will once again compete in the women’s quad sculls, after first taking to the water at the 2008 Beijing games.

When viewers tune in to the London 2012 Summer Olympics, they can cheer on a Pioneer. Amy Clay Ives BA ’01 will once again compete in the women’s quad sculls, after first taking to the water at the 2008 Beijing games.

“It’s a feeling like I’ve never had before,” Ives, a member of the Australian rowing team, said of the Beijing competition. “Excitement heightened my senses and mingled with a deep sense of knowing and inner calm.”

Ives had never touched an oar until she took up rowing in her first year at Lewis & Clark. Her coach was Hilary Gehman, who went on to compete in the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens summer games. “She was my inspiration for wanting to someday go to the Olympics,” Ives said.

Two years after graduation, Ives moved to Sydney, Australia, and joined a competitive rowing club, working her way up from intermediate to elite-level rowing.

“Regardless of whether I continue to row internationally, I will stick with the sport for fun and exercise,” Ives said. “I hope it’s something I’ll do for many years to come.”

Learn more about Amy Clay Ives in this profile from the Chronicle magazine.