Vashon rowing standout returns to recruit the next wave
Published 10:30 am Wednesday, March 11, 2026
If you felt a force field settle over Vashon last month, you weren’t imagining it.
Gabbie Graves, a recent University of Michigan graduate in economics and philosophy — and now an assistant rowing coach for the Wolverines’ women’s rowing program — was on the island as part of a recruiting swing through the Northwest. Gabbie rowed on Vashon for three years (2017 through 2019) before moving on to Holy Names Academy in Seattle.
She won a silver medal in the women’s eight event at the Junior World Championships in 2018. A powerful athlete, Gabbie set three world records in the 15-16-year-old category on the rowing machine for the 100-meter, 500-meter and one-minute sprints.
She relocated to Boise, Idaho, during her later high school years. In Boise there is not all that much water (and most of it is moving), so only the erg (rowing machine) was available. She says she made peace with the pain inherent in rowing on the erg. And it showed. During that time she set the world record for 17-18-year-old women for the half marathon and marathon, with 500-meter average split times of 1:58 and 2:03, respectively. That’s 2 hours and 53 minutes of continuously sitting on the machine and pulling hard. Does your butt hurt yet? These two records have not been bested to date.
Gabbie expresses awe at the number of Vashon junior women rowers who have gone on to Division I college and international careers. In particular, Mia Croonquist, Rhea Enzian, Liv Ormseth, Riley Lynch, Kalie Heffernan, Maya Krah, Kirsten Girard and twins Selina and Aria Mildon have been a source of inspiration.
In Ann Arbor, Gabbie was a four-year stalwart in the eight shell, winning second-team All-American honors in her senior year and two Big Ten championships (2023: 1V8 and 2024: 1V4). In addition to her rowing prowess, she was a champion in the classroom as well, earning Academic All-Big Ten honors three times.
The University of Michigan has not had another Northwest-area rower on the team since Gabbie joined, and she is determined to change that. Besides Vashon, on this recruiting swing she visited junior programs at Seattle Prep, Pocock Rowing Center, Green Lake and Sammamish.
Although not currently competing, Gabbie will be back in the single when the ice is off Belleville Lake, the home water for the U of M women’s rowing program.
When she is not rowing, or coaching rowing, she is advocating for rowing. She has been producing TikTok videos to inspire rowers of all ages. She has more than 80,000 followers combined on Instagram and TikTok, making her one of the top rowing “influencers.” If you want some training, technique or nutrition tips, go to tiktok.com/@she_is_speed.
At Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston in the fall (one of the biggest regattas in the world), she is a celebrity who collects a crowd wherever she goes. She says: “It’s a nerdy community. But I really, really love it.”
Vashon sincerely hopes we will see more of Gabbie Graves in the future as her coaching career grows. Best of luck, Gabbie.
Pat Call is an occasional writer for The Beachcomber, a master rower and a loser to Gabbie Graves in a 100-meter erg sprint when she was in eighth grade.
