Coaches

Audrea Huff – Novice & Recreational Sweep Coach

Bio coming soon!

Daniel Vanegas – Experienced/Intermediate Sweep Coach

Bio coming soon!

Laura Riekki – Sculling & Sweep Coach, All Levels, Private Lessons

Laura has coached junior, collegiate and masters athletes since 2003, and has been with the Orlando Rowing Club since 2006. Although a competitively focused coach, she views real success as instilling a technical proficiency and love of the sport that rowers will carry with them for years to come. She coaches individual sculling, erg technique, learn to row programs and sweep programs, with a preference for eights.

Laura began rowing at Rollins College and rowed in the NCAA championships 2002 and 2003, and has competed as a master sculler and rower regionally and nationally, and most recently in the 2018 Masters World Championships. When she’s not on the water, she enjoys creating oil paintings of the sport.

Coaching highlights include a 5th place finish at US Rowing’s Scholastic Nationals for the Bishop Moore girls, and WIRA bronze and silver medals for the University of Oregon in the women’s 4+ and men’s 4+, respectively, with both fours achieving bronze in the Pac-10 Conference’s Pacific Coast Rowing Championships. As the head boys coach for OARS, she coached a large squad to numerous state and regional medals as well as 12th and 13th place finishes in the eights at US Rowing’s Youth Nationals championships. She led the Orlando Rowing Club in 2008 as they captured the All Points trophy at the Head of the Hooch for the first time in club history, and for two years afterward. Laura served as the Orlando Rowing Club’s head coach and administrator from 2008-2010, and brought together the Florida Masters community during that time as the FMRA in order to promote and grow the sport across the state. In 2013, she coached ORC’s M8+ to silver and Mx8+ to gold at the US Rowing National Championships.

Certifications include USRowing Level III coaching, Red Cross first aid and CPR.