Ryan Sparks enters his second year at Yale in 2009-10, joiningthe heavyweights after assisting the Yalelightweights to a silver medal finish at the IRA Regatta.
Sparks came to Yale from Bates College, where hehelped coach both the men and women's first and second varsityboats -- including leading the men's team to a grand final finishat the ECAC National Championships and placing in the top threenationally in Division III, a first for the program.
Sparks has coached on every level of the sport from juniornovices to pre-elites. He has worked with four different nationalrowing federations and held coaching jobs on threecontinents. Sparks led Yale to an international universityregatta in China during May of 2009. He has also done consultingwork in conjunction with the Chinese rowing community prior to the2008 Olympic Games. He also worked as a coaching intern withelements of the German team prior to the 2004 Athens Games.
As an initial believer in the California Rowing Club and TimMcLaren, Sparks helped in the initial infrastructuredevelopment for the club and enjoys learning from the USRowing headcoach from time to time.
A Bates graduate, Sparks also assisted with the men'sprogram at Wesleyan, sweeping the silver medals at the 2007 NewEngland Rowing Championships. Prior to his time at Wesleyan, he wasthe frosh coach at Bates leading both the novice men and women totop four championship finishes. He has also worked with pre-eliteand Olympic rowers from New Zealand and the United States.
During his seven year career in coaching, 91% of the crews hehas worked directly with have made grand final appearances in theirrespective championship racing. Sparks rowed at the Baylor Schoolin Chattanooga, Tenn., before rowing and coaching for theUniversity of Otago (New Zealand) and Bates College as anundergraduate, graduating with a degree in history.
