Ernst Was The Right Coach At The Right Time For O?Steen
By Mason Kelley
GoHuskies.com
Bob Ernst has been cementing his legacy at Washington for four decades. To celebrate his dedication to the university and its rowing program, GoHuskies.com presents a collection of five stories told from the perspective of people who have worked with and rowed for the coach. | Series Home
When Shyril O’Steen arrived at Washington, she was a few years younger than most incoming college students. The university can be a big place for a freshman, but it suited the independent-minded person she was at that time.
A few years later, in her final season with the Huskies’ rowing program, she met Bob Ernst. It was 1980, and the coach had been elevated from the head of the freshman team to the women’s varsity program.
For O’Steen, who would go on to win a gold medal in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, the serendipitous pairing coupled a place she fit (the rowing program) with someone in Ernst who “really cared.”
“To have a place where you fit in is one thing, but to have a place where you fit in where there is someone who really cares you’re there and really expects a lot out of you and believes you can meet those expectations, that’s a pretty important thing,” O’Steen said.
Being around Ernst had a calming effect on O’Steen, because she had so much confidence in the coach.
“Bob was serious,” O’Steen said. “That was fantastic. He didn’t take any quarter. You always knew exactly what was required of you. It was just very simple. You come out and do your best and I’m going to explain how you do that. You’re going to work really hard and that’s it.
“That worked really well for me.”
O’Steen found it refreshing to have a women’s coach who had a simple and straightforward philosophy that focused on hard work as the baseline for success.
But, while demanding, Ernst also cared as much about the people in his program as he did winning races.
“He really cared about us and he really cared that we do well for ourselves as well as for him and the program,” O’Steen said. “That’s a big deal for just about any human on the planet.”
