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 Patricia Obee first arrived at Washington, the rower wasn’t quite sure what to make of the Huskies’ training program.
A member of the Canadian national team, her first reaction was, “What is this?”
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Obee thought at the time.
Once she started doing the workouts, they started working. She began to understand the expectations of her coach, Bob Ernst.
“He really rubs off on you in a way that he creates a lot of trust,” Obee said.
When the recent graduate – she won a bronze medal with Canada at the 2014 World Cup – talks about Ernst, she has a tough time pinpointing specific stories about her coach.
“It was an overall environment and culture he creates more than one incident,” she said.
Over the past six years, Obee has worked with a number of coaches, but “there’s something special about Bob.”
There is a way the coach gets the most out of his rowers as athletes and people that starts with his ability to empower the students in his program.
“He wants us to be successful people in the world as well as athletes,” she said. “It’s really something that has been unique to me. Maybe there are a lot more (coaches) out there like Bob, but I haven’t come across them.”
There were several times during Obee’s college career when she would stop by Ernst’s office to thank him for her improvement.
“Thank you so much,” she told her coach. “I’m going faster than ever. This is so great. Thank you for getting me this fast.”
Ernst deflected the credit.
“You guys do it,” he said. “I don’t do it. I write the program. I’m here, but you’re the athletes doing it.”
Later, while writing a paper on motivating athletes, Obee interviewed her coach.
“I don’t motivate athletes,” Ernst said at the time. “A good athlete is going to be a good athlete.”
At first, Obee didn’t understand the response.
“As a coach, he really motivates me,” she thought to herself before realizing he was giving the credit to the athletes.
“He got me to race the best I’ve ever raced without ever screaming, ‘You must race well!’” Obee said.
Obee said Ernst works as hard as he is disciplined. He inspires his athletes because of his dedication to the sport.
“Everything is so meticulous,” she said. “He holds himself to such a high standard he is the example of absolute discipline, hard work and high-caliber performance.
“That’s how he motivates. Having a leader that is such a good example of all the characteristics you need to compete at the top level of sports.”
