Meet the coaches
Our coaching staff has a strong emphasis on ensuring that our team members are not only strong athletes, but that they are also responsible young adults. We work to ensure that your student athletes are students first, and athletes second.
Elaina Loveless
Interim HEAD COACH
Coach Elaina began rowing at 15 in Pullman, Washington, moved to Rockford in September 2016, and competed in U.S. National Team training through high school, earning state, Midwest, and Nationals titles. She earned a full-ride scholarship to Northeastern University, where she rowed four years.
Two weeks after graduating in 2022, she used her savings to start an ocean rowing team, competing in coastal races before the 2024 World's Toughest Row—a 38-day transoceanic race from Monterey, California to Kauai, Hawaii.
From 2022 to 2024, she served as founding coach of the boys' team at Saint Thomas Aquinas in South Florida, previously assisting the girls' team. The boys' team medaled at states with strong results at multiple regattas. In 2023, she ran a camp focused on building rowing culture among South Florida programs.
Elaina emphasizes athletic development, team culture, and accountability in a positive, challenging environment. She is excited to bring her experience as athlete, program builder, and coach back to Rockford, committed to helping the team grow and compete at a high level.
josie dickerson
NOVICE HEAD COACH
Josie was a coxswain at Rockford all four years in High School. She started as a rower before committing to coxing for the next four years. She went on to have many successful seasons throughout her junior and senior years. Her biggest accomplishments include coxing the women’s JV8 at the 2021 State Championships (1st place), the women’s V8 at the 2022 Midwest Championships (2nd place), and the women’s lightweight four in Canada (2nd place).