The Sparks Story

Our story is the stories we've helped mature through our passion for growth.

We help athletes define their growth.

Sparks started in 2010 as a college counseling firm for rowers on a mission to help athletes find collegiate fits that would empower their growth. This was given our founder's own personal journey - and his interest in how culture catalyzes human potential after coaching at Yale, Wesleyan, Bates, and with the US team.

We began to realize opportunities to help rowing students undertake experiences that grew them as athletes and people, and we grew in turn. Our college counseling staff now features multiple Olympians and Division I head coaches.

The Sparks story from there is not just our story per se, but all the stories we've helped cultivate and ferment through our passion for growth.

Interested in College Counseling?

Learn More

How passion for growth built Sparks

Our initial counseling clients were drawn to our value set. They did not seek to attend Ivy League institutions for their brand, but rather were seeking the best overall undergraduate experience. Some became Olympians - while others moved on to use the discipline, courage, thoughtfulness, and empathy the sport provided to them to succeed in other walks of life.

Once camps began, they gave us a place to gather and build a culture based on our values. It was the first time we were able to actually build a culture committed to growth through the sport rather than helping students identify the best option for them. Camps also drew talented educators who were interested in how to achieve teaching greater personal growth with the sport, and we built a camp based leadership development curriculum for them.

At every step of the way, individuals who had achieved much in the sport reached out to help given their belief in our mission of growth. Some became college counselors - others camp staff. Some more recently have been alumni of our programming, and are now seeking to give back from the wisdom they've gained during their own experiences.

How Sparks has grown into a global community

The kernel of our community started with college counseling, but we had our first camp in 2011 with 13 campers. There were blunders: launches that didn’t work and during one practice session, a rather senior, well known Division I head coach had to row a canoe to coach the athletes! Camps have come a long way since then – we began running coxswain camps in 2012 and expanded to our first international camp in New Zealand in 2013.

To date, we've seen no less than 3 Olympians and multiple national team members from the US, Canada, and the UK come through our company during their rowing journeys. We now run the largest network of rowing camps for juniors in the world.

Regardless of past clients' relative performance or the names of the colleges they've attended, our interest continues to be in motivating athlete growth (relative the athlete - not the school or the level of racing!) via the sport.

Browse Sparks Camps

Hear the voice of the Sparks Community

"Sparks New Zealand was the most educational and worthy experience of my life. As I look through pictures from New Zealand I am overwhelmed by the great memories of the train ride, early morning rows, backcountry snowshoeing and countless other amazing moments. None of this would have been possible without Sparks' wonderful talent for planning and their vision of what this program should be. I think it is the perfect vision to have and I also think that Sparks vision was fulfilled. I find myself now missing certain little random things about New Zealand, mainly the people, and I have come to realize that I learned more from them than anything else. My outlook has changed, I dont think it is necessarily better, just different. I find myself annoyed by people concerning themselves with things that really do not matter and I admit I have even caught myself a few times. The simplistic lives and values of the Kiwi people has really stuck with me. Someone I was talking to a few days ago said that they believed Kiwi men allotted themselves 100 words per day and that was it. Though this is obviously not true it does stress a very important part of the Kiwi attitude, and that is use what you need and nothing more. No excess is needed. I am truly grateful for everything Sparks, Malcolm, Glen, and many others did to make my experience better. I will always remember that first day when we went to Sandfly Bay. The view speaks for itself. I plan on returning to New Zealand in the near future, and I certainly hope our paths cross again (the rowing world is pretty small)."

Camper from Kentucky

"Coming from a small team that put little emphasis on educating coxswains, I discovered Sparks camps and saw it as an opportunity to get real coxswain training. I attend my first camp following my first rowing season. As a novice, I learned almost everything from Sparks: how to dock, steering, the different types of calls, and racing strategies. Sparks established my coxing foundations. As I became more experienced with time, I still had a desire to learn. So, I attend my second, then third, then fourth Sparks camp to reenforce my foundations and gain more experience. The camps teach you the basics. However, each time I came back, I learned something new. Not only did I learn from new coaches or new things being taught, through the many Sparks camps I attended, I learned more about myself. Sparks is not just a rowing camp that teaches rowing. Sparks values how rowing can influence and change people's lives. By committing to the sport, taking time out of your summer or winter break, you discover your drive from the sport and what you want to do with it. The reason I’ve been to four Sparks camp and will continue to return is that I love rowing. Sparks is the opportunity to better yourself as a person while being coached by some of the best coaches in the world."

Camper from Maryland

“Even as a top prospect in Canada, the recruiting system in the US was overwhelming. I considered the best programs in the country but felt like something was missing. As a second semester senior, I realized that the fastest team is not always the best choice. In May of my senior year, Sparks helped me identify schools where I would excel both athletically and academically. I went on to complete both an undergraduate and master’s degree, win a World Championship, and experience three Olympic Games.”

College Counseling Client from Canada

Want to join the Sparks Team?

Work at Sparks