Eli Miller is a seasoned rower, currently serving at the George Pocock Rowing Foundation (GPRF) in Seattle, Washington. Eli is giving of his time and talent to help motivate, coach and inspire the youth attending GPRF’s summer rowing program.  

When asked to share a moment that sums up why he serves, Eli responded emphatically with, “sure!” In fact, the summer has been packed with many “Aha!” moments geared towards teaching and uplifting, not only the youth served, but also the mentors and coaches trying each day to make a meaningful difference.

Here’s one of Eli’s moments:

The other day, I went out on the water with a 4x (quad, four person sculling boat) that had a high school aged boy. Apparently, this boy was a "problem child," as quoted by one of the coaches who came with me on the launch.. The boy wasn't an obnoxious kid by any means, but apparently had some issues with teaming up with others and working together. 

Our rowing session was a bit frustrating for this 4x team in the first half. We stopped the boat and talked for a bit about things to focus on and how to improve. At one point, the boy in question raised his hand and I asked him what was up. He started pointing at another boat and began talking to his teammates about how the boat that he was pointing to was rowing better than they were. I stopped him and told him that I knew he was frustrated, but raising his hand and trying to coach the other rowers wasn't the right solution.

After thinking about it for a while, I realized the way I handled that situation wasn't very considerate of the boy and his desire for his boat to row better. So, once we got back on land, I talked to him after practice and told him I was sorry for shutting him down like that. I told him that I do see that he is passionate about improving, and that he was only trying to get his boat to row better. I told him that there are better ways to phrase what he said. "Instead of making it a statement," I said, "how about we turn that into a question? Maybe ask, 'Is our boat out of sync?'" He understood, and I reassured him again that I want to hear what he has to say, but he just has to make sure that he phrases it correctly. We shook on it, and I told him I would see him next week.

It’s certainly moments like these that make it all worthwhile. Moments where both the VISTA and the youth they serve are able to learn, reflect and grow. Thank you Eli and thanks to all the VISTAs across America, giving back to their community this summer 2022. Thank you all for your invaluable service.