This feature originally appeared in the Spring edition of the Cal Sports Quarterly. The Cal Athletics flagship magazine features long-form sports journalism at its finest and provides in-depth coverage of the scholar-athlete experience in Berkeley. Printed copies are mailed four times a year to Bear Backers who give annually at the Bear Club level (currently $600 or more). For more information on how you can receive a printed version of the Cal Sports Quarterly at home, send an email to calbearbackers@berkeley.edu or call (510) 642-2427.
Less than a year from winning gold at the 2015 Under-23 World Rowing Championship in Bulgaria, California sophomore rower Mia Croonquist is taking a sabbatical.
Not for rest or for leisure, but to study abroad in France and fulfill a desire to travel. Though she is one of the most promising young rowers in the country and the decision to leave home was somewhat spontaneous for the 19-year-old, Croonquist sees this as a perfect opportunity to grow even more as an individual.
“I've been racing pretty much every summer since my freshman year of high school,” Croonquist said. “I absolutely love racing and it was a really tough decision, but I've never really had a summer where I could go on an adventure.”
“I hate sitting still,” she later added.
Croonquist was born in Vashon, Wash., which is an island in the middle of the Puget Sound slightly larger than Manhattan but with a population roughly 1/10 the city of Berkeley. The island sits 10 miles southwest of downtown Seattle, but there are no bridges that connect it to mainland Washington, thus contributing to a rural nature.
“My brother and I used to always walk by ourselves and get candy or go to the beach, but in general just go on adventures,” Croonquist said. “But I'm such a water kid so mostly what we did was around the beach. And so when I got older and tried crew, it kind of just came naturally.”
Croonquist began rowing internationally for the United States in 2011 when she was 14 years old. That year, she won a gold medal at the World Rowing Junior Championships. She proceeded to win silver at the 2012 World Rowing Senior and Junior Championships. Then in 2014, she again earned silver at the World Rowing Junior Championships. She reached the peak of her career so far last summer by claiming gold at U23 Worlds.
This past summer's success came shortly after the then-freshman Golden Bear helped lead Cal to a second-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Croonquist sat in the five seat the entire season, a seat typically given to the biggest and strongest rower in the boat.
“She's easy to coach because she pulls hard,” Cal head coach Al Acosta said. “When she rows, she has trust in her mind, body and soul. And she's in it for the team.”
Acosta explained Croonquist's rowing style and work ethic by telling a story of how one day during a “light practice” on the ergometer, instead of rowing at the suggested pace, she rowed twice as hard on the machine.
“When I asked her why she had done that she said she 'had a bad day and wanted to get her demons out by ending the day strong,'” Acosta said. “She's a determined rower but one that does it with a smile on her face.”
Despite going on to say she has the skill and principles to become an Olympic rower, Acosta wasn't surprised when he heard the news that she wasn't going to be competing at the World Championships this summer.
“She's an interesting woman,” Acosta said with a laugh. “She's adventurous and involved with so much and you can tell cherishes that from how excited she is when she talks about it.”
After taking a French language course last semester, Croonquist became keen on studying abroad. Wanting to be immersed in the French culture and language, Croonquist's six-week program, run through the university, will have her living in Paris with a host family. She'll take French language, culture and food classes while there.
Once the program ends, Croonquist plans on spending the final weeks of summer by traveling around Europe with money she has saved specifically for this occasion – something she has done in the past. In 2013, Croonquist earned enough money from lifeguarding to visit a friend in Sweden who had been a foreign exchange student at her high school.
“She is a very passionate person and loves to interact and help other people,” said Cal women's tennis player Karla Popovic, Croonquist's roommate. “Traveling and seeing different cultures and people I think is very important to her.”
Even when she's in Berkeley, Croonquist is constantly meeting people and helping others.
Croonquist is an officer with the Golden Bear Advisory Committee where she helps lead student-athletes in philanthropy, university activities and community relations. Her friends noted that she makes a constant effort to help feed those in need, and she is a regular weekly volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club in Oakland.
“I live for those moments,” Croonquist said. “This might sound cheesy but with the Boys and Girls Club, they change your life. Just to see them smile. I live for every Wednesday when I get to hang out with the kids because they're just incredible.”
Since joining GBAC her first semester, Croonquist has visited kids ranging from age six to 12 at a club facility off of Market Street in Oakland.
“People fascinate me,” Croonquist said. “Everyone has their own story. And I really want to be out in the community or the world making a change.”
Croonquist first got involved with the Boys and Girls Club through GBAC. Former Cal swimmer and GBAC officer Catherine Breed invited her to come and to catch a ride on her scooter. Every Wednesday, the two would ride together where they'd interact and help kids with their homework. Though Breed has graduated, Croonquist continues the tradition.
“They open up and tell you stories that make you love them and make you appreciate what you have and you just want the world for them,” Croonquist said. “And to put it bluntly, I'm from a very white and isolated island. I never grew up with such a different mix of different races and cultures. So to come to Berkeley and go to the Boys and Girls Club and be immersed in a different world is awesome.”
As of now, Croonquist isn't too concerned about making the 2020 Olympic team as she much rather live in the present. That being said, rowing still means so much to her. It's allowed her to compete and travel the world at a young age. It's given her a dedicated and competitive work ethic, and most important, a chance to meet diverse groups of people and teammates.
“In life, I've learned one of the most important things is all about the people you meet,” Croonquist said. “All the different people you meet makes you more well-rounded and makes life great.”
