Continuing the legacy

When Erin Lauber was young, she wasn't dribbling basketballs, smashing volleyballs or practicing rowing techniques.

Instead?

Ballet.

But the Edmonds-Woodway senior wasn't a fan of the tights and realized that ballet wasn't for her and that sports was her calling.

Makes a bit more sense when you learn both of her parents played basketball in high school and were rowers at the University of Washington.

Lauber, a 6-foot-2 volleyball and basketball player, has used her athleticism, height and a dash of family tradition to be the next in the Lauber clan to row at Washington, despite little experience with competitive rowing.

David and Madeline Lauber were both successful rowers at the UW, with Madeline's 1981 boat winning the national championship and being inducted into Washington's athletic Hall of Fame in 1989.

But when they had children, they did not force any of their three kids to get involved with sports — hence the ballet stint — and were supportive of any decisions their kids made.

"My parents were never people who were like, 'You, because you're tall, have to do this,' " said Lauber, 18. "It was always my choice to do the sports I have done."

Despite the Laubers having a deep rowing history (older sister Robin is a junior on the San Diego State crew team), Erin didn't pick up a paddle until last summer, when she rowed for Green Lake Crew.

Perhaps the best gift she got from her parents was her 6-2 frame. David stands 6-6, Madeline 6-2.

"I was always tall," said Erin. "I don't know what a growth spurt feels like."

Unlike those in most collegiate sports, crew coaches value athleticism and size as much as experience, if not more.

"There are so many real good athletes that haven't rowed yet," said Bob Ernst, the director of rowing and head women's coach at Washington, who also coached Erin's parents. "We know we can teach these kids how to row if they have a modicum of athletic ability."

Before she even rowed last summer for Green Lake Crew, Lauber had received recruiting letters from Washington and Washington State crew coaches — likely the result of her size, athleticism and the rowing in her blood.

Those recruiting letters encouraged her to join a club crew team and learn to ... you know, actually row.

Aside from the early mornings, she immediately fell in love with the sport.

"I'm one of those people who loves sweating and working out," she said. "I strove on that."

Added her mother: "She's always been a high-energy kind of kid."

While Lauber has only one year of competitive rowing under her belt, she doesn't lack experience in basketball or volleyball. She's lettered four years in each, and the skills she's learned on the court and the athleticism she brings to both sports played a significant role in getting recruited to row at the UW.

"Rowing is obviously a team sport," she said. "Working with other people on the basketball court or volleyball court helps me realize to put others before me or what's best for the whole team instead of the individual. And that's what drew me to rowing. Nobody really gets caught up in statistics. You put the team first."

While Lauber clearly has the team-first attitude, her individual performance is also noteworthy. She was named to the All-WesCo South first team in volleyball in the fall and helped the Warriors reach the Class 4A state tournament for the first time in 10 years.

On the basketball court, she's a captain and averages 8.2 points for E-W, which is 6-5 overall and 4-3 in WesCo South.

Lauber is excited about going to Washington and becoming the second generation of Laubers to row for the successful UW crew program. If not for her height and success in basketball and volleyball too, well, she might have ended up a ballet dancer.