Silas Stafford

Men’s Pair

Hometown: Santa Rosa, Calif.

Current Residence: Santa Rosa, Calif.

Began Rowing: University of California at Los Angeles, 2004

Date of Birth: 4/27/86                       

Height: 6’4”                                   

Weight: 200

High School: Santa Rosa High School

Undergraduate Education: Stanford University, 2008

Graduate Education: Cambridge University, MPhil, 2009

Current Coach: Bryan Volpenhein

Years on National Team: Four – 2007-08, Under 23; 2010, 2012, Senior

International Results: Finished fifth in the four at the 2010 World Rowing Championships...Won gold in the eight at the 2008 World Rowing Under 23 Championships…Placed fourth in the eight at the 2007 World Rowing Under 23 Championships. 

National Results: Won the pair at the 2012 Olympic Trials - Rowing...Won the pair at the 2011 National Selection Regatta #1...Finished second in the pair at the 2010 National Selection Regatta #3…Finished fifth in the pair at the 2010 National Selection Regatta #2… Tied for second in the varsity eight at the 2007 Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) Championships...Won gold in the championship four at the 2006 Head of the Charles...Took silver in the men’s varsity eight at the 2006 PAC-10 Conference Championships...Won the Copley Cup at the 2006 San Diego Crew Classic.

Personal: Silas likes to write songs, cycle and backpack in his spare time…Before every race, Silas eats granola and Gu…He wears his power-speed socks for important races…Racing at the Head of the Charles in 2006, running a 4:26-minute mile in high school and winning a silver medal at the IRA National Championships are among his most memorable sporting achievements…Silas chose rowing because as he went through puberty, he got slower at running and needed to find something more competitive, so his sister suggested rowing…He lists his high school track coach and his brother as the most influential people in his athletic career because they showed Silas the value of hard work…While rowing at Cambridge, Stafford was referred to at the time by the British Press as "The Boy with the Golden Ticket." His crew emerged victorious (despite a clash that greatly effected his crew) during the Trial VIIIs racing that took place during the Autumn of 2008, and he stroked the CUBC Blue Boat for the 2009 Boat Race...He hopes to win an Olympic gold medal someday and win as many important races as possible until then.