NAC seems to have a way of sticking with you…and bringing you back.
That’s definitely the case for NAC Employee Jill Clapp who started coming down at just seven years old for our Kids Paddle Camp. Little did she know that would change the trajectory of her life.
During one of those summer camps someone–most likely Billy–told Jill, “You’re really athletic! You’d be good at paddling!” Later, in high school after feeling frustrated and done with playing soccer but still wanting to do something, Jill’s dad reminded her that hadn’t someone down at NAC thought she should try paddling? So she came back down to NAC to look into Outrigger, where Billy ruefully told her as much as he wanted her to paddle, she should really join the Junior Rowing program.
She did end up joining the Junior Rowing program and was a part of the Varsity 8 team who took second place in State, and sixth place in Nationals in 2003. Then second place in State and third place in Nationals with the Lightweight 4 team in 2004.
Jill remembers loving those summers at NAC because she would go from rowing camp, to then helping as a Kids Paddle Camp staffer, and then working out again. “That was my favorite thing. Just being here all day in the summer,” she recalled.
She then went on to row at LMU and become a two-time All-West Coast Conference selection and help her Varsity 8 crew to the 2006 WCC Title and multiple other championships. As a senior, she made the U.S. National Rowing Team, travelled to multiple National Training Centers across the States, and competed as one half of the lightweight double at the U23 World Championships in Scotland.
After her time on the U.S. National Rowing Team, Jill and her husband moved back down to SoCal and she once again reached out to NAC and Billy. “I called Billy and I was like, can I work at NAC? And he made me send him a full resume! I don’t know if he was joking or not, but I did it! I typed up a resume–it pretty much said nothing but rowing, but I got the job!” She became a Junior Rowing coach and remembers loving the passion of the kid’s first year of rowing.
After another family move, and having multiple kids Jill switched to hosting back-to-back-to-back (or more!) private lessons on Wednesdays here at NAC. She still gets out on the water, and is thinking of starting to compete again since there’s a larger group of people rowing singles at races now–especially since she’s now done having kids!
When I told her that it seemed like NAC was in her blood, she replied, “Yeah, definitely. I’ve been hanging on to NAC since age seven! I’ve been here for 30 years! It’s never gone far from my heart.”
Again, NAC seems to have a way of sticking with you.