BELLEVUE — As a world-class athlete, Anna Cummins is often called to give inspirational talks to student and community groups. Her usual message is one of goal setting, commitment and the importance of hard work.
And for the 28-year-old Cummins, it has been a proven formula for success.
A decade ago, she was a walk-on member of the University of Washington women’s rowing team, an absolute beginner to the sport. But within two years she was a member of the United States national rowing team and she went on to earn medals at the past two Olympic Games — a silver in Athens in 2004 and a gold in Beijing last summer.
It was a lot of success in a short period of time, and all because Cummins did what she now encourages others to do.
She dared to dream.
“Dream big, that’s how I phrase it,” she said. “Because whatever it is that you want, you can take steps right now to make that goal become a reality. What you do today can make that dream happen.
“I believe many people cut themselves short,” she added, “because they don’t dream big enough.”
On Saturday, Cummins will share additional thoughts on this subject when she gives a keynote speech at the Junior Olympic Skills Competition, scheduled for the Everett Boys and Girls Club.
“Being an Olympic gold medalist puts a great responsibility on my shoulders to share my story with my community and with the world,” Cummins said. “I feel privileged that I had the ability to row that race and earn an Olympic gold medal, and now I feel drawn to share with the community about how important it is to take care of our bodies and use them to the best of our ability to do something great and wonderful.”
Cummins grew up in Bellevue and in 1998 graduated from Newport High School, where she won 12 varsity letters in cross country, basketball and track. She was a distance runner and wanted to run at the UW, but instead ended up in the rowing program.
“Rowing in the eights, you don’t have any superstars,” she said. “You’re only as strong as (the team) as a whole. So there was an individual challenge for me, but there was also a great team camaraderie, which I really loved. I was part of the most phenomenal group of women I’d ever been around.”
Blessed with size (she is 6 feet tall) and strength, Cummins had the physical gifts to be an outstanding rower. She also had a remarkable passion to excel, and as a collegiate rower and later with the national team she pushed herself to get the most out of her abilities.
“I think rowing is definitely the toughest sport that exists,” she said. “It presents a challenge to everyone of, ‘Can I do this, can I get through this workout and can I take one more stroke?’ And the answer to me was always yes.”
Rowing brought Cummins more than just athletic success. It also helped her to meet the man who is today her husband, Bob Cummins Jr., formerly of Everett (Everett High School, Class of 1994). He was also a UW rower and is today a Bellevue chiropractor. The two were married in December of 2007.
With her marriage, Cummins joined what might be called the first family of rowing in Snohomish County. Her husband helped the U.S. national team win a world championship in 1997. Father-in-law Bob Cummins of Everett was also a UW rower in the late 1960s and with his wife Barb helped begin the Lake Stevens Rowing Club. Sister-in-law Angie Cummins Sievers also won a member of the U.S. national team.
And now the family has an Olympic gold medal, courtesy of Anna.
“Surprisingly, I don’t think the reality of having a gold medal has sunk in,” she said. “I think that’s going to take some time … because the medal itself isn’t as meaningful as what it took to get there. To set the goal and then to try to accomplish that goal.
“Before I even started the race, I knew that I had no regrets. I had prepared myself for the best race possible, whether that meant winning a medal or coming in last. So to know that ahead of time, and then to cross the line first and see that, yes, we did win the gold, that was just icing on the cake.”
For someone who has always pushed herself to dream big, what happened in Beijing was, Cummins said, “a dream come true.”
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