COACHES
HEAD COACH Kat Deiley
Coach Kat began rowing as a walk on freshman at the University of Southern California, making varsity her second year. The team comradery and their accomplishments racing in west coast regattas and PAC 10 championships were highlights of her college days.
As a master's rower, Kat has enjoyed competing in regattas all over the US. She has been a part of competitive teams for Norwalk River Rowing Club, Community Rowing Inc, Los Angeles Rowing Club, Rio Salado Rowing Club, Tempe Town Lake Rowing Club and Bainbridge Island Rowing Club. Medaling in the Head of the Charles, Head of the Schuylkill, Head of the American, Covered Bridge Regatta, SW & NW Regionals are some of her achievements in team & single events. She competed in the 2018 world rowing coastal championships loving this new adrenaline side of the sport.
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After 20 years in the sport, Kat decided coaching would be a great way to impart her passion for the sport to others. While coaching youth in South Seattle at Duwamish Rowing Club, Coach Kat’s small boats medaled regularly in regional regattas and championships. Most notable, women's junior JV3 2x gold and trophy for fastest overall time for any junior women’s double at the PNW championships.
Coach Kat hopes to foster a lifetime love of rowing in youth at Boone. She believes rowing is one sport that will build character, reward hard work and provide much fun!
ASSISTANT COACH Violet Hewett
Violet Hewett is excited to join Braves Rowing as a Coach for the 2025–26 season. A Central Florida native and former Division I athlete at West Virginia University, Violet spent four years competing in the Varsity 8+ and earned All-Big 12 First Team honors in both 2024 and 2025. She graduated with honors in Exercise Physiology and is continuing her education at the University of Tampa, pursuing a Master’s in Exercise and Nutrition Science.
Throughout her collegiate career, Violet served as a team captain gaining valuable leadership experience, learning resiliency and supporting her teammates on and off the water. She is passionate about fostering discipline, confidence, and teamwork in young athletes while helping them develop a passion for this beautiful sport.
Team Support Coach Kay Julien
Kay Julien is new to Braves Rowing this season, serving the team as our resident Team Support. Coach Kay, discovered rowing as an adult when she moved to Orlando twenty years ago. She is a masters rower at Orlando Area Rowing Society, where Coach Kat coaches the Masters Women Intermediate & Advanced Team. Coach Kay also serves on the OARS Masters Women Board and for many years, has developed practical knowledge of both participation and administration of rowing teams.
Although rowing requires being in sync with your crew to win a race, what appeals to Kay most about the sport is that rowing's true competitive challenge is with yourself: to become a better, more powerful rower than you were yesterday.
Kay, too, is a graduate of West Virginia University - fellow alumni like Coach Violet, and although rowing came to WVU after she graduated, she's looking forward to her future Alumni Row on the Monongahela River!