Rowing coaches discuss gender gap in Boston gathering

For the first time, dozens of women and nonbinary rowing coaches from across the country gathered in a room in Boston and shared concerns about pay disparities, work-life balance and professional development.

Why it matters: Division 1 college rowing lost 11 women head coaches over the past year, including Boston University's director of women's rowing, Maddie Davis Tully. Nearly half were replaced by men.

• The series of resignations and retirements shook women in the sport, but it also sparked a broader conversation about persistent gender disparities

What's happening: Some 54 rowing coaches across all levels met for the first Women's Coaching Conference for a three-day gathering organized by Tully and hosted at Hydrow's headquarters.

• Attendees learned about how to balance training with the administrative responsibilities of coaching.
• They also traded tips on better advocating for themselves and helping women rowers navigate a sport where men dominate leadership positions.

What they're saying: "My dream would be that this becomes obsolete," Tully tells Axios.

• There's always a need to foster community, but ideally the sport would evolve to a point where women coaches are equally represented at all levels, Tully says.
• "I think we're very, very far away from that."

Zoom in: Tully, who coached college rowing for 13 years, resigned earlier this year after months of juggling a newborn and the six-day-a-week rowing schedule.

• She wanted a new challenge, and one that didn't make her choose between work and her child.