Myrna Gotrell

Myrna is a proud Jamaican-African American who lives in Hackensack, New Jersey. She works in special education with neurodivergent learners and is also the head coach of her high school crew team. Prior to education, Myrna has had diverse professional experiences, including as a broadcast journalist, florist, and event planner. She is an advocate for the underdog and a cancer survivor.

Myrna was raised in the melting-pot environment of Jamaica, which has shaped her perspective and circle of family and friends to be multi-ethnic. The rowing community has recently become part of that network as well.

Watching her daughter finally find her place among a family of athletes was the driving force that propelled Myrna to become a rowing coach. As she fought through a major breast cancer diagnosis, rowing was a way for Myrna to assure her daughter that "I'm still here, I'll be ok, I will survive."

Entering the world of rowing as a Black woman and cancer survivor presented particular challenges for Myrna and even more so for her daughter as an athlete. Myrna has also witnessed the challenges facing the neurodivergent athletes she coaches. This has driven her to expand the rowing world’s opportunities in these areas, ensuring all athletes feel a sense of belonging and that the sport becomes accessible to individuals of all backgrounds and abilities.

Myrna believes rowing should be part of every school's physical education curriculum nationwide, available to all regardless of socioeconomic status, ethnicity, or identity. Seeing her students and athletes succeed against the odds is the driving force behind her founding of Hope On Water. Her aim is to empower them to realize that they are enough, capable, and belong in this sport, and to show them HOW to own their space.