By Mason Kelley
GoHuskies.com
When Conor Bullis was in high school, he would get to the boathouse an hour before practice. The teenager would take out a racing shell by himself. He worked to learn the nuances of rowing.
“I just loved it,” he said.
Just an athlete and his boat, Bullis began to form the foundation that put him on a path toward coaching. Those early practices led to a college career at Oregon State before transitioning from competitor to coach.
Each step along the way has uniquely positioned Bullis for his latest challenge as the interim head women's rowing coach at Washington.
“He is the best-kept secret in our boathouse,” said men's rowing coach Michael Callahan. “He's ready.”
After spending the past four years working under Bob Ernst and recruiting most of the women in the program, Bullis is taking the next step in his coaching career.
“I've been given the ball,” he said, “and I'm running with it as fast as I can to win the NCAA championship.”
Like Callahan said, Bullis is ready. Each choice he has made in rowing has pushed him to this point.
As a collegiate rower in Corvallis, Ore., he was one of the few athletes in the program with a background in the sport. He taught his teammates while tightening his technique, becoming the team captain as a senior.
He thought he wanted to become an athletic director, so he worked as an intern for the Oregon State AD. That experience, while helping him build a background in running an athletic department, ended up pushing him toward coaching.
“Coaching is just way more fun,” Bullis said with a smile.
Bullis, who grew up in Seattle, returned home and earned an internship with the Washington rowing program. He spent a year working with the men's freshman team before spending a second season shadowing Callahan.
“I just wanted to ride with Michael,” Bullis said. “I tried to soak up as much as I could every practice.”
Bullis then became the head coach at Lakeside School. He took a team of eight boys and grew the program to 40 athletes. The school built a $2 million boathouse while he was the coach, but he never got to work in the facility, because he was hired back to Washington.
Four years ago, he accepted an assistant coaching position with the Washington women's program. He was tasked with recruiting athletes and coaching the freshmen.
The class Bullis recruited his second year was filled with walk-ons.
“Very few student-athletes knew how to row,” he said. “We did a lot of teaching, a lot of development.”
Those freshmen ended up having an undefeated season. The foundation for the Washington women was being rebuilt.
“That class, now seniors, changed a lot of things at that point,” Bullis said. “They knew it was possible. They got faster and faster and faster.”
After being tasked with stocking the program with talented athletes, Bullis now has the opportunity to coach the women he recruited at the highest level, as Washington's head coach.
“The rejuvenation of the women's program climbing up the standing the last couple of years has a lot to do with Conor, not just because of the recruiting, but also the culture he has helped instill in the boat house, the work ethic that is now here and the passion for the program,” Callahan said.
A strong communicator and talented teacher, Bullis is working with the Huskies to maximize the rower's top-end speed. His goal is simple, to “develop a united team that breaks speed records in women's rowing.”
“He knows when we need a bit more pushing and he knows when we need to take a step back and go over small things,” senior Sarah Dougherty said. “He really emphasizes details within our program and holds us to a high standard. He makes it very clear that the work we put in every day is to win, and to win for each other.
“Another thing I really like about Conor is his direct feedback for us. He will give me an honest answer regardless of my emotions or the situation and that's something I really appreciate.”
Bullis' mission is to push his student-athletes to improve their scores by a small percentage each day. He believes the athletes in the program have the talent to push the boat speed faster than the Huskies have gone in the past five years. He is confident in both their fitness and work ethic. He is working to combine talent, technique and endurance in a way that fuels growth.
“I believe in the athletes,” Bullis said. “I believe that they're self-motivated. I believe they will compete against each other and that competition will push everyone to be better.”
For the Huskies, competition is key.
“If they're not competing against each other to beat each other then they're really not going to be better,” he said.
Like the formula the Seahawks have used to win a championship and maintain a contender, Bullis is building a program that understands how to compete internally while remaining close a team.
“When you push for intense intrasquad competition you must increase the opportunities to create a more cohesive team where everyone trusts each other and is willing to put their character on the line each day,” Bullis said.
With competition and camaraderie at a premium, Bullis designs his practices to push his athletes to “physical failure,” the moment when someone's body becomes incapable of working any harder.
“It is mentally tough to push to physical failure every day and realize in the big picture you're going to be better for it,” he said. “There's a lot of exposure. Your guts are on the line. Your character stands out to everyone around you.
“All of your teammates know exactly who you are. When you quit. When you break. What happens to you when you break.”
That intense level of training is designed to get Washington's rowers into a position where they can compete at peak performance.
“That's when you make real growth,” he said.
As the Huskies prepare for next month's Class Day Regatta, the program is making progress. Bullis has established a series of checkpoints for his rowers. He has put a premium on transparency, ensuring the athletes understand where they stand in the program.
“He has the ability to individualize each person's feedback depending on what works for them,” junior Bella Chilczuk said. “Even without having to talk to each athlete every day, he knows each of us so well he is able to recognize when we need his help, and when we can analyze our strokes to make a change.
“He is a positive person and influence in a world that can often times be challenging physically and mentally.”
Talk to any of the rowers in Washington's program and they will all praise Bullis' ability to communicate with his athletes. His ability to articulate his message allows the Huskies to focus on getting faster.
“Conor is a coach who I feel I can communicate with about anything,” senior Hannah Allen said. “I think what separates a good coach from an outstanding coach is when they can make you feel like they are not only invested in you as an athlete, but also as a human. And under those conditions, Conor Bullis is an outstanding coach. He communicates his belief in me as an athlete, knowing that it will help me perform at my peak, but he also sincerely inquires about my well being as a student, a friend, a sister, and a teammate.”
Bullis has been building toward this moment since he was a teenager who always tried to get to practice and hour early so he could get extra time out on the water.
Equal parts teacher, coach and leader, Bullis understands how to develop a team that will lead Washington toward an NCAA championship.
“It's just this great opportunity for him,” Callahan said.
Working this year as the program's interim head coach, this is Bullis' tryout. This is his chance to prove his message will help carry the Huskies to the next level.
“UW rowing is bigger than one coach, one athlete,” Callahan said. “We all add a piece to the legacy. This is his turn to add his piece as a head coach. He gets to run with it. Hopefully the program can capture his energy and ride that wave.”
