Meet Our Coaches

Coach Maddux was born in Atlanta and spent a good deal of his childhood growing up here (he is named after Braves’ great Greg!). His family later relocated to Florida, where he discovered his passion for rowing, eventually captaining the Sarasota Crew for two years during high school.

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Coach Maddux is a graduate of George Washington University in Washington, DC where he rowed 4 years and subsequently served as the second assistant for their Men’s Rowing Team. Upon graduation he returned to Sarasota Crew where he coached the Men’s Varsity team.

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With a passion for rowing and a wealth of coaching experience, he also has recruiting experience in regions such as Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, DC, and the Southeast.

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Coach Maddux coaches with the philosophy of ‘Cultivate excellence in and out of the boat.’  Ready to develop fast boats, Coach Maddux is dedicated to fostering excellence in his athletes.

Coach Smarr grew up in Marietta, attending Pope High School. He began rowing with Atlanta Juniors in the summer of 2008 by participating in one of our Learn to Row camps. Immediately finding love for the sport, he would go on to row all four years of high school with AJRA. Coach Smarr attended Kennesaw State University, majoring in Health and Physical Education with a minor in Coaching.

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After finishing his degree, Coach Smarr spent four years as an elementary school P.E. teacher in Marietta. He has continued to stay in touch with AJRA, and this past year returned to chase his passions and pursue coaching full time. He currently lives in Cartersville, with his wife Emily and daughter Palmer.

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Coach Smarr coaches with the philosophy of ‘work hard and work together.’ He is excited to build a positive, unified, and competitive culture. He has recently completed his Level 2 coaching certification with USRowing, and is excited to use that knowledge to bring this team to its full potential.

Coach Sarah is an AJRA alum who rowed for Atlanta Juniors for six years. She attended the University of Michigan, competing as a Division I athlete for four years. At Michigan, Sarah led the 2V8+ to a third-place finish and a third-place overall team finish at the 2017 NCAA National Championship.

Sarah has been part of the women’s staff at AJRA since graduating from college, and holds a USRowing Level II coaching certification. She is passionate about coaching young women to perform at their best, inside and outside the boat.

Sarah lives and works in midtown Atlanta. Outside the boathouse, she can be found cheering for Michigan football and exploring Atlanta’s restaurant scene.

Though not an AJRA alum, Coach Will is very familiar with the Hooch, as he began his rowing journey there in 2006. Following his graduation from Milton High School, Coach Will he took his talents to Georgia Tech where he was a member of the GT Crew team. After a brief hiatus, he returned to coaching in 2019 and joined AJRA in 2022 where he perfected his signature overalls and Chacos style. When he’s not on the water, Coach Will enjoys spending time with his wife, Morgan, and their two dogs and cat.

Coach Walker grew up rowing in Savannah, GA, and captained his high school club before rowing for the University of Georgia club team. After college, he coached at Stanton-River Bank in Jacksonville, FL, helping the team earn a rare Southeast men’s medal. From 2017–2021 he returned to Athens and led UGA's club men’s team to new heights in the Varsity 8+.

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Since 2021, he has rebuilt the Saint Andrews (SA) Men’s Program in Roswell, GA, culminating in a national medal in 2025. Walker has also coached within the USRowing U19 development system since 2017, most recently serving as lead men’s coach and assistant pairs camp coach for the 2025 PDC program. He holds a USRowing Level II Coaching Certification and believes success in rowing is earned, not given.

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Off the water, he enjoys live indie music, baseball, disc golf, and the outdoors.

Coach Luke, an AJRA alumnus, spent 6 years rowing with Atlanta Juniors before transitioning into coaching. He began leading the DSquad in the Spring of 2022 during his senior year of high school. His passion for rowing only intensified while attending Dickson College, and after missing the sport, he returned to Georgia to coach the Novice Men's team. Outside of the boathouse, Luke serves as the manager of Northumberland Swim Club. Whether he's guiding workouts or tossing a frisbee, Coach Luke brings energy, dedication, and a sense of fun to every practice.

Coach Amanda first discovered rowing and walked onto AJRA as a junior at Walton High School in 2016. She continued rowing in college at Jacksonville University, where she studied Marine Science on a rowing scholarship. Missing the AJRA boathouse, she returned to Atlanta to coach the Developmental team as soon as she graduated. When she's not coaching the lively middle schoolers of DSquad, Amanda works for the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, issuing citations and fines to anyone in nearby counties brave enough to pollute a water source on her watch.

Renee Obarowski is from Tucker, GA and a graduate of the University of Georgia where she was on the club rowing team. After graduating from UGA, she moved to Philadelphia to get her Masters in Sport Analytics from Temple University where she was also the Director of Operations for their D1 women’s rowing team. Renee coached some masters learn to row at Philadelphia Girls Rowing Club before moving back down to GA where she has been coaching for the last year and a half. When she's not on the water she likes crafting and hanging out with her cat, Gus and her dog, Bodhi (who loves riding on the Chattahoochee).

Bio to come.