Much like a family, athletes work together to achieve goals. For two Sacramento State sisters, Heather and Holly Hopkins, the sport of rowing has become like a second family.

The sisters come from a family of six and since joining the Sac State team, they have added 45 new family members.

The sisters are natives of Davis. Holly is a junior and Heather is a senior. Both of them are kinesiology majors.

For the pair, being part of a tight-knit group is nothing new. Their mother said all four of her children are close.

“We did an independent study program when they were in grade school, so they had a lot of family time,” Jill Hopkins said. “They were involved in a lot of extracurricular activities and very involved in groups, both in a learning sense and dance or craft.”

The desire to row also extends to their brothers as one rows collegiately and the other for a local club. Their youngest brother Aric rows for River City Rowing Club in the Port of Sacramento and the third-oldest child, Justin, rows for the University of Washington.

Holly Hopkins has been rowing with Sac State for the last four years. Heather Hopkins is in her second year on the team.

Holly Hopkins said she feels it is great having her sister competing with her on the team as well as having her in the same boat, just a seat behind her.

“It’s super. She is a strong rower, so it’s great to have someone like that,” Holly Hopkins said. “But it is also fun because it’s also something we both know. It was kind of bad when we were growing up; she was the only one of four siblings not rowing. We would be talking about rowing and she would be interested, but not really.”

The sisters were first introduced to sports through dancing. Each started as technical ballerina dancers &- Holly at age 4 and Heather at age 2.

Holly Hopkins joined the River City Rowing Club during her senior year of high school.

Heather Hopkins said rowing appealed to her because it was something that was going to be challenging for her after having a long career in dancing.

“I used to be ballet dancer. I danced for a really long time,” Heather Hopkins said. “I think I was looking for something to do &- something athletic and difficult. I have never been without something like that.”

Kellie Cook, Holly’s roommate and co-captain of the rowing team, said the sisters are a solid pair who help the team improve each day.

“Both Holly and Heather are hard workers,” Cook said. “They continue to make our team and boat faster.”

Since joining the rowing team, Holly Hopkins has been part of two Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships at the varsity level. Heather Hopkins was part of the 2009 team that won the championship for a second time in three years. The team is competing for its third championship in four years this season.

Holly Hopkins is one of two captains on the team. She helps to organize team socials and dinners. These gatherings helped to bring the team together, similar to that of a family-style gathering.

Head coach Mike Connors said Holly Hopkins and Cook help to further team cohesiveness by setting up a program in which each novice is mentored by a varsity rower.

“The team captains set up buddies for each of the rowers,” he said. “They will assign a varsity rower to a novice rower and the two exchange gifts from time to time, but also guide them in their learning to row.”

Jill Hopkins said she hopes her family can give back to the rowing program someday because of what it does for the students on the team. She also said rowing is more than a family to the Hopkins sisters; it is like a sorority that has given her daughters a lot.

“Mike Connors had a famous quote a few years ago that has become famous in our house,” Jill Hopkins said. “One girl said rowing was taking up so much of her time and she wanted to quit to join a sorority and he said to the rower, “Rowing is a sorority. You don’t need any other sorority. Rowing is the best sorority that you are going to find.'”

Matt Harrington can be reached at [email protected]