The University of Virginia Women's rowing team is as dominant as there is when it comes to the ACC. The Virginia team has won the ACC championship for 12 consecutive seasons and has won 20 out of the last 21 ACC regattas. The team is stacked with spectacular student-athletes, and among them is rising second year Skylar “Sky” Dahl. 

Sky is from Minneapolis, Minnesota, loves the outdoors and animals and is majoring in psychology. She started rowing her freshman year of high school after an injury to her foot ended her basketball career. Sky was born with bilateral club feet which caused the bones in her feet to be unusually close together, putting her at a high risk for injury. Although rowing was not a part of Sky’s initial plans, she fell in love quickly and describes it as a “unique” sport unlike anything she had competed in before.

“It's just you and a boat, or maybe you and eight or four other people, but it really is just about doing your job the best you can do it,” Sky said. She uses rowing as a way to push herself both mentally and physically, and not only does she accomplish that - she embraces it. “I love what I do, and it gives me a platform for the good work that needs to be done,” she shared. 

Sky described her first season with the team as “mindblowing.” She emphasized the importance of finding a rhythm with her teammates, both inside and outside the boat. First year student-athletes certainly have plenty on their plates with a new school, new classes, and a new team. For Sky, this was simply another hurdle she would find her way over and having her teammates by her side was something that made the transition easier. “My teammates helped me get through some of the harder times.” . 

Going into her second year, Sky could not be more excited to jump right back in where she left off. Over the summer, she did not let up her training and even started to train alongside the men’s UVA  club rowing team. “I'm feeling so confident and excited going into this new season,” Sky said. She believes that during her first year of figuring out the ins and outs, she built a good foundation for herself. 

When Sky is not rowing, you can find her embracing her outdoorsy side by going on hikes around Charlottesville or simply hanging out with one of her pets. She loves exploring the history surrounding UVA and walking grounds. Sky also has a unique interest in the name, image, and likeness (NIL) process. Working with Kim Whitler, an associate professor of business administration at the Darden School of Business, she learned more about the concept as a whole, as well as the different ways student-athletes could make the most of the monetization. She proved to be a valuable intern for the professor as Whitler put together a self-guided workbook that is geared specifically for UVA student-athletes to help them through this uncharted territory. Taking in all of the lessons from Professor Whitler and her first year at UVA, Sky began focusing more on creating a personal brand for herself as she turned to blogging. 

Sky’s blog is a piece of herself and after reading just a couple of posts, any reader would have a good idea of who she is as a person. With content spanning from her life at UVA and rowing to growing up with club feet, her website  gives readers a peek into Sky’s brain. “I want to be a storyteller and I like telling stories,” Sky said, “I knew I had a good story to tell.” Her goal was to create something that would have helped her younger self. She also knows the importance of the personal brand and is working hard to expand that as much as she can. “With the whole NIL sphere, every little piece that I have is going towards my brand, going to who I am - my social media, my reputation, my athletics, my success etc.,” she said, “It is sort of like a bunch of puzzle pieces of me and I am trying to make them all fit together to make one big picture.”

Stay tuned for future Hoo Highlight features shining the spotlight on hardworking student-athletes who go above & beyond to engage the community, build their personal brands, and embody what it means to be a Wahoo.