Steady State Podcast: Recent Episodes
Steady State Network
Steady State Podcast reframes the popular, yet limited narrative about rowing culture by celebrating the expansive array of rowers, coaches, and coxswains in a podcast designed to savor real-life experience from launch to cox seat at every level. Subscribe Today!
When Vashon Island Rowing Club junior rower Liv Carlson was asked to interview someone they admire for a school project, they chose Steady State Podcast co-host Tara Morgan. The result? A thoughtful, wide-ranging 10-minute conversation that traces Tara's rowing journey—from learning to row in Tennessee, to rediscovering the sport as an adult in Seattle, founding Seize The Oar, and the coaches who shaped the way she now mentors others. The episode opens with a special introduction from Tara and fellow Steady State Podcast co-host Rachel Freedman, setting the stage for this unique role reversal—where a young rower asks the questions and a lifelong rower shares the lessons. Click the link to listen or find Steady State Podcast anywhere you get podcasts.INTERVIEWER: Liv Carlson, Vashon Island Rowing Club juniors crew
GUEST: Tara Morgan, Vashon Island Rowing Club & Co-Host, Steady State Podcast
This episode was made possible in part by RowSource and our Supporters.
QUICK LOOK:
00:00 - Podcast intro
05:01 - Tara’s intro to rowing as a high school kid in Tennessee, and reintroduction as an adult in Seattle
8:55 - The impact of Tara’s coaches on her own coaching style
10:14 - The spark that lead to Tara founding Seize the Oar
12:53 - Steady State Podcast
14:40 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos of Liv and Tara, and to get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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Steady State Podcast is a production of Steady State Network. It is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is Open Mind by Soundroll.
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CONNECT:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
Like millions of CrossFit athletes, Thais Camilo thought of the indoor rower as just one stop in a workout: hammer through a fast 500 meters, then move on to the next movement.
Everything changed when her husband, Gabriel, became interested in structured indoor rowing training. Together, the two software engineers built what would become ErgZone – a feature-rich app that replaces tedious monitor programming with Bluetooth syncing, delivers real-time performance data, automatically verifies Concept2 Logbook workouts, and connects athletes through a thriving online community.
On this episode, Thais shares the organic growth story behind ErgZone, reflects on the challenges and opportunities of being a female entrepreneur at the intersection of sport and technology, and explains why she's taking a thoughtful, cautious approach to AI as the next generation of fitness tools takes shape.
GUEST:
Thais Camilo, CEO & Co-Founder, ErgZone
IG: @ergzone
This episode was made possible in part by RowSource and our Supporters.
QUICK LOOK:
00:00 - Introduction
01:06 - Welcome
01:55 - The Huddle
04:15 - Hot Seat Q&A
11:50- Thais's introduction to indoor rowing in the mid-00s and how coming to understand the data on the monitor gave her a purpose
13:39 - The organic development and growth of the ErgZone app
22:39 - Thoughts on the growth of indoor rowing since 2020
25:28 - Inclusion, accessibility
29:59 - Partnerships, being a woman in the tech space, and being female entrepreneurs
35:53 - Taking a cautious approach to AI
39:50 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos of Thais and Gabriel, and to get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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Steady State Podcast is a production of Steady State Network. It is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is Open Mind by Soundroll.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
CONNECT:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
Jimmy Germano coxed the U.S. Jr. M8+ to gold at the World Rowing Junior Championships in 2005, but he swears it was sheer luck – being in the right place at the right time with a great crew and a “fake it ‘til you make it” attitude.
More than 20 years later, motivated to help others hone their coxing skills, you can find Jimmy pondering coxing and life on his Instagram account @coxswain_clinic. So of course we invited him to talk Coxing 101, coaching coxswains, the cox/8/7 relationship, finding your coxing voice, and a whole lot more.
GUESTS:
Jimmy Germano
IG: @coxswain_clinic
This episode was made possible in part by RowSource and our Supporters.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Introduction
02:08 - Rowing Week on a scale of 1-10: 5
03:10 - The Huddle
05:22 - The Hot Seat Q&A
10:05 - Jimmy learned to row as a teenager in Viking Rowing Club’s “Chicken Dippers” LTR
15:52 - From being bullied to being a leader, and working past imposter syndrome
20:26 - Impressing the Junior National Team coaches with a cobbled-together coxing video
25:14 - Learning to cox from other coxswains, and the challenge of coaching coxswains
30:49 - The philosophy behind Jimmy's favorite coxing call: “Earn a Power 10”
33:05 - @coxswain_clinic on IG
37:21 - What, when, and how to convey information
39:07 - Advice for new masters coxswains: listen and prioritize safety
47:20 - The relationship between stern pair and cox
50:00 - Bow seat is the most difficult to row
52:35 - The perfect stroke, from the coxswain’s perspective
56:51 - Jimmy’s coxing personality: quiet confidence
1:00:13 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos of Jimmy, and to get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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Steady State Podcast is a production of Steady State Network. It is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is Open Mind by Soundroll.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
CONNECT:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
Long before Jak Kazmarek joined Team Moar Than Us for the World’s Toughest Row Pacific, there was a moment when survival – not ocean rowing – was the goal. They made the phone call home: “The doctors don’t think I’m going to make it. You need to be on the next plane.”
Years of surgeries and recovery followed as Jak battled diverticulitis, a debilitating disease of the colon. And step by step, they rebuilt their life: from a wheelchair to an erg, from Learn to Row to the Head of the Charles. Now, Jak is taking on an extraordinary adventure – rowing more than 2,800 miles across the Pacific Ocean from Monterey, California, to Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi.
Record-holding trio Oar the Rainbow (S6E10), from the 2025 World’s Toughest Row Pacific, join the conversation to share the realities of rowing through darkness in the middle of the ocean, the clarity that comes from a singular focus, and what it means to return to shore forever changed.
GUESTS:
Jak Kazmarek | Team More Than Us, World’s Toughest Row Pacific 2026
IG: @jakhammer510 / @MoarThanUS
moarthanus.org
Team Oar the Rainbow | World’s Toughest Row Pacific 2025
Courtney Farber - IG: @courtneyfarbercpt
Julie Warren - IG: @awildjolie
Taylan Stulting - IG: @thetranstraveller
This episode was made possible in part by RowSource and our Supporters.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Introduction
01:48 - The Huddle
03:19 - The Hot Seat
08:07 - Jak’s rowing origin story began by using the erg for rehabilitation
14:18 - From novice to ocean rowing in just six years
15:58 - Team Moar Than Us
18:30 - Welcome Team Oar the Rainbow
19:20 - Checking in with Oar the Rainbow one year later - physical and mental health
28:29 - Jak’s Question #1 for OtR: The benefit of bringing flatwater experience and knowledge of mechanics to the ocean
32:54 - Courtney - Don’t chase perfection and be flexible
35:39 - Jak’s Question #2 for OtR: The most unexpected things that happened during the crossing
38:33 - What to bring, what not to bring
40:37 - Jak’s Question #3 for OtR: So, would any of them row another ocean race?
41:11 - Jak’s Question #4 for OtR: Getting through the difficult times
43:31 - Post-OtR chatter
44:42 - The charities Moar Than Us is supporting
48:34 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos of Jak and Oar the Rainbow, and to get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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Steady State Podcast is a production of Steady State Network. It is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is Open Mind by Soundroll.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
CONNECT:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
When Megan Roark first learned to row at 12 years old, she couldn’t have known the sport would one day shape not only her athletic identity, but her approach to medicine. Years later, through her training and practice as a naturopathic doctor, Megan has come to appreciate rowing not just for its physical demands, but for its meditative qualities, too.
But rowers are famously stubborn: pushing through pain, skipping recovery work, showing up to early practices under-fueled and dehydrated. In this episode, Megan shares a holistic approach to caring for the athlete as a whole for long-term health and performance. We talk about habits for deeper sleep, nutrition and hydration, building a strong “therapeutic alliance” with your doctor, and yes — even why showering matters more than we realize.
GUEST:
Megan Roark, ND
IG: @naturally_meg_med
This episode was made possible in part by RowSource and our Supporters.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Introduction
03:34 - Welcome and Megan’s rowing week on a scale of 1-10: hitting the erg in CrossFit workouts and seeing stamina and muscle mass improvements
07:00 - The Huddle
09:06 - The Hot Seat
12:49 - Rowing origin story: at 12, followed her brother into rowing, which reconnected her to the water after her dad died
15:39 - Teenage body awareness, finding nuance of body mechanics, and how a back injury led to a college minor in exercise science
21:20 - From “stumbling upon” naturopathic medicine to working to create a two-sided “therapeutic alliance” with her patients
26:08 - Rachel falls in love with Megan’s approach and Tara talks about the reality of being a practicing naturopathic medicine patient
32:28 - The connections between stress, performance, sleep, hormones, recovery
33:57 - Performance optimization vs longevity: making adjustments post-injury and working within the mobility abilities of your crew
35:03 - The importance of deep sleep as a “reset button” for our brains and muscles
38:50 - Habits for better sleep
41:30 - Pre- and post-practice nutrition guidelines
46:03 - The surprising reason you should shower in the first hour after a workout
47:50 - Megan’s philosophy on health, wellness, and being active in community
49:37 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos of Megan, and to get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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Steady State Podcast is a production of Steady State Network. It is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is Open Mind by Soundroll.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
CONNECT:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
Rowing has a way of getting into your system and shaping everything that comes after. For Ruben Rapi, that started when he was seven years old in Greece, and led him all the way to the U23 Swedish National Team.
But it was stepping away from elite competition that gave Ruben a new perspective on rowing. Not just as a sport, but as a community that, in many places, is struggling to grow or adapt.
Today, Ruben and his brother Ahmet – also a former Swedish National Team member – are working with clubs around the world to strengthen the foundations that help them thrive. This conversation goes beyond performance. It’s about what rowing clubs actually need to succeed—and how small, intentional shifts can make a big difference.
GUEST:
Ruben Rapi | Co-Founder, Grow Your Club
IG: @rubenrapi / @grow.your.club
growyourclub.com
This episode was made possible in part by RowSource and our Supporters.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Introduction
01:56 - Ruben’s rowing week on a scale of 1-10: 6 - filming marketing ads in his 1x
02:31 - The Huddle
03:06 - The Hot Seat
04:36 - Ruben’s rowing origin story: At age 7, followed his 9-year-old brother Ahmet into the Ionnina Rowing Club to keep busy
13:37 - Being competitively motivated from the start led to a spot on the U23 Swedish National Team
17:22 - The challenge of volunteer-run clubs: presenting/offering good services
18:57 - Four basic core elements your club needs to have in place to thrive
20:51 - Four ways to bring more rowers into your club; and considering how your club operates
30:45 - Test case: Indianapolis Rowing Club partnered with Grow Your Club for a 120-person LTR in place of multiple smaller LTRs
34:30 - No matter your club size, create an environment that coaches and rowers want to be a part of beginning with preparation, execution, and then conversion.
40:33 - Badly run beginner programs are a waste of time
41:51 - The importance of well-planned and implemented communications
43:34 - Ruben and Ahmet’s “why”
45:37 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos of Ruben and his brother Ahmet, and get links to the people, organizations, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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Steady State Podcast is a production of Steady State Network. It is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is Open Mind by Soundroll.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
CONNECT:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
Martin Helseth has always been drawn to the water. As a kid in Norway, he spent as much time beneath the surface as he did on it—free diving from a boat his father built, discovering a sense of calm and freedom below. Not long after, he found that same feeling in a rowing shell, first picking up the sport at age 10.
Through persistence and a deep connection to the water, he rose through the Norwegian system to become a two-time Olympian, competing in both Tokyo and Paris.
All the while, free diving remained a constant. In Norway’s fjords and lakes, it became more than just an escape—it became a lens. What he saw below the surface was changing. Pollution and marine debris were becoming impossible to ignore.
What started as solo cleanups in his spare time grew into something much bigger. Martin began mobilizing his local community, then the rowing world, turning his personal mission into a collective effort. In 2024, he was named a World Rowing Healthy Waters Alliance Ambassador.
Now, in partnership with organizations like World Rowing, and the World Wildlife Fund, along with rowing clubs around the globe, Martin is helping lead a movement—one that connects athletes, waterways, and stewardship, and pushes the sport toward a more active role in protecting the environments it depends on.
GUEST:
Martin Helseth | Founder, Rewild Norway • CEO, Marea Oslo
World Rowing Healthy Waters Alliance Ambassador
IG: @martinhelseth / @rewildnorway / @mareaoslo / @nordic_endeavor_2026
This episode was made possible in part by RowSource and YOU our Supporters.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Introduction
00:57 - Rachel and Tara reflect on using computers at the turn of the century
04:54 - Welcome and Steve’s rowing week on a scale of 1-10: 10 (business) / 0 (no rowing)
05:30 - The Huddle
07:18 - The Hot Seat
08:48 - Steve’s rowing origin story began as a freshman at Ohio State University looking for something to be a part of
11:24 - Volunteer coaching the club novice program at Ohio State started with sports physiology and sports psychology books, USRowing certs, and coaching mentors
14:12 - RegattaCentral was a planned leap of faith in 1999’s nascent Internet landscape
22:05 - Row2k’s 1997 launch, Active.com, Y2K, 9/11
25:19 - “I have and had a vision where to take the business.” Deep in the trenches of building the business, 27-year-old lines of code, and considering the “human factor” in pushing out updates
32:02 - Integrating AI to analyze data and see trends
33:14 - The big question everyone asks: “Where are the results?!" - When it comes to results, RegattaCentral partners with timing providers
35:43 - Tara’s “thank you” to RegattaCentral
37:20 - Nearly 30 years on, RegattaCentral remains aligned with Steve’s original vision, and works around unforeseen tech, cybersecurity, and compliance
39:00 - At the heart of RegattaCentral is the team
40:14 - Steady State Network news and notes
To see photos of Martin, and get links to the people, organizations, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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Steady State Podcast is a production of Steady State Network. It is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is Open Mind by Soundroll.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
CONNECT:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
Before RegattaCentral became the go-to platform for regatta registration, it was just an idea sparked by an Ohio State alum and rowing coach who saw a better way. We talk with founder and president Steve Lopez about his lightbulb moment in 1999 that brought rowing and early internet technology together, and how his idea quietly reshaped regatta registration, data, and analytics. From fax machines, FedEx envelopes, and modems, to mobile-first design and data-driven insights, we trace the evolution of RegattaCentral from scrappy minimal viable product to an essential tool used by the global rowing community.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Introduction
00:57 - Rachel and Tara reflect on using computers at the turn of the century
04:54 - Welcome and Steve’s rowing week on a scale of 1-10: 10 (business) / 0 (no rowing)
05:30 - The Huddle
07:18 - The Hot Seat
08:48 - Steve’s rowing origin story began as a freshman at Ohio State University looking for something to be a part of
11:24 - Volunteer coaching the club novice program at Ohio State started with sports physiology and sports psychology books, USRowing certs, and coaching mentors
14:12 - RegattaCentral was a planned leap of faith in 1999’s nascent Internet landscape
22:05 - Row2k’s 1997 launch, Active.com, Y2K, 9/11
25:19 - “I have and had a vision where to take the business.” Deep in the trenches of building the business, 27-year-old lines of code, and considering the “human factor” in pushing out updates
32:02 - Integrating AI to analyze data and see trends
33:14 - The big question everyone asks: “Where are the results?!" - When it comes to results, RegattaCentral partners with timing providers
35:43 - Tara’s “thank you” to RegattaCentral
37:20 - Nearly 30 years on, RegattaCentral remains aligned with Steve’s original vision, and works around unforeseen tech, cybersecurity, and compliance
39:00 - At the heart of RegattaCentral is the team
40:14 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos of Steve, and get links to the people, programs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by RowSource and our Supporters.
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Steady State Podcast is a production of Steady State Network. It is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is Open Mind by Soundroll.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
CONNECT:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
In 2021, then high school junior Cillian Mullen was at a pivotal moment — navigating his identity, the college recruitment process, and transgender athlete policies. Five years later, his journey has taken him to the U19 and U23 national teams, twice each, and the University of Washington. We catch up with Cillian to explore what’s changed, what hasn’t, and how he’s continuing to carve out his place in rowing.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Introduction
03:08 - Welcome and rowing week on a scale of 1-10: 7 (2k test and then a cold)
05:07 - The Huddle
05:52 - The Hot Seat
08:41 - Rowing origin story: Mom was a former college rower who said “go try it.”
10:14 - Getting back into the college recruiting pool senior year
12:08 - Knowing he belonged
13:41 - High school to college transition: learning to take care of his body, rowing at UW/Seattle aka Rowtown USA
17:53 - Strong in his identity, following the NCAA transgender rules, and fitting into women’s programs
20:16 - Tough conversations with – and the support of – coaches and teammates
24:56 - Leaving a legacy at UW: not just the first trans rower, but a boathouse community builder
27:08 - What the public conversation gets wrong about trans athletes
34:32 - Learning that to “really fill his cup” life can’t be 24/7 rowing
38:31 - Advice for young trans rowers
40:44 - Next up: trialing for the US U23 1x again this summer
41:46 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos of Cillian, and get links to the people, policies, programs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by RowSource and our Supporters.
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Steady State Podcast is a production of Steady State Network. It is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is Open Mind by Soundroll.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
CONNECT:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
Head to Michigan for our semi-regular club spotlight series to get to know Ann Arbor Rowing Club. We talk with masters rower Francine McBride about being a rower Mom, and the early days of the club in the 1980s; fundraising and marketing chair Andrea Danz about setting the groundwork for effective fundraising; and Coach Mary Giacobbe who tells us how AARC balances novices and experienced rowers along two tracks in one practice session.
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Introduction
01:50 - Welcome and rowing week on a scale of 1-10
02:43 - The Huddle
04:02 - The Hot Seat
07:55 - Rowing origin stories
11:41 - Francine: rower and rower mom
13:47 - Coach Mary on adults learning together
15:15 - Andrea’s rowing pitch
16:43 - Rowing on the Huron River
18:24 - AARC origin story
21:16 - The AARC boathouse and leadership in the rowing community
23:45 - When you fundraise for a new dock, and then it gets destroyed by a fireworks accident…
28:02 - Andrea’s grant-writing and branding toolkits
32:13 - AARC programs: balancing novices and experienced rowers; providing opportunity for adaptive athletes
43:16 - Hosting Michigan Club Invitational and supplying volunteers for RowFest
46:54 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos of Francine, Mary, and Andrea, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by RowSource and our Supporters.
.
Steady State Podcast is a production of Steady State Network. It is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is Open Mind by Soundroll.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
CONNECT:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
Mention Texas and you might picture the Wild West — flat, dusty highways, and tumbleweeds rolling by. But head to Austin, tucked into the Hill Country, and you’ll find something different.
Right in the heart of the city flows Lady Bird Lake, a stretch of the Colorado River that has become a daily gathering place for runners, paddlers, and rowers alike. On its banks sits a true Austin institution: Texas Rowing Center.
For owner Matt Knifton, this place isn’t just a business, it’s where his story unfolded. His ties to the lake reach back to the 1980s, and over the decades he’s become not just an owner, but a steward — someone who has quietly shaped the culture of rowing in Austin, protected access to the water, and ensured that this shoreline remains a starting line for generations to come.
In this conversation, we also explore how Matt is thinking about the future — and what thoughtful, sustainable growth looks like for a place so deeply rooted in community.
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro
02:12 - Welcome and Matt’s rowing week on a scale of 1-10: 6 (great weather!)
03:25 - The Huddle
04:35 - The Hot Seat
6:00 - Matt's rowing origin story started at the University of Texas
10:47 - How the University of Texas women’s program got its start in Austin in the 1980s
11:30 - Matt’s daughter Kate Knifton, an Olympic rower, only agreed to learn to row after seeing tall boys at Texas Rowing Center
14:38 - How Matt came to be the sole owner of Texas Rowing Center
17:01 - TRC member and rowing evangelist Napoleon Griffin
19:08 - The growth of rowing in Texas: Austin, Texas Hill Country, Lady Bird Lake, and the University of Texas
23:48 - The synergy between competitive rowers and weekend SUPers at TRC
25:11 - Aha moments running TRC
27:25 - Daniel Velazquez: TRC’s famous greater
30:22 - The “boathouse welcome mat” concept and TRC’s commitment to inclusion and accessibility
36:20 - Rowing! Come try it!
39:06 - The vision: Make Austin a center of rowing in the United States. Mission accomplished.
40:47 - For Matt, rowing on Lady Bird Lake is rewarding
43:14 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos of Matt, Katie, and Daniel, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by RowSource and our Supporters.
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Steady State Podcast is a production of Steady State Network. It is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is Open Mind by Soundroll.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
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CONNECT:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
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IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
Katie Weber was at home on the soccer field and basketball court. But after a brain cancer diagnosis and multiple surgeries left her balance impaired, the athletic identity she’d always known felt suddenly out of reach.
For years, she searched for a way back.
That path led her to Seattle-based organization Seize the Oar, and to a sport that rewards patience, persistence, and the willingness to keep learning. Rowing didn’t just give Katie a new challenge; it gave her a way to rebuild confidence and independence, and redefine what competition could look like.
Through it all, her husband – Will Bull – has been in her corner as a steady supporter, gym buddy, race-day cheerleader, and self-proclaimed number one fan.
Today, we talk with Katie and Will about resilience, partnership, and what it means to navigate sport — and life — side by side.
If rowing has helped you reconnect with a part of yourself that you'd been missing, this episode's for you.
Katie has partial facial paralysis which does affect her speech. We encourage you to follow along with the episode transcript available below.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro
02:23 - Katie’s rowing week on a scale of 1-10: amazing
04:51 - The Huddle
09:44 - The Hot Seat
11:54 - Finding Seize the Oar: seeking an athletic and competitive outlet after multiple brain surgeries impacted her balance and stability
13:53 - Medulloblastoma diagnosis, chemo, radiation, a bleak outlook, and living long into unchartered waters
17:07 - Katie refuses to be defined by her disease
19:11 - Getting hooked on rowing, after growing up playing soccer and basketball
22:32 - Feeling in control at NW Ergomania
25:30 - Rowing’s tremendous impact on Katie’s physical and mental health
28:42 - How rowing has changed Katie and Will’s relationship
30:08 - A message for others dealing with tough health issues who are seeking an outlet
32:11 - Looking forward to more time on the water with Seize the Oar at its new location, Greenlake Boathouse
33:25 - Tara reflects on founding Seize the Oar
40:53 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos of Katie and Will, and get links to their socials plus the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by RowSource and our Supporters.
.
Steady State Podcast is a production of Steady State Network. It is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is Open Mind by Soundroll.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
CONNECT:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
Three-time Olympic gold medallist Marnie McBean is one of the most decorated Canadian rowers of all time, and a driving force in our sport’s history. She’s been a mentor and leader for generations of athletes and now she’s also serving her country as a Senator in the Canadian Parliament, bringing that same curiosity, leadership, and commitment to service to national issues.
Get ready to hear about her early experiences testing on the gjessing erg, what rowing taught her about growth and resilience, and how those lessons shape the work she’s doing now to support Canadian citizens on and off the water.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro
01:45 - Rowing Week scale of 1-10: amazing
04:55 - The Huddle
06:13 - Hot Seat Q&A
09:03 - Rowing origin story
13:00 - Advice for young athletes: don’t worry about fear and doubt
13:52 - Before rowing, Marnie was athletic but didn't know there were avenues to be ambitious in sport
15:20 - Making the junior national team by “being fast but looking bad”
19:58 - Rowing with 2x partner Kathleen Heddle felt like an “arranged marriage” until they learned to pay attention to each other
26:04 - Rowing with legendary Olympic coxswain Leslie Thompson Willie was all about preparation, listening, and trust
30:10 - Life lessons from rowing: you can recover from a bad stroke; “Can I/Will I” moments
34:20 - Empowering young rowers to work hard and “quit last”
37:02 - Serving Canada as a Senator
42:32 - Speaking up and speaking out against policies that negatively affect participation in sport
45:09 - The perfect stroke
46:42 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos of Marnie, and get links to her socials plus the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by RowSource and our Supporters.
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Steady State Podcast is a production of Steady State Network. It is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is Open Mind by Soundroll.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
CONNECT:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
Nicki Plucinski discovered rowing as a teenager in Victoria, Australia. Though “woefully uninformed” going into her first 2k race, Nicki’s effort caught her coach’s attention and that day left a lasting impression. Nearly 30 years later, Nicki has turned that early experience into a mission. She founded Ratio Theory Rowing to give athletes the attention, direction, and information they need to succeed. In this conversation, we explore the rowing lessons that carry into everyday life, the work ethic and mindset behind her coaching, the science that drives her approach, and why self-care is a non-negotiable part of long-term success.
QUICK LOOK
01:04 - Rowing Week on a scale of 1-10: 7 (back on the water after a long hiatus!)
02:15 - The Huddle
05:11 - Hot Seat Q&A
08:46 - Nicki doesn’t remember making a decision to row as a teen, but next thing she knew she was selected for camp
13:04 - Growing up in a sport household
15:25 - Rowing lessons that have carried over into our everyday lives
24:33 - transition to coaching
27:49 - the work ethic, mentality, and science behind her coaching success
33:22 - Ratio Theory Rowing designed to support athletes in big clubs who aren’t getting the coaching or structure they want to reach their goals
36:30 - the importance of self-care: rest, nutrition, time-management, core strength, mobility, warmdowns
48:27 - Nicki’s description of the perfect stroke
49:11 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos of Nicki, and get links to her socials plus the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by RowSource and our Supporters.
.
Steady State Podcast is a production of Steady State Network. It is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is Open Mind by Soundroll.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
CONNECT:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
Maurice Scott has been on a personal mission to be a face of positive change in the world of rowing. From beginning with zero Instagram followers, to the 2025 launch of Rowfluencers – what he calls the "#1 Rowing Talent & NIL marketing agency in the World" – Maurice has sought to uplift the sport as a whole. He's dedicated to expanding the reach and impact of rowing through innovative marketing approaches.
Rowing is the ultimate team sport, but NGOs often overlook the stories of individual athletes. Taking a piece of the playbook from professional sports like Major League Baseball and Formula 1, Rowfluencers seeks to take the power of individual storytelling and amplify it.
From the first wave of Rowfluencers, Dani Hansen also joins the conversation, sharing her unique perspective as the most decorated Paralympic rower, and Hydrow on screen athlete.
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Season 7 kickoff!
02:33 - Considering the pro sports sponsorship playbook; recognition in the sport of rowing
06:44 - Welcome and Rowing Week scale of 1-10
10:19 - The Huddle: Maurice, then Dani
13:12 - Hot Seat Q&A
15:05 - Rowing Origin Stories
19:40 - How Maruice and Dani met
22:00 - Dani’s role at Rowfluencers
22:55 - Maurice’s community support as a police officer and as founder of Rowfluencers
27:10 - The snowball effect of sponsorship deals for Maurice
28:33 - Establishing Rowfluencers to give back to other athletes
32:20 - What’s happening in the rowing world that makes a case for rowers deserving better visibility?
36:56 - How rowing industry influencers are shaping rowing: For Dani, free speed can be found in having fun
42:42 - Key for the first wave of Rowfluencers: proud and passionate
48:04 - Advice for young rowers
49:52 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos of Maurice and Dani, and get links to their socials plus the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by RowSource and our Supporters.
.
Steady State Podcast is a production of Steady State Network. It is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is Open Mind by Soundroll.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
CONNECT:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
We first met physical therapist Lisa Lowe in fall 2020 when she applied for and received one of our changemaker scholarships that allowed her to attend a US rowing conference. We checked in with her a year and a half later for a season three episode to talk about Lisa's experience with rehab following a car accident.
Today, Lisa is a sought after rowing specialist physical therapist near Boston, and guest author for Science of Rowing. She recently created a course called Keys to Working with Rowers, which is designed to help athletic trainers, strength coaches, physical therapists, and other rehabilitation professionals gain a background knowledge of rowing so that they can be confident in their support of rowers.
In this chat with Lisa, we'll talk high school growing pains, collegiate over training, grumpy ribs and twingy backs, knowing when to take a break, and the importance of having a care team that understands the fundamental movement patterns of the sport you love.
In 2025, the Head of the Charles regatta celebrates 60 years - so we thought it was a perfect opportunity to reflect and look ahead at this event that brings together thousands of rowers and fans to the shores of the Charles River in Boston. We’re incredibly honored to talk with D’Arcy MacMahon, one of three original founders of the regatta AND Fred Schoch, whose tenure as regatta executive director stretched 33 years. We’ve paired these two legends together to explore the vision of the founders and the stewardship of that vision over the last six decades.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode intro and welcome
03:53 - Rowing Week
05:41 - The Huddle
08:22 - Hot Seat Q&A
13:24 - D’Arcy’s fun childhood racing at CBC was the inspiration for HOCR
16:44 - Fred’s youth was dominated by time at the Princeton boathouse where his Dad was coach
19:22 - D’Arcy and Fred are no strangers to racing at HOCR
22:46 - The true life (and death) story of a made up man: Charles Attager
25:14 - D’Arcy is dumbfounded by the longevity and growth of HOCR
30:23 - On carrying the legacy forward
32:30 - Setting the course in 1965 with D’Arcy’s mom’s bike odometer
36:36 - Volunteer spirit of service (starts with a great t-shirt)
39:12 - Support from the MDC, Massachusetts, and corporate sponsors
42:18 - Getting results: taking a cue from golf’s leaderboards
43:39 - HOCR and the community
45:40 - Growing the international field, and considering travel logistics for all crews
50:38 - Best place to watch the races
52:05 - Head of the Charles Charity
52:49 - Spirit of the regatta: fun!
54:24 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos of D'Arcy, Fred, and the Head of the Charles, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Supporters.
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Steady State Podcast is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
Check out more Steady State Network here:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
BLUESKY - steadystatenetwork.bsky.social
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
Sue Ryan came to rowing through her journey as a breast cancer survivor, and she’s embraced the sport as both a challenge and a source of community. We talk about how the sport helped her move past childhood trauma, how it has shaped her cancer recovery, and the ways she’s found strength on and off the water as a member of Whitmarsh Boat Club, WeCanRow Philadelphia, and the Survivor Rowing Network.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode intro and welcome
01:59 - Rowing Week
03:58 - The Huddle
04:20 - Hot Seat Q&A
07:28 - Despite being “horribly uncoordinated,” Sue got hooked when she learned to row with WeCanRow Philadelphia
09:45 - Trauma in Sue’s youth led to disassociation from her body but rowing and therapy have helped her reconnect
13:15 - Social network as key to cancer recovery, and finding a welcoming club culture at Whitemarsh Boat Club
17:49 - Recovery: strength training, lymphedema, lifting, asking for help
21:00 - Being a voice of strength for her teammates
22:00 - Working with a sports psychologist, and Sue’s mantra
29:14 - How rowing has changed Sue and paying it forward to help new rowers
33:04 - Sue’s rowing “sales pitch”
33:40 - What Sue wishes someone had told her before she learned to row
34:00 - Sue describes the perfect stroke
36:50 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos of Sue, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Supporters.
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Steady State Podcast is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
Check out more Steady State Network here:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
BLUESKY - steadystatenetwork.bsky.social
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
Think of all the companies represented in your boathouse. Maybe it’s boats manufactured by Vespoli, Pocock, or Hudson, and ergs and oars by Concept2. Maybe your coach keeps communications going using iCrew, or you open up the ErgZone app for training workouts. All of these companies – and nearly 20 others – are members of the Rowing Industry Trade Association (RITA).
On this episode we talk with two founding members of RITA – Michael Naughton, the COO of Nielsen-Kellerman; and Glen Burston, the Owner and Operations Manager of Hudson Boat Works. We’ll talk about how the association has opened up communication with World Rowing; about rules and regulations that impact companies and clubs; about what it would take to get more young kids into rowing, and more adults working in the rowing industry.
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode intro and welcome
03:19 - Rowing Week on a scale of 1-10
04:25 - The Huddle
06:25 - Hot Seat Q&A
11:23 - Michael and Glen’s rowing origin stories began in high school after turning away from other sports
17:35 - Finding profession in the rowing industry
22:03 - How RITA came to be and the vision for the association
24:48 - Balancing the needs and interests of RITA members
29:22 - RITA’s relationship with NGOs
30:44 - RITA members and member benefits
39:00 - Acknowledging three major disciplines: traditional, coastal, and indoor
41:38 - Considering ways to make rowing more accessible
47:24 - RITA at HOCR, sparking innovation, and industry job shop talk
51:02 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos of Michael and Glen, and get links to the people, clubs, businesses, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Supporters.
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Steady State Podcast is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
Check out more Steady State Network here:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
BLUESKY - steadystatenetwork.bsky.social
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
Indianapolis Rowing Center was like lots of other clubs, running several small Learn to Row sessions each year but struggling with retention.
Then IRC rower, coach, and brand new Board member Lisa Stickley proposed something big. Really big. She wanted to develop a new type of introduction to rowing program that would get 120 registrants in the boathouse door and on the water all within the month of July.
With the support of the Board and club membership, IRC’s First Strokes program moved from big idea, to social media marketing campaign, to eight sessions a week for four weeks, plus three big social events. As of today, the retention rate is 40%.
Find out from Lisa how she made it happen and how your club can think outside the box to truly use LTR to grow membership and create community connections.
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QUICK LOOK
0:00 - Intro
05:05 - Lisa’s Rowing Week was an 11!
06:57 - The Huddle
08:37 - Hot Seat Q&A
11:23 - Rowing origin story
15:05 - Transition into competitive rowing, the rower life cycle, and Lisa’s “iron sharpens iron” motto
20:43 - About Indianapolis Rowing Center
23:25 - The idea that became IRC’s First Strokes program
25:39 - Big goal: register 120 new rowers
30:28 - Coaches, volunteers, and operational logistic strategy
39:10 - Phase 2: retention and integration of new rowers into club programs
42:48 - Club culture shifts
47:52 - Considerations for future growth of First Strokes
49:25 - Keys to success: fun and friends
53:31 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos of Lisa, IRC's huge First Strokes program, and to get links to the people and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Supporters.
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Steady State Podcast is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
Check out more Steady State Network here:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
BLUESKY - steadystatenetwork.bsky.social
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
Like plenty of other college rowers, Jordan Hanssen felt he had more to prove on the water. So after graduation he committed to training with a goal of making the National Team. But when he spotted a flier in the boathouse challenging rowers to take on an ocean, the trajectory of his rowing career – and life – changed completely.
We sat down with Jordan to talk about his 2006 World Record-setting Atlantic row, and a second Atlantic crossing that ended with a capsized boat in the Bermuda Triangle. But the story of the boat – named for his late father and outfitted with scientific instruments and satellite communications – didn’t end there.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode intro and banter
02:04 - Rowing Week
03:19 - The Huddle
03:51 - Hot Seat Q&A
08:39 - Oar the Rainbow de-brief
12:21 - Rowing Origin Story: learning to row in college and a very memorable first head race
15:07 - From National team dreams to pulling together a team for a race across the Atlantic, and creating OAR Northwest
19:31 - Setting a Guinness World Record; rowing the Atlantic a second time with a new purpose
23:31 - CWF Africa to the Americas Expedition: Dakar, Senegal bound for Miami, FL capsized 72 days in
25:56 - The “10 most cowboy days” of Jordan’s life searching for, finding, and retrieving, the boat
28:08 - The boat’s namesake, its last mission and “funeral,” and handling grief
37:36 - Seeking to make OAR Northwest: The Film
39:47 - Connect with Jordan
40:45 - Wrapping up his pandemic project Tiny Boat Sessions
43:04 - Steady State Network news and notes
45:50 - Outtake
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To see photos of Jordan, his teammates, and their boat the James Robert Hanssen, and get links to the people, organizations, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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Steady State Podcast is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
Check out more Steady State Network here:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
BLUESKY - steadystatenetwork.bsky.social
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
Lea Park-Kim wanted to row in college, but realized she couldn’t give it the time and dedication she wanted. For her it was all or nothing so she stepped away to focus on academics. Several years later, with her professional life on track, she found her way back to the water. Today Lea is a disciplined, motivated, and insightful rower, coxswain, and coach at River City Rowing Club in West Sacramento, CA.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode intro and welcome
04:00 - Rowing Week on a scale of 1-10: tendonitis, injury, and “customer relations”
09:40 - The Huddle
13:15 - Hot Seat Q&A
15:28 - Rowing Origin Story
20:29 - Coxing personality: absorb all she can; give rowers what they need in a way they can best receive it
25:16 - Taking a holistic approach to coxing ROWsist
28:34 - Coxing levels I, II, III
32:41 - Chatter in the boat? Absolutely no. But: here are tips for signaling your coach when things aren’t ok.
37:24 - Bringing her professional skills as a communications director to the boathouse, and how rowing time management has made her more efficient at the office
39:23 - About RCRC, Lea’s many rolls, and her transition to coaching with the support of other RCRC coaches
44:30 - The creep of AI into developing training plans and club communications
47:24 - A look back at the season, and a look ahead to growing as a coach and coxswain
50:44 - A consideration of the post-practice huddle
55:47- Lea’s idea of a perfect stroke
57:11 - Steady State Network news and notes
59:52 - Outtake
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To see photos of Leah and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
.
This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
.
Steady State Podcast is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
Check out more Steady State Network here:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
BLUESKY - steadystatenetwork.bsky.social
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
Carolyn Webster-Stratton had been an active masters rower when she flipped over her handlebars while out for a bike ride in 2013. She can’t remember the first two weeks after the accident, but clearly remembers doctors painting a grim prognosis of her future with a traumatic brain injury. With a personal mantra of “keep going” and a dedication to recovery that includes daily long sessions on the erg, Carolyn returned to rowing in July 2025. After 12 years off the water, she's switched from sweep to sculling and is building new neural pathways.
GUEST
Carolyn Webster-Stratton
Founder, The Incredible Years
Professor Emeritus, University of Washington
Member, Vashon Rowing Club
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode intro
00:25 - Banter
02:25 - Rowing Week
03:45 - The Huddle
07:24 - Hot Seat Q&A
11:11 - Carolyn’s rowing origin story
13:58 - A bike accident, a brain injury, and stubbornly pushing (instead of resting) through recovery
22:54 - The best rowing advice Carolyn ever received
20:28 - The human brain, the simplicity of repetition on the erg, and dealing with feelings of inadequacies
when returning to the water
26:00 - Honoring where you’re at in rowing
33:00 - What the rowing life has given Carolyn
36:20 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
.
This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, iCrew, RowSource, and our Patrons.
.
Steady State Podcast is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
Check out more Steady State Network here:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
BLUESKY - steadystatenetwork.bsky.social
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
Cara Stawicki won gold in the Lightweight Women’s pair at the 2019 World Championships, but as a high school swimmer, a walk on to Lehigh University’s rowing program, and even as she moved into international competition, Cara struggled with confidence. A well-meaning phrase: “you have so much potential” was repeated so often she wondered why she wasn’t reaching that potential. Today, as the Founder of Be Brave High Performance, she facilitates peak performance and well-being in athletes, coaches, and industry leaders through mindset training and personal development.
GUEST
Cara Stawicki
Founder, Be Brave High Performance
3x US National Team member
2019 World Champion, LW2-
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode intro
01:56 - Cara’s rowing week on a scale of 1-10
02:36 - The Huddle
04:01 - Hot Seat Q&A
06:07 - Cara’s rowing origin story
09:22 - Defining moments that helped shape Cara’s path
11:26 - Working through setback and challenging times
13:46 - Building a community of trust
18:19 - Love affair with the pair
22:00 - Cara’s transition to coastal rowing was “freeing;” the opportunities coastal brings
27:44 - Be Brave began as a blog to give back to the rowing community
29:49 - Performance doesn’t happen in isolation: considering the whole athlete
36:29 - Rituals and mind set on race day
40:22 - How Be Brave High Performance is helping athletes
43:11 - Self-talk and the inner critic
44:17 - Advice to Cara’s younger self
44:51 - Steady State Network news and notes
.
To get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
.
This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, iCrew, RowSource, and our Patrons.
.
Steady State Podcast is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
Check out more Steady State Network here:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
BLUESKY - steadystatenetwork.bsky.social
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
Dive into the world of coastal rowing and beach sprints with guests Ben Booth and Mark Oria, co-authors of the new book 'Ride the Waves: A Complete Guide to Coastal Rowing and Beach Sprint.'
Our conversation delves into the unique aspects and growing popularity of coastal rowing, training tips, and the differences from flat-water rowing. We also introduce youth rowers Cooper and Noah of Olympic Peninsula Rowing Association, highlighting their experiences and passion for the sport.
The conversation underscores the importance of love for rowing, proper training, and the expanding opportunities within coastal rowing, including upcoming championships, training camps, and the debut of beach sprints at the Olympics.
Sponsored by Breakwater Realty Group, the episode also promotes community engagement and support for rowing initiatives.
GUESTS:
Marc Oria - Head Coach, US National Beach Sprint team; co-founder of Next Level Racing
Ben Booth - Co-Founder, Next Level Racing; boat designer at Next Boat Works
Noah Oberly and Cooper Disque - Olympic Peninsula Rowing Association members
FIND OUT MORE
Ride the Waves: A Complete Guide to Coastal Rowing & Beach Sprint
QUICK LOOK00:00 - Episode intro
01:34 - Hosts Tara and Rachel talk candidly about the topic
05:50 - Welcome guests and Rowing Week on a scale of 1-10:
07:00 - The Huddle: Ben then Marc
09:19 - Growth of coastal and beach sprint in the past 5 years
12:43 - New Book! Ride the Waves
15:47 - Extreme conditions + knowledge + skills = success
18:18 - camps
19:29 - Welcome Cooper and Noah
20:42 - Rowing Origin Stories: Cooper then Noah
22:33 - The Hot Seat Q&A
24:56 - The kids ask the experts
32:37 - Reframing the flat water rowing experience and benefits of adding beach sprints and coastal to flat water programs
34:48 - What’s on Noah and Cooper’s racing schedule this Summer?
35:54 - How to bring coastal to your club. Tips and cautionary tales.
37:33 - On the schedule: youth nationals, national team trials, ID camps, Youth Olympics, 2028 Olympics in LA.
40:19 - Steady State Network news and notes
.
To get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
.
This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
.
Steady State Podcast is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
Check out more Steady State Network here:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
BLUESKY - steadystatenetwork.bsky.social
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
A Long Talk About the Uncomfortable Truth was developed by two black fathers in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in May 2020, during a moment of national reckoning. There was a collective national and international outcry, but there was also a gap between intention and action. People wanted to help but didn’t know where to start. In light of the Black Lives Matter movement, USRowing came to terms with its own limitations when it came to talking about – and taking action around – diversity, equity, and inclusion.
A Long Talk gives space to have the conversations that people are afraid to have. They lead activation experiences designed to empower participants with knowledge and skills to interrupt problematic thinking and behaviors.
Kamal Carter and Kyle Williams, founders of A Long Talk, are not rowers, but they are proud to be a USRowing Unity Partner, and working with rowing programs across the country.
GUESTS:
Kamal Carter, President
Kyle Williams, Chief Empowerment Officer
FIND OUT MORE
www.alongtalk.com
FB, IG & X: @alongtalk2020
YouTube: @Alongtalk
QUICK LOOK00:00 - Episode intro
01:50 - Hosts Tara and Rachel talk candidly about policies that led to segregation, and outdated ideas that persist
04:10 - Welcome guests and week on a scale of 1-10
09:15 - The Hot Seat Q&A
17:53 - Kyle and Kamal met in college at Hampton University
20:02 - A Long Talk origin story began in response to a 2020 incident with an NCAA basketball coach
29:45 - Connecting with USRowing started with Matt Logue at TRRA
32:04 - A willingness to learn and progress over perfection
36:10 - Success looks like…
40:56 - Information plus empathy equals action
41:58 - A Long Talk’s CPR ( clarify, probe and redirect) training
49:44 - How white women can impact change
52:56 - Are you ready to take your first steps towards interrupting ignorance?
54:50 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
.
This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
.
Steady State Podcast is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
Check out more Steady State Network here:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
BLUESKY - steadystatenetwork.bsky.social
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
At the heart of New Orleans, at Xavier University of Louisiana, two coaches decided to challenge tradition—by bringing an elite sport to an unexpected place and building something that had never existed before: the first co-ed rowing program at a Historically Black College and University. Xavier University Rowing Club is a trailblazing force in collegiate sports, championing diversity and unity on Bayou St. John.
Coaches Beth Manley and Chloé Jobin, and rower Victoria Duffey, are at the heart of the grassroots effort fueled by the belief that sports have the power to change minds and communities. Every stroke they take on the water is a step towards breaking barriers and building a more inclusive future for rowing.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode intro
02:05 - Co-Hosts Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan banter
06:14 - The Huddle: A quick get to know guests Beth Manley, Victoria Duffey, and Chloé Jobin
07:41 - Welcome guests and Rowing week on a scale of 1-10: a mixed bag of rain, gators, and flip tests
08:43 - The Hot Seat Q&A
11:18 - For Victoria, the importance of attending an HBCU
14:30 - XULA’s location in New Orleans
15:04 - What sparked the idea of starting a rowing program at XU?
16:55 - No blueprint for starting a rowing club at XULA
19:27 - Partnership with New Orleans Rowing Club
22:07- Victoria: from Crossfit to XULA Rowing Club walk-on and beyond
25:50 - Building club culture of accountability, leadership, and building each other up
30:24 - Training, growth, and plans
33:48 - About being the first, motivation and the legacy of XULA. Contextualize what you're doing and the space that you're making for other people
40:23 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos of Victoria, Chloé, Beth, and XULA Rowing Club, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
.
Steady State Podcast is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
Check out more Steady State Network here:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
BLUESKY - steadystatenetwork.bsky.social
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
As part of our semi-regular club spotlight series, we head to Conshohoken, Pennsylvania to get to know Whitemarsh Boat Club. Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2025, we check in with Linda Chisholm and Jane Voss – two of the club's Founding Mothers – about the early days of getting the club off the ground in 2005, the growth it’s seen in the years since, and what makes this multi-generational club a stand-out.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Hosts Tara and Rachel banter about pipe dreams and logistics of starting a club
07:02 - Rowing week on a scale of 1-10: planning for a 10 next week!
08:10 - The Huddle: A quick get to know you with Linda and Jane
11:04 - The Hot Seat Q&A
13:53 - Linda and Jane's rowing origin stories: Rowing moms unite!
18:17 - Why start a club in Conshohocken? Why not join a club on Boathouse Row?
21:54 - Early days of borrowed boats and fund raising
22:28 - About Whitemarsh Boat Club and its place on the Schuylkill River
25:56 - Development of Whitemarsh Boat Club programs
30:47 - Not so secret secrets to building club culture
36:13 - 20 years of Whitemarsh Boat Club
39:07 - Linda and Jane's advice for starting a club
42:32 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos of Jane Voss, Linda Chisolm, and Whitemarsh Boat Club, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
.
This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
.
Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
Check out more Steady State Network here:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
BLUESKY - steadystatenetwork.bsky.social
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
On June 7, 2025, Oar the Rainbow will be one of just five teams losing sight of shore for an unsupported, human-powered, 2800-mile row from Monterey, CA to Kauai, HI. The team, – including the first out transgender person to row across the Pacific – are about two years into their planning and training.
Members Taylan Stulting, Julie Warren, and Courtney Farber have inclusion, joy, and kindness at the heart of the team, with the belief that representation in sports matters, while pushing the limits of endurance.
We talk about the love of rowing, having something to prove, what to expect out there, and fundraising for Athlete Ally and Doctors Without Borders. Stick around for a bonus Q&A with ocean rower, author, and adventurer Jordan Hanssen.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Podcast Series Introduction
01:45 - Episode Intro: Rachel and Tara’s take on taking on an ocean
08:57 - The Huddle: A quick get to know you
10:39 - Rowing week on a scale of 1-10
11:26 - The Hot Seat Q&A
13:58 - Rowing origin stories: For Courtney the stars aligned in her 30s; Julie got handed a flier as a college freshman; Taylan sought out a college LTR program
19:20 - Most recent training/practical session together
21:09 - The dream of rowing an ocean
26:05 - How Oar the Rainbow came to be
28:40 - Commitment and family sacrifices
30:30 - About the World’s Toughest Row
31:20 - The boat named Emma
32:30 - Training
33:37 - Extrapolating personal skills to make the teamwork work
38:03 - The “why”
42:42 - Charities and support
44:14 - Intro to Q&A with ocean rower, author, and adventurer Jordan Hanssen
44:55 - What is so exciting about rowing on the ocean?
45:56 - What piece of equipment or personal gear do you wish that you had with you?
48:25 - How did you feel hitting the halfway point and in the days following that milestone?
49:44 - What was the transition back to life on land like for you?
51:38 - How to plan for something unexpected?
53:10 - Lovely nuggets
56:10 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos of Oar the Rainbow, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
.
This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
.
Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
Check out more Steady State Network here:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
BLUESKY - steadystatenetwork.bsky.social
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
Neil Bergenroth is an educator and rowing coach whose work with kids has developed successful rowers and students for nearly 40 years in his adopted hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma and across the country. Neil’s Rowing STEM curriculum introduces kids to concepts like data analysis, graphing, physiology, precision, and accuracy. And as an online rowing coach, Neil’s helping rowers of all ages dial in their rowing technique, and reach new personal milestones.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Podcast Series Introduction
01:17 - Episode intro: Hosts Rachel and Tara banter about their personal experiences learning about data from the Concept2 monitor
05:27 - Neils's rowing week on a scale of 1-10: 9 (or 10) because a client set a U.S. record on the slides
05:52 - The Huddle: A quick get-to-know Neil's rowing background
07:41 - The Hot Seat Q&A
11:07 - Neil's rowing origin story began at Kingston Grammar School in London
14:00 - Making the decision to attend Boston University
14:41 - When your new wife is from Tulsa ... you move across the Pond and volunteer at Tulsa Youth Rowing Association
18:54 - Aging, making time for family, stepping away from the launch, and deciding what to do next
20:20 - A vision for what online coaching could be: apps
22:37 - Developing the Rowing STEM curriculum and app, and bringing it into the classroom
25:52 - Why rowing is a great way to teach STEM concepts
28:41 - Using the Concept2 RowErg for STEM experiments
32:17 - The future of the Rowing STEM curriculum depends on others stepping up
34:20 - Neil describes the perfect stroke
42:40 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos of Neil, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
.
This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
.
Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
Check out more Steady State Network here:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
BLUESKY - steadystatenetwork.bsky.social
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
At Peninsula Community Rowing Club, Tongan American coach Anthony Heimuli is making an impact in his San Francisco-area rowing community, providing young athletes a deeper understanding of community and self. And with his eyes set firmly on the 2026 Youth Olympics and 2028 Olympic Games, Anthony is working to establish the Pacific Islander Rowing Association to develop high-performance athletes for international competition.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode Intro
2:16 - Rowing week: On a scale of 1-10, Anthony's was a 9 while prepping two youth for New Zealand Coastal Championships
02:54 - The Huddle: A quick get to know Anthony
03:40 - The Hot Seat Q&A
05:22 - Rowing origin story: A very short-lived football career led to a rowing team tryout
07:55 - Being recruited to – and divorced by – the University of Washington
12:48 - After a 10 year rowing hiatus, coaching middle schoolers was “insane”
17:57 - The Pacific Islander community in San Francisco
20:54 - Working with community partners to introduce Pacific Islander youth to rowing
28:22 - Coaching philosophy: "It's just rowing. Let's have fun!"
31:26 - Working to make the Peninsula Community Rowing Club a recognized member of the Tonga Rowing Association
37:47 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos of Anthony, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
.
This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
.
Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
Check out more Steady State Network here:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
BLUESKY - steadystatenetwork.bsky.social
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
Olympian Caragh McMurtry gives an unflinching look at living and rowing with a misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder, a follow-on diagnosis of autism, and struggling to fit the standard mold in the GB system. Now retired from rowing and at the helm of Neurodiverse Sport, Caragh champions other neurodiverse athletes, and aims to reshape sports environments so neurodivergent individuals can thrive without needing to mask or compromise their unique needs
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode Intro
01:46 - Rowing week on a sale of 1-10
02:25 - The Huddle: A quick get to know you
04:23 - The Hot Seat Q&A
07:52 - Rowing origin story: an outlet for loads of energy and “messing around”
12:13 - A square peg in the GB system, a misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder, the negative impacts of medications, autism diagnosis and a new communication plan
20:18 - Separating negative team experiences from the restorative aspect of rowing
23:08 - learning style: quiet coaching, no word salads
27:43 - Neurodiverse Sport: reducing stigma, and making universally designed coaching the norm
32:20 - when you're asking for help, support, accommodations, it needs to be a two way conversation
34:30 - Defining neurodiversity
37:26 - incorporating neurodiversity training into coaching certs
39:01 - the state of the neurodiversity conversation in sport
42:45 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos of Caragh, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
.
This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
.
Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
Check out more Steady State Network here:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
BLUESKY - steadystatenetwork.bsky.social
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
From primary school kids to octogenarians, Cool Rowings is introducing diverse populations to rowing in and around London. Founder Weininger Irwin – competitive and confident from a young age – has a community first approach, prioritizing fun and social interaction. And we hear from one of his rowers, 86-year-old Hazel Parkins, who took up indoor rowing after the death of her husband and says she can't do with out it these days. This is an episode about building your own path and embracing lifelong functional fitness.
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QUICK LOOK
PART 1: Weininger Irwin
00:00 - Episode Intro
04:06 - The Huddle: A quick get to know you
05:20 - The Hot Seat Q&A
06:45 - Growing up a runner
07:58 - Rowing origin story: from Gladiator tryout, to Ford Motor Co. gym erg, and a Concept2 2k training plan
13:16 - Established Cool Rowings to introduce primary school kids and diverse populations to rowing
16:26 - Ageless Teenagers and Weininger's philosophy for coaching seniors
21:23 - Being a beacon for the community
PART 2: Hazel Parkins
24:03 - Meet Hazel Parkins, 80+ 2025 BRIC Gold Medalist
24:47 - On a scale of 1-10, Hazel's rowing week was a 9
26:15 - An introduction to the erg during COVID
29:46 - A "lovely" experience at BRIC and Hazel's approach to training and racing
33:12 - The importance of support from family and community
37:08 - Hosts Rachel and Tara post-interview banter
40:54 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos of Weininger and Hazel, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
.
This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
.
Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
Check out more Steady State Network here:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
BLUESKY - steadystatenetwork.bsky.social
Connect on FB and IG with hosts Rachel Freedman at @RowSource, and Tara Morgan at @CmonBarber
Cassandra Cunningham, founder of P3 Physical Education, and coach with Endeavor Racing Alliance, has lived by the philosophy of "prior proper planning." So she knew it had to be the driving force behind her coaching, too. From walk-on at Sacramento State University, to National Team rower, to coach of all levels, Cassandra believes in the power of curiosity to drive success. Our wide ranging conversation for rowers and coaches, touches on the power of sport, positive mindset, being present, trusting the process, and blending with your teammates.
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro
02:43 - The Huddle
03:32 - The Hot Seat Q&A
06:19 - Rowing origin story: To keep her life from unravelling, Cassandra walked on at Sacramento State
09:23 - Navigating her way to success in college came by way of being curious
12:14 - Finding and needing sport
17:00 - Cassandra was inspired to become a coach by her dad who was a coach, and her mom who installed her with common sense
19:04 - Strengths and struggle buses of new coaches, and setting the tone for the team
23:14 - Coaching, connecting with, and being present for the whole athlete
26:49 - Founding P3PE to bring her philosophy of prior proper planning through communication, organization, and professionalism
29:33 - The perfect stroke doesn’t exist
30:54 - Trusting the process: consistency, growth, awareness
33:22 - Cultivating a positive mindset starts with self-care, showing up, and reading the room
37:34 - Endeavor Racing Alliance: creating good humans and less chaos, thinking outside the box to “race up”
41:11 - From camp to club and back: sharing ideas, curiosity, and blending
46:18 - Evolution of positive planning mindset
49:04 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos of Cassandra, and get links to the people, clubs, events, mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
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SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY DONATING TO ALLIES WITH OARS: www.steadystatenetwork.com/allieswithoars
Check out more Steady State Network here:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
BLUESKY - steadystatenetwork.bsky.social
Connect on FB and IG with Rachel at @RowSource, and Tara at @CmonBarber
Holding an old canister in his hands, rower and documentary film producer Lenny O’Donnell’s heart skipped a beat when he read the hand-written note “Berlin 1936” on an old piece of athletic tape stuck to its lid. After years in storage, unseen for several decades, Lenny was entrusted to restore and digitize it, along with boxes full of other historic photos, film, and ephemera documenting the University of Washington crew in the early 20th century. To share it all, he created RowingArchives.org and wonders who the next generation of historians will be to carry on the work.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro
02:40 - The Huddle
03:20 - Rowing Week on a scale of 1-10: 7 because of time spent with the Ancient Mariners
05:25 - Tara and Lenny crossed paths in Seattle years ago at Pocock Foundation
07:21 - The Hot Seat Q&A
09:50 - Rowing origin story: Title IX encroached on wrestling, so he walked on to the UW crew
11:45 - After 25 years off the water: carbon fiber oars!
13:05 - Erging + walking the dog = keeping healthy
13:50 - A life in teaching made for an easy transition to coaching
18:35 - Rowing Archives began with research into the 1958 UW crew - the first American athletes to compete in the Soviet Union
24:13 - Working towards a future national rowing museum
26:57 - Holy Grail of archival rowing footage
28:31 - Lucy Pocock competed in coxed singles
29:34 - T & R post-interview banter worth keeping.
30:45 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos of Lenny, and get links to the people, clubs, events, and organizations mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY DONATING TO ALLIES WITH OARS: www.steadystatenetwork.com/allieswithoars
Check out more Steady State Network here:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
BLUESKY - steadystatenetwork.bsky.social
Connect on FB and IG with Rachel at @RowSource, and Tara at @CmonBarber.
When Kate Lindgren and award-winning coach Peter Forrest met at Peterborough City Rowing Club, it came with more than a few firsts for these two Brits. While they were both self-proclaimed “late onset rowers" – learning to row later in life – neither could have expected the partnership and bond they’ve forged.
Inspired by Kate, whose blindness doesn’t even come close to impeding her rowing in a single, together they are the brains and brawn behind Row the Rhythm, a ground-breaking initiative designed specifically for visually impaired rowers across England.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro
01:55 - The Huddle
04:35 - Rowing Week: 1-10
05:45 - A brief history of PCRC’s purpose-built rowing lake
07:45 - The Hot Seat Q&A
09:16 - Rowing origin stories: Pete needed a knee-friendly sport; walking and cycling no longer “cut the mustard” for Kate
13:15 - Kate’s retinitis pigmentosa and learning to feel the stroke
17:00 - Mind mapping your stroke
22:35 - Developing the logistics, trust, and respect for a successful blind rower/coach partnership
27:17 - Pete’s philosophy: coach the rower in front of you
30:43 - Row the Rhythm, with support from Love Rowing, is bringing rowing to visually impaired athletes across England
39:41 - Pete: British Rowing Inclusive Coach of the Year 2024
40:48 - Advice to clubs on integrating visually impaired athletes
43:36 - Describing the perfect stroke
44:24 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos of Kate and Pete, and get links to the people, clubs, and organizations mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
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SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY DONATING TO ALLIES WITH OARS: www.steadystatenetwork.com/allieswithoars
Check out more Steady State Network here:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect on FB and IG with Tara at @CmonBarber, and Rachel at @RowSource
In 1997, just 36% of adults went online. Websites from this era were known as "Web 1.0." Google didn’t exist yet. And a guy with information to share about Eastern Sprints decided to cobble together some HTML and get the word out. And so, row2k.com was born.
Twenty seven years later, founder and owner Ed Hewitt joins us to talk about how his own rowing journey – from Atlantic CIty High School, to Columbia University rower and coach, to 7x National Team member – influenced the development and success of Row2k, one of the most visited rowing-related websites in the world.
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro
01:45 - Rowing Week on a scale of 1 to 10
02:10 - The Huddle
03:13 - The Hot Seat Q&A
09:05 - Rowing origin story: Football player convinced by “clowns” to row
13:01 - Walking on at Columbia
14:27 - Being young and driven: developing the new women’s program at Columbia in the 1980s
21:31 - Launching Row2k with HTML and chutzpah
24:33 - Row2k as archive, scrapbook, news source; and the people behind the scenes
28:34 - On being a Row2k photographer
30:30 - Row2k galleries mold rowers perceptions of themselves, their crews
34:06- Brutal Row2k message boards of the 1990s
35:54 - The necessity of watermarks on photos (aka stop stealing from Row2k)
38:10 - Just how many shots do Row2k photographers take at a regatta?
39:20 - Surviving the dot.com bubble
40:50 - Supporting, engaging with, and being a part of the rowing community
44:22 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos of Ed, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY DONATING TO ALLIES WITH OARS: www.steadystatenetwork.com/allieswithoars
Check out more Steady State Network here:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect with Tara at @CmonBarber, and Rachel at @RowSource
Like many athletes sidelined by injury, Cassi Niemann turned to rowing to see what her body could handle. After walking on as a freshman, she found strength in the community her Georgia Tech crew provided.
Cassi never could have known then that her trajectory was about to drastically change. Nearly 30 years later, Cassi’s resume is packed with coaching experience and training certs. She's the lead UCanRow2 Master Rowing Instructor with Concept2. She’s also a competitive power lifter and the owner of CASstrong, where she blends rowing with her expertise as a strength coach.
Cassi not only helps indoor rowers improve their skills and confidence on the machine, but also trains other coaches to effectively integrate rowing into a variety of fitness settings.
We got to talk to Cassi about indoor rowing, lifting, and creating sustainable training habits for health, confidence, and community.
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Want a training program that combines strength and rowing?
Check out BarbellMedicine.com and use code CASSI10 for a discount.
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro
01:38 - Rowing Week: 1-10
02:42 - The Huddle
03:20 - The Hot Seat Q&A
04:53 - Rowing origin story: walking on at Georgia Tech brought community and a focus for success as a student athlete
09:45 - First coaching gig: Georgia Tech novices
12:30 - Developing a coaching style, influences
16:13 - Transition from collegiate rowing to masters rowing
18:18 - Bootcamps, powerlifting, and CrossFit
21:37 - UCanRow2 training verification, coaching other coaches, and talking about indoor rowing without talking about rowing on the water
29:18 - Setting yourself up for winter fitness success with: BAM (bare ass minimum), RAD (really awesome day), auto-regulation
33:58 - Barbell Medicine rowing + strength training program
39:29 - Cassi’s “original domino piece” - the thing that's gonna catapult someone into making more changes with just one change
42:15 - Outro
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To see photos of Cassi, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY DONATING TO ALLIES WITH OARS: www.steadystatenetwork.com/allieswithoars
Check out more Steady State Network here:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect with Tara at @CmonBarber, and Rachel at @RowSource
In 2024, Rebel Strength and Rowing was named to Entrepreneur magazine’s list of the top 150 independently owned and operated small businesses in the United States. Then in late September – like hundreds of other businesses in Asheville, NC – it was inundated by the flood waters of Hurricane Helene.
In this episode, we talk with owner Adam Smith, and member Jason Mogen, about founding a small business, growing meaningful community, and sustaining it all through incredibly challenging times.
EPISODE QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro
02:00 - The Huddle
04:23 - The Hot Seat Q&A
12:15 - Rowing Week: 1-10
14:32 - Brain surgery, a new perspective on life, and founding Rebel Row
20:03 - Growing the Rebel community and the non-sales pitch pitch
19:55 - Processing the reality of Hurricane Helene
33:45 - Post-hurricane recovery
39:21 - Training non-rowers to use the erg as a conditioning tool
42:56 - Looking forward to getting back to Rebel Row
45:20 - How you can help small businesses in Asheville
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To see photos of Adam and Jason, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, iCrew, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
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SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY DONATING TO ALLIES WITH OARS: www.steadystatenetwork.com/allieswithoars
Check out more Steady State Network here:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect with Tara at @CmonBarber, and Rachel at @RowSource
Ever dreamed of rowing on the Nile? Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro? Competing in the World Rowing Indoor Championship?
Egyptian Nermine Khenefar found rowing in her 40s when, winded on her ascent of Mt. Kilimanjaro, friend and explorer Omar Samra suggested she take up the sport to increase her aerobic capacity. After just a few years, Nermine is an avid masters rower and indoor rowing competitor who is seeking to row everywhere she travels and welcome visitors to row with her on the Nile in Cairo.
EPISODE QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode intro
01:38 - Nermine's rowing origin story
03:35 - Rowing Week 1-10: training for the 2025 World Rowing Indoor Championships
05:39 - The Hot Seat Q&A
09:24 - Competitive horse riding came to end with a knee injury
11:00 - Rowing as spiritual and sacred time
13:36 - Rowing provided renewed body confidence
14:31 - Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro on her 40th birthday
17:23 - Challenges of racing when there are so few masters women rowing in Cairo
22:53 - Flat water rowing on the River Nile, coastal rowing on the Red Sea
27:53 - Rowing bucket list
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To see photos of Nermine, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
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Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at @steadystatenetwork
Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, Mass. is one of the jewels in the rowing crown. In our annual homage to this mega rowing event, we meet the leadership that makes it happen – new HOCR Executive Director Tori Stevens, and Director of Racing Brendan Mulvey.
We find out their personal stories of involvement in sport, and what about this regatta attracts 12,000 athletes and a few hundred thousand spectators each year to the waters and banks of the Charles River.
EPISODE QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro
1:26 - Rachel and Tara talk personal HOCR histories
4:40 - Welcome to Tori Stevens and Brendan Mulvey
5:40 - Rowing Week on a scale of 1 to 10
05:57 - The Hot Seat Q&A
07:02 - Brendan's rowing origin story
08:05 - Tori’s life has always been infused with sport, including spectating HOCR as a college student
10:45 - HOCR is about racing, as well as community, tradition, reunion, and celebration
12:25 - What makes HOCR so unique?
14:50 - The importance of volunteers, from local regattas to HOCR’s 2000+ volunteer crew
19:45 - Tori’s onboaring as HOCR Executive Director, and continuing Fred Schoch’s legacy of balancing innovation, growth, and tradition
23:06 - Finding a new audience for HOCR using storytelling, the media, and technology to showcase rowing and help increase engagement and understanding for spectators
27:57 - Survivor Rowing Network and the exhibition Survivor Row
28:50 - Creating an inclusive envionment
30:38 - What’s not to be missed at HOCR: everything else to do at HOCR
33:52 - Getting Boston, and spectators, prepared for race weekend
35:54 - Brendan’s Race Director tip for all crews
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To see photos, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
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Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at @steadystatenetwork
Kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month with Beth Kohl, the President of Rowing Cares and Founder and Executive Director of Survivor Rowing Network; and rower, survivor and Pink Ribbon Row Seattle organizer Angie Gabel.
The Survivor Rowing Network is on a mission to create more opportunities for cancer survivors to row. Since launching in 2023, SRN has grown to 27 survivor rowing programs. This year, for the first time ever, the Head of the Charles regatta will host a Survivor Rowing Network event, featuring 11 women’s 8s, all of them breast cancer survivors!
EPISODE QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro
01:40 - The Huddle
03:20 - Rowing Week on a scale of 1 to 10
06:38 - The Hot Seat Q&A
08:32 - Beth’s height caught the attention of the Smith College rowing coach
11:57 - Beth’s tall children followed in her rowing footsteps
13:46 - Angie found rowing after a divorce and move to Austin, TX
18:58 - Angie’s rowing community got her through breast cancer treatment and recovery
19:59 - Angie’s motivation to create Pulling for Pink, and involvement with Row for the Cure, Pink Ribbon Row
21:57 - Angie’s return to rowing at Head of the Charles
24:46 - Pink Robbin Row by the numbers
25:44 - How Survivor Rowing Network learned lessons from its predecessors, and became a successful grant-making organization
30:15 - First-ever Survivor Row event at Head of the Charles
32:32 - Survivor rows, survivor programs, and creating community
34:54 - Outro
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To see photos of the Beth and Angie, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
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Follow us on FB and IG at @steadystatenetwork
Once upon a time, way back in 2020, we thought of rowing in a very particular way: flat water, racing shells, and seeking the perfect stroke. As coastal rowing and beach sprints has gained some traction here in the U.S., we’ve broadened our understanding and definition of rowing to bring these disciplines into the conversation, too.
On balance, coastal has probably tipped the scales of our conversation in 2024 as we trained for and participated in Race Around the Rock a coastal circumnavigation of Salt Spring Island in British Columbia. If you’re a tried and true flat water rower, thanks for sticking with us as we’ve explored new ideas about rowing!
In case you missed it, the 2024 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals were held September 13-15 in Genoa, Italy and Team USA brought home 3 Gold and 1 Silver medal.
Joining us to talk about the rise of coastal rowing and beach sprints are Team USA head coach Marc Oria, and rower Pearl Outlaw, a member of the first ever pararowing women’s quad.
QUICK LOOK02:10 - The Huddle
03:15 - Welcome
05:18 - Rowing Week 1-10
07:32 - The Hot Seat Q&A
15:54 - A degenerative eye disease impacted Pearl’s sight; learning to row offered her an opportunity to participate in a sport
19:47 - Marc learned to row at age 12 in Spain, and ate humble pie at his first regatta
22:13 - Marc’s coaching career began with making sure little kids had fun, and he maintains that philosophy today
28:11 - A brief introduction to coastal endurance and beach sprints
31:43 - Pearl’s transition from flat water national team to coastal rowing
33:45 - Adaptive technology for vision impaired athletes
38:58 - Letting go of perfection and embracing chaos
40:49 - Next Level Rowing’s role in developing coastal and beach sprint athletes
44:33 - The first pararowing women’s quad
45:54 - Opportunities to get involved in coastal are sparse, but growing, in the U.S.
47:29 - Pearl’s pursuit of being a dual sport athlete, with success in nordic skiing and biathlon
52:15 - Pearl and Marc’s training, racing, and coaching goals for 2025
54:19 - Getting the ball rolling for Youth Olympic Games 2026, and LA Olympics 2028
57:43 - Outro
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To see photos of the Marc and Pearl, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
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Follow us on FB and IG at @steadystatenetwork
After six months of training, Steady State Network’s Allies with Oars’ first coastal – and first international – race is a wrap! Two Allies With Oars mixed 4x+ crews spent the better part of Aug. 25, 2024 circumnavigating an 88k course around Salt Spring Island in British Columbia, for Race Around the Rock, hosted by Salt Spring Island Rowing Club. We got a little bit of everything: flat water, rolling waves, eddies, boat wakes, seals, massive jellyfish, excitement at the start line, confidence, pain cave suffering, and elation at the finish line.
Post-race, and with beverages in hand, the team sat down together to relive some highlights (and low lights) and share what made the experience so meaningful.
Thanks to all our family and friends for volunteering to lend a hand throughout race weekend. We couldn’t have made it around this rock without you.
Thanks to our race sponsors: JL Racing, Live2Row Studios, and Racing Hands.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode Lead-In and Welcome
02:02 - Six months of training with Live2Row Studios
05:20 - Favorite part of the race
08:53 - Challenges of the race
14:45 - Imposter syndrome and getting hooked
16:36 - Race day success was only possible with a lot of help from teammates, friends, and family
20:55 - Race day firsts
22:25 - About the Allies with Oars initiative
26:25 - ”Thank yous”
28:46 - What’s up next for Allies?
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To see photos of the Allies with Oars crew, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Live2Row Studios,Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
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Follow us on FB and IG at @steadystatenetwork
As part of our semi-regular club spotlight series, we cross the northern border into British Columbia, Canada to learn more about Salt Spring Island Rowing Club. Steady State Network's own Allies with Oars crews were just on the island for the Club's 88k coastal rowing regatta – Race Around the Rock.
Meet Salt Spring Island Rowing Club head coach Stacey Mitchell, RAR race director Zoe Clark, and new(ish) master's sculler Michael Strumberger. Together they embody the enthusiasm, passion, and motivation necessary to build and sustain this small town rowing club.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode Lead-In and Welcome
01:55 - The Huddle
03:37 - Rowing Week on a scale of 1-10
06:40 - The Hot Seat Q&A
11:22 - Stacy’s LTR story started with a swimming injury
14:24 - Michael’s “very casual relationship with fitness” shifted when he decided to try the gym erg
17:18 - Zoe’s rowing journey started with gnarly hands from hours on the monkey bars
20:02 - Why keep coming back to rowing?
26:59 - Salt Spring Rowing Club is small and growing!
32:22 - SSI members
34:08 - A rowing morning on St. Mary’s Lake starts with a quiet trip down a dirt road
37:20 - Race Around the Rock
49:50 - SSN's Allies with Oars: ruffling feathers to push the boundary of “mixed” lineups
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To see photos of Stacy, Zoe, and Michael, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Live2Row Studios,Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
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Follow us on FB and IG at @steadystatenetwork
Inspired by his parents from an early age to work hard, Julien Bahain became a 3-time Olympian and an Olympic medalist. He’s been involved with rowing for 25 years, taking on multiple disciplines including flat water, coastal, and ocean rowing.
Over the years, his involvement in the sport has grown too, from organizing World Rowing Championships and helping establish OARCA, to founding West Coast Rowing Adventures with his wife Katie. Together their goal is to grow coastal rowing and share the beauty of British Columbia.
QUICK LOOK
00:11 - Pre-Show Banter
01:08 - Welcome
01:55 - Episode Lead-In
05:08 - The Huddle
06:38 - Rowing Week on a scale of 1-10
09:10 - The Hot Seat Q&A
13:19 - Julien’s rowing origin story
15:52 - “Work hard, do it well, and do your best” was instilled from a young age by his parents
18:48 - Coastal rowing in Julien’s life from LTR to organizing World Rowing Championships
21:20 - Establishing OARCA
22:52 - Coastal as an alternative access to rowing for people around the world
27:47 - The perfect stroke is found in a perfect moment
30:42 - Honing his Olympic rowing color commentary for the CBC
35:38 - Founding West Coast Rowing Adventures
37:24 - Race Around the Rock
40:38 - Thoughts on the proliferation of ocean rowing races
44:18 - A lifetime of rowing leads to an ever-growing community “family”
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To see photos of Julien, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Live2Row Studios,Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, when it was clear that the 2020 rowing season was in jeopardy, we started brainstorming. We were just two masters rowers and coaches who wanted to celebrate the expansive array of rowers, coaches, and coxswains and savor real-life experience from launch to cox seat at every level.
We launched Steady State Network in September 2020 with one goal: reframe the popular, yet limited narrative about rowing culture by creating a more inclusive and better represented rowing community.
On September 22, 2020 with very little audio production experience, but plenty of big ideas and lots of opinions, we dropped episode 1 of Steady State Podcast and wondered: will anyone notice? Will anyone listen?
Join us to look back – and ahead – as we celebrate our 100th episode!
QUICK LOOK00:00 - Episode Intro
01:13 - Re-writing the original show intro, the simplicity of the early scripts, how COVID reshaped our lives, and learning to be brave
07:15 - From Day 1, Steady State Podcast was a COVID project with a long-term mission to challenge the popular yet limited narrative about rowing
Training and Racing
10:35 - Williamsburg Boat Club coach Tom Rooks on finding your “why,” and on nerves, anxiety, expectations and visualizing “rear view moments”
14:20 - New Zealand Olympian Eric Murray tells a story about an out of control water bottle during a World Cup race
Coaching
16:29 - Live2Row Studios Founders and Coaches Stephen Pryor and Justin Knust on checking yourself
19:33 - Technique spotlight with New Zealand Olympian Eric Murray: finding suspension on the erg
Coxing
23:33 - Whitney Powell of the Candid Cox explains taking ownership of the boat
26:24 - Olympian and founder of the 9th Seat Mary Whipple says “less is more” and give space between asks
29:26 - Masters coxswain Mitch King hinges his coxing on being collaborative
The Big Issues
32:29 - Coach Libby Boghossian’s seasonal SafeSport discussions create a culture for her young athletes where everyone is enlisted in the effort to keep their rowing community safe.
37:48 - Olympian, author, and UVA strength coach Lindsay Dare Shoop worries about the pressure of collegiate name/image/likeness (NIL) deals
41:39 - Non-binary rower David Scherzer on the limiting male/female gender structure
46:04 - Former Tulsa University Women’s Head Coach Kevin Harris on USRowing’s gender identity policy and the importance of inclusion
The Perfect Stroke
49:30 - Setting up the perfect stroke
50:35 - New Orleans Rowing Club accepts the chaos of coastal rowing
53:09 - Joe DeLeo of Science of Rowing and the Leo Training Podcast considers whether the perfect stroke is possible
54:12 - Olympians Mary Whipple and Gevvie Stone on the eternal quest
55:31 - UW Coach Marqus Brown describes a “quiet” prefect stroke
56:48 - Lake Washington Rowing Club boatswain Susan Kinne describes the meditative experience of rowing in the morning
53:55 - Outro
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To see photos of our guests, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Live2Row Studios,Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
In 1984, Kris Thorsness brought home gold in the U.S. women’s 8+ from the Olympic Games Los Angeles. Home was Alaska, where she was welcomed with a parade and the distinction of being the first Alaskan to win an Olympic medal.
Today she says she’s “just a masters rower,” but 40 years after that gold medal Olympic performance, she’s also a USRowing Referee and is an Arbitrator for the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the U.S. and Paralympic Committee.
Before she heads off to Paris for the 2024 Olympics in her role as an Arbitrator, we talk with Kris about refereeing, which is often glossed over by rowers but is key to ensuring regattas are safe and effectively run, with a focus on sportsmanship.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Welcome and Episode lead-In
01:34 - The Huddle
03:00 - Rowing Week
04:55 - The Hot Seat Q&A
06:30 - Favorite part of refereeing: the chase boat
08:57 - Favorite place to referee
09:40 - Challenges of referees and a lack of funding isn’t helping with bringing new refs down the pipeline
16:59 - Rowing Origin: walking on at the University of Wisconsin (Go Badgers!)
20:04 - Grit, coming back from behind, and being eager to go into the pain cave
23:36 - Accepting the pain and getting gold at the 1984 Olympic Games L.A.
26:04 - Advice for rowers aspiring towards the Olympics
30:44 - A pair of tan pants and a blue Oxford shirt got Kris started as a referee
31:55 - The process of becoming a USRowing referee
35:35 - What you need to understand about race officials
36:11 - Sassing the referees
38:30 - As an arbitrator for the Court of Arbitration for Sport, what types of cases might Kris handle at the Olympic Games Paris?
41:54 - Are there any doping concerns in Olympic rowing?
43:10 - As an IOC delegate, Kris has an all access pass to the events … if she has time to go
44:28 - Making the pitch to new potential referees
46:37 - SSN Events & Announcements
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To see photos of Kris Thorsness, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Live2Row Studios,Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
Born and raised on Vashon Island, Washington, Jacob Plihal wasn’t super excited to start rowing (ugh, spandex!), but in 2012 a knee injury prompted him to give up his basketball dreams. With prodding from his physical therapist, and then motivated by friend, classmate and Jr. National Team rower Mia Croonquist, he climbed the ladder to Northeastern University team captain, then the U23 National team, and most recently was named to the 2024 U.S. Olympic team in the men’s single. At 6’10”, Jacob has a clear view of the world’s biggest rowing and athletic achievement: Paris 2024.
We really appreciated his honesty about working for over a decade through both success and disappointment. About turning down opportunities because funding wasn’t available. And about having to work around limited mobility in his knee. He credits sticking to the grind and figuring out what works (and what doesn’t) to being stubborn.
For all these reasons, we’re rooting for Vashon Island’s hometown kid this summer at the Olympic Games Paris.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode Lead-In
01:22 - The Huddle
02:13 - On a scale of 1-10, Jacob’s rowing week was a 7
02:37 - The Hot Seat Q&A
03:53 - Growing up with freedom to explore on Vashon Island, WA
05:21 - Rowing origin story: A serious knee injury as a teen changed Jacob’s athletic path
08:42 - Rehabbing an injury while you’re still growing, and working around limited range of motion today
10:23 - Being a member of the Green Racing Project at Craftsbury Outdoor Center
12:28 - Playing it safe before the big show
14:10 - The idea of making a national team was planted very early
16:55 - What the heck is the Regatta of Death?
21:06 - What’s on your mind on the starting blocks in Lucerne?
23:30 - Rowing Fillipi’s biggest single and testing out various Concept2 blades
24:15 - Hometown response to qualifying for the Olympics
26:00 - Making the most of being an Olympian in the community
27:47 - Olympic race date/time and getting a new Fillipi in Paris
29:27 - Jacob explains the perfect stroke and a Kris Korzeniowski drill to help you get there
31:50 - Tara and Rachel’s move into sculling in 2024 for Race Around the Rock
34:57 - Rowing with Isaiah Harrison (6’9”) vs Don Williams (6’2”)
36:00 - SSN Events & Announcements
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To see photos of Jacob Plihal, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Live2Row Studios,Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
We challenge our listeners to "Ask us Anything." When a very specific question came in about back pain, we didn't feel like we 100% had the authority to answer it. So show co-host Rachel Freedman called up her chiropractor – and former DC Strokes Rowing Club member – Dr. Joe Henderson to get his insights.
Together we delve into causes of rowers' back pain, injury prevention, managing expectations, stretching, and considering other pain points like forearms and hip flexors.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode lead-in
00:54 - Co-hosts Tara Morgan and Rachel Freedman talk about their own back pain and experiences with chiropractors
07:35 - Dr. Joe Henderson on managing expectations when working to prevent injury
08:51 - Listener question: "I experience back pain when sweeping but not sculling..."
12:59 - Rachel’s journey to chiro care
15:29 - Mitigating pain through stretching and mobility
20:50 - Take time off and see a doctor
22:40 - Steady State Network events and initiatives
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To see photos of Dr. Joe Henderson, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Live2Row Studios,Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
There are many impersonators, but Concept2 RowErgs are the original – and for many the gold standard – indoor rowing machine. It all started in the early 1970s with brothers Dick and Pete Dreissigacker, a bike wheel, and engineering experiments in a barn in Vermont.
Dick and Pete know their machines, and rowing, inside and out so we called up Dick to talk about how foot stretcher set up can help both new and seasoned rowers.
And because we were really geeking out on erg set up 101, we enlisted Will Ruth, the Green Racing Project Strength Coach and Sculling Camp Coordinator at Craftsbury.
Dick and Will help us consider heel height, seat pads, horizontal drive, and finding comfort on the erg.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode lead-in
01:05 - Dick Dreissigacker on erg foot stretcher set up considerations and compromises
06:07 - Seat pads
06:59 - Clip in shoes, raising your heels, and that pair of erging shoes you just can’t give up on
09:45 - Heels up or heels down at the catch?
14:36 - Part 2: Will Ruth on setting up the erg for comfort
18:27 - Setting up heel heights for rowers with leg length discrepancies, or significant differences in left/right shoe sizes
19:38 - How adjusting the foot stretcher height effects the stroke
21:18 - Modifying the horizontal seat to heel relationship by using a seat pad - on the erg vs in a boat
22:47 - Rigging solution choices for club boats
25:48 - Foam heel inserts for rowers with small feet
26:37 - Horizontal forces can be good as long as they don’t compromise something else
28:05 - SSN events and initiatives
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To see photos of Dick and Will, and get links to the people and resources mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Live2Row Studios,Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
Back in the early 2000s, Justin Knust was a kid with something to prove, and Stephen Pryor was the perfect size to slip into the coxswain seat. With paths that often overlapped, and sometimes crossed, they grew up together, and fell hard for rowing and coaching.
While driving trailers to and from regattas, and drinking beers in bars, Stephen and Justin realized that the coaching and training system they’d been developing for youth rowers could be valuable for the larger rowing community.
In 2015 they took the leap and opened Live2Row Studios, an indoor rowing studio in Ocoee, FL. Five years later, COVID forced them to pivot and begin offering live on-line training.
Today, L2R’s growing coaching staff uses ErgZone’s powerful metrics to provide personalized benchmarks for rowers in studio and online.
NOTE: We're grateful for Live2Row Studios, who created a 6-mo endurance training plan for us as our Allies with Oars crews prepare for Race Around the Rock, an 88k coastal relay race around Salt Spring Island in British Columbia on Aug. 25, 2024.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode lead-in
02:45 - Rowing week on a scale of 1-10
04:28 - Hot Seat Q&A
13:19 - Stephen and Justin's rowing origin stories
15:36 - Early days developing as a rower and coxswain with the Orlando Area Rowing Society
18:10 - The culture of suffering and working to change opinions about erg workouts
21:01 - Approaching the erg and culture around masters coaching
25:21 - Live2Row seeks to impact all levels of rowing from the top down, bottom up
29:34 - “Talking about rowing is becoming a better coach”
34:20 - How Live2Row pivoted (and grew) during COVID
38:22 - Live2Row camps are designed around the on-water training schedule AND with basement erg owners in mind
40:10 - The Live2Row community
44:14 - The guys describe the perfect stroke
47:54 - SSN events and initiatives
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To see photos of Stephen, Justin, and Live2Row members, and get links to the people, clubs, events, and resources mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Live2Row Studios,Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
This is the fifth and final episode in a series on heart attacks and emergency preparedness. In this series you’ll hear first hand accounts from rowers who survived heart attacks, teammates and coaches who witnessed these events, and even from widows who reflect on warning signs and “what ifs.”
On this episode:
Bill Byrd has been rowing for nearly six decades and was a founding member of Willamette Rowing Club in Portland Oregon. One morning in 2018, he suffered a heart attack while training in his single. This is a story about living well, being prepared, the power of having all hands on deck, and survival.
We couldn’t tell Bill’s story without his ex-wife and longtime rowing partner, Jann Byrd, who was also on the water that morning and played a pivotal role in saving his life.
Stay tuned at the end for safety tips from US Rowing Director of Safeguarding Tom Rooks and be sure to share the whole series with your boathouse safety committee and coaches.
Other episodes in this series:
Perspective: One Coach’s Lifesaving Efforts
Giving and Getting Support: Burnham Boat Slings’ Peter Kermond
Sue and John Hooten’s Mutual Admiration Society
For One Heart Attack Survivor, the Beat Goes On
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode lead-in
02:55 - Rowing week on a scale of 1-10
04:13 - Hot Seat Q&A
06:31 - Rowing on the Willamette
07:45 - Bill wanted to play football at UW but instead got recruited to row
11:32 - Jann first got in the coxswain seat for mens boats at the Naval Academy
14:25 - Bill’s heart attack story, from slipping into the water, to CPR and EMS response
22:48 - Ripple effects on the club and teammates
25:30 - The diagnosis, rehab, recovery, and return to racing
30:10 - Safety precautions: logbook, PFD, cell phone, heart rate monitor
33:51 - What a life of rowing has given Bill and Jann
36:06 - The perfect stroke
38:47 - 2024 season
40:30 - How racing changes as you age up through the categories
42:50 - Top Tips from Tom Rooks, USRowing Director of Safeguarding
47:30 - SSN events and initiatives
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To see photos of Bill and Jann, and get links to the people, clubs, events, and resources mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Live2Row Studios,Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
This is the fourth episode in a series on heart attacks and emergency preparedness. In this multi-part series you’ll hear first hand accounts from rowers who survived heart attacks, teammates and coaches who witnessed these events, and even from widows who reflect on warning signs and “what ifs.”
On this episode:
Damion Winship had only been coaching for the Ancient Mariners Rowing Club for a short while the morning his coaching life changed. A masters rower new to his program had a heart attack on the water. Hear how Damion worked through his emergency checklist, how his CPR training kicked in, and how the crew worked together to try to save a life.
Other episodes in this series:
Giving and Getting Support: Burnham Boat Slings’ Peter Kermond
Sue and John Hooten’s Mutual Admiration Society
For One Heart Attack Survivor, the Beat Goes On
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode lead-in
01:25 - What prompted our heart attack and emergency preparedness series
03:40 - Coaching older rowers; Rowing and Aging project
05:58 - Coach Damion Winship details the moment a guest rower suffered a heart attack and the steps he and the crew took to try to save his life
12:38 - Providing CPR on the water, and quick decision making
23:05 - Damion and the aftermath - protocols and more
28:31 - Tara and Rachel post-interview reflections
36:28 - USRowing Director of Safeguarding Tom Rooks’ tips for rowers and coaches in an on-water emergency situation
39:47 - SSN events and initiatives
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To see photos of Damion, and get links to the people, clubs, events, and resources mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Live2Row Studios,Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
Bonnie Garmus was a competitive masters rower for years before an offhand comment during a business meeting prompted her to begin writing her debut novel, "Lessons in Chemistry," which has been adapted into an Apple TV+ series.
Everyone wants to talk with Bonnie about the book’s main character, Elizabeth Zott, but we turned the table to ask Bonnie about the role rowing plays in her life – and her book – which has been on The New York Times bestseller list for nearly 100 weeks.
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode lead-in and intro
03:04 - The Huddle: Get to know Bonnie Garmus
03:35 - Rowing Week: erging
05:15 - Meeting the Queen
07:26 - Hot Seat Q&A
08:38 - Cold open water swimming as a kid with her Dad
11:42 - Learning to row at Green Lake Rowing Club in Seattle
15:08 - Feeling a boat pick up and go for the first time
17:34 - Tara explains “the rower life cycle”
19:33 - How rowing effected Bonnie’s life
22:50 - Rowing as a character in "Lessons in Chemistry"
22:46 - Rowing as a hardship for Elizabeth to handle
29:14 - Was any of the book’s rowing based on Bonnie’s personal experience?
30:11 - What Bonnie really thinks about the Apple TV+ adaptation of "Lessons in Chemistry"
32:34 - Learning to never quit
33:19 - About that other book adapted for screen: "Boys in the Boat"
39:01 - SSN events and initiatives
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To see photos of Bonnie, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Live2Row Studios,Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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This episode was written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
This is the third episode in a series on heart attacks and emergency preparedness. In this multi-part series you’ll hear first hand accounts from rowers who survived heart attacks, teammates and coaches who witnessed these events, and even from widows who reflect on warning signs and “what ifs.”
On this episode:
Peter Kermond has been the face and voice of Burnham Boat Slings since purchasing the business in 1999. When he's not in the shop, or out rowing, he is probably manning a Burnham booth at a regatta. That’s where we met him - at Head of the Charles - in 2022, just a month after he survived a widowmaker heart attack. Peter and his wife Carin Reynolds are both successful national team members, masters rowers, and high school coaches. They are also a testament to teamwork, as they navigated Peter’s health emergency and rehabilitation, and his return to racing.
Other episodes in this series:
Sue and John Hooten’s Mutual Admiration Society
For One Heart Attack Survivor, the Beat Goes On
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode lead-in
02:20 - The Huddle: Get to know Peter and Carin
04:40 - Rowing Week: erg and tank workouts
06:12 - Hot Seat Q&A
10:59 - Peter got hooked on rowing in high school training, traveling, and racing in the summer with Belmont Rowing Club
13:22 - Carin’s college sophomore experience with “WRECK” rowing
14:10 - Peter and Carin met in 1984 as members of the US LTWT National Team, reconnected years later as coaches in New Hampshire
15:59 - The day in 2022 when Peter had a widowmaker heart attack
24:12 - Family history, no warning
25:45 - Rehab, getting back in the boat, and feeling better than before the heart attack
31:08 - Support from the rowing community
32:32 - Bringing awareness to friends and rowers about heart health
35:59 - Finding perfect strokes on the Connecticut River in Hanover, NH
39:47 - Burnham coastal products, Blackburn Challenge, and Race Around the Rock
47:10 - Tom’s Tips
49:10 - SSN events and initiatives
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To see photos of Peter and Carin, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, Live2Row, EB5 Investors, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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This episode was written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
As part of our club spotlight series and in the lead-up to San Diego Crew Classic, we head to California to get to know ZLAC, the oldest women’s rowing club in the world.
Established in 1892, ZLAC's unique structure allows for both competitive and social memberships. You don't have to row. New members are added to generational Crews to bolster cross-program and boathouse interaction and provide personal connections to members in a similar age range for support. As far as we know, ZLAC is unique in this offering. Be prepared to take notes and consider what more your club could do to help build and sustain community.
Through the years, ZLAC programs have produced U.S. National Team members, Olympians, top college rowers, regional racers, and thousands of recreational rowers. The heart of ZLAC’s mission is to support all women and girls through the sport of rowing.
We're joined by ZLAC's Masters Head Coach Chris Shannon, Athletic Chair Tanya Ferguson, and recent LTR grad Lee Copson.
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode lead-in
02:17 - The Huddle: Get to know Chris, Tanya, and Lee
02:54 - Rowing Week
05:39 - Hot Seat Q&A
09:56 - Chris got just one sculling lesson, then spent months flipping before being invited to a sweep team
14:49 - Lee was a social member since high school, and learned to row when she became an empty nester
17:38 - Tanya came to rowing after a soccer injury
20:52 - A brief look at ZLAC's 130+ year history
23:18 - ZLAC’s generational social crews and the bonds they help create among members
27:06 - Understanding the inner workings that make ZLAC so special
27:55 - Joining, membership, and programs
30:18 - Lee describes San Diego Bay
30:59 - ZLAC’s decades-long involvement with San Diego Crew Classic
35:14 - Chris, Tanya, and Lee tell us what's ahead in 2024
41:39 - ZLAC’s Legacy
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To see photos of Chris, Tanya, Lee, and ZLAC founders, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, Live2Row, EB5 Investors, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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This episode was written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
This is the second episode in a series on heart attacks and emergency preparedness. In this multi-part series you’ll hear first hand accounts from rowers who survived heart attacks, teammates and coaches who witnessed these events, and even from widows who reflect on warning signs and “what ifs.”
On this episode:
A member of the first U.S. women’s Olympic team and a longtime masters rower, Sue Hooten has a lifetime of rowing memories. She learned to row in California in the early 1970s, really appreciated the boathouse sock box in Philadelphia, and has raced around the world. In March 2018, her husband, former National Team and Vesper Boat Club coach John Hooten, had a medical emergency on the water while training in his 1x. He was out with his training partner, without a coach, and – like most rowers – was not wearing a PFD.
Stay tuned ‘til the end. We tapped Tom Rooks, USRowing’s Director of Safeguarding, for top safety tips that scullers – who row without a coach present – should consider.
Other episodes in this series:
Giving and Getting Support: Burnham Boat Slings’ Peter Kermond
For One Heart Attack Survivor, the Beat Goes On
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode lead-in
01:57 - The Huddle: Get to know Sue
05:55 - Sue’s Rowing Week… could have been better: arthritis & cataracts
06:37 - Hot Seat Q&A
11:20 - Sue’s rowing story began as walk on at UC Santa Barbara
14:29 - Meeting Coach Harry Parker and moving to Boston for National Team selection camp
18:47 - Coach Ted Nash paired Sue with Laura (Staines) Giardano for the 2x
22:27 - Meeting Vesper coach John Hooten
24:36 - About John and his unconventional way of looking at things
29:37 - John’s return to rowing in 2016
31:14 - March 5, 2018: The day John didn’t make it back to the dock
33:20 - Looking back at warning signs
35:57 - Could a life jacket have helped John?
38:21 - Staying connected with friends after John’s death
39:23 - What’s ahead for Sue’s rowing life in 2024?
41:57 - Tom’s Top Tips: USRowing safety guidelines for scullers rowing without a coach present
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To see photos of Sue and John, and get links to the people, clubs, events, and resources mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, Live2Row, EB5 Investors, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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This episode was written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
This is the first episode in a series on heart attacks and emergency preparedness. In this multi-part series you’ll hear first hand accounts from rowers who survived heart attacks, teammates and coaches who witnessed these events, and even from widows who reflect on warning signs and “what ifs.”
In this episode:
Willamette Rowing Club couple David Setter and Sarah Copeland are enthusiastic about having learned to row as adults and use the word "fun" to describe their rowing life way more than anyone else we've can think of. But one day in 2018, David had a heart attack. Together, David and Sarah recount that day and why he survived, and delve into recovery and returning to the boat. We also come to terms with erg splits going up as we get older and talk about learning to enjoy rowing for the sake of rowing.
We also tap Tom Rooks, USRowing’s Director of Safeguarding, for top tips that coaches, rowers, and teammates can use when there’s an emergency on the water, or around the boathouse.
Other episodes in this series:
Giving and Getting Support: Burnham Boat Slings’ Peter Kermond
Sue and John Hooten’s Mutual Admiration Society
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode lead-in
01:21 - The Huddle: Get to know David and Sarah
04:10 - David and Sarah's rowing week was terrible
06:44 - Hot Seat Q&A
17:00 - David’s rowing origin story
21:43 - Sarah’s rowing origin story
24:41 - David describes his heart attack like “the 1,500m mark of a 2k”
30:27 - Genetics had David thinking he’d be dead by 60
35:39 - Sarah’s side of the story: knowing David since they were 16, she was sure he’d survive the heart attack
37:36 - Trusting your body after injury, and your heart after a Widowmaker heart attack
44:18 - The reality of getting older, slower splits, and finding joy in rowing
49:19 - What’s ahead for David and Sarah’s rowing life in 2024?
53:18 - Tom’s Top Tips: USRowing guidelines for responding to a heart attack at your boathouse
57:49 - Behind the scenes with Tara and Rachel
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To see photos of David and Sarah, and get links to the people, clubs, events, and resources mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, Concept2, EB5 Investors, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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This episode was written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
Elizabeth Gilmore has had in insanely meteoric trajectory from indoor rowing newbie to indoor rowing champion and world record holder, to Head of the Charles course record breaker.
It all started with getting on the erg to rehab a running injury. Then came the Concept2 Logbook and challenges. Then virtual racing (and winning), before stepping onto the gym floor at Erg Sprints for her first in-person event where she took home two gold medals.
She was scouted by Capital Rowing Club where she learned to row sweep on the fly with the competitive women’s program, and today is to training for a row across the Atlantic.
And all of this in the span of just about two years.
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QUICK LOOK00:00 - Episode lead-in
04:20 - The Huddle: Get to know Elizabeth in a minute
05:07 - Rowing Week on a scale of 1 to 10: 7 - good training, bad weather
05:53 - Hot Seat Q&A
08:44 - When ball sport coordination is lacking, run
10:57- Elizabeth’s rowing origin story began while rehabbing a running injury
13:57 - COVID and the rise of virtual indoor rowing training and racing
16:04 - Elizabeth’s first in-person indoor rowing event: Erg Sprints
18:54 - Getting scouted by Capital Rowing Club and how learning to row with the competitive women’s program was like drinking water from a firehouse
25:35 - Endurance rowing: training to row the Atlantic in 2024; December 2023 erg 100k with friends; passing the time on the erg; Lessons in Chemistry
31:25 - What’s next in 2024?
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To see photos of Elizabeth, and get links to the people, clubs, and events, mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, Concept2, EB5 Investors, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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This episode was written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
Teens are super aware of stranger danger from a really young age, but most of them have genuinely never thought about misconduct from known adults. Using SafeSport training as a springboard, Coach Libby Boghossian leads in-depth discussions with her Brookline High School rowers about team policies and the concepts of consent, power imbalance, and coercion. She’s helping to create a culture for her young athletes where everyone is enlisted in the effort to keep their rowing community safe.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode lead-in
01:54 - Rachel & Tara talk SafeSport, "when were kids," and "kids nowadays"
07:45 - Key point: the kids are crucial
08:40 - The Huddle: Get to know Libby in a minute
09:22 - Rowing Week on a scale of 1 to 10: 6
09:55 - Hot Seat Q&A
16:28 - Libby's rowing origin story is a doozie
24:25- Libby's first coaching gig while in college, and the quirks of coaching novices
33:07 - A (very) brief intro to SafeSport
34:26 - Why SafeSport and conduct are important to Libby and her rowing community in Boston
38:11 - SafeSport training for teens: making sure the whole team is on the same page
46:38 - Inside the teenage mind when determining unpleasant vs abusive treatment by coaches
49:07 - Kids are critical in terms of being on the front lines and seeing behaviors and activities first
50:13 - Red flags to look out for and a deep dive into Libby’s discussion for her junior athletes
58:27 - Feedback from rowers and parents about Libby's curriculum
1:03:10 - What Libby wished she knew as a teenager
1:04:07 - Libby’s hope for the future of the rowing community
1:05:43 - Abuse can happen at all levels, getting kids involved in spotting and reporting incidents
1:08:22 - Resources
1:09:14 - Teenagers and maturity
1:10:00 - Sign off
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, Concept2, EB5 Investors, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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This episode was written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
After providing some basic instruction, coaches often leave coxswains to figure things out on their own.
Three-time medal-winning U.S. Olympic coxswain Mary Whipple recognized this gap in the coaching playbook and founded The 9th Seat, offering camps, resources, and community for coxswains.
Hear what Mary has to say about lucky breaks and logistics, and why being a motivator isn’t at the top of her coxing list.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro
05:07 - Team huddle: Mary’s coxing bio
05:45 - Mary’s rowing week: Writing the USRowing Coxing Course for athletes and coaches
13:30 - Developing empathy as a coxswain and giving rowers time to make changes
16:48 - Creating a practice environment where coxswain feels safe to fail
23:03 - Hot Seat Q&A
26:45 - What was behind Mary’s successful trajectory from high school, to UW, to the National Team?
33:33 - Hitting her stride at the University of Washington
35:15 - Mary’s most influential coaches
40:21 - Keeping coxswains engaged and motivated throughout the pipeline from scholastic, to college, to masters
45:27 - On bad days…
46:30 - More talking isn’t better. Listen, feel, check-in, fix.
49:05 - The perfect stroke: a feeling that comes from efficiency, suspension, and collaboration
55:38 - Leading the way in coaching coxswains
56:29 - Outro
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To see photos of Mary, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, Concept2, EB5 Investors, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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This episode was written, produced, hosted, and edited by Tara Morgan and Rachel Freedman. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
Jen Huffman gave her son a guilt trip about learning to row. “You would make your great grandpa so happy!” And when your great grandpa is Joe Rantz, 7 seat in the University of Washington crew that took gold at the 1936 Olympics, you learn to row. Jen also took up the challenge and learned to row as an adult, quickly becoming an accomplished masters rower in the Seattle area.
Growing up, Jen didn’t know much about her Grandpa Joe’s rowing history. But late in his life, she found his memorabilia from the crew’s trip to the Berlin Olympics. Jen tells us how a scrapbook she made became the jumping off point for author Daniel James Brown’s now blockbuster book The Boys in the Boat.
Ten years after the book was published, it’s become a George Clooney-directed movie. We talk with Jen about the power of rowing and seeing her grandpa brought to life on the big screen.
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro
01:49 - Team huddle: Jen’s rowing bio
02:13 - Jen’s rowing week rated a 6, and included a “sushi race” in Lake Union in Seattle, WA
05:33 - Hot Seat Q&A
08:34 - Getting to know grandpa Joe
13:18 - Jenn guilt-tripped her son into learning to row, then learned to row herself in 2008
18:24 - Coaching gymnastics, coaching rowing, and taking off your coach’s hat when you’re rowing
25:56 - Jen’s 2023 rowing season
28:45 - The story of The Boys in the Boat book began with a family scrapbook
34:42 - Being a part of Daniel James Brown’s writing process, and learning about Grandpa Joe chapter by chapter
39:55 - MOHAI exhibit, Joe’s “Amerika” flag, and some Husky Challenger history
43:28 - North Cascades Crew Joe Rantz Boathouse on Lake Stevens
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To see photos of Jen, Joe, and 1936 UW memorabilia, and to get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, Concept2, EB5 Investors, RowSource, and our Patrons.
In this special episode, co-hosts Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan take a look back at 2023. Go behind the scenes of Steady State Podcast to learn more about Rachel and Tara's rowing careers, listen to clips from some of their favorite season 4 episodes, consider their big takeaways from interviews with nearly 40 guests in the past 12 months, and get a peak at what's to come in Season 5 in 2024.
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro / a reflection on the first 4 seasons of Steady State Podcast
03:14 - Get to know co-hosts Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan
08:57 - On a scale of 1-10 ... rating our rowing year
13:28 - Hot Seat Q&A
24:05 - The building blocks of a podcast: awesome audience, supportive Patrons, marketing
26:25 - Favorite moments of 2023: gender identity policy series, Gevvie Stone, Lindsay Dare Shoop, Next Level Rowing, Indianapolis Rowing Club spotlight, Unity Boat Club's Excellence in Black Rowing event
45:05 - Upping our game as a media outlet at USRowing Masters Nationals and Head of the Charles
47:41 - Takeaways: it's time to take beach sprints and coastal rowing seriously; incorporating non-binary athletes into racing is complicated
53:05 - Partnerships
54:29 - Wrapping up Season 4 with Jennifer Huffman, masters rower and granddaughter of Boys in the Boat central character Joe Rantz.
56:07 - Season 5 sneak peek: Olympic coxswain Mary Whipple, on water emergencies and safety, keeping junior athletes safe, indoor world record holder Elizabeth Gilmore, and Lessons in Chemistry author Bonnie Garmus.
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To see photos of Rachel and Tara, 2023 podcast guests, and get links to the people, clubs, policies, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, Concept2, EB5 Investors, RowSource, and our Patrons.
Think of rowing and Boston and there’s one name that really stands out: Ellen Minzner. Born and raised in Lawrence, Mass., Ellen has spent more than two decades developing and leading programs in the state, including most recently as the Director of Outreach and then Director of Inclusion and Advocacy at Community Rowing Inc.
Ellen also balances being the co-chair of the Head of the Charles Announcing Committee with her full-time position as USRowing Para High Performance Director, a title she’s held since 2019.
From walk on at Villanova University to 5-time National Team member, to her transition into coaching and program development, Ellen saw the long game: changing the status quo of her clubs, organizations, and communities.
In this episode, she also gives a peek behind the curtains of the world’s premier annual rowing competition - the Head of the Charles - from her vantage point in an announcers booth on the roof of Cambridge Boat Club.
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QUICK LOOK00:00 - Intro
00:24 - Lead-In Banter
04:45 - Welcome
06:26 - Bio/Olympics Distance
Rowing Week is quiet after getting home from Worlds, looking ahead to para rowing in ‘24 and ‘28
11:19 - The Hot Seat Q&A
18:51 - Walking on at Villanova sophomore year, being a part of Boathouse Row, and finding summer rowing in Lowell, MA
23:39 - Coaching at CRI planted the seeds of a National Team dream. A bumpy trajectory across five national teams in the ‘90s was a lesson in playing the long game.
26:24 - Retiring from the National Team and transitioning into college coaching
28:40 - The teaching magic of the pair
31:50 - Returning to Massachusetts to help bring rowing opportunities to her blue collar community
34:36 - Pairing rowing community accessibility with “what is just and equitable” has driven Ellen’s career
37:15 - The future of para rowing: developing juniors athletes, and supporting collegiate programs that recruit athletes with disabilities
45:50 - Ellen’s early involvement with HOCR, how announcing has changed over the years, and how it makes the sport more inclusive and accessible
49:54 - Watching HOCR from the roof of Cambridge Boat Club, Elliot Bridge, and other great spots
51:58 - Behind the scenes at HOCR
56:56 - Listener Question: "My HOCR coxswain hasn't coxed in several years. Should I be worried?"
58:50 - HOCR meet and greet for para rowers at Noon in the USRowing tent
1:00:04 - HOCR’s Ellen Minzner trophy, awarded each year to the winners of the LTA 4+
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To see photos of Ellen and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Barb, Breakwater Realty, Concept2, EB5 Investors, RowSource, and our Patrons.
In 2002, Lindsay Dare Shoop reluctantly walked-on at the University of Virginia. Within a year she became an NCAA Division I All American. In four years she broke a world record and earned her first World Championship. Within six years her hard work manifested a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Today she seeks to help others remove self-imposed limitations. This Fall, 20 years after it all began, the author of Better Great Than Never returns to UVA as an assistant coach, paying it forward.
This thought-provoking conversation considers serendipity, struggle, pressures on student athletes, walk-ons, team-building, rowing for life, Head of the Charles (and being coxed by Mary Whipple), and a whole lot more.
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro
04:50 - How 9/11 indirectly led to Lindsay walking on at the University of Virginia
07:38 - When Rachel met Lindsay at Steeringuwright / Endeavor Racing Alliance Camp; coaching rowers to consider the long timeline
11:30 - The Huddle
12:48 - Coaching CrossFit coaches and developing an indoor rowing curriculum with USRowing
15:31 - Rowing Week
16:00 - Preparing for HOCR, being coxed by 3-time Olympic medalist Mary Whipple
18:14 - Beijing teammate Anna Mickelson on savoring the moment
19:30 - The Hot Seat Q&A
23:23 - Growing up on a farm in Virginia, playing with boys, and trying “all the sports”
25:19 - Early Olympic dreams and the notion of “not being a real athlete”
27:40 - Losing her athletic self and finding it again at the University of Virginia
32:44 - The waning prevalence of collegiate walk-ons, the importance of novice rowing, and optimizing movement patterns
38:48 - How social media, NILs, and the prospect of financial contracts have put additional pressure on college athletes
43:15 - Beyond erg scores: intangibles that make for positive team culture
46:19 - Better Great Than Never, inspiring others, “catching up with the things your parents always said,” and taking it one day at a time
50:49 - “Team” as the tribes of today; and the importance of paying attention, getting and staying connected with people
53:00 - Winning gold in Beijing and the weight of the moment she was handed a medal from Anita DeFrantz
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To see photos of Lindsay and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Barb, Breakwater Realty, Concept2, EB5 Investors, RowSource, and our Patrons.
“Physical limitations only exist if you’re willing to find them.” This is the philosophy of Mitch King, a coxswain for River City Rowing Club in Sacramento, CA. Every day he does countless things that doctors said were impossible when he was a kid diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.
Mitch doesn’t call himself a disability advocate, doesn’t want to be an inspiration, and would rather folks didn’t try to tiptoe around his disability.
We talk balancing coxing with graduate school, collaborative coxing, finding tenths of seconds on the erg, and shattering expectations.
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro
02:10 - The Huddle
04:38 - Rate Your rowing week: 1-10… quickly turns into swapping coxing stories
10:05 - The Hot Seat Q&A
15:44 - Coxing origin story
19:24 - How rowing helps student athletes with discipline and time management
21:22 - Erging with the team began as a means to understand what his athletes were going through, and became an outlet for moving beyond internal and external limitations of his Cerebral Palsy
29:18 - Collaborative coxing: getting to know your rowers, giving and receiving feedback, sharing race strategies, leaving your worries on shore
35:08 - Diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy as a kid, Mitch wants strangers to assume he, and other people with disabilities, are competent and capable
38:50 - It’s okay to ask, and it’s okay to say “disabled”
43:21 - Being an inadvertent ambassadors for people with disabilities, how we’ve been socialized to understand disability, and rebutting the notion of being an inspiration
49:03 - Mitch’s rowing pitch
50:00 - What’s next and hoping to make it to Head of the Charles
49:56 - Outro
54:48 - Outtakes
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To get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Barb, Breakwater Realty, Concept2, EB5 Investors, RowSource, and our Patrons.
That place a lot of us call a second home – the boathouse – is on land with a long history. And the waterways we dip our oars in once provided sustenance. Know Where You Row is a campaign across the United States and Canada to explore the spaces and places where we row, which have been – and continue to be – the lands of the native peoples who, for centuries, have stewarded them.
Know Where You Row encourages rowing clubs to connect with the history of the waterways and land that they use, and the indigenous tribes of the area. The team behind the campaign – Dave Harvey, Julia Gonzalez-Wolf and Steady State’s own Tara Morgan – tell us more.
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro
03:15 - The Huddle
03:52 - Rate your rowing week: 1-10
04:35 - The Hot Seat Q&A
06:50 - How rowing came into Dave and Julia’s lives, and what keeps them hooked on rowing
11:42 - An intro to Tacoma Rowing’s work in the community
13:12 - How Tara and Dave connected
14:20 - Tara’s nugget of an idea that led to Know Where You Row began at Lake Stevens
19:10 - About the PacNW, the prevalence of indigenous tribes, and land acknowledgements
22:35 - About the Know Where You Row campaign
28:45 - How clubs and boathouses can move beyond the performative
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To get links to the people, clubs, events, and resources mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Barb, Breakwater Realty, Concept2, EB5 Investors, RowSource, and our Patrons.
The World's Toughest Row is a 2,800-mile race across the Pacific Ocean. On June 12, 2024, more than 20 teams will leave Monterey, CA and race to Kauai, HI in unsupported, man-powered ocean rowing boats.
Hannah Huppi (NORC), Phil Doyle (PBC), and Hunter Deuel (OWRC) formed Horizon Racing USA to take on this massive rowing challenge. They are solidly into their planning and training with a goal of breaking the Mixed 4x World Record for rowing across the Mid-Pacific ocean – which currently stands at just over 34 days.
We talk about lots of steady state training on the erg, star-gazing and the unknown, competitive drive, Cheez-Its, and fundraising for Laureus Sport For Good USA.
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - intro
02:00 - Welcome and The Huddle
03:20 - Rate Your rowing week: 1 to 10
05:04 - The Hot Seat Q&A
08:33 - Rowing origin stories: Hannah, Phil, Hunter
14:13 - About the World’s Toughest Row across the Pacific
15:50 - About their 4-person Ranoch RX45 boat
18:20 - Whose idea was it to row the WTR; finding a fourth crewmate, necessary skills, and the importance of coming together as a competitive unit
28:56 - Supporting their charity partner Laureus Sport for Good USA
31:20 - Sponsorship opportunities and Hannah’s hopes for Cheez Its
33:24 - How training started, what they’re looking forward to, and what they’re nervous about
40:40 - Letting go of flatwater perfection, thinking BIG intervals, and canned peaches for celebrating milestones
46:15 - The adventure of a lifetime and leaving an impact on the next generation
50:10 - Sign Off
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To see photos of Hannah, Phil, an Hunter, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Barb, Breakwater Realty, Concept2, EB5 Investors, RowSource, and our Patrons.
This is the final episode in a four-part special series on gender identity policies in rowing.
Since December 2022, World Athletics, World Rowing, USRowing and other national governing bodies, have announced updated gender identity policies. In response, voices across the rowing community have stood up for "fairness for women" and alternatively "inclusion for marginalized athletes." We're taking a closer look.
Dr. David Scherzer learned to row with DC Strokes Rowing Club, one of just a handful of dedicated, independent LGBTQ+ rowing clubs in the world. But for many years, even DC Strokes wasn’t able to provide answers to David about how they could participate and race as a non-binary athlete.
And when Bobbi Kizer, PhD inquired about racing at Head of the Lake as a transgender athlete, the organizing committee worked with them to create an exhibition “mixed” category for all genders.
But in general, the current USRowing gender inclusion policy leaves transgender, non-binary, and other gender nonconforming rowers with very few opportunities to race.
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Rachel and Tara re-introduce the podcast’s Gender Identity Policies series 05:40 - Welcome and The Huddle 08:05 - David and Bobbi’s rowing week 10:12 - Hot Seat Q&A 12:45 - Rowing origin stories: Bobbi, then David 21:02 - Club community agreements and DEI committees 25:09 - Intro to World Rowing and USRowing gender identity policies 26:55 - Laying the groundwork: sex, gender, and gender identity 29:45 - Bobbi’s experiences as a trans rower at SRRA, Head of the Lake, and ZLAC sweep camp 37:50 - David’s surprising experiences as a non-binary rower in an LGBT+ club 40:32 - What current USRowing open and mixed racing opportunities mean for non-binary and trans rowers 46:32 - ICONS petition and “fairness for females” 53:21 - As a new member of USRowing’s DEI committee, David is ambivalent 56:08 - David and Rachel’s perspective on DC Strokes Rowing Club and the challenge of retaining gender non-conforming rowers 1:01:35 - How Bobbi’s combining their psychiatry practice with the sport through rowing group therapy 1:06:00 - Sign off
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To see photos of Bobbi and David, and to get links to the people, clubs, policies, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Barb, Breakwater Realty, Concept2, EB5 Investors, RowSource, and our Patrons.
Start your engines! Get to know Indianapolis Rowing Center, host of the 2023 USRowing Masters National Championships. We talk with IRC board President Janet Francis, Masters Head Coach Zach Christopher, and recent LTR grad Lisa Stickley. Developed in the 1980s, the race course at Eagle Creek remains one of the country’s premiere venues, host to PanAm Games, World Rowing Championships, NCAA Championships, and a lot more. Get an inside scoop on Vendors Village, course strategy, and IRC, Indy’s only rowing club.
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro/Lead-in 02:35 - Welcome and The Huddle 05:06 - Rowing week and local tornado 07:00 - Hot Seat Q&A 12:13 - Rowing origin stories: Zach, Lisa, then Janet 17:50 - Rowing into our 80s 20:19 - Janet’s role as IRC president, current challenges and plans/ initiatives 24:13 - A local’s perspective on Eagle Creek 27:25 - IRC is the only rowing center in Indy, and offers programs for all ages 30:41 - Volunteering for Masters Nats 31:11 - Recruiting new members 33:18 - Rowers sure do love talking about rowing… 36:46 - the development of IRC at Eagle Creek for a premiere rowing venue 39:55 - committees and community partnerships make big events possible 41:37 - Vendor village, the beach where there shall be no swimming, beer garden, and coxswain tosses are approved. 43:41 - First Masters Nationals experiences 48:51 - IRC Course trade secrets 50:44 - Sign off
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To see photos of Janet, Zach, and Lisa, and to get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by RowSource, Barb, EB5 Investors, Concept2, and our Patrons.
GENDER IDENTITY POLICIES: Part 3
Since December 2022, World Athletics, World Rowing, USRowing and other national governing bodies, have announced updated gender identity policies. In response, voices across the rowing community have stood up for "fairness for women" and alternatively "inclusion for marginalized athletes." We're taking a closer look.
Kevin Harris’s coaching career began in the early 1990s and culminated with 20+ years at the helm of the University of Tulsa women’s rowing program. Harris offers an in-depth and thought-provoking perspective on DEI, the importance of boathouses as welcoming spaces, the prevalence of transgender and non-binary rowers in the United States, and gender inclusion policies.
ICYMI: Gender Identity Policy Series Part 1 - Dr. Mary O’Connor: Fighting to Save Women’s Rowing Part 2 - Coach Anne Strayer on Inclusion and Self-Worth in Rowing
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QUICK LOOK
00:50 - Pre-interview banter with Tara and Rachel
04:30 - The Huddle, a discussion of Kevin’s early coaching career in D.C. and Virginia
05:30 - Hot Seat Q&A
08:20 - Starting out as a coach, Stonewall Regatta
10:35 - Experience at 2023 Youth Nationals with the USRowing Board of Directors, perspective on FL controversy as a Black man who grew up in the South
19:00 - Welcome mat at T.C. Williams High School when he learned to row
21:30 - The Harris family history in Alexandria, VA and why Kevin’s mom asked him why he wanted to get into a “white boy’s sport”
29:20 - Kevin’s reality as a lightweight hit him when he arrived at the Naval Academy, and then coach bumped him to the cox seat
31:50 - An unexpected early departure from the Naval Academy led him to his first coaching job at T.C. Williams
33:50 - History of Dee Campbell Boathouse in Alexandria, VA
36:10 - The development of USRowing’s DEI committee in 2020
45:00 - Intro to Gender Inclusion Policies and the ICONS petition
47:10 - Kevin’s inroads to coaching women’s programs
50:02 - Title IX, gender policies, the ICONS petition, and DEI from Kevin’s unique perspective as an NCAA coach and member of the USRowing Board.
1:00:00 - USRowing’s work to accommodate a huge variety of members
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To see photos of Kevin, and to get links to the people, clubs, policies, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by RowSource, Barb, EB5 Investors, and our Patrons.
PRIDE MONTH SPECIAL: PART 2 We visit Chicago Rowing Union (CRU), the Midwest's only LGBTQ+ rowing organization, and one of just a few such clubs in the world. CRU member and social media manager Michael Toutloff talks with us about the importance of safe spaces and being yourself, finding community and competition on the water, and proudly flying the flag at regattas.
Listen to Part 1 of our Pride month special – a chat with LGBTQ+ DC Strokes Rowing Club and the Melbourne Argonauts.
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QUICK LOOK 00:00 - Podcast lead-in 01:37 - Rachel and Tara banter about Pride month 03:30 - Team Huddle: Michael’s bio in 45 seconds 04:14 - Tara’s out sick! 05:18 - The Hot Seat Q&A 09:35 - “Set the wayback machine” - learning to row at Indiana University with tulip blades and wooden shells 12:30 - Personal and professional changes led Michael back to rowing after many years off the water 17:33 - LGBTQ+ community in Chicago 20:10 - Partnering with other LGBTQ+ sports organizations for networking and club growth 21:00 - CRU – the only LGBTQ+ rowing club in the midwest – was established in 2006 for the Chicago Gay Games 22:43 - Comparing experiences at CRU with other rowing clubs, and CRU as a safe space where LGBTQ+ members can be themselves 26:07 - Flying the flag of inclusion, and acceptance of the local rowing community 30:25 - Supporting DC Strokes’ boycott of the 2022 USRowing Masters National Championship in Florida 34:48 - CRU is having a renaissance in 2023
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To see photos of Michael, and to get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty Group, Concept2, Live2Row, Barb, EB5 Investors, and our Patrons.
A small but growing group of flat water rowers are making a transition to coastal rowing. In 2021, USRowing boated its first-ever Beach Sprints National team and in 2022 Next Level Rowing appeared on the scene, training high performance rowers who have gone on to win medals at domestic and international coastal regattas.
The U.S. is just taking on this discipline, which has been raced for generations in Europe. We reached out to coastal rowing rising stars Christopher Bak and Christine Cavallo, and their coach Ben Booth, co-founder of Next Level Rowing. All three wax poetic about giving in to Mother Nature, working through adversity, and why coastal – like indoor rowing – is a perfect cross-training option.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Podcast lead-in 02:15 - Rachel and Tara banter 03:12 - welcome 05:25 - Team Huddle: Get to know Chris, Christine, and Ben 09:25 - The Hot Seat Q&A 14:09 - What’s the hook? Why they keep coming back to rowing season after season. 20:30 - Ben’s coaching philosophy: teach a way of being - being present and true to yourself 30:52 - Coastal, like indoor rowing, translates to flat water. Great cross training and it’s fun! Working the same sport specific muscle pattern while having a completely different neurological experience 35:08 - Ben’s involvement in USRowing’s early move into coastal 38:05 - Intro to coastal rowing disciplines: beach sprint and endurance 40:52 - Approach coastal with an open mind 43:40 - Ben couldn’t find the coastal boat he wanted so he got into backyard design and build, which evolved into Next Boatworks, the only coastal manufacturer in the U.S. 51:27 - On the coastal rowing horizon for 2023 54:48 - Bringing rowing to non-traditional spaces, marketing, and growing the sport 58:45 - opportunities to try coastal rowing in ME and MA, and check out the boats at some USRowing events
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To see photos of Ben, Christine, and Chris, and to get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty Group, Concept2, Live2Row, Barb, EB5 Investors, and our Patrons.
Only a handful of rowing clubs around the world cater specifically to the lesbian, gay, bi, transgender, questioning and ally community. In Part 1 of our Pride special, we introduce you to DC Strokes Rowing Club’s long-time member and coach Lis Fondreist, and president of the Melbourne Argonauts Queer Rowing Club, Josh Lipscombe. They talk with us about rowing and the gay rights movement in the 1990s, safe spaces, and why this part of the diversity issue is still relevant today.
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QUICK LOOK00:00 - Podcast lead-in
02:05 - Rachel and Tara pre-show banter
13:29 - Welcome
11:40 - Team Huddle with Lis and Josh
15:25 - (Not So) Rapid Fire Q&A
21:29 - Josh was one of the “weird” kids who wasn’t good at other sports, until he found rowing
22:58 - Lis was tempted into rowing while watching West Point cadets racing in a regatta
27:12 - The “why” behind a commitment to rowing
29:39 - The rowing and LGBT scene in Melbourne
32:36 - Founded in 1991 and 2001 respectively, DC Strokes and Melbourne Argonauts are safe community spaces AND make waves in their rowing communities
40:23 - Gender inclusion policies
46:27 - Pride activities and participation
50:55 - The importance of LGBT rowing clubs as safe spaces
54:08 - DEI and building an atmosphere of inclusion
56:48 - The year to come
1:02:27 - After the show
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To see photos of Lis, Josh, and their clubs, and to get links to the people, policies, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty Group, Concept2, Live2Row, Barb, EB5 Investors, and our Patrons.
Washington, DC’s two rivers – the Potomac and the Anacostia – haven’t been swimmable in decades and folks that live in the nation’s capital often have no relationship with the rivers. But when one of Rebekah Armstrong’s teachers suggested she join Capital Juniors rowing, she found a sport she loved wrapped up in just the right package of diversity and scrappiness.
The influence of a great coach prompted Rebekah to check out the University of Wisconsin Madison, where she walked on to the women’s crew. Having come from a diverse life and team in D.C., the transition to Wisco was challenging – Rebekah at one point was one of just ten Black female athletes on campus.
Rebekah opens up about the (slowly) changing face of rowing in the United States, finding mentors and support, and her drive to help BIPOC athletes as a certified mental performance consultant.
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - podcast lead-in
02:17 - Team Huddle: Rebekah Armstrong’s bio in 60 seconds
03:17 - Icebreaker: Washington, D.C., Capital Rowing Club, and USRowing DEI Associate Jess Jackson
05:17 - Rapid Fire Q&A
09:12 - Pre 2k snacks and the mental prep for erg tests
11:35 - Learning to row with Capital Juniors and the influence of a great coach on her decision to row in college
15:15 - The cognitive dissonance of rowing at the Anacostia Community Boathouse
19:35 - Being a “shrimp” and walking on at Wisco
22:27 - Finding balance as a student athlete, prioritizing athletic success over identity
26:50 - Gaining a mentor and being empowered as a member of Student Athletes Equally Supporting Others
30:31 - Support and inspiration at the U23 selection camp in Charlottesville, VA
34:39 - Post-graduation coaching at Wisco, collegiate burnout and what happens next?
38:53 - Nervous about the transition to masters rowing, Rebekah found welcoming teammates and fun on the water at Lincoln Park Boat Club in Chicago
41:19 - What it meant to row in the first all Black Women’s 8 at Head of the Charles
44:31 - Landing in Chicago as the Program Director at Chicago Training Center, and pursuing dual masters degrees as a licensed counselor and a certified mental performance consultant
48:20 - Increased visibility of DEI work in recent years
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To see photos of Rebekah Armstrong, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty Group, Concept2, Live2Row, Barb, EB5 Investors, and our Patrons.
This is the second episode in a special series on gender identity policies in rowing. We’re getting to know some of the people behind initiatives challenging the notion of fairness and inclusion in our sport.
Since December 2022, World Athletics, World Rowing, USRowing and other national governing bodies, have announced updated gender identity policies. The Biden administration is proposing changes to Title IX. In response, voices across the rowing community have stood up for "fairness for women" and alternatively "inclusion for marginalized athletes." We're taking a closer look.
Ann Strayer, OLY, was a self-described "natural" in a single in high school. She quickly earned a seat on the 1978 Junior National Team, and went on to row at Princeton 1978 to 1982. While at university she made her first National Team in 1981, followed by five more teams in the 1980s, culminating in a spot on the 1988 Olympic squad.
Today, Strayer is the Varsity Women’s Coach at Oakland United Rowing in Oakland, CA. In response to the ICONS petition seeking to define "eligibility for the women’s/girl’s categories to participants born female," Strayer and fellow OUR coach and Olympian Erin Cafaro have written a letter in support of USRowing's gender identity policy. They, along with 50+ Olympians and coaches who have signed the letter, strongly believe that the most important thing for transgender and non-binary scholastic athletes is to welcome them into the boathouse, and allow them to row as the gender they identify with.
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Rachel and Tara talk gender identity policies, the ICONS petition fighting for fairness for females, and the letter that Strayer and Erin Cafaro have written in support of gender inclusive policies.
08:15 - Team Huddle: Coach Strayer's bio in 45 seconds
09:10 - Rapid Fire Q&A
12:40 - Growing up in Cape Cod, MA: sailboats, softball, and basketball. Being a “natural” rower in high school and making the Junior National team.
14:40 - Early post-Title IX experience at Phillips Academy, and how it was different at Princeton
19:10 - Balancing Olympic dreams and rowing for Princeton under Coach Kris Korzeniowksi
23:45 - The transition from coxed quad to straight quad
25:48 - On USRowing’s gender identity policy, Strayer’s own experience coaching trans kids, and the letter of support she and Erin Cafaro penned
32:27 – Contemporary perspective on gender, and why trans women should row in the women’s category
36:10 – Coaching with Erin Cafaro and the search for a media distribution of their letter
43:33 - Strayer's personal experience in the 1980s lining up against Russian, Romanian, and German squads that were doping
47:37 - Early days of coaching in Boston, and getting back into it decades later in California
52:25 - Coaching as a volunteer for OUR out of a passion for the sport
55:07 – A vision for the future of rowing
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To see photos of the Coach Ann Strayer, and get links to the people, clubs, events, and policies mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty Group, Concept2, Live2Row, Barb, and our Patrons.
This is the first episode in a special series on gender policies in rowing. We’ll get to know some of the people behind initiatives challenging the notion of fairness and inclusion in our sport.
Since December 2022, World Athletics, World Rowing, and USRowing (and other national governing bodies) have announced updated gender identity policies. The Biden administration is proposing changes to Title IX. In response, voices across the rowing community have stood up for "fairness for women" and alternatively "inclusion for marginalized athletes." So, we wanted to take a closer look.
Dr. Mary O’Connor, OLY, was a member of the 1976 Yale women’s rowing program that sparked big changes following the passage of Title IX. She went on to become a member of the 1980 U.S Olympic team, an orthopedic surgeon, and a nationally recognized leader for health equity.
Today, Dr. O’Connor is a member of the Independent Council on Women’s Sports – a network and advocacy group “seeking to elevate and empower female athletes by protecting safety, fairness, and opportunity for girls and women.”
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Introduction
03:10 - Hosts Tara and Rachel talk USRowing gender identity policies and the issue of non-binary inclusion in rowing
11:10 - Welcome to Dr. Mary O’Connor
12:20 - Rapid Fire Q&A
13:50 - Growing up in PA, walking on to the Yale crew, finding role models in teammates Chris Ernst and Anne Warner
16:10 - Yale crew early success and stand-outs > the famous Title IX protest > involvement in women’s rights and equity
19:55 - Early personal and program goals at Yale?
21:00 - Current involvement with the rowing community: rowing parent and ICONS > importance of being able to compete and excel to professional careers
26:12 - ICONS mission and leadership
28:20 - Title IX, USRowing policy, fairness and competition
31:39 - How the rowing pipeline is affected by current policies; sex differences and physiologic advantages, changing categories to Open and female-only
34:14 - Working nationally and internationally to uphold the issue of fairness and protecting the female category
38:04 - How much are trans and non-binary athletes affecting fairness for females at the collegiate level?
40:14 - Change in public perception/acceptance of trans/non-binary > gender affirming care
44:48 - ICONS petition seeks to create categories for competition to promote fairness
51:35 - How will ICONS know when it has succeeded?
50:20 - Mary’s experience at the ‘79 World Camps placing 3rd behind Russians and East Germans who had all been doping on testosterone
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To see photos of the Dr. Nary O'Connor, and get links to the people, and policies mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty Group, Concept2, Live2Row, Barb, and our Patrons.
We head to California and go behind the scenes of the San Diego Crew Classic, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
Crew Classic Regatta Director Bobbie Smith – also a masters rowers and coach in San Diego – for the past year has been planning this event with Associate Director Megan Kalmoe. Megan, who is currently training for an historic fifth Olympic team, began her racing career at Crew Classic as a novice walk-on at the University of Washington. Coxswain and Beach Master Lex Switzer also joins the conversation about this West coast regatta that kicks off sprint season in the United States.
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QUICK LOOK00:00 - Intro
01:44 - Episode lead-in
02:46 - Team Huddle: get to know Bobbie, Megan, and Lex
07:49 - Rapid Fire Q&A
17:00 - The guests reminisce about being college walk-ons
24:19 - For Bobbie and Megan, Crew Classic was their first 2k race
27:48 - Lex explains the diagonal line optical illusion that coxswains see on the Crew Classic course
30:30 - What first-timers can expect at Crew Classic
32:55 - Tara and Rachel’s Crew Classic memories, 2k vs 1k racing, and making use of a “flutter”
37:03 - Celebrating 50 years of Crew Classic and its evolution from collegiate only to today’s inclusion of youth, masters, and novices.
45:51 - The work behind the scenes to plan and host Crew Classic
50:04 - 50th Anniversary celebrations and special happenings
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To see photos of the Bobbie, Megan, and Lex, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode is made possible in part by Breakwater Realty Group, Concept2, Live2Row, and our Patrons.
We believe whole-heartedly in inclusion at all levels of rowing. That’s why we created the Steady State Network Changemaker Scholarship initiative, designed to help up-and-coming leaders of programs, clubs, and small businesses to get the knowledge and skills they need.
To support the development of these leaders in the rowing community, we provided scholarships to three deserving coaches to help them attend RowCon, USRowing’s Annual Convention, held In Atlantic City, NJ Feb. 3-5, 2023.
Thanks to Concept2, Rower’s Dream, and the support of our Steady State Patrons, whose financial support helped make these scholarships possible.
Our third-annual class of Changemaker Scholars to attend the USRowing Annual Convention is a young, diverse group of rowers, coxswains, and coaches, all in the early years of their coaching careers.
Today we’re talking with our 2023 Changemaker Scholarship recipients – Jalen Baldwin, Angelina Koch, and Faby Velazques – to find out what sort of ideas and information they picked up at the Convention, and what they’re exited to put into practice this season.
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro
02:03 - Episode lead-in
03:23 - welcome
04:11 - Rowing Week 1-10
05:52 - Rapid Fire Q&A
08:16 - Team huddle: get to know the Changemakers
15:22 - The importance of coaching education, and what motivated each Changemaker to apply
20:35 - Big “aha” moments from RowCon2023
26:43 - Jalen’s Networking strategy and fundraising for Row, Sail, Dream
30:00 - Putting new coaching concepts into practice
36:49 - Coaching the whole athlete
39:09 - What would you give a TedTalk about
40:20 - Elevator pitches
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To see photos of the Changemakers, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode is sponsored by the George Pocock Rowing Foundation, and made possible in part by Breakwater Realty Group, Concept2, Live2Row, and our Patrons.
The popularity of indoor rowing has exploded since the early days of the COVID pandemic in 2020. A whole new rowing community has come together around the erg, buoyed in large part by people who have never touched an oar. On this episode we talk with John Steventon, a gold medal and world record holding indoor rower who made his way into the sport by way of squash and cycling. He started to make rowing workout videos while rehabbing from an injury during the pandemic lockdown, and today John’s RowAlong YouTube channel boasts nearly 17,000 subscribers and provides hundreds of indoor rowing workouts.
We had a long chat with John and most of it was too good to chop, so we hope you enjoy this extended episode, full of story telling and curiosity.
John explains: "I wanna’ be the rowing buddy talking rubbish to them while they're rowing. And of course I talk technique, but there doesn't need to be another Shane [Farmer of Dark Horse] or another Training Tall because they're really good at what they do. What I found is there was a tiny niche for some idiot Scotsman to fill and I filled it perfectly."
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro
02:27 - Welcome, regatta t-shirts
07:45 - It’s a 10 out of 10 rowing week for John, who’s back on a “proper training for rowing program” after spending 8 months training for Hyrox
11:27 - Falling in and out of love with rowing; the lines between exercising, putting in effort, and performance training; and finding reasons to row
14:24 - Rapid Fire Q&A
15:13 - John tells a spirited tale of his transition from squash player, to cyclist, to indoor rowing enthusiast
23:42 - First impressions of the indoor rowing scene as someone without on-water experience
26:45 - Finding community with other indoor rowers; how COVID lockdown changed perspective on training on the erg; the recent implosion of indoor competitions in the UK; and the rise of a new class of indoor rowing machines
36:44 - How a kitchen knife accident helped John focus the development of RowAlong, find his niche, and help people have fun and get a good workout
45:28 - After creating 400 videos: a wide variety of content, packaging, green screen use, a vivid imagination, and “talking rubbish” are key
50:22 - Why John is evangelical about the rowing machine
55:50 - John admits he’s never rowed on the water, and we try to convince him to learn to sweep
58:17 - A RowAlong fan calls in to say thanks, and John comes to terms with being recognized as “RowAlong John” in public.
1:01:34 - A non-rower and jiu jitsu practitioner calls in to ask about optimal 60-minute pacing
1:08:10 The psychology of chasing and being chased while racing
1:14:45 - Looking ahead: John’s planning to make a big come back when he hits 50, using micro and macro goals
1:22:55 - bonus outtake
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To see photos of John, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode is made possible in part by Breakwater Realty Group, Concept2, Live2Row, and our Patrons.
Donna Pili is a San Diego native whose childhood desire to play sports was restrained by the need to help her immigrant Filipino parents. She remembers watching rowing on TV during the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, but it wasn’t until nearly 30 years later, in an effort to retake control of her life, that she committed to learn to row. Since then, Donna’s found community at ZLAC and San Diego Rowing Club, and has traveled the world as a member of Endeavor Racing Alliance.
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Categories: culture, training
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QUICK LOOK00:00 - Intro
02:10 - Rachel met Donna at SteeringUWright camp in Tempe; Lesleh Wright was Donna’s first coach at ZLAC
04:12 - Getting into a pair with a new partner, wet launches, and sharing the water with non-rowers
09:23 - Rapid Fire Q&A
10:55 - Watching the ‘84 Olympic rowing, not having time for sports as a kid, and committing to learning to row as an adult
17:20 - Opening a restaurant to honor her Dad
19:45 - Getting involved with Chinook Performance Racing and Endeavor Racing Alliance
24:19 - Coaches Lesleh Wright and Lindsay Dare Shoop give us the scoop on Donna
26:30 - Raising the bar for masters, and creating supportive environments for masters women
32:18 - Local, national, and international racing plans for 2023; being open to learning in any environment, in any boat, with rowers of all experience levels
36:43 - Considering the possibility of a perfect stroke
40:55 - Finding Karaoke in London between practices for Henley
47:59 - After the show …
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To see photos of Donna, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode is made possible in part by Breakwater Realty Group, Concept2, Live2Row, and our Patrons.
On today’s show we’re talking with Corin Wiggins. You might remember that we interviewed her back in 2021 for our "next generation of coxswains" episode. At the time, 17 year old Corin was a member of the Atlanta Junior Rowing Association and already had four years of coxing experience. But what really caught our attention was her Instagram account - @TheBlackCoxswain - which she began in an effort to connect athletes of color in the rowing community. Two years later, she’s a recruited member of Hobart College men's crew, and has forged a community of thousands online and on the water, while finding her own coxing voice.
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CATEGORIES: Coxing, Culture
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QUICK LOOK:
00:00 - Intro
02:00 - Southern transplants to NY
05:55 - Learning coxing skills and confidence from coaches at AJRA, and developing the trust of her athletes
09:45 - Rapid Fire Q&A
14:15 - Getting on the water in winter
15:30 - From thinking of quitting to getting addicted to the multi-tasking challenge of coxing
17:55 - HS senior season in the 2V and transition to first year at Hobart College
20:44 - Winter training camp in FL, learning about practice management, and mentoring novice coxswains
26:15 - History of rowing at Hobart College goes back to 1860; alumni visit the crew
31:10 - Establishing @TheBlackCoxswain IG account, growing a community of thousands, and open the door for networking and recruiting opportunities
37:12 - The importance of mentors
40:47 - Corin’s idea of the perfect stroke begins and ends with rhythm
42:37 - This one time, at ODP HP camp: when everything went right
49:39 - bonus outtake
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To see photos of Corin, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode is made possible in part by Breakwater Realty Group, Concept2, Live2Row, and our Patrons.
A former D1 volleyball player with an M.S. in Sports Administration, Jess Jackson joined USRowing in 2022 as a DEI associate. She hasn't learned to row (yet), but swears by Orange Theory workouts which incorporate indoor rowing. She's honest about her first impressions of rowing as exclusive and white, proud of the steps USRowing is taking around diversity and equity, and hopeful that today's juniors are leading the way in inspiring change for the future of rowing.
We also talk in depth about USRowing’s RowCon2023, which is scheduled to take place two weeks after this episode launches.
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CATEGORIES: Coaching, Culture
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QUICK LOOK:
00:00 - Intro
02:00 - HOCR experience and thoughts on sync in the boat
03:45 - On a scale of 1-10, this week was an 8: travel, Orange Theory
05:14 - Growing up playing a variety of sports
08:00 - Title IX influence on all of us
11:15 - First impressions of rowing: exclusive and white
14:15 - Takeaways from HOCR
17:05 - Code switching, the challenges of overcoming the sport’s exclusive past, and today’s juniors leading the DEI charge
22:46 - Defining diversity, equity, and inclusion
25:08 - The DEI team at USRowing
28:08 - About the TruClusion survey developed to help USRowing formulate its strategic plan
30:40 - RowCon2023's wide variety of content, all with an inclusion lens
37:52 - How RowCon2023 attendees can take ownership of the event and network successfully
46:23 - bonus outtake
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To see photos of Jess, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode is made possible in part by Breakwater Realty Group, Concept2, Live2Row, and our Patrons.
Seattle has the Pococks. Philadelphia has the Kellys. And Boston has the Stones. We’re really excited to kick off season 4 with mother/daughter Olympians Lisa and Gevvie Stone. Lisa was a member of the first U.S. women’s Olympic rowing team in 1976. She married Gregg Stone (an Olympian and original founder of C.R.A.S.H.-B.s), and went on to a 42-year coaching career at the helm of collegiate and high school programs.
Gevvie was raised in a competitive environment, and was a natural when she took up rowing in high school coached by her mom. She won Youth Nationals her first year on the team and went on to row at Princeton. Gevvie was a member of the 2012, 2016 and 2021 U.S. Olympic teams – all while in medical school, and then as an emergency medicine resident.
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CATEGORIES: coaching, training, racing
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TIME STAMPS00:00 - Welcome
02:42 - Tara and Rachel talk about why they’re excited to talk with Lisa and Gevvie
05:00 - What's going on their rowing week
06:45 - Rapid Fire Q&A
11:25 - Lisa’s quick turn from LTR to National Team
16:45 - Gevvie was a natural, winning youth nats her first spring season
20:52 - Gevvie and her siblings were raised to be active and competitive - but not necessarily to be rowers
25:45 - The perfect stroke: is it even possible? There’s always “faster” out there
32:01 - Lisa reflects on being part of the first women’s Olympic squad, doped vs undoped, incremental progress for women in sport
37:47 - Gregg Stone: Rude and Smooth Harvard crew, C.R.A.S.H.-B.s
42:00 - The family dog interrupts and Gevvie ends up telling a story about racing boat slings
43:19 - Leaving a family legacy of joy in rowing in Boston
49:45 - Advice from Gevvie’s coaches
51:25 - Lisa reflects on her coaching legacy
53:32 - Looking ahead to 2023
58:00 - bonus outtake
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To see photos of Lisa and Gevvie, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode is made possible in part by the Breakwater Realty Group, Concept2, and our Patrons.
If you were at the Head of the Charles in 2022 and stuck around Boston through Sunday afternoon, you might have caught a glimpse of a Community Rowing, Inc. crew with a combined 720 years of rowing experience. Coach Catherine Saarela put together what she calls her dream team – an Octogenarian 8. In this episode we’re talking with Coach Saarela, 86-year-old coxswain Bill Becklean, and 83-year-old rowers Lee Warren and Alan McClennan. They shared insights on lifelong fitness, being relentlessly active, and those moments you can only find after shoving off the dock.
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CATEGORIES: Coaching, Coxing, Culture, Training
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TIME STAMPS00:00 - Intro and welcome04:45 - Rowing week: coaching, sculling, and begrudgingly getting on the erg09:54 - Rapid Fire Q&A16:47 - Learning to row at any age23:55 - Rowing stroke styles, sculling vs. sweep, and caring for your body long term32:35 - Coach Saarela’s idea for an Octo 8 at HOCR35:15 - Coxing, being coxed, and finding swing on the Charles43:25 - Thoughts on rowing as a lifelong sport, the elusive perfect stroke, and why getting out of bed and into a boat each morning is worth it50:23 - Rowing and aging: what’s necessary for continuing to row as long as possible54:15 - What rowing can teach us about: time management, body awareness, seeking perfection, and accepting imperfection
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To see photos of Community Rowing Inc.’s Octogenarian 8, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode is made possible in part by the Breakwater Realty Group, Concept2, Lake Washington Rowing Club, and our Patrons.
When she learned to row in the late 1970s, Liz Winter was excited to have a place be “unladylike.” She fell in love with putting power behind the oar and moving boats fast. After landing in Pittsburgh in the ‘80s, Liz was involved in developing Three River Rowing Association, focusing on creating community. Now retired, she’s combined her experience as a lawyer, social worker, coach, and educator, with a USRowing Level 3 High Performance Coaching Certification. We talk with her about coaching education, trauma-informed coaching, and building trust.
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CATEGORIES: Coach, Train
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TIME STAMPS
00:00 - Intro
04:10 - Rowing week: Winter training means a transition to the erg and resisting the urge to peek at your teammates monitors
11:09 - Rapid Fire Q&A
13:10 - Learning to row at Oxford in the mid-1970s: freedom to be “unladylike” and altering men’s heavyweight equipment for women
16:44 - Seeing a shift in perspective about women’s rowing beginning in the 1980s
20:15 - Leaving a career in London, traveling around the world, discovering Pittsburgh's rivers, and a deep involvement with developing TRRA with a community-first focus
25:38 - Law + social work + coaching education = integrated formula for ”do no harm.” For coaches to earn the trust of their athletes they have to be consistent, have integrity, and be transparent.
31:30 - Trauma-informed, allowing rowers time to learn, and “outside in” coaching
39:00 - USRowing Level 3 High Performance Coaching Certification: every rower, at every level, deserves a high performance coach
42:44 - Team Based Learning approach
46:00 - Coaching rowers with anxiety: start with small, incremental challenges
54:00 - Passion project: Partnering with the Puerto Rico Rowing Federation to establish a coastal rowing program
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To see photos of Liz, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes at www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast/s3ep25-liz-winter
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This episode is made possible in part by the Breakwater Realty Group, Concept2, Lake Washington Rowing Club, and our Patrons.
Isaiah Harrison is a huge talent in the next generation of American single scullers. Born and raised in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, he started erging – and setting indoor records in 2016, when he was just 12. Today, this 6’9” 19-year-old currently holds 35 indoor rowing world records across multiple age groups. Isaiah made the transition from the erg to a single, coached by his Dad, and quickly started racking up medals. Independent of a school program or community club, Isaiah climbed the ladder to the Junior National team and now the U23 National team. He was just named the 2022 USRowing Under 23 National Team Male Athlete of the Year and has his sights set on Paris 2024.
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Categories: racing, training
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TIME STAMPS 00:00 - Podcast intro 02:07 - Before the Show: Rachel and Tara chat about Isaiah 07:05 - USRowing Golden Oars 08:58 - Isaiah’s rowing week is a 6/7 on a scale of 1- to 10: High volume intensity work with a goal of breaking the overall men’s world indoor 1k record 12:14 - First taste of in-person competition: Northwest Ergomania 11:08 - Rowing all the distances, and the body knowing how to respond 16:48 - Rapid Fire Q&A 22:30 - How Arnold Schwarzenegger motivated 12-year-old Isaiah to get on the erg 24:48 - Transition from indoor rowing to sculling and his pursuit of excellence from a young age 29:28 - How growing up in a large family translates to team boat rowing 31:44 - Isaiah’s and his Dad dove into rowing theory and mechanics to create a blueprint outside the box of standard scholastic rowing programs 36:20 - Advice for young rowers: set your own goals 41:05 - All in the family - a team effort 43:20 - Rowing up a category at HOCR in the Men’s Champ 1x 48:35 - Isaiah describes the perfect stroke
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To see photos of Isaiah, and get links to the people and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes at www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast/s3ep24-isaiah-harrison
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This episode is made possible in part by the Breakwater Realty Group, Concept2, Lake Washington Rowing Club, and our Patrons.
Allison Mueller is many things including: a highly competitive masters rower. A successful business owner. Former communications director for USRowing. Associate Faculty at Columbia University School of Professional Studies. We’ve followed her career trajectory for years, and her most recent marketing campaign has really got us enamored: Allison announced that she and her husband are expecting a baby early in the new year. She wrapped up the 2022 season having rowed seven regattas and 15 races, 14 of them with her +1. Categories: business, coaching, coxing, gear
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TIME STAMPS 00:00 - Podcast intro 02:07 - Episode lead-in 03:50 - A HOCR unlike any before: five months pregnant 09:10 - Camaraderie of team boats in the Basin at the Charles 11:04 - Rapid Fire Q&A 13:10 - Wrapping up 2022 at Head of the Schuylkill and contemplating modifications for winter erging 15:15 - When your spouse doesn’t row … talking about things besides rowing 18:20 - Life-changer: getting recruited to row at the University of Iowa 25:00 - Moving to Princeton, NJ to work at USRowing, and a debate about Carnegie Lake 26:55 - Venue media manager at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics 30:05 - Witnessing raw Olympic elation and defeat up close 33:20 - What’s ahead? Cheering on friends from the shore 35:28 - Coming up next on Steady State Podcast: Isaiah Harrison
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To see photos of Allison, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes at www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast/s3ep23-allison-mueller . This episode is made possible in part by the Breakwater Realty Group, Concept2, Lake Washington Rowing Club, and our Patrons.
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This episode was written, produced, hosted, and edited by Tara Morgan and Rachel Freedman. Tara provides additional audio engineering, and Rachel manages the website and social media. Our theme music is by the Free Harmonic Orchestra.
Before he was the Director of Marketing for King Racing, 13-year-old Brent Keuch was watching TV when rowing came on the screen. That was when he knew he wanted to learn to row. Looking for direction, Brent found a boarding school 120 miles from home where he could study and row. Later, rowing helped him land his first job, and introduced him to the woman who would become his wife. He’s coached juniors and masters. Today his personal and professional philosophy is all about getting more people in boats and sharing the life lessons that this sport holds.
Categories: Business, coaching, coxing, gear
TIME STAMPS 00:00 - Intro 02:49 - King Racing preps for off the charts HOCR boat rentals; why boat rental at regattas became commonplace 07:25 - Stories of coxswains gone bad 11:40 - Rapid Fire Q&A 14:52 - Brent’s return to the erg to remedy “Dad Bod” 16:35 - Shipping off to boarding school at 13 to row 17:59 - Rachel & Brent compare experiences coaching in D.C. 21:00 - First season rowing, learning to row in small boats, teamwork in big boats 29:40 - Chinook and Endeavor: clubs of ”nowhere and everywhere” 32:03 - Coaching masters women at Rock Creek Rowing 35:10 - What rowing has meant to Brent, and pitching the sport to parents and adults 39:38 - Rowing’s life lessons for juniors 47:00 - Partnerships and collaborations: Rowing Blazers, Stem to Stern, Detroit Boat Club 55:20 - History and legends: UW, Husky Open, Windermere, and building replica hulls for the Boys in the Boat movie.
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To see photos of Brent, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes at www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast/s3ep22-brent-keuch
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This episode was written, produced, hosted, and edited by Tara Morgan and Rachel Freedman. Tara provides additional audio engineering, and Rachel manages our website and social media. Our theme music is by the Free Harmonic Orchestra.
In [S3] Ep20 we interviewed New Zealand Olympic gold medalist Eric Murray, known for dominating in the men’s pair with partner Hamish Bond. The wide-ranging conversation covered his terrible novice season, impressive U17 erg splits, World Championship and Olympic training and racing, and a lot more. So much more we couldn't get it all into one episode.
In this 15-minute bonus episode, Eric tells us about racing in the 2014 World Championships when Hamish dipped his hand in the water at 38spm, and the preparation necessary to have the confidence to pull that off.
He also shares a story about an Amsterdam World Cup race nearly sidetracked by an errant water bottle; hydration and chronic sweating; and dialing in heavy pre-race warmups on land.
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Just a heads up: Eric does swear a bit in this episode ...
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This bonus episode is made possible in part by the Breakwater Realty Group, Concept2, Lake Washington Rowing Club, and our Patrons.
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www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast
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Steady State Podcast is a production of Steady State Network.
This episode was written, produced, and edited by Tara Morgan and Rachel Freedman. Rachel also manages our website and social media.
Our theme music is by the Free Harmonic Orchestra.
When Sophie Brown wanted to learn to row a coach asked her, "why would you do this if you're disabled." Her reply was "why not?" More than a decade later, a drive to find the perfect stroke has brought her two Henley wins. She'll be checking off a bucket list item when she crosses the pond to race a para mixed double at the 2022 Head of the Charles.
We first met Sophie when she began working out with us during our virtual Steady State Sunday erg workouts. She's been a lively and spirited fan of the erg work and our podcast, and this was our opportunity to talk with her about adaptive rowing, racing, and awareness.
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To see photos of Sophie Brown, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode is made possible in part by the Breakwater Realty Group, Concept2, Lake Washington Rowing Club, and our Patrons.
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Steady State Podcast is a production of Steady State Network.
This episode was written, produced, and edited by Tara Morgan and Rachel Freedman. Rachel also manages our website and social media.
Our theme music is by the Free Harmonic Orchestra.
New Zealand Olympic gold medalist Eric Murray is known for dominating in the men’s pair with partner Hamish Bond. We know. You might be saying: “An Olympian? I thought you were all about celebrating the everyday rower!” We are. And we always will be. But we have to admit that when Eric reached out and asked to be on the podcast, we had a total fan moment. There was no doubt we’d invite him for a chat.
From humble beginnings as an awkward teenage athlete, Eric quickly discovered that being 6’5” translated into impressive erg splits. Coaches noticed too, and he soon found himself on the podium at U16 and U17 events. From there, it was a one way ticket to the national team, World Rowing Championships, and the Olympics. Between 2007 and 2015, a commitment to be the very best brought Eric four indoor rowing world records, eight World Rowing Championships, and two Olympic gold medals.
Retired from flat water rowing since 2017, Eric is keeping himself very busy working with Concept2, the Asensei rowing app, and is a member of the World Rowing Indoor Rowing Commission. And if that wasn’t enough, he recently took a turn as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars.
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Just a heads up: Eric does swear a bit in this episode ...
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To see photos of Eric Murray, and to get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode is made possible in part by the Breakwater Realty Group, Concept2, Lake Washington Rowing Club, and our Patrons.
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Steady State Podcast is a production of Steady State Network.
This episode was written, produced, and edited by Tara Morgan and Rachel Freedman. Rachel also manages our website and social media.
Our theme music is by the Free Harmonic Orchestra.
Like many women who grew up before Title IX, Kathy Frederick spent her young life studying ballet. When, at 42, she learned to row it felt like dancing with partners and she was immediately hooked. Just a few years later in 1993, the loss of a dear friend to breast cancer prompted Kathy to host a fundraising event on Portland, Oregon’s Willamette River. From those modest beginnings Row for the Cure was born, with regattas now hosted across the country in support of breast cancer care, support, and research.
Kathy opens up about:
- finding her competitive drive
- rowing with her husband, her “permanent mixed double partner”
- becoming a rower with a mission
- Advice for first-time regatta planners
To see photos of Kathy Frederick, and to get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
Steady State Podcast is a production of Steady State Network.
This episode was written, produced, and edited by Tara Morgan and Rachel Freedman. Rachel also manages our website and social media.
Our theme music is by the Free Harmonic Orchestra.
Concept2 oars and indoor rowing machines are nearly synonymous with rowing. But did you know that it all started in the early 1970s with brothers Pete and Dick Dreissigacker? They were just a couple of grad students messing around with carbon fiber and fiberglass in a kitchen hoping to develop a better oar - their “secret weapon” for finding more speed on the water.
And to keep training through cold winters in Vermont? Nail an old bike to the floor and pull on the free end of a chain. Voila! The mass market indoor rower was born.
Pete and Dick open up about:
- getting hooked on rowing
- how Title IX expanded the demand for oars
- being champions of rowing in the 1980s fitness market
- hoping to get it all together by the time you reach the HOCR start line.
GUESTS Dick Dreissigacker Pete Dreissigacker www.concept2.com
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TIME STAMPS [00:00] Episode lead-in [03:04] Rapid Fire Q&A [08:20] In preparing for another run at HOCR (which they’ve done every year since 1979) working on disappearing into the row, and sharing memories about their coxswains [15:28] Dick left football for rowing, and persuaded Pete – a discuss thrower – to get in a 1x [19:00] Getting hooked on teamwork and getting it all right [25:06] Starting to experiment with making composite oars [30:38] Oars: early prototypes, manufacturing, and what made them unique [33:55] Tackling innovations: split handles, big blade controversy of 1992 [39:29] Growing a business, hiring staff, driving innovation [44:05] Success of C2 oars around the world [46:55] Listener question: Who has a faster 5k? [48:10] Listener question: How does the monitor calculate its data? [51:10] The Model A origin story, and what the indoor rowing market looked like in the early 1980s [55:00] Best screen display for learn to row students [56:50] The impact of COVID on Concept2 production and staff, and the explosion of indoor rowing around the world [1:00:30] What expectations Dick and Pete had for the business [1:04:11] Favorite coxing commands
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This episode was made possible in part by our Patrons, Concept2, and Lake Washington Rowing Club. Subscribe on your favorite podcast app.
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EPISODE MENTIONS
CAMPS Craftsbury
CLUBS Lake Washington Rowing Club Vesper Boat Club
COACHES Albin Moser
EQUIPMENT Gamut SpeedBoss (Bart Gullong)
EVENTS C.R.A.S.H.-B.s Erg Sprints Head of the Charles
RESOURCES Science of Rowing
ROWERS Meredith Breiland Larry Gluckman Judy Geer Susan Kinne
UNIVERSITY PROGRAMS Brown University Dartmouth College Trinity College Stanford University
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To see photos of Pete, Dick, early oars and ergs, and to get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
This is a wide-ranging, roundtable chat with East Bay Rowing Club President Denise Martini, DEI Committee co-chair Carla Jourdan, and Erin Cafaro, two-time Olympic gold medalist and new Head Coach of Oakland Tech Men’s Varsity program.
Founded as a women's team, EBRC is growing to meet the needs of its Oakland, California community. Through recruitment, scholastic programming, and intentional DEI outreach, the boathouse looks different than even just a year ago. And EBRC is proud of that change.
Just some of what you'll hear:
• When landmarks go missing!
• Growing a rowing club to meet the needs of – and look like – the community
• Beyond standard certs for coaching education
• Boycotting USRowing Masters Nationals and hosting Boats Without Barriers regatta as an alternative
TIME STAMPS [00:00] Episode lead-in
[02:37] Intro and welcome EBRC
[08:20] Rowing Week - Carla, Denise 20k Tour of the Estuary; Erin back on the water (in a launch!)
[11:45] Six degrees of Coach Sarah Nevin
[12:30] Rapid Fire Q&A
[22:49] About EBRC: founding mothers, added Jrs team, working on adding men, LTR, novice, mixed masters, comp. The “home of community rowing” - DEI initiative
[29:13] Recipe for success … providing an opportunity, barriers to entry
[32:35] Creating a welcoming and inclusive boathouse is an ongoing work in progress
[37:35] DEI committee, STEM to Stern, Arshay Cooper
[40:51] Additional outreach to the community, getting in front of Oakland Unified Schools ADs to introduce kids to rowing
[42:51] Coaches can meet people where they’re at, Positive Coaching Alliance as a resource for athletes, coaches, and parents
[47:55] Masters Nationals boycott and EBRC’s decision to host Boats Without Barriers regatta
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To see photos of East Bay of Rowing Club, and get links to the people, clubs, end events mentioned in this episode, visit www.steadystatepodcast.com
This episode revisits a conversation with Tom Rooks, the Director of Rowing at Williamsburg Boat Club, in Williamsburg, VA. When we talked with him back in 2021, we loved how authentic he was. From his "fun first" mantra to how he prepares his juniors athletes to be better humans beyond the boathouse. Tom was one of our favorite guests - sharing his philosophies about saving lives, being well-rounded, and finding your calling.
Since then, Tom’s been hired by USRowing as its Health and Well-Being Associate. This title doesn’t do justice to the work he’s doing there, ensuring that our NGB, local clubs, and regattas have procedures in place to keep athletes, coaches, officials, and volunteers safe - from PFDs to hydration tablets, safety education, and emergency plans.
This remix includes a new intro, with banter between hosts Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan about Tom, safety, and USRowing Masters Nationals in Sarasota, FL.
TIME STAMPS
0:00 - Lead-in
03:55 - Intro
09:29 - Rowing week
10:35 - Team culture and coaching philosophy; and rowing origin story
19:50 - Rowing is all in the family, the importance of a well-rounded life
28:00 - Quintessential Tom and wearing your heart on your sleeve
34:10 - Mentoring new coaches
38:35 - What you’re capable of today, vulnerability, resiliency
41:25 - How COVID taught WBC kids their “why”
44:10 - Taking his competitive drive to Disc Golf
47:45 - Choosing to row and having dominion over it
50:20 - Handling anxiety and expectations by visualizing “rear view” moments
55:50 - Memorable lessons from Tom’s high school rowing coach
58:50 - How rowing helped Tom and his wife make it through physical challenges
1:01:18 - Risk management, safety plan development, mishap analysis
1:08:08- Rapid Fire Q&A
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To see photos of Tom, and get links to the people, clubs, end events mentioned in this episode, visit www.steadystatepodcast.com
From walk-on at the University of Pennsylvania to gold in the LM2x at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Jasper Liu is an elite-level lightweight rower who’s worked hard on and of the water to learn about all aspects of our sport.
As a U.S. Senior National Team member, Jasper and his LTWX doubles partner Zack Heese will represent the U.S. at the World Rowing Championships this September in Prague, with a focus on Paris 2024.
Jasper also founded www.rowingdojo.com to share the most useful information that he’s picked up from some of the best coaches in the country.
TIME STAMPS 00:00 Intro 02:40 Rapid Fire Q&A 04:09 Freshman walk-on at UPenn and lessons learned as a novice 09:22 Paying it forward through Rowing Dojo 12:04 Volunteer involvement with Philadelphia City Rowing receiving the 2020 PCR Champion Award 14:25 Establishing TRC High Performance at Texas Rowing Center 18:20 The Perfect Stroke 20:04 The #1 thing Jasper sees rowers do wrong 21:58 Working on body prep and the front end, from LTR to high performance, on the erg and in the boat 28:10 Advice for the masses: What makes a great doubles partner? 29:52 Typical training week 30:25 The analytical engineer’s brain and rowing 33:34 Up Next: World Championship in Prague 35:15 Morning routine: coffee, PB&J, crossword puzzles 36:15 Debrief: Rachel & Tara deep dive into coaching and taking time to work on one element of the stroke
To see photos of Jasper and links to the people, events, and clubs mentioned in the episode, visit www.steadystatenetwork.com
It’s July, which means summer, which means vacations. And we’re taking one. Or, at least, a break. This special bonus episode was recorded live in May at Deer Apple Farm on Vashon Island, WA.
After a long day – and a couple of local hard ciders – we started swapping rowing stories. So of course, we recorded it. We hope you have fun listening!
Do you have any equipment breakage or river traffic snafu stories? Click here to tell us.
TIME STAMPS
00:00 - Introduction 01:00 - 14-year-old Tara ran a 2- up onto the shore 03:45 - Breaking a brand new 8+ during an LTR day 10:07 - Dealing with kayakers, outriggers, paddle boarders, pleasure boats, and float planes 18:30 - Archives, Patreon, Coffee Chat
To see photos and get links to the people, places, and events mentioned in this episode, visit www.steadystatepodcast.com
From Fairmount Park rowing camp as a teenager, to team captain at La Salle University, to coach at BLJ Community Rowing – you could definitely call Marqus Brown a Philly guy through and through. But the chance to coach for the prestigious University of Washington Huskies recently took Marqus out to Seattle, where he’s digging into the details to help his motivated crews move boats even faster.
In 2021, Marqus was the stroke of an all Black Men’s 4x, the first ever to row at a USRowing Masters National Championship. We’ve talked with the other members of that lineup, and hope you’ll listen to those episodes, too: Napoleon Griffin, Maurice Scott, and Brook Yimer.
TIME STAMPS 00:00 - Welcome and Introduction 01:54 - Rapid Fire Q&A 04:50 - The perfect stroke 7:55 - Rowing week: Lots of great coaching with the guys at PAC10s and determining IRA boats. 10:00 - Learning to row at Fairmount Park Rowing Camp as a high school freshman, and getting hooked 15:00 - History and tradition in Philly and Seattle 18:30 - What kind of legacy would he like to leave at UW? 22:00 - The road to UW 26:15 - As a coach, the learning never ends 28:00 - UW's adaptable style; developing a sharper coaching eye 31:35 - Being stroke of an all black Mens 4x at 2021 Masters Nationals 36:20 - UW crew: from IRA winners to walk-ons 38:20 - Thoughts on diversity in the sport and being an influential coach 41:55 - Where will he go from here? 45:55 - Motivating rowers to work hard: keep it simple and safe, with a little push
This episode was made possible in part by our Patrons and Concept2. Subscribe on your favorite podcast app.
To see photos of Marqus Brown, and to get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website, steadystatenetwork.com
We are really interested in backstories – the experiences on and off the water that make people the rowers, coaches, and coxswains they are today. And when it comes to rowing programs and initiatives, we’re curious about who’s behind the scenes creating opportunities for their communities.
With that in mind, we took a trip to the George Pocock Rowing Center in Seattle to talk with Zoe Vais, the organization’s Middle School Programs Specialist. She’s also a coach for GPRF’s Camp Lucy – a free learn-to-row camp for girls, inclusive of non-binary, trans, and gender non-conforming youth. From being a walk-on at the University of Washington, to leaving a mark on Seattle rowing, Zoe offers a thoughtful look at slowly falling in love with the sport and the important role coaches play in young rowers’ lives.
GUEST Zoe Vais zoe@pocockfoundation.org @coach_zoe / @thepocockfdn
TIME STAMPS
0:00 Welcome 2:00 Introduction to George Pocock Rowing Foundation and Pocock Racing Center 2:55 - Rapid Fire Q&A 7:53 - Being a walk-on at UW when you don't know anything about rowing or UW's place in rowing history 14:45 - Falling in love with rowing… slowly 19:00 - Coach Bob Ernst inspired Zoe to follow a path to coaching, starting with an internship at UW 26:00 - Coach Across America / Up2Us AmericaCorps 28:30 - Making practice a loving and encouraging place for HS girls and keeping it competitive 31:39 - Camp Lucy: fun, hard work, empowerment, curiosit 39:45 - Partnering with non-profits and schools to bring kids to camp 41:30 - How to know that Camp Lucy is a success? 48:50 - Girls carrying “the load” on inclusion; "Camp Stan;" and kids leading the conversation
To see photos of Zoe, along with links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in the episode, check out the show notes on our website.
This episode was made possible in part by our Patrons and the support of Concept2.
When Susan Kinne cracked the bottom of a wooden hull, she never could have guessed that nearly 25 years later she’d be a master craftsman handling boat repairs of all sizes at Lake Washington Rowing Club. Just north of 70 years old, Susan sets pitch, patches damaged hulls, and builds Frankenstein boats. She is a powerhouse with tools and in a scull, and is a well of information about Pocock Racing Shells.
TIME STAMPS 00:00 - Intro and welcome 02:15 - On a scale of 0-10, Susan’s rowing week was a … 5 04:00 - Rapid Fire Q&A 7:00 - Learning to row in her 40s with Martha’s Moms after a life of mountaineering and skiing; Learning to scull with Coach Frank Cunningham 13:09 - Cold hands, blacking out, and winning Gold on the Charles 21:20 - Salvaging boats at LWRC began with Frank Cunningham 26:05 - “Frankenstein” boats Susan would like to build: 3x and 6+ 31:00 - Susan got involved with boat maintenance after a foot stretcher accident in a wooden boat 34:00 - Most common repair, and irritating repairs that could be avoided 36:35 - Rowers should become acquainted with mechanics of the boat 38:18 - Rowing as a bond with the tribe, competition, and a meditative experience
To see photos of Susan, along with links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in the episode, check out the show notes on our website.
This episode was made possible in part by our Patrons and the support of Concept2.
Rock City Rowing members will tell you that Arkansas is sorely underrated. Located on a beautiful stretch of water in Little Rock, RCR is home to one of just two boathouses in the entire state offering programs for masters and juniors. RCR Head Coach Ted Riedeburg and three masters rowers tell us about bringing rowing back to Little Rock after a long hiatus, and how rowing changed their lives.
GUESTS Ted Riedeburg, Head Coach Leslie Cain, novice masters rower Anne McCormick, masters rower Julia Watkins, masters rower
TIME STAMPS 00:00 Introduction 01:45 Rapid Fire Q&A 03:58 Rowing Week on a scale of 1-10 04:50 Get to know Ted, Julia, Anne, Leslie 12:13 Rowing in Little Rock is beautiful and underrated 14:00 RCR is one of just two clubs in Arkansas offering juniors and masters 16:24 Developing a club by educating the community about rowing 18:20 Who’s rowing at RCR and what makes it special? 20:35 Leslie, a novice, gives her pitch about why people should row 25:00 Anne’s hard worked paid off at Nationals 2021; and the club looks ahead to racing in 2022 32:21 RCR has big ideas for a potential new multi-purpose boathouse to help connect with the community 38:13 RCR seeks to host more juniors events on the Little Maumel River
To see photos of Rock City Rowing, along with links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
This episode was made possible in part by our Patrons and Concept2.
Isaac Kenyon just set his third ultra-distance world record on the Concept2 indoor rower. This follows on the heels of other huge achievements, like rowing the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, and swimming the English Channel. We dive into the philosophy and motivation that helped him break free of the lure of screen time, and the coping mechanisms necessary to take on audacious challenges. Through it all, Isaac's advocated for the environment and Autism awareness.
TIME STAMPS
00:00 - Introduction
01:53 - Rapid Fire Q&A
04:04 - Rowing Week: Scale of 0-10
04:54 - World record for C2 tandem longest continual row (2 person) Male 20-29 LTWT to raise awareness of Autism
06:40 - Tandem partner Jordan Williams: From novice to world record holder in 5 months. Training, self-care, technique triggers
11:24 - Finding motivation, getting out of dark places, the importance of a support network, coping mechanisms
17:44 - An invitation to row the Atlantic was Isaac's introduction to rowing
22:25 - The tipping point from “outdoorsy guy” to seeking audacious challenges, exploring, and honing new skills
24:35 - The way into adventuring: start small
26:55 - 2018 Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge: training, nutrition and communications, losing sight of shore, and swimming with whales
36:55 - 2019 Ted Talk: Seeking a balance between outdoor time and screen time; how the Atlantic row changed his relationship with technology
39:45 - Regulating brain chemicals, substituting outdoor time for technology
45:24 - Being a part of the first digital generation, FOMO, and never seeing people again
50:50 - Up next: Setting a speed record for swimming the 7 biggest seas in one year
53:25 - Flying the flag for the outdoor time in exchange for screen time
58:15 - Letterboxing
See the full show notes at www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast
Brook Yimer started coaching as a volunteer in high school. Just six years later he's the program coordinator for STEM to Stern. He’s also Senior Assistant Coach and Youth Lead Coach for Athletes Without Limits, and Assistant Coach at Wakefield High School.
Brook honed his leadership skills as a high school and collegiate rower, which today is clearly represented by his advocacy for – and involvement in – community service.
"I don’t think you have to be part of [a specific] community to do good in that community. I just think it’s everyone’s responsibility to make sure the community is good.” - Coach Brook Yimer
TIME STAMPS 00:00 - Introduction 03:40 - Rapid Fire Q&A 04:50 - Rowing Week 1-10: AWL, Serve Your City, life skills, college scholarship aspirations 10:56 - When high school program dues were too much for his family, a scholarship helped him get on the water 16:00 - Supportive coaches, rowing tanks, and a new boathouse at Washington College 21:35 - High school volunteer coaching with AWL and Serve Your City Youth Program, and new coach lightbulb moments 27:35 - How do you know you’re a good coach? 31:00 - Community service and leadership 33:30 - Has the needle moved on DEI? 35:35 - Athletes Without Limits is an example of all-around inclusion: racial, financial, veterans, adaptive youth and masters 39:27 - STEM to Stern
The aches of a teenage growth-spurt, years of collegiate and high performance training and racing, and injuries sustained in an accident, all inform Lisa Lowe’s personal and professional attitudes and opinions about self-care.
Now a PR3 rower and physical therapist in Boston, Lisa’s goal is to cultivate a culture within rowing where we support each other without breaking each other.
GUESTS Lisa Lowe, DPT www.powerhousephysio.com
IG: @lisalowe.dpt
Ask most any rower about the perfect rowing conditions and they’ll wax poetic about glassy calm water and zero wind, when a blade can quietly drop into the water at the catch, release clean, and the boat glides across the surface undisturbed.
But ask a coastal rower about great conditions and the answer will be completely different. It’ll involve navigating waves, executing turns around buoys, and end with a sprinting dive to the finish line on the beach.
We invited John Huppi, Kats Siemens, and Will Kuckro from New Orleans Rowing Club to tell us about The Big Easy – a city with a rowing history that stretches back nearly 200 years – and their vision for the future of coastal rowing in the Gulf South.
TIME STAMPS
00:00 - Intro and welcome
02:30 - Rapid Fire
04:22 - Mardi Gras is more important than rowing
07:42 - Recruit by looking outside standard flat water pipeline/training/racing
11:40 - How Will and Kate as “coastal outsiders” are contributing to NORC’s success
12:30 - With fewer flat water LTWT opportunities, smaller rowers are finding success in coastal
13:45 - How is coastal different?
16:55 - On-water problem solving and the importance of finesse
21:24 - The thrill of mixed boats and beach sprints
21:24 - The time John was a boat handler for Norwegian Olympians
28:44 - Throw “the perfect stroke” out the window, prepare for chaos
31:30 - What makes a great coastal rowing venue?
34:35 - Hurricane Ida's impact on NORC and training
38:04 - On coaching: helping people overcome challenges
40:39 - Rowers take ownership and redefine rowing training
42:58 - To grow coastal in the Gulf South, NORC is hosting development camps and experiential opportunities, and developing an endurance race on Lake Pontchartrain
44:38 - In a tourist town, coastal touring could thrive
48:58 - Coastal bucket list locations
52:23 - Turning coastal boats and historic stake races in New Orleans
52:45 - NORC is the only boathouse in the Louisiana with juniors and masters programs
54:40 - LA2028 Olympics: perfect for building audience engagement, race coverage
58:50 - The year ahead at NORC
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www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast
When it comes to clubs and boathouses we like to go behind-the-scenes to find out what makes them engaging, inclusive, successful, and fun! With that in mind, we’re going to the city of brotherly love to get to know Philadelphia City Rowing.
PCR is a non-profit organization drawing on the proven power of sports to empower public school students to reach their highest potential. With a small staff, lots of heart, and the support of numerous partners, the newest neighbor on Boathouse Row is leading the way in changing the face of rowing on the Schuylkill River.
GUESTS Caitlin Mance: Executive Director George Rowley: Community Outreach Manager, Middle School Manager Myi Harte: PCR alum, asst. varsity men's coach, and boatyard assistant Christina LaBella: PCR alum, asst. novice and middle school coach
TIME STAMPS 00:00 - Introduction and welcome 02:00 - Getting to know Caitlin, George, Christina, and Myi 02:49 - Rapid Fire Q&A 05:40 - The week in rowing: kicking off the Spring season 08:15 - A boathouse without walls on Philly’s Boathouse Row 9:00 - Caitlin’s high school transition from swimmer to rower, and a friend’s challenge led Myi to PCR 13:10 - Christina on how empowering being a scholastic coxswain can be 19:45 - George was introduced to rowing as a camp counselor, an example of a non-traditional coaching 23:20 - PCR summer camps: great for rower and for providing jobs to HS kids 24:33 - PCR offers transformational opportunities for city kids 27:30 - Retention rates and the challenging pipeline to college rowing 30:45 - Myi’s PCR lesson learned: student first, then an athlete 33:55 - Giving kids structure 37:33 - “8 Ways to Make Your Boathouse More Inclusive,” social media and leading the national conversation 44:52 - PCR is creating a bridge for the local community to Boathouse Row
www.steadystatenetwork.com
Produced by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan
In this first-of-its-kind episode, we invited Steady State Network fan Koen Elbers to join us for a chat.
Koen is a masters rower and the Chairman of Alkmaarsche Roei- en Zeilvereeniging (ARZV Rowing) in Alkmaar, The Netherlands. After learning to row in university, then taking a 15-year hiatus from the sport, it was ARZV’s welcoming community that got him hooked. To give back, he took on the roll of a juniors coach, championing fun and teamwork.
Koen talks exuberantly about rowing in The Netherlands, parties with Alkmaar’s sister city and club, long distance events, rowing tours, and generally finding enjoyment in your rowing life beyond competition.
TIME STAMPS 00:00 - Introduction and welcome 05:30 - Rowing week, on a scale of 1 to 10 09:08 - Rowing at university was all fun and drinking … 13:47 - Transition from equestrian/dressage to rowing and getting hooked on the community 15:05 - Slapping blades on the water 17:00 - Coaching juniors: weekend rowing and flapjacks 19:45 - Coaching while riding a bike 24:04 - The Area of 1000 Islands, Alkmaar canals and tours 28:30 - All kinds of opportunities: organized rowing tours in Holland, marathons, rowing to the ice cream shop 33:18 - C boats for LTR and recreational rowing 33:50 - About ARZV Roei 36:29 - COVID, ZoomErgos, finding community 40:13 - Alkmaar/Bath sister cities, Minerva Bath RC, Patricia Carswell, rowing with hangovers, beer tents, non-rowing regatta stories 47:00 - Rapid Fire Q&A 50:30 - SSN events schedule
Steady State Podcast is a project of www.steadystatenetwork.com
In 2016, Steven Dowd was a 37-year-old weekend warrior cyclist, living and training in London when an accident left him with a devastating spinal cord injury. Facing total paralysis and a bleak prognosis, Steven was motivated by his acceptance into a clinical research trial and a goal to walk by Christmas.
With an exceptional personal will and the support of family and friends, Steven today is not only walking, but cycling, skiing, erging, and even rowing. We sat down to talk about his journey, finding motivation, and the EnduRow Challenge, a charity even Steven launched in 2021.
TIME STAMPS 0:00 - Intro 04:00 - What a week in rowing! First time in a 4x and it was with 3 paralympians 10:00 - How rowing came into Steven’s life 16:00 - The people that motivated Steve in his early indoor rowing days 20:00 - Steve’s 200 Day Promise 27:35 - Celebrating rehab mini-wins 29:22 - The two-way street of a support network 32:00 - EnduRow: Everyone. Everywhere. Pulling together. 36:44 - Wings for Life ambassador. Lessons learned year 1 of EnduRow Challenge and planning for the future 40:22 - Micro and macro hubs for EnduRow 2022 43:00 - Development of EnduRow brand / #canva 44:00 - Reframing rowing for a new generation 46:54 - Rapid Fire Q&A 48:37 - Pitch for EnduRow 2022 49:45 - outro
www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast
Rowers and coaches across the country are spotting opportunities to step up – and step outside boxes – to share their love of rowing by establishing clubs for their communities.
This conversation brings together the founders of three clubs: Dave Harvey, Tacoma Rowing; Katie Jones, North Carolina Rowing Center, and Sue Koscielski, Sweeps & Sculls Rowing. They get honest about heart-warming surprises, dealing with red tape, the importance of partnerships and collaboration, and the hows and whys behind their decisions to start their own rowing clubs.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Maurice Scott was just a kid when he was introduced to rowing during a learn to row camp at Bachelor’s Barge Club. But when he noticed that no one else looked like him at regattas on the Schuylkill River, his father’s moral support motivated him to keep at it.
Five years later, as a member of a Philadelphia City Rowing’s newly-launched high school program, he was a part of the Philadelphia City Champs M8. Maurice went on to row for the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia and today rows for Potomac Boat Club in Washington, D.C.
He is a lightweight sculler with championship titles, multiple corporate sponsors, and a personal mission to be a face of positive change in the world of rowing.
Steady State Network believes access to opportunities to thrive should be inclusive regardless of ability to pay. That’s why we created the Changemaker Scholarship initiative.
Throughout the year, we seek out educational and professional development events and courses for visionaries in the rowing community. With the help of sponsors, we were able to provide eight deserving rowers, coaches, and students with scholarships to attend the USRowing Annual Convention, held virtually Dec. 6-11, 2021.
On [S2] Ep 18 of Steady State Podcast, hosts Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan talk takeaways from the USRowing Annual Convention, big ideas, and plans for 2022 with several of our most recent Changemaker Scholars. This broad touches on the things our Changemakers are thinking about and working on – from burnout to breathing technique, to DEI, sports psychology, and transgender policy.
GUESTS
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Nicole Arrato: Masters Novice LTR Coach / Winter Training Lead, Greater Columbus Rowing Association
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Kati Brennan: Yoga and Mobility Coach, Philadelphia City Rowing
- Corinne Kazmierczak: student, University at Buffalo
- Martyna Wasilewska: student, University of Central Florida
- Vanessa Harvey: Programs Director / Head Youth Coach, North Star Community Rowing
TIME STAMPS 00:00 - Intro 4:42 - What’s going on in everybody’s rowing week 9:25 - The motivation behind applying for a Changemaker scholarship 14:39 - Rowing “aha” moments 20:45 - RowCon: What we most looked forward to 24:20 - Avoiding burnout by creating relationships with other programs and exploring fun 31:05 - Convention networking opportunities were slim, so Corinne emailed the National Team sports psychologist 33:18 - Getting out of coaching silos 35:00 - Plans for changemaking in 2022: Kati will explore breathing as therapy for rowers; Nicole seeks to establish a non-gendered open regatta category; Vanessa plans to hire local HS grads 41:30 - We ask "What would you do with 20 minutes and a microphone?" - Vanessa would talk about changing the culture of rowing; Kati would teach us about breathing; Martyna would tell the story of how rowing changed her life; Corinne would explore trauma and resiliency; and Nicole would tell us why rowing is the Band-Aid of all problems
THANK YOU to these individuals and businesses for their Changemaker Scholarship support: Rower’s Dream, Bobby Kizer, Catalyst Rowing Fitness, Tacoma Rowing, Science of Rowing, Concept2
On [S2] Ep 17 of Steady State Podcast, hosts Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan talk with CB Sands-Bohrer, Senior Manager of Coach Education at Community Rowing, Inc. (CRI); and Mitch McManus, 2019 Institute for Rowing Leadership (IRL) Fellow and newly-named Rowing Director and Head Coach of Shrewsbury High School Crew.
If you are a rower or coxswain in the United States who’s ever thought “I want to start coaching,” where’s the first place you think to turn? USRowing, right? A USRowing Level I, II, or III coaching certification speaks volumes and opens doors. But did you know that it’s not the only coaching education option?
The Advanced Certificate in Rowing Leadership at the The IRL is an intense, one-year coaching education program offered by CRI in Boston. It provides students opportunities to gain the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of a master rowing coach.
The IRL is the only accredited US Coaching Education Program in rowing, ever.
TIME STAMPS 00:00 - Intro 02:25 - Rachel & Tara chat about personal experiences with coaching education 08:57 - CB Sands-Bohrer’s intro to rowing in college 13:30 - With lots of coaches in family, it was natural for CB to get into coaching 15:20 - What a great coach can do for an athlete; Work disguised as fun 17:20 - The IRL experience 29:00 - How Mitch McManus (2019 IRL fellow) found coxing in grade 7 32:44 - Coxing in the mid-’80s 34:29 - Mitch’s career move from broadcasting to coaching at 50 40:00 - Bringing non-rowing professional experience to the launch 42:50 - Why coaching? Why now? 46:00 - What surprised Mitch about coaching 48:25 - Opportunity for collaboration at IRL 51:12 - Team-building tactics to make work fun 56:20 - Rapid Fire Q&A
On [S2] Ep 16 of Steady State Podcast, hosts Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan are joined by Tom Rooks (Dir. of Rowing, Williamsburg Boat Club). This episode buzzes with authenticity as Tom shares his "fun first" mantra and how he prepares his juniors athletes to be better humans beyond the boathouse. Tom began to coach after 22 years in the United States Coast Guard, and he gets philosophical about vulnerability, resiliency, and saving lives. We also slide into tangents about Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, ultimate frisbee, and vikings.
TIME STAMPS 0:00 - intro 2:20 - rowing week 4:30 - team culture and coaching philosophy and rowing origin story 12:45 - rowing is all in the Rooks family, the importance of a well-rounded life 22:40 - quintessential Tom and wearing your heart on your sleeve 27:30 - mentoring new coaches 31:00 - what you’re capable of today, vulnerability, resiliency 34:00 - how COVID taught WBC kids their “why” 34:00 - taking his competitive drive to Disc Golf 40:00 - choosing to row and having dominion over it 43:00 - handle nerves, anxiety, expectations - visualize “rear view” moments 49:00 - memorable lessons from Tom’s HS coach 51:30 - how rowing helped Tom and his wife through physical challenges 53:58 - risk management, safety plan development, mishap analysis 1:00:50 - Rapid Fire Q&A
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GCRA has been on Tara's radar for a few years, after she saw adaptive rower Kristen Jackson powering through an erg piece on social media. Tara started following the club's really open and welcoming public group on Facebook, and has always been impressed with their camaraderie, presence at regattas, impassioned calls for volunteers, and shout-outs and high fives for each other.
GCRA was founded in 1984 as a non-profit, volunteer-based organization dedicated to providing its diverse membership with safe sculling and sweep rowing opportunities. Today, it’s home to 145 members across masters and adaptive rowing programs.
GUESTS: GCRA Board President Laurie Gunzleman, LTR Coach Nicole Arrato, adaptive rower Kristen Jackson, recent LTR grad Cari Palmer, and rower and admin Sarah Stafford.
TIME STAMPS
0:00 - Introduction
4:30 - Speakmon Memorial Regatta / Cari falls in love with head racing / adaptive racing
10:45 - GCRA programs and events / LTR / Relentless Rowing Academy partnership
3:52 - What got Cari hooked during LTR
17:15 - What makes GCRA special
20:34 - How Laurie's son motivated her to learn to row
22:12 - GCRA para program thrives through COVID-19
27:25 - Learn to Row
48:40 - “Flat tire” friends
31:05 - Taking on leadership rolls
34:35 - Cari becomes an avid evangelist and roll model for her HS students
38:35 - Nicole’s perspective on rowing as a metaphor for life
40:20 - Lessons learned from rowing
41:55 - Land/water acknowledgement
46:00 - Rapid Fire Q&A
In the early 1960s, Margie was turned away by a rowing coach in Boston because she was a woman. After a full career in journalism, and raising three kids, she learned to row at 60. Today – at 78 - she's stronger than she's ever been. Together with her husband Mickey, they proudly carry the torch for I, J, and K category rowers as members of Upper Valley Rowing Club and Chinook Performance Racing.
We talk with this Baby Boomer former news woman and self-described tomboy about Title IX, putting herself first, how a Diabetes diagnosis set her on a wellness path, coxing octogenarians, training and racing with Chinook, and a whole lot more.
TIME STAMPS
00:00 - Introduction 02:00 - From BU rowing rejection to HOCR in 40 yrs 05:50 - After raising kids, making time for Margie 07:28 - Rowing a 2x with Mickey, and buying Pepto (her 1x) 09:24 - Becoming a well-rounded athlete long after Title IX 14:30 - Being a women of the Baby Boom generation 16:35 - There at the beginning of Chinook Racing Performance 20:35 - What happened when she coxed a J M4+ at Masters Nationals 26:55 - From local tv/radio broadcasting to a 24/7 connected world 33:38 - UVRC’s CReW cancer recovery program 36:58 - Coxing a levitating W8+ at HOCR 42:35 - Rapid Fire Q&A
Get early access to new episodes of Steady State Podcast. Join us on Patreon.
Steady State Network believes access to opportunities to thrive should be inclusive regardless of ability to pay so we created the Changemaker Scholarship initiative.
Throughout the year, we seek out educational and professional development events and courses for visionaries in the rowing community. We are proud to partner with organizations and businesses to make these opportunities possible for rowers, coaches, and coxswains, plus club boards and staff.
Today on this special episode, Tara and Rachel talk about the Changemaker Scholarship Initiative - the why, the who, and what’s next
TIME STAMPS
00:00- Intro / paying it forward 3:37 - Who are Changemakers? 7:45 - Elevating visionaries and leveling the playing field 11:50 - 2020/21 Changemakers 16:25 - Scholarship recipient testimonials 18:38 - Our amazing sponsors 22:25 - Next up: scholarships for the 2021 USRowing Convention 23:56 - Sponsorship opportunities 24:30 - Rapid Fire Q&A 29:18 - Patreon support
As the Director of Sports Nutrition for USRowing, and in her own private practice, Liz Fusco helps Olympians, Paralympians, high performance athletes, recreationally active clients, and young athletes establish healthy relationships with food and improve energy levels.
Liz is also a sports dietitian for the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the Oklahoma City High Performance Center. She makes evidence-based nutrition strategies approachable, and in this chat she helps us better understand some of the nutrition choices we all make.
TIME STAMPS 00:00 - intro 2:20 - LTWT, coxswain weight, Jr LTWT 13:31 - Liz’s education and research that led her to USRowing 21:00 - Building a robust sports nutrition portal 24:35 - Wellness Wednesdays 26:00 - Regatta day: keep it simple & familiar 28:35 - Carbo loading, Athlete Plates, and nutrition that supports your training plan 32:45 - Concerns about intermittent fasting for masters rowers 40:00 - Diet fads, our relationship with food, working with a registered dietician 44:25 - Tips for athletes on a budget and/or in a food dessert 51:00 - Liz’s signature dish: grain-based garden bowl 53:25 - Coffee before, during, and after a row? 58:30 - SSN announcements
As a 5’1, 108lb freshman at Western Washington University, Rachel Le Mieux was literally picked up and placed in a coxswain seat. Thirty five years later she’s the head coach of Martha’s Moms, a competitive masters women’s team in Seattle, WA. She’s also a USRowing referee and FISA umpire.
During her years in the cox seat, coach’s launch, and chase boat, Rachel’s seen her share of sketchy situations. Today, in her role as the Chair of the USRowing safety committee, she wants to make sure that rowers, coaches, and coxswains have the knowledge and skills to stay safe around the boathouse, at practice, and during regattas.
We talk boat feel, coxing commands, flipping a four at the dock, nearly losing your lunch after a race, the rich history of rowing in Washington, and a whole lot more.
Oak Ridge Rowing Association was founded in 1978 and today is home to the Atomic Juniors and Masters Rowing Team. Oak Ridge offers a wide array of Learn-to-Row classes, hosts several championship regattas every year, and provides a world-class training venue to visiting crews. ORRA – built on the passion and enthusiasm of its community, coaches, and volunteers – successfully navigated COVID, keeping all of their programs intact, healthy, and thriving.
GUESTS: Head Coach John “JD” Davis Board President, rower, and rower dad Jim Rogers Masters rower Jen Bon
When recent podcast guest Tracy Falkenthal suggested we talk with Napoleon Griffin, we chased the lead.
A decorated middle distance track runner who learned to scull as an adult, Napoleon beat male breast cancer and today strives to get as much out of life as possible. He also survived Hurricanes Irma and Maria which devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, causing long-lasting power outages and leaving residents without access to clean water. Motivated by a desire for more training and racing opportunities, Napoleon relocated to Texas, where he now splits his time between Austin and Dallas.
Eamon Glavin is a former high school and collegiate rower who started experimenting with cameras in boats and drones overhead to capture video of rowing unlike anything else we’ve seen in mainstream rowing media. In February 2021 he began following lightweight Olympic hopefuls through training and qualification trials to produce a rowing documentary about the journey to the Tokyo Olympics.
Take a look back at the launch of Steady State Network in June 2020, go behind the scenes of the podcast, get updates on our Changemaker Scholarship initiative, and listen in as co-founders Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan go unscripted to talk about our own experiences as rowers and coaches.
We are really interested in backstories – the experiences on and off the water that make people the rowers, coaches, and coxswains they are today. And when it comes to clubs and boathouses we want to meet the people that make them vibrant, engaging, inclusive, successful, and of course, fun!
With that in mind, our semi-regular club spotlight series takes us around the world. On this episode we head West to Alaska, to talk with Anchorage Rowing Association.
Guests
- Founder, member, and coach Ed Hall
- Head Coach Steve Full
- President Kim Morris
Situated on beautiful Sand Lake, ARA’s seasonal coaching staff learns to deals with float planes and moose. And the club works together to care for each other and their fleet.
An introduction to rowing as a teen in California completely changed the trajectory of Tracy Falkenthal's life. She has spent the years since paying it forward as a member of the Army National Guard, a firefighter, a personal trainer, health coach, and rowing coach.
Today she's a member and coach at Texas Rowing Center in Austin, and is working in lock step with the Center's owner to develop and lead DEI initiatives to get "butts in seats."
Her rowing story is one of finding a way up and a way out through rowing and sport, and we’re honored to talk with her.
After losing his vision to cataracts in his 30s, Dammie Onafeko wanted to get involved with a specialized sport. He was introduced to Capital Rowing Club’s adaptive program at the Anacostia Community Boathouse in Washington, D.C. where he quickly found success at regattas, and the support of his rowing family. And Dammie is hard to miss around the boathouse: at 6’5”, this Nigerian man is a presence.
Take a listen to our interview with him, which is full of his quietly profound perspectives on rowing and life.
Part erg review, part coaching advice - this episode is what you need to get connected and get moving on your rowing machine.
If you’re a rower – in a boat, with oars – it’s likely that your introduction to the erg was by way of supplemental workouts for race training and the dreaded 2k test. Most on-water rowers (aka oarsmen) roll their eyes at the mere mention of spending time on the erg.
Sarah Fuhrmann, CEO of UCanRow2 wants to flip the script and reshape the way people think about indoor rowing. She is passionate about sharing the sport with people who can benefit from its total body workout no matter their fitness or competitive athletic goals at any age.
Lisa Weise was a recipient of the Steady State Network Changemaker Instructor Scholarship in April 2021. With the scholarship, Lisa was able to attend a UCanRow2 online instructor certification course.
A note: UCanRow2 founder – and Sarah’s business partner – Terry Smythe, passed away from mucosal melanoma, a rare form of the skin cancer melanoma, in November 2018. While recording this interview it was clear that telling the story of UCanRow2 and indoor rowing was impossible without telling Terry’s story, too. Terry’s legacy lives on through Sarah and Lisa, UCanRow2/Concept2 instructors, fitness professionals, and enthusiasts they have worked with around the world.
GUESTS
- Sarah Fuhrmann: CEO, UCanRow2
- Lisa Weise: Founder, Rower’s Dream
When we spotted Corin Wiggins on Instagram (@TheBlackCoswain), we knew we wanted to hear her story. At just 16, this member of Atlanta Junior Rowing Association already has four years of coxing experience and the drive to connect the BIPOC rowing community.
We sat down to talk with Corin and invited two of her coxing influences: Coral Kasden (UCSB/NYAC), and Dustin Mara (UW/Everett Rowing Association).
These three young coxswain share their rowing origin stories, insights on coxing responsibilities and personas, influences and mentors, the importance of getting to know your crew, how to motivate your boat when it's clear you aren't going to win the race, and a whole lot more.
Stick around after the show: Rachel and Tara delve deeper into coxing, coaching the coxswain, evaluations, and motivating masters rowers to take their turn in the coxswain seat.
Steady State Podcast hosts Rachel and Tara together have more than 50 years of rowing, coaching, and coxing experience. That’s all been flat water rowing on rivers and lakes. So what do we know about coastal rowing? A little, but not a whole lot, so we sat down with four coastal rowers to talk wetsuits in winter, beach sprints and endurance races, a groundbreaking new coastal 1x boat design, surfing green waves, and running in the sand.
Coastal is slated to be a part of the 2024 Junior Olympics, and 2028 Olympic Games. USRowing established a coastal rowing committee in 2020 and is looking to identify U19 and U23 athletes for USRowing's upcoming 2021 Beach Sprints National Team Trials scheduled for June 19 in Sarasota, FL.
Besides ALL of that, coastal just looks plain fun and offers up exciting opportunities for experienced rowers and new rowers alike.
On March 21, 2021, we brought together some of the biggest names in rowing podcasting for the first time, at one big virtual table to talk rowing past your blades, the quest for the perfect stroke, podcasting, surprising answers from guests, and whether to drink coffee before or after a row.
Note: Due to an unfortunate technical glitch, we were unable to revive the video from the live recording. We've done our best here to bring you a clean audio version of the conversation.
GUESTS
- Broken Oars Podcast: Aaron Jackson
- End of the Island Podcast: Fergus Mainland
- Faster Masters Rowing: Marlene Royal
- Girl on the River: Patricia Carswell
- Ready Row USA: Charlotte Pierce
- Rowing Chat Podcast Network: Rebecca Caroe
- Rowing Ireland Podcast: Niamh Hayes
- Science of Rowing and LEO Training: Joe DeLeo
- The Row Show: Lawrence Brittain and Jake Green
- The Candid Cox: Whitney Powell
TIME STAMPS
0:00 - Welcome
4:30 - Introductions
14:40 - Roll Call
19:20 - Learning to row well
22:15 - Lightbulb moments in the boat
24:50 - The perfect stroke
30:25 - Rowing origin stories
33:50 - Podcast origin stories
41:55 - Podcasting surprises
47:45 - Dream Guests
53:00 - Rapid Fire Q&A
We’ve begun a semi-regular series spotlighting clubs around the world. On this week’s episode we’re heading South to spotlight Nassau Rowing Club in The Bahamas. With plenty of sunshine, gorgeous water, and social distancing measures, NRC offers learn to row, juniors, collegiate, and masters programs. We admit we’re pretty jealous… and curious.
Joining us are Head Coach and Executive Director KariAnne Kulig; founding member and Board President Kyle Shea; and Emily Morley, a member of the Board of Directors and past-President.
TIME STAMPS
0:00 - Intro
4:20 - Rowing origin stories
12:10 - About NRC
20:00 - Coastal rowing
21:53 - Opportunities for Caribbean rowers
27:20 - Inclusion from LTR to masters
32:00 - Looking back at 2020 and ahead to 2021
35:43 - Strategic planning
37:55 - Why club members should join the Board
To see photos of Nassau Rowing Club and links to the people, organizations, and events mentioned in this episode, visit www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast.
Join our Patreon community, sponsor the podcast, register for our events, and submit your rowing-related writing and art at steadystatepodcast.com. Go Team!
Dr. Susannah Cass learned to row at Cambridge University where she says it was near impossible to make it through your degree without being dragged to a boathouse to give rowing a go. This self-titled accidental athlete is a scientist interested in plants and other wildlife whose love of “messing about in boats” opened her up to adventures like the Celtic Challenge (150km across the Irish Sea), Great Pacific Race (2,400nm), and Row2Rio (London to Rio). COVID-19 has put a damper on her travel, but Susannah is now looking for new ways to link her love of boats and biodiversity.
To see photos of Susannah and links to the people, places, and events mentioned in this episode, visit www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast.
Join our Patreon community, sponsor the podcast, register for our events, and submit your rowing-related writing and art at steadystatepodcast.com. Go Team!
In 2016, Aisyah Rafa'ee became the first rower to represent Singapore at the Olympics. She was an athletic and competitive kid, finding her way onto Singapore's national netball team before being handpicked in high school to train in a 2x for the national rowing team. She eventually fell out of love with sculling, retired, and found herself in Boston, rowing sweep with masters women.
Aisyah's honesty about how rough training could be both mentally and physically is humbling, and refreshing. Today she's interested in mental skills and growth mindset, and is pursuing an athletic counseling degree.
See the full show notes at www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast.
Join our Patreon community, sponsor the podcast, register for our events, and submit your rowing-related writing and art at steadystatepodcast.com. Go Team!
In this episode we talk with Corinne Kazmierczak, who learned as a young rower that managing her anxiety and PTSD came in the form a 1x. We delve into the effects of anxiety on sport performance, the benefits of rowing for the anxious mind, and how well-informed coaches can help rowers with anxiety to approach training and competition with perspective and confidence.
See the full show notes at www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast.
Join our Patreon community, sponsor the podcast, submit your rowing-related writing and art - all on our website! Go Team!
In Ep. 12: Trans/Athletes, 16-year-old Cillian Mullen and grad student Liam Miranda sat down with us to talk about their experiences as trans male rowers in high school and college, and highlight opportunities for how the rest of us can help make boathouses welcoming and inclusive for all athletes.
In this bonus recording, Cillian takes the mic to survey Liam, 10 years his senior.
In the past few years it’s become clear that boat clubs and organizations that have historically catered to binary athletes, are struggling to put out a welcome mat for trans, and gender non-conforming athletes. Scholastic, collegiate, and masters programs – along with USRowing – are slowly adopting new policies and opportunities for trans rowers, but there’s a lot to learn and a long way to go.
We talk with Liam Miranda, a former Division 1 transgender rower. He studies the intersection of access to athletics and physical, mental, and social wellbeing, and has published various reports and policy reviews relating to LGBTQ inclusion in sports. Liam has also extensively presented research as it pertains to transgender inclusion in sports for diverse audiences, including athletic leaders, policy-makers, advocates, and health professionals. He is a current graduate student at the Duke Sanford School of Public Policy and a Sports Inclusion Researcher at Inclusion Playbook.
And we're joined by Cillian Mullen, a junior at Batavia High School and a member of Chicago Rowing Foundation’s women’s varsity squad. We found Cillian on instagram, where he recently launched the tra.united account with a vision for establishing the non-profit Transgender Rowers Association in 2021.
See the full show notes at www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast.
Join our Patreon community, sponsor the podcast, submit your rowing-related writing and art - all on our website! Go Team!
Joe DeLeo is the Co-founder of Science of Rowing, host of the Leo Training Podcast, and head strength and conditioning coach for the Portuguese Rowing Federation. A recent transplant to Limerick, Ireland, Joe tells us about being a part of the rowing community, no matter where you are.
COACHES AND CLUB/PROGRAM FOUNDERS: This wide-ranging virtual roundtable with our 2020 Changemakers is packed with ideas and first-hand accounts covering everything from entrepreneurship, safety, and goal setting, to inclusion, injuries, body positivity, and the power of positive coaching.
http://www.steadystatenetwork.com/.../episode11...
At the table: * Tamara Clayton: Asst. Coach, Lake Las Vegas Rowing Club * Grace Gardner: Founder/Head Coach, Power Ten - Lake Phalen Community Rowing * Sue Koscielski: Founder/Director/Head Coach, Sweeps & Sculls Rowing * Natalie Lecher: Masters rower, Green Lake Crew * Ash Pryor: Founder/CEO, Relentless Rowing Academy * Lisa Russell, DPT: Powerhouse Physio
To support coaching and leadership development we awarded eight scholarships to help people attend USRowing’s Annual Convention, held Dec. 8-13, 2020.
Thanks to these businesses for stepping up and supporting the Changemaker initiative: iCrew/Way Enough, Tacoma Youth Rowing, Science of Rowing, Seize the Oar Foundation, and Concept2, Inc.
See the full show notes at www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast.
Join our Patreon community, sponsor the podcast, submit your rowing-related writing and art - all on our website! Go Team!
Daniela Nacházelová learned to row at age 10 on the Vltava River in Prague, Czech Republic. She received a rowing scholarship to Washington State University and collected medals at World Cups and world championships, and spent 15 years chasing an Olympic dream. She fell in love with rowing, but also ended up hating it.
Daniela recently wrote and published Women’s Voices in Rowing, a book featuring 14 unique women from around the globe. Each woman has claimed victories and medals, and each has their own forceful, empowering stories to tell.
Joining our conversation are two of these women: Michelle Carpenter, CEO of Rowing Ireland who has been named three times to the list of Women of Influence on Irish Sport; and Judy Geer, 2x Olympian and part of the owner-operator family at Concept2 and Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Vermont.
See the full show notes at www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast.
Join our Patreon community, sponsor the podcast, advertise in the upcoming magazine and submit your art - all on our website! Go Team!
Bill Babonas, a member of Mt. Baker Rowing Center and College Club in Seattle, WA talks about the exciting and daunting process of learning to scull.
Aquil Abdullah became the first Black man to represent the United States at an Olympic rowing event when he qualified in the M2x in 2004. We paired him with Olympic hopeful John Olbrys who has his sights on the 2021 Olympic trials. Both have deep roots in the Washington, D.C. region.
Aquil’s path to the Olympics started at Woodrow Wilson high school and an offer of a rowing scholarship (and his mother’s influence) brought him to George Washington University. He now lives with his family in Boston, and is working to make the sport more inclusive through several initiatives. In 2019, Aquil joined Hydrow as a featured athlete.
Olympic hopeful John Olbrys learned to row in high school, and found fit rowing into his crammed schedule at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. He is currently serving in the U.S. Coast Guard and training for the Tokyo Olympic trials. He is an out and proud LGBT rower at Potomac Boat Club.
See the full show notes at www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast.
Join our Patreon community, sponsor the podcast, advertise in the upcoming magazine and submit your art - all on our website! Go Team!
Atlanta Rowing Club's Holly Brymar – like so many rowers in 2020 – made the move from big boats to a single. Mostly self-taught, she sent us an audio postcard reflecting on her fear, and pride, when it comes to sculling.
Lisa and Matt Weise are a ridiculously charming couple that met while rowing at Michigan State University. Today, Lisa has more than 30 years of competitive rowing experience, including victories at Head of the Charles, Canadian Henley, and USRowing Masters Nationals. And she balances her time on the water with a career as a high school science teacher. Matt has been coaching for more than 35 years and is currently the head coach for women’s rowing at Humboldt State University. As a coach, he’s led crews to 14 NCAA championship appearances, three Big Ten Championships, and helped develop eight national team rowers.
Recently, the Weises established Rower’s Dream camps and coaching, based on the beautiful Leelanau Peninsula, in Michigan. Because COVID-19 has kept them from offering in-person camps, they’ve pivoted to offering online Zoom workouts and downloadable training plans for novice, intermediate, and advanced rowers.
See the full show notes at www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast.
Join our Patreon community, sponsor the podcast, advertise in the upcoming magazine and submit your art - all on our website! Go Team!
Best Part of Your Rowing Week calls from:
- Todd Vogt: Paralympic Hopeful, Portland Boat Club, Portland, OR
- Tiffany Hogan: Narragansett Boat Club, Providence, RI
- Mary O'Callaghan: www.oldfartrowing.com, Lake MacDonald Rowing Club, Queensland, AUS
- Kym Reynolds: Recovery On Water, Chicago, IL
- Sue Koscielski: Sweeps & Sculls Rowing, Wauconda, IL
- Ashley Pryor: Relentless Rowing Academy, Columbus, OH
- Natalie Lecher: Green Lake Crew, Seattle, WA
- Ben Hawkes: Minerva Bath Rowing Club, UK. Watch him in "Erg Life" video on YouTube
- Lindsay Dare Shoop: Olympian and author of Better Great Than Never
We head North of the border to check in with Halifax Rowing Club in Nova Scotia. Despite a global pandemic that wreaked havoc on rowing programs everywhere, the Halifax team spirit remained intact, rowing continued, training pivoted, and they ended the season with a virtual awards ceremony. We're enamored with the club's resilience, motivation, and dedication.
See the full show notes at www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast.
Join our Patreon community, sponsor the podcast, advertise in the upcoming magazine and submit your art - all on our website! Go Team!
Best Part of Your Rowing Week calls from:
- Kevin Fuji: rower/coach, Pocock Rowing Center and Pulitzer Prize winning photographer
- Lesley Wright: coxswain/coach, Chinook Performance Racing
- Linda Muri: rower/coach, Upper Valley Rowing and Rocket Science Rowing
- Dave Harvey: head coach women’s crew, Pacific Lutheran University
- Gel Greene: rower, founder of Gel Pads
- Bill Donoho: rower, Western Reserve Rowing Association
- Emma Bennett: head coach, Seize the Oar Foundation
Sara Nevin won three varsity 8+ national championships and went undefeated in collegiate competition while at the University of Washington. She’s a three-time Washington Rowing Hall of Famer and two-time U.S. national team member. With 30+ years of coaching high school, masters, and collegiate programs including UC Berkeley, and Mills College, Sara’s a legend.
See the full show notes at www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast.
Join our Patreon community, sponsor the podcast, advertise in the upcoming magazine and submit your art - all on our website! Go Team!
Steady State Network co-founder Tara Morgan's audio postcard on the lesson of the Rower Life Cycle from Coach Sara Nevin.
Tara and Rachel asked the analytical guys behind Science of Rowing – Will Ruth, Blake Gourley, and Joe DeLeo – about high school regatta memories, injuries, and finding direction in life outside the boat. We also find out about their research on rowing training and performance, and the summaries they deliver to Science of Rowing members, with the intention of leveling the playing field for under-resourced coaches and rowers.
Become a Science of Rowing member in November 2020 and 100% of the profits will be donated to the George Pocock Rowing Foundation A Most Beautiful Thing Inclusion Fund.
Plus Best Part Of Your Rowing Week calls from: grey whale-spotting Rod Sternagle (see video below!), South African club founder and rower Val Blacking, and masters rower and all-round beast Jen Huffman, granddaughter of Joe Rantz from The Boys In The Boat.
See the full show notes at www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast.
Join our Patreon community, sponsor the podcast, advertise in the upcoming magazine and submit your art - all on our website! Go Team!
Kevin Goyena (founder, iCrew) and Jason Oliver (founder, Personal Health Recovery) are Seattle-based masters rowers, entrepreneurs, and rowing evangelists. We find out about this powerhouse married couple's progression from being adult LTR students, to getting hooked on racing, to finding community through developing holistic rowers. Jason tells us his motivation behind bringing a GoPro in the boat and a drone to regattas; and we ask Kevin about creating iCrew, a team management app to make magnet board sign-ins a thing of the past.
Plus, the Best Part of Your Rowing Week call-ins from masters rower Sarah Copeland, Coach Claudia Loeber, Team USA para-rower Pearl Outlaw, writer and trainer Will Ruth, and 2-time Olympic gold medalist coxswain Mary Whipple!
See the full show notes at www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast.
Join our Patreon community, sponsor the podcast, advertise in the upcoming magazine and submit your art - all on our website! Go Team!
We chat with Patricia Carswell - aka Girl on the River - about all-in-ones/unisuits, breast cancer, blogging, creative coxswain calls, saving the planet, and unfortunate nicknames.
See the full show notes at www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast.
Join our Patreon community, sponsor the podcast, advertise in the upcoming magazine and submit your art - all on our website! Go Team!
Steady State Network co-founders Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan close out the Launch episode part 2 and talk the current state of rowing during COVID-19, "Best Part of Your Rowing Week" with Coach Ben Steele, and a rapid fire Q&A on everything from one-piece unis to salt water rowing. Sit Ready!
See the full show notes at www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast.
Join our Patreon community, sponsor the podcast, advertise in the upcoming magazine and submit your art - all on our website! Go Team!
In this Part 1 of The Launch, meet Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan, the founders of Steady State Network.Listen in as we talk rowing histories, our big plans for the Network, and all things COVID-19 and rowing.
See the full show notes at www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast.
Join our Patreon community, sponsor the podcast, advertise in the upcoming magazine and submit your art - all on our website! Go Team!