Alex Lynn, Youth Recreational Rowing Manager at Community Rowing Ellis Evans-Brown, Head Coach at Arlington-Belmont high school crew What is unique about rowing among all the available youth sports; when is it the right choice for young athletes? What does rowing do for kids as they grow into adulthood and prepare for college and vocations? In this…

It was 50 years ago today - Peter Kermond started rowing at Belmont Hill prep school, directly across from the site of our interview near Eliot Bridge on the Charles River in Boston. Peter is a beloved legend in rowing - making the US National Team and eventually acquiring Burnham Boat Slings, maker of the slings that rowers rack their boats on at …

We came back a week after the Head of the Charles for a recap – because we couldn’t get enough of this magical world-renowned rowing regatta. We love mingling with the crowd, the thrill of the racing, checking out new gadgets & gear, connecting with old friends, and making new ones. On today’s Head of the Charles panel: Linda Muri of Burnham Boat S…

We're catching up with the whirlwind that is Arshay Cooper! You're invited to join the livestream to ask questions and share your experiences with Arshay - just comment on the discussion thread at any of the replay destinations. Besides being a rower, Arshay is a Benjamin Franklin award-winning author, the protagonist of the critically acclaimed fi…

Full show notes on the website Heading to any of the Great American Head Race Regattas this fall? Tune in to get inspired with legendary Olympic rower & coach Jim Dietz and coach Mark Wilson, co-founders at All American Rowing Camp based in DeLand, Florida. We’re revisiting our annual fall regatta (aka head race) preview a little earlier this year …

You may be wondering, if you're middle-aged or beyond and never rowed before, can you still take up the sport? Many of us row with folks in their 60's, 70's, and 80's who started rowing relatively late in life. If you've got a few "creaky parts," many clubs have adaptive classes and equipment, and the sport has a culture of rowers helping rowers. B…

The target Lara's dad set when he was younger was “Aim High”. Don’t look left or right - FOCUS - and aim high. And boy, did she! Lara Vafiadis took on the Atlantic Challenge row for a few reasons - but a primary aim was to inspire other women and children that if you set your mind to something, you can achieve anything. Seeing her dad suffer throug…

You have questions about rowing in college. Nobody can guarantee admission, but the high school athlete can learn how to put their best foot forward, formulate a plan, and find a school that fits academically, athletically, and socially. Want to be recruited to row in college? Where do I start getting recruited to row in college? When - and how - d…

USRowCon23 Series What does "community engagement" mean for a sports governing body, and how does it impact the individual members, boathouses, elite & recreational athletes that make up its consituency? How has this program area evolved at USRowing? We'll talk to Jennie Trayes her new role as Chief Community Engagement Officer for USRowing. She ov…

We met Dr. Ramona Cox at the USRowing Convention, Feb. 3-5 in Atlantic City, where she presented on athlete & coach wellness best practices & sports-based therapy. The Doc Wayne organization aims to "level the playing field of mental health globally by harnessing the power of sport-based therapy." In 2021, Dr. Cox joined Doc Wayne as the Director o…

Not only is he a rowing coach, but Don Ukrainec recently acquired H2Row and presented his lineup of swappable shoes and rowing supplies at the USRowing Convention. As someone who's often jumped in an 8+ to find size 14 shoes from the previous crew of large men, I appreciate the range of H2Row sizes (mens 6-16 and women's to size 12), the ease of sw…

Coming off 20+ years with the Coast Guard and involved in many water rescues, Tom Rooks has recently assumed the position as Director of Safety at USRowing. During our interview with him at the USRowing Convention 2023, Tom made our producer a believer in PFDs, especially for single scullers in the "shoulder" seasons in the northern latitudes. To b…

In this USRowing Convention interview (thanks to Linda Muri for wrangling him from the erg championship floor!) Josh Carlson made us a believer in the value of cross-training for rowing with the Ski-Erg, a popular, relatively new product by Concept 2, manufacturer of the ubiquitous RowErg. "SkiErg is great for working on lats, and just giving rower…

At the USRowing Convention, USRowing HP Para Director Ellen Minzner steered us to Emilie Eldracher, coxswain for the PR3 4+ 2022 World Championships. We had a great discussion about the elite Paralympic world. She welcomes questions & comments - post them on our YouTube channel, Facebook, or LinkedIn livestream replay destinations - our website has…

To meet SimulatOar inventor Calvin Coffey is to appreciate his creativity, drive, and his love of life & rowing. Our USRowing Convention interviews continued on Sunday, Feb. 5 with Coffey and his wife, Maggie. Calvin competed in the 1976 Summer Olympics, where he and his partner Mike Staines won the silver medal in the coxless pairs event. A few ye…

Ready, Row! USA was thrilled to be the media partner of USRowing for the first in-person convention since 2019. In particular, we'd like to thank the creative, positive, indefatigable, and ever-attentive Brett Gorman for connecting us with so many amazing people in rowing. Oh, the rowing stories we heard! from rowing's movers & shakers & regular fo…

One of our favorite discussions at the recent USRowing Convention was with Ted Benford, executive director of Community Rowing, arguably the largest rowing club in the world, depending on how you're counting - Members? Rowing hours? Number of boats?. Ted started at CRI more than 25 years ago as a volunteer and coach and went on to serve as presiden…

To be honest, he was a moving target at USRowing Convention, between attending sessions and announcing for the National Indoor Championships, but we finally caught up with Aquil Abdullah, truly a mover & shaker in the sport of rowing. Among other things, we learned that after "winding down" from the Olympic experience, Aquil was settling into a car…

Boathouse fundraising got you flummoxed? Fear not - we caught up with Row New York's Janice Holzman between sessions at USRowing Convention 2023. She gave us a new perspective on an element essential to the operation of many boathouses. As a non-profit sector senior executive with 20+ years of fundraising, communications, partnership building and p…

"A Long Talk" founders Kyle Williams, Chief Empowerment Officer, and Kamal Carter, President, call themselves "just a couple of black fathers." Since starting the ALT movement in 2020, they have worked with rowing programs across the country including Washington, Columbia, and Three Rivers, as well as Fortune 500 corporations and leading universiti…

Live from USRowing Convention 2023, we talked with Holly Austin, founder & head coach at Ready Set Row. Holly explains the approach of RSR: "In expanding your comfort zone, you and are able to push a little harder with each effort. In order to reach your full potential, you must learn how to be more brave to take risks, and to face fear. As well, y…

John Gartin is Director of the Collegiate Rowers & Coaches Assn., Former Head Coach Nova Southeastern Women's Rowing, also coached at Oklahoma, Dallas United, and San Diego Rowing Club. Many thanks to our fabulous sponsors: Burnham Boat Slings - mention the podcast at a regatta for some Burnham swag! Resolute Racing & Sykes USA - our producer rows …

Interview with Fabio Selvig, Filippi Director of Marketing Filippi is a primary sponsor of USRowing Convention 2023 Filippi Boats (Cantiere Navale Filippi Lido S.R.L.) is an International manufacturer of rowing racing shells, based in Italy. The company was founded in 1980 by Lido Filippi. Today, the running of the boatyard is undertaken by Lido Fi…

776BC Performance Apparel's Dave Powers started rowing in college at Boston University and has had a career spanning 35+ years in the sporting goods industry with a focus on sales, marketing and account management. Starting his career in 1989 as the National Sales Manager for Saucony Running shoes based in Peabody, MA., he eventually moved to Germa…

Meet 20-year-old Jalen Baldwin, SteadyState Network Changemaker Scholarship Winner to the USRowing Convention & Coach at the Cleveland Foundry Jrs., Cleveland, OH. One of our favorite interviews - Jalen shines! Many thanks to our fabulous sponsors: Burnham Boat Slings - mention the podcast at a regatta for some Burnham swag! Resolute Racing & Sykes…

Rick Bayko is the new US Indoor LW Champion for ages 75+. A member of Community Rowing Boston Military & Veterans Crew, RIck trains consistently throughout the winter and enjoys competing all over the US and the world. He's recently taken up sculling, as well. RIck will claim that he was the only lightweight entered in the national competition this…

Our livestreaming on Feb. 4 at #RowCon23 started out with Sandra Cardillo, Director of Rowing and Head Coach at Watuppa Rowing Center in New Bedford, MA. We first met Sandra through her work with the CRI Para and Military & Veterans programs. Find the full schedule of USRowing Convention coverage on the website. We'll be adding links & updates from…

Join us for a virtual tour of the venue, speakers, and topic highlights with Brett Gorman, Director of Learning & Development at USRowing. Ready, Row! USA is once again a media partner for #RowCon23, and we'd love to hear your rowing story at the first in-person gathering of the movers & shakers & regular folks of rowing. Stop by our mobile studio …

Welcome to Season 5 of Ready, Row! USA! We kick off our 2023 coverage with an interview with one of the rowing world's most admired figures: USRowing para high-performance director Ellen Minzner (replay on the website & audio on all major podcast apps). Minzner discusses how US Paralympic rowing is embarking on groundbreaking research that will not…

The team of four—Christal Clashing, Elvira Bell, Kevinia Francis and Samara Emmanuel—will compete in the inaugural Pacific Challenge in 2023. Atlantic Campaigns, the official race organizers of the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, is also organizing this initiative. The Pacific Challenge is a 2,800 nautical mile race from Monterey Bay in Califor…

“I hope to pursue my passion for rowing for the rest of my days,” says Kline, “and I am incredibly grateful for the many life lessons that this beautiful sport has taught me.” In this episode, we meet Kirsten Kline, the 2021 World Indoor Rowing champion and a Concept 2 World Record Holder. Kline is a 33-year old Alabama native who currently resides…

Catch the video replay or listen here to meet Jen Fitz-Roy – elite PR1 adaptive rower, mentor to disabled youth, and fierce advocate for inclusion and disability rights. And now Jen’s on her way to compete for the US National Team in the World Rowing Championships! Jen is a graduate of Boston College and learned to row in CRI’s para program. She no…

It’s that time of year again (a little earlier this year to give you a “heads” up!), when the legendary Jim Dietz and Mark Wilson, founders of All-American Rowing Camp reveal secret strategies, tell fun stories, and inspire you to participate in the great Fall Head races across the US. They’ll touch on regattas like the Charles, the Fish, the Ohio,…

Launched in 2021, the new Waco Rowing Center features a course stretching from the historic bridges of downtown Waco to the picturesque bluffs of Cameron Park. But wait! Not content to “simply” launch a rowing center, Walton & Scheuritzel decided this was the year to kick off the next great North American fall head race, the first annual 5K Waco Ro…

Kerry Kingdon went from ultra marathoner to being told she could no longer run. After eventually being diagnosed with POTS and IST, she received treatment that made her feel ready for competition again. She took a position as adaptive coach at Bair Island Aquatic Center, where she runs an adaptive erg class and rows. Kerry won gold at Indoor Nation…

Today, we're talking with Jonathan A. Wright, writer known to his friends as "our local renaissance guy.” Wright is a craftsman and green-building designer. He is the founder of Wright Builders, a firm based in Northampton, MA and known for innovative green design and precise execution. Jonathan is the author of two volumes of poetry, “After the Ra…

Join us on this Club Spotlight livestream with Olympic rower & coach Jim Dietz as we discuss the development of his eponymous new Rowing Center in Stonington, CT, scheduled to open in 2024. Livestream 6/22 11am ET on our website; click through for replay & podcast distribution links. Joining the conversation will be John Thornell, head of Stoningto…

As eager new rowers get set to try the sport on National Learn-To-Row Day June 4, Ready, Row! USA takes a look at how boathouses & rowing programs can create successful events and transform these new enthusiasts into long-term rowers and sustaining members. Boathouses and rowing programs are gearing up for USRowing’s Learn-to-Row Day on Saturday, J…

Get away and make some memories this summer & fall! Our experts will give you last-minute inspiration for memorable rowing adventure travel in 2022. Listen on your podcast app or watch the replay for some last-minute planning secrets & strategies from seasoned guides & travelers Ruth Marr CEO of Rowing the World and Mark Wilson, co-founder of All-A…

This Club Spotlight Pop-Up focuses on the innovations & community connections that are part of the DNA at the new Tacoma Rowing Club. Our guest Dave Harvey, coaches and is a founder of the club. “In the shadow of Mount Tahoma, we strive to be a program that truly reflects the diversity and strength of our community.” – Tacoma Rowing website. Tacoma…

First in a series on Adaptive Tech for Rowing - send us your ideas! We first met Bob Berry, inventor of The Remote Coxswain, in 2019, when he brought his relatively new invention to Community Rowing in Boston, for some testing and demonstrations. His adaptive rowing tool allows individuals who are visually impaired to participate in water activitie…

Click HERE for livestream video replay (includes artists' images!) How do rower/artists express their perception, experience, and feeling for the sport in their work? We'll be exploring the intersection of art & athletics with this episode's guests: filmmaker and videographer Eamon Glavin; sculptor and printmaker Nancy Diessner; painter & photograp…

In this episode, hosts Ryan Worth and Jason Cottingham talk with the intrepid athletes of Team "Foar From Home,"who have just completed the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, raising upwards of $1 million for K9s For Warriors, which trains service dogs for veteran PTSD treatment and suicide prevention. EPISODE SPONSOR: The Wave Rowing Magazine - t…

Every year in mid-December about 30 teams take on the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge (#TWAC), considered the toughest rowing challenge in the world. Starting in La Gomera (Canary Islands) the course tracks over the Atlantic to Antigua (Caribbean) for a distance of 4,800 km over 30-75 days. We talk with Jonathan Harrison, captain of "The Pacific…

In this series of "pop-up" livestreams, we're spotlighting some of the intrepid crews from the 2021-22 Atlantic Challenge, in the run-up to our March 8 Ocean Rowing episode. Stuart Shepherd tells the story of "Wrekin Rowers." For 40+ days, Shepherd, along with Martin Skehan, Stuart Richards & Gary Richards, all in their 50's, rowed the 3000+ miles …

Rowing. Across the Atlantic Ocean. No breaks. 70+ days. How in the world do people sign on for a project like this? Every year in mid-December about 30 teams of 1 to 5 do just that, and take on the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge (#TWAC), considered the toughest rowing challenge in the world. Starting in La Gomera (Canary Islands) the course tra…

This livestreamed on Feb. 15, 2PM Eastern Time! Click here to watch the video replay and post comments & questions! The Institute for Rowing Leadership at Community Rowing, Inc. in Boston was founded to equip rowing coaches for excellence and leadership in coaching and in life. Today, we talk with CRI’s Senior Manager of Coaching Education, CB Sand…

In our Ready, Row! USA “Pop-up Podcast” on Monday, Jan. 31, Zoe Vais from the George Pocock Rowing Foundation drops by to talk about their Camp Lucy program. Audio posted to podcast apps immediately after the livestream. This new program of GPRF aims to empower confident, strong, healthy young women and share out the Pocock philosophy of “harmony, …

Board member Bobbi Kizer, DEI committee chair of the Spokane River Rowing Assn. joins us for our first Club Spotlight “Pop-Up Podcast” of 2022! During this discussion, we learn how the small but mighty Spokane River Rowing Association is baking access and inclusion into the DNA and mission of their club. Spokane River Rowing Association is looking …

Our final ROWAPALOOZA episode for 2021 is all about incorporating rowing in your commitment to and practice of lifetime fitness. We are excited to host fitness experts Nick Karwoski of Hydrow and Tagalong With A Pro and Blake Gourley from the Science of Rowing. Spokane River Rowing Association member Marnie Schroer joins to give her person-in-the-b…