Episodes
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MEET: Ken Gates & John Cullicott
CLUB: TexasRowingCenter.org
HOST: Napoleon GriffinKen Gates has won nine (9) CRASH-B hammers, set two world records on the RowErg and won a couple Masters Nationals singles titles, about racing, training and maintaining fitness while aging.
John has raced for over 40 years at the High School, College, Elite, and Masters levels. He spent seven years as a sweep lightweight before converting to a sculling heavyweight. As an elite, he won nationals in all four sculling categories and made the A final in two Olympic Trials.
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From the Ukrainian women's crew Anastaia Kozhenkova, Katarina Maistrenko, and Yevghenia Dovhodko talk to host Napoleon Greiffin about their training in Kyiv and WSU, and their experience in the US. They rowed on Sunday, Nov. 20.
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Missing episodes?
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Bak, Choi, Rogers - Transcript
2023 Won COPA America Mixed 4x2022 Bronze at Beach Sprint Worlds for Mixed 4x 2021 Tokyo Paralympic PR3 Mixed 4+ AlternateChris Bak
2021 Portugal-1x 8th BS2022 wales 1x gold 4x bronze BS2023 Barletta- 1x 8th BS 1x silver ENDURO 2x gold ENDURO2024 Genoa- 1x goldKory Rogers
4x coastal national team 2x world champion, youngest in 2023 senior level worlds 1x bronze medalist Bali continental qualifier USOPC (Olympic committee event)
"Hey guys, my name is Kory Rogers."
Host, Napoleon Griffin: Alright, welcome back! We're at the Head of the Charles Regatta, 2024, day three. I'm pleased to have my last guests with me. I'd like them to introduce themselves, going from left to right.
"I'm Chris Bak, nice to meet you."
"And I'm Peter Choi, nice to meet you."
Alright, thank you all. So, we're here at a rowing event on the water, but you guys aren't doing what most people think of when they think of rowing. What do you do?
"We all do coastal rowing. Peter's our coxswain."
For those who don't know what coastal rowing is, can you explain it?
"Coastal rowing is a really dynamic side of the sport. In traditional flat water rowing, you see more 2k or 5k races, like here at the Head of the Charles. For coastal, we do have 4k and 6k racing, which is on the endurance side. But we also have a cool type of racing called beach sprints, which is now in the 2028 Olympics. It's a 500-meter format with some slalom. It's a much shorter, more dynamic race out on the open ocean."
Now, having lived in Puerto Rico, I know coastal rowing takes place in the ocean, and I'm not a fan of that! Flipping is not an option, considering you have things waiting for you in the water. You could become a snack if you don't do well! So, talk about how the race starts before you actually get in the boat. For those who are not aware of coastal rowing, they might think you have stake boats like you would in a regular flat water race, but that's not the case. So how is it set up?
Types of Coastal Rowing"Good question. There are actually two different types of coastal rowing. The Olympic discipline for LA that Chris mentioned is called beach sprints. If you're in a smaller boat, a single or a double, one of the athletes starts at the archway at the starting line. There's a rope on the sand, and when the buzzer goes off, you sprint anywhere from 50 to 80 meters. In the case of a quad, it'd be the coxswain who sprints. Then you have to jump into the boat and slalom around three buoys and then make your way back. The bow person jumps out and then has to go back to the start line and hit a big red button. It's very action-packed. I like to say it's kind of like the BMX to mountain biking, or the velodrome to rough and tumble cycling.
For the Coastal World Championships, the long-distance event, there are variations, but the one I've seen the most is usually a cluster of people kind of waiting, and there's three balls that designate one-minute starting times. So three balls means three minutes. One drops, the second one drops, the last one drops, and then the buzzer goes, and then there really are no lanes. It's like head racing without the stagger. So 20 to 40 boats all kind of converge towards that first buoy. There's a lot of contact."
"When people say rowing's not a contact sport, they're not thinking about coastal rowing!"
That's interesting. So, I would presume, coming from the world of track and field, you're not going to put your slowest runner at the bow of your boat. If you have a tight race, and your bow person can outrun the other bow person, you can move from bronze to gold, out of medal contention to being a gold medalist, just based on the run. So do you ever actually have races to figure out who's the fastest?So, what happened in 2023?
Bak: "Oh yeah, yeah. In the endurance side... I'll let Kory talk about what happened in 2023."
"Chris and I did the double for the endurance race. We surprised ourselves leading the race for the first 3k, maybe even 4k. It was a 6k race. The person who was bowing, which was me, got confused because there were two buoys that looked very similar, and I went the wrong way. Thank God we had a built-up lead of maybe about a hundred meters or so. Chris starts looking over at second place, third place, fourth place, and they all start going somewhere else. I'm like, 'Nah, don't even worry about it, they're going the wrong way, let me steer.' And in the end, I was wrong! So we had to cut over really fast. Thank God we were still in front at the turn, but I mean, I probably added like 20, 30 seconds of extra sprint that we did not need to do. All of our built-up cushion was gone. We get passed in the last 150 meters of the row coming into the beach. We're down maybe two, two and a half boat lengths. And I'm like, 'Man, screw this, I'm getting out of the boat.' I jump out early and I beat the Swedish guy running. So a 27-minute race came down to the last second."
"He was a big man, huge. Probably 6'6", 220."
"Esco, if you're watching, we love you man. You're a crazy guy, hats off to you."
I remember seeing that. So, talk about the 500-meter course because some people are not, including myself, as familiar with it. How does it work?
"Imagine you're on any pristine, nice beach. You take where the water is coming in from, subtract about 50 to 80 meters, and that's where your start line is going to be. Then you have two flags. Sometimes they have you run around the flag, sometimes they don't, it just depends on the race. You pretty much learn that race day. The reason for that is it can change based off of the tide and conditions. There are three buoys, each placed about 60 to 80 meters apart. You sprint to the boat from the beach, you hit the water, you have to figure out where the boat is, where the oars are. There is a unique position in coastal rowing, in the beach sprint format, of boat handlers. In the past, we've had teammates, coaches, even random people off the side of the street or on the beach come in and hold our boats for us so they don't flop all over the place.
After you enter the boat, you're racing towards the first buoy. The first buoy is going to be off your port side. You have to pass the second buoy on your starboard side. At the very end, which is about 250 meters out from the beach, there is a turn buoy. So you have to do a 180-degree turn and then you race straight back to the beach as fast as you can. You jump out of the boat, sprint back onto the beach, run around the flag, and then eventually hit the buzzer."
The cox's perspective
From a coxswain's perspective, is it different in beach sprints or coastal rowing than it would be on flat water, doing a 2k or even a 5k here at the Charles?
"Yeah, definitely. I would just say it's a different shell. It's so much heavier. It's like 400 pounds, maybe even heavier. That's not the same as what you would normally row on the river. Even though it's heavy, it's made to withstand those crazy waves and conditions. Mother Nature is not a battle you can win against, it's someone you have to adapt to. It's like, are there waves coming? Is there wind coming? You have to make quick adjustments. There's no time for, 'On two, let's do this,' because the race is a little bit over two minutes.
The other thing that's interesting is that because it's ... -
Alex Lynn, Youth Recreational Rowing Manager at Community RowingEllis 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 episode, c oaches Alex & Ellis examine the characteristics of effective youth rowing programs. They cover topics ranging from safety and motivation, and how experienced coaches can foster a secure, enjoyable, and inclusive environment.
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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 regattas. Now, Burnham's flagship products are their custom made boat covers, and they've added on many other types of rowing accessories, from oar bags to water bottle holders. And Peter has not stopped rowing, competing at most regattas in between shifts at his vendor tent, which attracts a steady stream of colleagues, friends, and customers, ready to chat about all things rowing.
#rowingpodcast
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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 Slings; Maurice Scott of Unity & Potomac BC & USRowing announcer; Andrii Ivanchuk, coach at Simmons University Crew & Riverside Boat Club and organizer of the Ukrainian rowing team’s visit to the Head of the Charles.
Message us if you’d like to tell your own Rowing Story
Click here for all 15+ Head of the Charles video replays -
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 film “A Most Beautiful Thing,” nominated for an NAACP Image Award in 2020. He's also a Golden Oar recipient for his contributions to the sport of rowing, motivational speaker, and activist, particularly around issues of accessibility to rowing and other sports for under-resourced communities.
Arshay grew up on the West Side of Chicago and in 1997 joined and later captained the country’s first all-Black high school rowing team at Manley High School. He dedicated two years of his life to AmeriCorps, focusing on diversity and inclusion, and continues to speak and represent across the country and around the world; most recently bringing his message of empowerment through sports to youth in South Africa and leading a youth rowing camp at Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Vermont.
Updated show notes & links at https://readyrowusa.com/arshay-cooper-2023
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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 to give you a “heads” up! Every year, longtime coaches Jim Dietz and Mark Wilson return to Ready, Row! USA to reveal secret strategies, tell fun stories, and inspire you to participate in the great Fall Head races across the US. This year, Dietz & Wilson will focus on these and other popular regattas:
Sep 3 Petaluma Half and Full Marathon, CASep 9 Rock the Occ – Half MarathonSep 10 Chicago River Half and Full MarathonSep 16 CRI Fall Classic Boston, Cuyahoga, Milwaukee, Saskatoon, Albany, SeattleOct 1 Head of the Riverfront, Hartford; WISCO Chase outside of Madison, WIOCT 7 Music City, Memphis TN & Head of the Genesee in Rochester, NYOCT 8 Head of the Rock, ILOct 20-22 Head of the Charles, BostonOct 28-29 Head of Schuylkill, PAOur host for this episode is Diane Bevan, a Masters rower at CRI Boston.
Thanks to our supporters & sponsors: Burnham Boat Slings; Resolute Racing & Sykes USA; GoodInklings Web Design & Management; All American Rowing Camp; Pierce Press Publishing & Podcasting; Community Rowing, Boston. Catch the livestream & replays on our YouTube channel & subscribe & review on your favorite podcast apps.
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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.
Boston-area Coach Brian DiDominici talked with host Diane Bevan, who learned to row "at a certain age" at Community Rowing, Boston. Get your questions answered, just tune in to our YouTube, Facebook, or LinkedIn replay events and type your questions in the discussion sections, and we'll have our experts answer them.
Surprise guest Dani Hansen, Hydrow athlete & decorated Paralympian, joins near the end for our wrap-up chat!With grateful acknowledgement to our sponsors & supporters at Burnham Boat, Pierce Press, Sykes/Resolute, Crew Stop, and Community Rowing. Remember to use the hashtag for your chance to win rowing gear & services! #ReadyRowUSA
CLICK HERE for the replay of our 2022 Learn-To-Row episode, focusing on how rowing programs can attract and nurture new rowers. -
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 through years of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and everything that goes with cancer treatments - his determination and resilience took on another level and Lara thought to herself - if he can go through all of that, then she can row an ocean for him.
This row was dedicated to Lara's father for all the times he went "above and beyond." He passed away on September 14, 2022, so he didn't get to see Lara finish but she knew he was with her with every oar stroke, from La Gomera, Portugal to Antigua.
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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 - do I contact coaches?Why aren’t coaches getting back to me?Wondering what college coaches expect from potential recruits?How can parents support their student athlete?In this episode, our expert panelists Fran Berlin & Carmen Mirochna of Rowers Reach explain the recruiting process, explore the options at club, DI, DII and DIII programs, and talk about realistic goals and expectations. Rounding out the panel are high school coach & UMass alum Kelsey Anderson, prospective D1 rower parent Meg Carroll, and Rochester sophomore Grace Snyder, a 2021 walk-on coxswain.
IMAGE: REACH client, senior Blake Luehrman, recently committed to UCSD
Please like, comment, subscribe, & share!
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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 oversees the organization's domestic community programming including STEM to Stern, DEI, Adaptive and Veterans rowing.
A graduate of Bucknell University and NYU's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, Trayes joins USRowing after spending two years as the community and partnerships manager at LeagueApps. Prior to that, she worked in various leadership roles at Row New York from 2009-2019, most recently as the Deputy Executive Director. Trayes rowed collegiately at Bucknell.
Full details. updates, & show notes
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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 of the Champions Network, the organization's external training program. CN partners with a range of organizations, clinicians, sports coaches, and other youth development professionals and explain how to include trauma-informed, sport-based, mental health support in their work with young people.
Dr. Cox stays involved in other ways in the sports-based youth development community as a facilitator and lead trainer for the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE), a board member of the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association and the McDonald Phelps Foundation, and a member of the State of Michigan Women in Sports Task Force. She has also worked collaboratively and implemented impactful projects with organizations such as the Women’s Sports Foundation and U.S. Soccer Foundation. Ramona continues to coach volleyball in Detroit at Cass Technical High School and Instant Replay Volleyball Club.
WEBSITE: "Doc Wayne is an award-winning non-profit leading the field of sport-based therapy and catalyzing a mental health movement. We provide training, tools, and services that address emotional, behavioral, traumatic, racial, gender, and cultural-based barriers by providing equitable access to better mental health for all. Our clinician-led curricula put sport into practice, strengthening social-emotional skills in young learners to build healthier, more resilient global communities."
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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 swapping, and the superbly comfortable fit. Did we pick up some shoes from H2Row at the USRowing Convention? Why yes, we did! Thanks, Don!
Burnham Boat Slings - mention the podcast at a regatta for some Burnham swag!Resolute Racing & Sykes USA - our producer rows a LW Sykes - try it out on the Charles River!GoodInklings Web Design & Management - mention the podcast for a free website audit!Pierce Press Publishing & Podcasting - wholesale discounts to 55% for podcast listeners!
Many thanks to our fabulous sponsors:Catch the livestream & replays on our YouTube channel & subscribe on your favorite podcast apps: Spotify, Google, Apple, Stitcher, SoundCloud, & more! If you like what you hear, consider subscribing, reviewing, and like, comment, & share!
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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 be continued - post your comments & questions for Tom on our YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn YouTube livestream replay discussion sections.
Burnham Boat Slings - mention the podcast at a regatta for some Burnham swag!Resolute Racing & Sykes USA - our producer rows a LW Sykes - try it out on the Charles River!GoodInklings Web Design & Management - mention the podcast for a free website audit!Pierce Press Publishing & Podcasting - wholesale discounts to 55% for podcast listeners!
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Many thanks to our fabulous sponsors:Catch the livestream & replays on our YouTube channel & subscribe on your favorite podcast apps: Spotify, Google, Apple, Stitcher, SoundCloud, & more! If you like what you hear, consider subscribing, reviewing, and like, comment, & share!
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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 rowers a break from the rowing machine for pretty much the same type of workout," Josh said. Now I have to figure out how to sneak one in the house!
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 a LW Sykes - try it out on the Charles River!GoodInklings Web Design & Management - mention the podcast for a free website audit!Pierce Press Publishing & Podcasting - wholesale discounts to 55% for podcast listeners!Catch the livestream & replays on our YouTube channel & subscribe on your favorite podcast apps: Spotify, Google, Apple, Stitcher, SoundCloud, & more! If you like what you hear, consider subscribing, reviewing, and like, comment, & share!
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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 all the links.
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 a LW Sykes - try it out on the Charles River!GoodInklings Web Design & Management - mention the podcast for a free website audit!Pierce Press Publishing & Podcasting - wholesale discounts to 55% for podcast listeners!Catch the livestream & replays on our YouTube channel & subscribe on your favorite podcast apps: Spotify, Google, Apple, Stitcher, SoundCloud, & more! If you like what you hear, consider subscribing, reviewing, and like, comment, & share!
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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 years later, after a devastating car accident, he invented the rowing simulation machine, SimulatOar (best product name ever!). He also made CTC racing shells, and pioneered the use of composite materials in rowing equipment. Coffey continues to make his machines to order, one-by-one, in his home basement shop. Watch the livestream replay on our YouTube channel - at the end of the interview, when our producer tests out the machine under the expert tutelage of the inventor!
Burnham Boat Slings - mention the podcast at a regatta for some Burnham swag!Resolute Racing & Sykes USA - our producer rows a LW Sykes - try it out on the Charles River!GoodInklings Web Design & Management - mention the podcast for a free website audit!Pierce Press Publishing & Podcasting - wholesale discounts to 55% for podcast listeners!
Many thanks to our fabulous sponsors:Catch the livestream & replays on our YouTube channel & subscribe on your favorite podcast apps: Spotify, Google, Apple, Stitcher, SoundCloud, & more! If you like what you hear, consider subscribing, reviewing, and like, comment, & share!
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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 folks, like Janice Holzman, Row New York; Calvin Coffey, Olympic athlete & Coffey SimulatOar inventor; Josh Carlson, Concept 2 SkiErg specialist; Holly Austin, Ready Set Row; Paralympic coxswain Emilie Eldracher; Aquil Abdullah Olympic & Hydrow athlete; Sandra Cardillo, Watuppa RC ED & Head Coach; Fabio Selvig, Fillippi Sales & Marketing; Jalen Baldwin, SteadyState Network Changemaker Scholarship winner & coach at Cleveland Foundry; John Gartin, Executive Dir., Collegiate Rowing Coaches Assn.; Kyle Williams & Kamal Carter, A Long Talk; Ted Benford, Executive Dir., Community Rowing; Dave Powers, 776BC Performance Apparel; Rick Bayko, CRI Military & Veterans Crew; Don Ukrainec, H2Row boat shoe systems; Tom Rooks, USRowing Safety Dir.; Jenny Trayes, USRowing Community Engagement; Mary Whipple, Olympic coxswain; Ramona Cox, sports therapist.
Please visit https://readyrowusa.com/USRowCon23 for watch links and our full coverage. Help us get these amazing rowing stories out to the world by subscribing and reviewing on your favorite podcast apps, and by liking, commenting, and sharing on all the livestream destinations - Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube (search is your friend!). Please note: We're still uploading the 20 #rowcon23 interviews to podcast distribution, so stay tuned for the rest. We're getting there!
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 a LW Sykes - try it out on the Charles River!GoodInklings Web Design & Management - mention the podcast for a free website audit!Pierce Press Publishing & Podcasting - wholesale discounts to 55% for podcast listeners!Catch the livestream & replays on our YouTube channel & subscribe on your favorite podcast apps: Spotify, Google, Apple, Stitcher, SoundCloud, & more! If you like what you hear, consider subscribing, reviewing, and like, comment, & share!
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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 president of the board and as a trustee. In May of 2016, Ted was hired as Director of Operations and served as Interim Executive Director until his selection as Executive Director in August of 2018.
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 a LW Sykes - try it out on the Charles River!GoodInklings Web Design & Management - mention the podcast for a free website audit!Pierce Press Publishing & Podcasting - wholesale discounts to 55% for podcast listeners!Catch the livestream & replays on our YouTube channel & subscribe on your favorite podcast apps: Spotify, Google, Apple, Stitcher, SoundCloud, & more! If you like what you hear, consider subscribing, reviewing, and like, comment, & share!
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photo credit: CRI - Show more
