Rowers Choice - Innovating Rowing

Spencer comes from a family with deep rowing history. Spencer's Grandfather was a rowing coach, Spencer's father was a rowing coach, and it only makes sense that Spencer became a rowing coach. Spencer started his rowing career taking naps in his dads launch while he coached, then went on to a great career at Princeton and is now the head coach at Deerfield Academy, where he coaches with one of his brothers. You could say that Spencer was born to be a rowing coach!

2022e29 - Rowers Choice Podcast + Fr. Mark Connell - San Miguel This was not the podcast we expected when we started. Father Mark Connell got his first taste of rowing in high school, but wasn't in the sport long. After he understood that God has some other plans for him, he became a priest and ultimately ended up at San Miguel Academy. Nearly 48 years later, Fr. Mark is changing the sport and the lives of kids at San Miguel Academy. Please take 5 minutes to support this program! https://newburghsanmiguel.org/programs/san-miguel-rowing/

2022e28 - James Long Lerno - Newport Sea Base James Got his start back at Long Beach Crew before rowing at both Orange Coast College and Cal. He then trained and raced with the US National team before an injury caused him to stop competing and start coaching. Now James has coached at Marin, USC, and is not the Executive Director of Newport Sea Base. One of the top coaches in the country, James led his boys to win the 4x in the 2022 National Championship.

2022e27 - Rowers Choice Podcast - Julian Canha Julian's love of rowing started young. His father was a rower and needed a coxswain to steer the masters boat early in the morning. This was the hook Julian needed. After being part of a small team at Montclair, and having to fight for every stroke at Michigan, Julian eventually got the coaching bug while at law school. Now, years later, Julian is teaching kids in the greater Washington DC area about rowing, and making a fast team in the process!

2022e26 - Rowers Choice Podcast + Julie Hansen - Babbel - 106 Julie Hansen is relatively new to rowing, but has already found herself immersed in the sport. Julie is the US CEO of Babbel, and about 5 years ago decided to check out rowing. Following a rowing class, Julie is now a member of Pelham Community Rowing Association and uses rowing as a way to exercise and enjoy the outdoors. Additionally her daughter rows on the exceptional Greenwich team, giving them something extra to talk about at the dinner table. Enjoy this fun podcast with Julie!

2022e25 - Rowers Choice Podcast - Beth Anderson One of the funniest and best podcast guests we have had yet! Her path to rowing was anything but typical. Introduced to rowing by a legend of a coach in Bebe Bryans, Beth caught the rowing bug, and spent time coaching at Purdue, UCDavis, Oakland Strokes and now NorCAl. Check out today's podcast with @norcal.crew Executive Director Beth Anderson! #rowing #usrowing #rowerschoice #rowingrelated

2022e24 - Rowers Choice Podcast - Sarah Puddiecombe Don't miss todays podcast with Capital Junior Crew coach Sarah Puddiecombe! We were so excited to have her join us to talk about how she got into rowing, her college racing experience, her time at Cal, and everything she has going now at Capital Crew! #rowing #usrowing #rowingrelated #finishlineshellrepair #rowerschoice @capital_jrcrew

2022e23 - Rowers Choice Podcast + Holly Hatton - Bromfield Acton - Boxborough Rowing Holly Hatton is a rowing legend. Not many people with her experience and who competed at her level can say they found rowing through a party with friends in Philadelphia. Holly competed in some of the most elite rowing races around the world, and has great stories about her time rowing and competing with the National Team. After she was done competing, she has build a legendary coaching career coaching at Harvard/Radcliffe for 13 years, Boston University for 12 years, and now at Bromfield Acton Boxborough. She was an amazing guest and we cant wait to hear more of her stories!

2022e22 - Rowers Choice Podcast - John Fife John Fife wasn't the biggest and fastest kid at The Prep, but he was consistent, always working hard, and didnt miss his opportunity when it presented itself. After being introduced to rowing at The Prep, Coach Fife went on to Penn and eventually law school at Rutgers. While at law school, Coach Fife got hooked on coaching and from there made it his career. After a successful stint at Jesuit Prep in Dallas, he is now back at his alma-mater, leading them to major wins in the last couple years. Coach Fife and Alex talk about his approach and practices leading up to some of the biggest races, as well as the importance of taking some time away to renew the drive each season.

2022e21 - Rowers Choice Podcast - Mike Wallin - Chicago Rowing Foundation. Mike Wallin is not your average rowing coach. Mike got his start with St Joes Prep when he was looking for something to do to stay in shape for basketball. After rowing at Prep for Philly legend Bill Lamb, he rowed at Cal for the legendary Steve Gladstone. Now Mike is building his own incredible career in Chicago. When Mike showed up in Chicago, the team didnt look like it does now. He strategically grew the team, rowing primarily 8s, with a unique practice philosophy of less meters, but more power. Coming off a win in the Womens 8 at Youth Nationals, we interviewed Mike as he was prepping to take the U19 US National team Womens 8+ to the world championships. [Spoiler Alert: They won that race too]. Do not miss this podcast with Mike Wallin!

2022e20 - Rowers Choice Podcast - Chris Leonard Chris Leonard is the Head Coach of White Rock Rowing in Dallas Texas. Chris got his start in rowing in New York at Iona Prep when he was carried down to the coaches office when they needed a coxswain. After coxing at Iona Prep and then at Marist, Chris has gone East and West, coaching at Harvard, Marin, Capital and now at White Rock Rowing. Chris's knowledge of rowing combined with his passion for rowing is contagious!

2022e19 - Rowers Choice Podcast - Ted Haley Ted Haley is the head coach of St Albans Rowing. After getting his start at Canisius High, he went on to row at Georgetown in Washington DC. Ted's simple and straightforward approach has given him great success since 1993 when he started at St. Albans.

She almost left rowing! When she started at rowing as a freshman in college, Kari almost walked away from the sport. Now 30+ years later she has spent most of her life in and around rowing. Rowing at Stanford and then Navy, she then spent time in her single while stationed on base and following other practices on the Potomac. Now as the head coach at Washington College, Kari is sharing her passion with the students there. This is a fun and amazing story!

This is a special edition podcast. In April, Rowers Choice recorded its 3rd ever RowersChoice Live, a Live special event where we brought three college coaches to Washington DC. Eric Carcich of UMass, Bryan Volpenhein of Penn, and Rebecca Grzybowski of Temple joined us in front of a live audience of athletes, coaches and parents to discuss culture, the transition from high school to college rowing, and how to manage the recruiting process. This conversation covered a number of great topics and included a Live Question and Answer session at the end where parents, athletes and coaches were able to ask questions to this group of coaches.

Dan Martin is the head coach of Grand Valley State University. Dan got his start down in Virginia's beautiful Occoquan Reservoir with Lake Braddock Crew and then was a walk on at University of Virginia mens crew team. After becoming a high school chemistry teacher, Dan realized how much he loved coaching and it became a full time pursuit. Now the head coach at Grand Valley State University, Dan is writing a new chapter in their storied history book. To learn more about Grand Valley State University rowing, you can find dan here: https://www.gvsu.edu/clubsports/rowing-club-30.htm

It all started with the 'Salad Bar'. Stetson University head coach Jamie Francis learned to row in the salad bar? at the salad bar? In a boat named the salad bar because his high school program had bought the boat from a restaurant that was using the boat to display the salad bar. From there Jamie went on to row in college, and moved into coaching. After a journey that included Penn State, Mercyhurst, and Embry Riddle, Jamie now is the head coach of Stetson University where he is seeing early success. To learn more about Stetson University Rowing, you can find more information here: https://gohatters.com/sports/womens-rowing #rowing #usrowing #stetsonuniversity

He may have never gotten above the 3rd 8+ while at Washington, but Glenn Putyrae has been coaching collegiately for almost 20 years at the highest level. Starting first as a graduate assistant and cleaning carpets to make ends meet, Glenn has experience at Gonzaga and Georgetown, all of which made him an ideal candidate for Alabama where he has been the head coach since 2018. This is a great podcast! To learn more about Alabama Womens Rowing and connect with Glenn, you can find out more information here: https://rolltide.com/sports/womens-rowing

Dartmouth Womens head coach Nancy LaRocque has some amazing coaching experience. Originally from New Hampshire, Dartmouth is pretty close to home for Nancy. Nancy has a wealth of coaching experience to pull from, starting at Vassar, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Madison, with a couple stints at Specialized Bikes too! Now at Dartmouth, Nancy has her eyes on winning an Ivy League title. If you are interested in connecting with Nancy or Dartmouth Womens rowing, you can find more information here: https://dartmouthsports.com/sports/womens-rowing

Maddie has rowed and been a part of rowing programs in some of the most iconic rowing places in the US. She started on Boathouse Row, rowed at Princeton, coached in San Francisco, and is now the head coach and director of rowing at Boston University. This is an amazing conversation! To learn more about BU rowing and get in touch with Maddie, you can find more info here : https://goterriers.com/sports/womens-crew

Manny was supposed to play college basketball. When he got to Ithaca he expected to be the garbageman on the basketball team. Now, Manny is the head coach at Skidmore College. After at Ithaca and briefly at Marietta, Manny honed his skills at Sagamore and Saratoga before landing at Skidmore. Now at Skidmore, Manny is working hard to preserve the legacy before him while writing a new chapter in Skidmore Rowing history. To learn more about Skidmore Crew, check out -https://skidmoreathletics.com/sports/womens-crew

Rowers Choice Live in Nashville at Montgomery Bell Academy was a great night. We host a great conversation with Nich Lee Parker from Columbia University and Sam Pratt of Adrian College to talk about rowing in college and rowing at the next level. This is a must listen to show!

3 time Olympian. 3 time World Champ. Who wouldn't want to row for Bryan Volpenhein. Penn's Heavyweight mens rowing coach, Bryan Volpenhein, is a fierce competitor and is bringing that energy to Penn. Late to the sport, Bryan started rowing at Ohio State and quickly climbed the USRowing ladder. After a heartbreaking silver at the worlds in 2003, his race in Athens was legendary. Now Bryan is building Penn into a tough competitor.

Asiya Mahmud got her start at a small program in Oak Crest, NJ. Now she is the Associate Head Coach of Rowing at Drexel University. Additionally, Asiya spent the summer of 2021 coaching the US Junior National Womens 4+ to Gold at the world championships! She is an amazing leader around the water and Drexel is very lucky to have her. To learn more about Drexel Rowing and connect with Asiya, check out Drexel Rowing at https://drexeldragons.com/sports/womens-crew/roster/coaches/asiya-mahmud/1475

Martin Stone got his start as a freshman at St. Marys College, started in a wooden Pocock 8+ and he was hooked! After coaching at Navy for a few years, Martin had the opportunity to build a program at Notre Dame and jumped at the opportunity. After taking the job in 1997, Martin has spent the last 25 years building an incredible program at Notre Dame. To learn more about Martin and get in touch with Notre Dame Rowing, check out https://und.com/sports/wrow/!

He could have been a landscape architect... If it wasn't for a quick conversation with his coach Stew Stokes on a dock when he was a senior at UMass, Eric Carcich may have never ended up in coaching. After graduation, Eric got into coaching, starting at Umass, and quickly had the coaching bug. Over a 20 + career at starting at UMass, Yale, Penn, George Washington, and Cornell, Coach Carcich is now back at UMass leading the Minutewomen. His career is defined by hard work, and strong networking. To learn more about Eric and UMass rowing, check out -https://umassathletics.com/sports/womens-rowing

Cory Conzemius has been around rowing for a long time. He is constantly making programs faster, first up and down the east coast, then in the midwest, and now in the central plains. Cory's willingness to grow and try new things has given him the opportunity to grow into the great coach he has become. Now at Oklahoma City University, Cory has a vision to make Oklahoma City into the powerhouse program it should be. To learn more about OKCU rowing check them out here:https://www.ocusports.com/sports/mens-rowing

Things could have turned out much different for Columbia University coach Nich Lee Parker. The goal was music, the result is being one of the top lightweight mens rowing coaches in the country. Things weren't always perfect for Nich, but after a humbling introduction to rowing a 2000m piece [thanks to Olympian Bryan Volpenheim], Nich got hooked on rowing and never looked back. Ohio State, Purdue, Yale and currently Columbia, Nick has some great rowing stories to tell. To learn more about Nick Lee Parker and Columbia rowing, check out this link - https://gocolumbialions.com/sports/lightweight-rowing To find Nich's awesome Be Here Now hat, check out https://sunlifeorganics.com/collections/all

"Tall Athletes Wanted; or those tough enough to make up the difference!" Looking for something to do while at college, Rebecca wasn't going to shy away from that note. Rebecca first learned to row at UCSB, and now, just a few years later has worked her way up and earned herself the head coaching role at Fordham University in New York City. Alex and Rebecca have a great conversation about her path to Fordham and overcoming the obstacles she faces being one of the youngest women to coach a D1 program! To learn more about Fordham Rowing, you can get in touch with Rebecca by visiting this link: https://fordhamsports.com/sports/womens-rowing

Rowers Choice Live - January 2022 - Dallas On January 31, 2022, We brought two coaches to Dallas to talk rowing. Dave O'Neill of Texas and Nick Johnson of Barry came to Dallas with us to discuss three main topics. 1. The Future of high school, college and national team rowing. 2. How do you prepare for the transition between High School and College? 3. What is the best way to navigate the recruiting process. We also gave parents, coaches and athletes in the audience an opportunity to ask questions directly to the coaches. This was an incredible show and one not to be skipped.

Its very fitting that John Boyd is now the head coach at Iona College, after all it is where he first learned to row! John was part of a successful Iona team as a student, and in 2019, returned to Iona to take the helm. Alex has a great conversation with John, discussing his journey through coaching, starting at Radnor in Philadelphia before his return to Iona. If you are interested in learning more about Iona College rowing, you can check it out at https://icgaels.com/sports/2020/2/20/recruiting-information.aspx

Sam Pratt was 5 years old when he first sat on a rowing machine. Son of two British rowers, Sam was destined to be in and around rowing. Alex has an excellent conversation with Sam about his journey through rowing to his current role as head coach of Adrian College Crew.

2022e2 Nick Johnson Barry University Nick Johnson is the head coach at Barry University and has been coaching for quite a while. He started as a high school coach, gaining some great experience working with a number of teams in the Washington DC area. Now at Barry University, he has a great squad and year round rowing in sunny Miami! Interested in rowing at Barry University? Check them out here: https://gobarrybucs.com/sports/rowing

2022e1 Jaclyn Smith Long Island University Rowing Jacklyn Smith got her start on Long Island, so its only appropriate that she is now the head coach of Long Island University. This brand new program has an experienced, Olympian leading the charge for their brand new program. Listen to Alex and Jaclyn discuss her introduction to rowing, her path to the Olympics and her new role as the head coach at Long Island University Rowing!

We end this years podcasts with an awesome conversation with University of Minnesota Womens head coach, Alicea Strodel. Alicea took over the Gophers mid pandemic, and has been working to create an exciting new culture. She has a long history of rowing at Syracuse University prior to Minnesota as well. This is an excellent way to end our 2021 podcasts! Be sure to check out University of Minnesota Womens rowing at https://gophersports.com/sports/womens-rowing

Kate Sweeney was born to be a part of Ohio State. A third generation Buckeye, Kate attended and now is the head coach at Ohio's most prestigious institution. Listen to this great conversation between Kate and Alex. Find out more about Ohio State Rowing and connect with Kate at https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/w-rowing/

Gregg Hartsuff started rowing by accident. He was supposed to be playing football! Considering he was a 'late starter', it's incredible that Gregg has been the head coach at University of Michigan Men's rowing since 1992. His rowing knowledge is seemingly endless, he is a founder of ACRA rowing and he has made Michigan rowing a powerhouse program. Don't miss this podcast and be sure to check out Michigan mens rowing at https://michiganrowing.org

Debbie Prowse had an amazing high school and college career at Holy Spirit High School and Boston University, before taking time away from rowing to raise her family. Now she is back in the mix as the head coach at Liberty University!

Craig White is on a mission. He has a vision and a drive to change the sport for the better and knows what it is going to take to get it done. He isn't the loudest out there, but he is talking about what needs to happen, and is actually making the changes and doing the things that the sport of rowing needs to improve. This wasn't our traditional 1-on-1 podcast. Craig brought along some of his athletes to talk about their experiences and how rowing has made an impact of their lives. This is a must listen! First posted July 2020.

November 2021 - USRowing has recently voted to change the by laws and try to guide USRowing in a positive and forward direction. Alex had the chance to sit down with USRowing Board of Directors President Nobu Ishizuka and discuss the changes, what USRowing is trying to accomplish with the changes, and the future of USRowing.

Brian Conley is the Head Coach at Lehigh University. With experience at St. Joes Prep, Penn, Lower Merion, Dartmouth, and now Lehigh, Brian has been in and around rowing for a long time. He has used this experience to build one of the fastest programs in the Patriot League. He is an amazing coach and Lehigh is an amazing place to row. Check Lehigh Rowing out at https://lehighsports.com/sports/womens-rowing

Stephanie Ricker is the new head coach of Bryant University. She has great experience from a number of good schools, has overcome some difficulties, and is now on track to lead the new D1 team at Bryant University. Be sure to check this podcast out!

When describing Bebe Bryans, "Successful" might be an understatement. With 13 consecutive NCAA appearances, she is clearly on another level. BeBe and Alex sit down and talk about her start in rowing, coaching at Georgetown, Michigan State, and Wisconsin, and the time she could have run over Bill Clinton. She was a wonderful guest and we hope you enjoy this podcast!

2021e9 - Rowers Choice Podcast - Falesha Thrash Alex sits down with Texas Rowing Center head coach Falesha Thrash to talk about her rowing background and he finds out about something that the Texas Rowing Center offers, that we have, literally, actually literally have never heard of. This concept is an awesome idea to grow the junior rowing! Check the podcast out!

Alex and John go back a long way! This is a great interview with one of the best rowing coaches in the country, Stockton University Head Coach John Bancheri. Its a dont miss interview where John and Alex talk about Johns rowing background, his coaching styles and his new coaching role. #rowing #usrowing

2021e6 - Rowers Choice Podcast - Anita DeFrantz At this point, we have done a number of great podcasts. This one is one of our best yet. Alex gets the chance to sit down with and have a great conversation with rowing legend Anita DeFrantz. The have an amazing conversation about her start and career in rowing, and everything that we can continue to do to move the sport forward.

Cam Kiosoglous has been a USRowing coach since 2002. He grew up in Australia and moved to the US some 20 years ago. His passion and knowledge of rowing is extraordinary. He and Alex sit down and have an awesome conversation! Enjoy!

2021e6 - Rowers Choice Podcast - A Conversation With Martha And Morgan We were honored to have two excellent women in rowing sit down and have a fun conversation about what its like to be a 40 year old woman training and rowing. Please enjoy this conversation with Martha and Morgan!

Rower, Ironman, Entrepreneur. Jack Nunn has a history in rowing that is nothing short of awesome. Son of rowing royalty, Jack has used is amazing rowing skills to launch his rowing career to a level that few have been to. His career at Cal Rowing was full of challenges, competition and 12 olympians! Dont miss part 1 of this interview with Jack Nunn!

Kevin Sauer has been coaching at University of Virginia for a long time. 9 National Champion boats, 1000 wins, and 8 Olympians later, not to mention his ridiculously long list of other accolades, Coach Sauer has an incredible winning pedigree. Alex and Coach Sauer talk about as much as they could during their 40 minute conversation. Everything from Kevins introduction to rowing, his time in the 2-+, his competing at the World Championships, and the incredible rowing culture he has brought and built at University of Virginia.

Rowers Choice sits down with Tideway Scullers coach Chris Williams to talk about junior rowing, the pandemic, the challenges rowers face while rowing in the UK and the Global Rowing Challenge. Lots of great rowing talk here!

Alex sits down and talks with Owner and CEO of Pocock Racing Shells John Tytus, about the state of rowing in 2021. They talk about where the rowing season might be headed, how rowing shell companies will survive and why rowing is important.