row2k Features
Interview
USA Lightweight Kristin Hedstrom
December 7, 2010
Erik Dresser, row2k.com

Hedstrom at the start line of the 2010 World Champs

This week's row2k Interview is USA Lightweight sculler Kristin Hedstrom. Hedstrom won silver in the LW4x last month at the World Champs as part of the Bellingham Bandits and chats with row2k about racing in New Zealand with the Bandits, her most memorable races, and how she got her start in sculling.

row2k: Now that you've had a few weeks since New Zealand, what is your take on the regatta and your race?
Kristin Hedstrom: The regatta itself was definitely the most organized and exciting international regatta I've competed at. New Zealand got the details right and made it a fantastic event for both the spectators and the athletes. There were so many New Zealand fans, and they were so proud and pumped up that it just made people want to cheer for Team NZ. And who can forget the Kiwi mascot walking around the venue on the last few days?!

In terms of our racing in the quad, I felt like it was bittersweet. To receive my first international medal was a moving experience; it was just incredible to be up on the podium. At the same time, we had worked so hard for the gold that it was disappointing to not achieve our goal.

row2k: Were you able to explore New Zealand at all while you were down there?
Kristin Hedstrom: Yes! My parents and I stayed in NZ for a week after racing ended, and I left the planning entirely up to them since I was preoccupied with racing. Their announcement that we'd be going on a four day backpacking trip on the Milford Track came as a bit of a surprise though! Even though I was ready to rest, we loaded up the packs (complete with sleeping bags, clothes, food, etc.) and started our "tramp." We hiked through lush rainforests, saw huge fjords, and met so many kind, welcoming New Zealand people. On one of the days (coincidentally the part of the hike that was said to have the best views), there was dense fog and it poured rain for seven hours of hiking. Despite that, the trip was a unique way to see the country and it was a great experience.

row2k: You were part of the Bellingham Bandits this year, how did you get involved with the group?
Kristin Hedstrom: Carlos called my coach in Madison, Erik Miller, and introduced the idea of building a quad with Ursula and Abby and wondered if I was interested. After discussing the options, we decided that heading to Bellingham was the best choice for me.

row2k: Assuming you're rowing in Bellingham again this upcoming year, how do you see the next year up to Bled playing out?
Kristin Hedstrom: It's up to Carlos to decide how the next year goes in terms of training and boatings. What I do know is that it'll be a lot of hard work and smart work. I'm ready to see the US lightweight women on the top of the podium, whether it's me or my fellow US teammates competing in that boat. One of my coaches used to say, "It's not enough to want to make a fast boat. You have to want to make the boat fast." I believe in that and want to push the US lightweight women to improve on our performance in New Zealand.

row2k: Coach Carlos has gotten some criticism for his coaching style, what's his coaching style like from the athlete's perspective?
Kristin Hedstrom: There was a lot of hype surrounding whether Ursula would triple up at Worlds, what the approach to Trials was, if the training plan was too crazy, and whether his goals were too ambitious. For the amount of hype that was generated outside of the house, there was really none of it in the house. We were training away, very hard, every day, just putting our heads down and trying to win some gold medals for the US. Carlos is an extremely passionate coach. He believed in the four of us and he believed that we could win gold - anything else was unsatisfactory. The guy loves rowing more than almost anyone I've ever met, and he's always looking for ways to go faster. He fights to give his athletes the edge wherever possible. His methods are different from many other coaches in this country, and that I think generated some of the doubt and speculation in the rowing world. The way I see it, we shouldn't be afraid of trying something new if the status quo isn't producing gold medals.

row2k: You've won HOTC, IRA's and a silver at Worlds, what have been some of your most memorable races and why?
Kristin Hedstrom: Three races come to mind. The first one - well, this is embarrassing, but I'm going to tell the story anyway. You asked for the most memorable races, not the most successful, right? Back in the summer of 2004, I was a junior rower and we were at Club Nationals in Indy. I was rowing for Community Rowing (CRI) at the time and we were prioritizing the eights and fours. At the last minute, our coach asked us what other events we wanted to enter, and my best friend (who I ended up rowing through college with) and I signed ourselves up for the intermediate lightweight double. There was only one problem: neither of us had any idea how to scull. "No problem, we'll learn at some point before the race," we thought. Days passed, and we kept getting boated in the eights. To make a long story short, we arrived at the starting line of our heat with one practice under our belt, and it had been that very morning. So we stumbled our way down the course, catching crabs, trying to be serious but laughing hard, and finally making it to the finish line...in dead last. We were a full minute behind the winner. I think my dad was the only one at the finish line cheering for us, and it was definitely pity cheering. For comparison, the next day we went out and won the junior 8. That double was my first sculling race, and I've definitely come a long way!

The second is Eastern Sprints in 2008 in the lightweight eight. Our stroke seat was in a bad bike accident two days before Sprints which forced all of our lineups to be shuffled around. We hadn't won any races that season, and we were racing an undefeated Princeton eight. Princeton led us for 1800 meters, and in the last few strokes, we surged ahead and pulled out a win. All weekend we had been worrying about whether our teammate was going to be ok, trying to adjust to our new lineup, and stressing out about facing our biggest rival without our fastest lineup. To have overcome all of those obstacles and come out with a victory was something to be proud of.

The third one has to be Head of the Charles last year in the lightweight single. I trained on the Charles in high school and, even though it was my seventh time racing at HOCR, I had never won it. I had a good race...well, ok, it was freezing rain and it was actually one of the more miserable Charles experiences, but when I learned I had won, I was so excited. That was also the day that the boats I had been training with (the Wisco lightweight women's 8 and men's four) also won, so it was a real team victory. That win meant a lot to me and it was extra special because it was in my hometown.

row2k: You're part of a program called 'In The Arena'. What is that program all about and how did you get involved with it?
Kristin Hedstrom: In the Arena (ITA) is a program that connects elite athletes with youth in their communities. The idea behind it is that by harnessing the positive influence of elite athletes and by connecting these athletes with kids, the kids will have a positive role model and will develop (in ITA's words) "character and integrity, a thirst for excellence, and a pervasive appreciation for the merits of civic engagement." My involvement with ITA has changed the way I approach rowing because I have the opportunity to use athletics to benefit more than just myself or my team. I did some of my ITA work in a third grade classroom this spring in Madison and got to know the kids (who all came from different backgrounds and income levels) very well. They followed me online through Trials and Worlds and it was especially rewarding for me to show them my medal when I got back. ITA has really opened my eyes to the need that our youth have and the reward of using athletics to give back, and I am so thankful for that.

SUPPORT ROW2K
If you enjoy and rely on row2k, we need your help to be able to keep doing all this. Though row2k sometimes looks like a big, outside-funded operation, it mainly runs on enthusiasm and grit. Help us keep it coming, thank you! Learn more.


Comments

Log in to comment
robinkm
04/10/2011  9:47:40 AM
Kristin, you are an amazing young woman and a fantastic role model for not only your third graders but all of us. Michaela and the entire Mullin Family have adopted you and are following your progress and wishing we could be at your races to scream and yell and support you all the way. Know that we are always with you in spirit and wishing you reach all your goals!


ashiashay
12/07/2010  12:25:15 PM
Yeah Kristin! You're amazing and I'm glad to see you here! Keep working your tail off!



Rowing Features
Rowing Headlines
ADVERTISEMENT
row2k media is not responsible for external ad content
Get our Newsletter!

Support row2k!

Tremendous thanks to our
row2k supporters!

Get Social with row2k!
Like row2k on Facebook Follow row2k on Twitter Follow row2k on Instagram Follow row2k on Youtube Connect with row2k on LinkedIn

Get the row2k app!

row2k rowing store!

Get our Newsletter!
Enter your email address to receive our weekly newsletter.

Support row2k!


Advertiser Index
Advertise on row2k