1. What inspired you to go to your first rowing practice; was there anything memorable about it?
As a few people reading this already know, I attended THE Belmont Hill school from 7th to 12th grade. Belmont Hill requires its students to play a different sport each season - so I was on the football field in the Fall, the wrestling mat in the Winter and the baseball diamond in the Spring. I didn't know it at the time, but the wrestling and rowing coaches were good friends, and after my sophomore wrestling season, Mr. Bradley (the wrestling coach) and Mr. Richards (the rowing coach) talked me into giving rowing a shot. Although the decision was hugely supported by my parents, it came as a bit of a surprise because I had already booked a plane ticket and hotel room in Florida with the baseball team for spring training! I'm not sure if we ended up getting a refund, but it was far and away the the best decision I've ever made.
One of the first practices that Spring was a 2k. I remember everyone being incredibly nervous, but as a total rookie, I had no idea what all the fuss was about. Ignorance is bliss! The 2k wasn't as bad as everyone made it out, and ten years later, here we are!
2. Was there a practice, race or other event when you fell in love with the sport, or when you knew you might not be too bad at rowing? When you thought you could make the national team?
In 2007, my junior year at Belmont Hill, I made it into the top boat (a coxed four) and we went on to win the Youth National Championships at Lake Harsha in Cincinnati. On the plane home from that race, I remember thinking that maybe I had a future in the sport. I first thought about rowing at the international level in 2010, during my sophomore year at Harvard. I made the Varsity (along with four other guys from the class of 2012, the most underclassmen to race in the Harvard Varsity during Harry's 51 years!) and we ended up winning Sprints and then Henley. Despite the season's success, I was still rejected from U23s! I wasn't happy to not even have been given an opportunity to see where I stood compared to other guys my age, so the next year I was intent on making the team. Truthfully though, it wasn't until last summer when Tim Aghai and I qualified the pair in France, that I thought I probably had what it took to be competitive at this level.
3. Best race/practice
I'm lucky to have a few races that stand out here (in no particular order):
The 2015 Boat Race - A terrific group of guys (including three other Harvard alums!) and the possible distinction of being Sean's best Blue Boat. That being said, we had one of, if not the worst, warmup I've ever been a part of. Here we are, on the Tideway, Boat Race day, all these people, helicopters and television cameras focused in on us, and during the last burst before getting onto the stake boat, someone in the bow jumped the seat! Everyone remained incredibly calm, and when Boris (that year's umpire) finally said "GO," we executed the best race I've ever been a part of.
The 2016 NSR - I'm not exactly sure how Rob and I ended up rowing together, but I'm glad we did. After some initial problems with me stroking and him in bow, we flipped the rig and it took off. Over the six weeks the two of us rowed together, I can't think of a single practice that wasn't sharp. Arguably the most enjoyable rowing has ever been for me. In the final, we expected someone to "punch us in the face," and on cue, Matt and Charlie jumped out to a length lead through the first 1500 meters. Rob and I stuck to our plan, and were able to push through in the last few strokes. The two of us believed, in our hearts and in our minds, that we could win that race, and that played a huge part in why we did. I could not have been happier crossing the line, but at the same time, I remember thinking how lucky we were that the lineup clicked and that we were able take advantage of the opportunity.
Henley 2012 - All those sophomores who had made the Harvard Varsity in 2010 were finally seniors. After winning Sprints the past two years, and coming in second at the IRA, our sights were set incredibly high. Unfortunately, we came up just short at Sprints, and then again a few weeks later at the IRA. Despite the two losses, Harry decided to take us back to Henley. After an easy go of it on the Friday and Saturday, we lined up against an overconfident Leander crew on the Sunday. As the editors of this website now know, Leander thought they had the race won before the white flag was dropped, and proceeded to remind one another of how many "Worlds medals" they had in their crew (I believe the total was seven). Leander jumped out to a length lead and held that margin until somewhere between Remenham Club and the Regatta Enclosure. With Harry's words of advice before the race "don't let them break open water," ringing in our ears, we ever so slowly started pushing back. And in making sure we kept up with the spectacle that is Henley, we sprinted through Leander in the last five strokes (thanks, Pat!) to win by "Verdict: 1 foot." With the disappointments from earlier in the year still fresh in our minds, that win was especially good. It felt like a huge weight was off our shoulders, and it was the happiest any of us ever saw Harry. It was the perfect race to end my Harvard career and I was lucky to share it with some of my best friends.
4. Anything you've done in the sport no one knows about?
After returning from Henley that summer, I jumped in the single and asked Charlie if he would teach me how to scull. It was slow going for a long, long time - as a matter of fact, for just about the entire summer, Liv Coffey, who Charlie was also helping, was beating me. It didn't matter if the workout was steady state, pieces or anything in between - she was clobbering me and the margins weren't even close! I think Charlie, Liv and I are the only ones to know about that, until now!
5. Most important advice for young rowers?
Best advice I've gotten was from Malcolm Howard. He was the President of OUBC my first year at Oxford (as well as a Harvard alum and Harry's only Olympic gold medalist) and really took me under his wing and showed me the ropes. He has an incredible wealth of knowledge and wisdom, and I've been lucky to have him as a friend. Two points that he shared with me stick out - First: "Make any boat you're in win." While it seems incredibly simple, it really is the best attitude to have in sport or in life. At times during my rowing career, I've thought I would be able to win IF I had X, Y or Z. But the best guys win in spite of anything and everything else. Malcolm was really good about looking at things with that perspective because his boats, rarely, if ever, lost.
The second piece of advice piggybacks on the first and is about the importance of perspective. Maybe a coach is really on your case about making a change, or you feel as though you are being treated unfairly compared to your teammates. That is only one way to look at the situation. Alternatively, you can shift your perspective to look at the same coach as pushing you further and challenging you more than anyone else to raise your level and be better than you ever thought possible. Looking at situations through another lens is by no means easy, and is something I really struggle with, but the power to do so is incredibly powerful and important to finding success.
DATE OF BIRTH: 12/10/89
HEIGHT: 6'1”
WEIGHT: 195
BEGAN ROWING: Belmont Hill School, 2006
HOMETOWN: Boston, Mass.
BIRTHPLACE: Boston, Mass.
CURRENT RESIDENCE: Princeton, N.J.
HIGH SCHOOL: Belmont Hill School
UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: Harvard University, Psychology, 2012
CURRENT COACH: Luke McGee
CLUB AFFILIATIONS: USRowing Training Center – Princeton
National Teams: SENIOR: 2013, 2015-2016, UNDER 23: 2011
International Results: Won bronze in the eight at the 2016 World Rowing Cup II...Won the eight at the 2016 Final Olympic Qualification Regatta...Finished ninth in the pair at the 2015 World Rowing Championships...Finished 14th in the pair at the 2013 World Rowing Championships...Finished sixth in the four at the 2011 World Rowing Under 23 Championships…Won the Ladies Challenge Plate at the 2010 and 2012 Henley Royal Regatta...Won the youth eight at the 2007 Royal Canadian Henley Regatta.
National Results: Finished first in the pair at the 2016 National Selection Regatta 1…Won thepair at the 2015 Senior World Championship Trials II...Won the pair at 2013 World Championships Trials...Finished second in the varsity eight at the 2011 IRA Championships...Won the varsity eight at the 2010 and 2011 Eastern Sprints...Finished second in the freshman eight at the 2009 IRA Championships...Won the four at the 2007 USRowing Youth National Championships.
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07/14/2016 12:47:25 PM