row2k starts off our 2025 spring collegiate racing preview with an interview with La Salle senior Joel Bevenour. We chat with him on leadership, overcoming health problems, and more.
row2k - How did you get your start in rowing?
Joel Bevenour - I started rowing on a whim essentially in high school. I had never been athletic in grade school and really only made the decision to start rowing because I wanted to try something new. I figured it could be a great way to make friends and stay in shape, so I wanted to give it a shot. I rowed for Holy Ghost Prep in Bensalem, PA, which at the time was an extremely young program, only having gotten started 4 or so years prior. I made so many friends and memories in my years there and still talk to my high school coaches frequently. I am forever grateful for their guidance and pushing me even in my early days.
row2k - How did you decide to attend La Salle?
Joel Bevenour - I decided to attend La Salle because of the connection to the team I already had there. A couple of guys from Holy Ghost had gone to La Salle to row. I knew namely Shawn Donohue who was a senior when I was a freshman in high school, and I had been great friends with him in the time I knew him at Ghost. Not only that, but the assistant coach at the time for La Salle also happened to be my assistant coach in high school. I already had a personal connection, and I preferred the smaller, more tight knit community at La Salle.
row2k - What do you like most about the sport of rowing?
Joel Bevenour - What I love most about rowing is how vital working together and getting to know one another is to succeed as a boat. I can say for certain that the deep connections I made with my teammates were the result of depending on one another as boat mates. The better we got along personally the better our rows would go and vice versa. Having that chemistry between your teammates led to success and great racing memories in both high school and college. Being able to depend on one another in the boat extends to depending on them as human beings and friends as well. I've met some of my greatest friends who have inspired me to become a better person and work harder than ever on both teams I've been a part of.
row2k - You are a captain as a senior this year, how do you view that role within your team?
Joel Bevenour - I see myself as someone you can go to when you have concerns or questions about the team or even just about life in general. I want to both inspire my teammates to push themselves beyond their capabilities, and to be better friends and human beings to develop a greater team culture. I should be the ear that always listens to what my teammates have to say and be open to conversation about anything they want.
Having that open dialogue and fostering a culture of respect and admiration for one another is vital to set us apart from the competition. While we should push one another every practice and have competition amongst ourselves, at the end of the day, off the water or erg we are teammates who share a common goal. It is my duty to create an attitude and atmosphere which will help us achieve our goals. An environment where we have mutual respect and love for one another will help everyone to realize the potential they all have.
row2k - Your coach mentioned you had some health issues this fall, can you tell us about that and what the process to returning to rowing was like?
Joel Bevenour - This fall during one of our practices I suffered a seizure and had to be assisted by my teammates to the hospital where I would suffer another seizure and liver damage and be bedridden for nearly 2 weeks. My teammates had to literally pull me from the bike and pry my hands off the handles with my legs kicking thinking I was still pedaling. From my perspective, I was biking one minute and the next it was 2 days later.
I had suddenly had my fitness and my greatest passion taken away from me and the doctors were unsure what had caused it. My stay in the hospital was extremely rough for me and I was not mentally all there at first. It took a while to even be able to look at my phone screen for more than 5 minutes at a time. What kept me in high spirits was the visits my friends and family made to me constantly. I got countless texts from countless people, ranging from close friends I talk to every day to even people I hadn't talked to in years. The outpouring of love and in person visits from my team and coaches is what kept me so motivated to find a way to recover and get back to support my team as quickly as possible.
It was a struggle, and the transition from not being able to get out of bed to taking my first steps after a week was the hardest part. Once I was on my feet though I took every chance to sit up and stand, walk, and try to regain my own agency. Soon my doctors were confident that with medication I would be seizure free and sent me home to recover for another week and a half, which was welcome as the atmosphere of my home was much better for my mental health. Soon I was going on several mile long walks around my neighborhood and doing basic body weight exercises to regain my strength.
By the time I got back to school I was ready to continue recovery, slowly increasing workout intensity and volume, working with athletic training staff (Shoutout to Billy!) to quicken my recovery, and eventually being back in the weight room to regain my strength. Now I am able to do full length steady state workouts daily and continue to regain more and more of my aerobic base daily. By January, my doctor says she can allow me to return to the water and workouts at full intensity. I am so excited to be back in the middle of it all with my teammates and will do everything in my power to recover all my strength to contribute as much as possible to our successes this spring.
row2k - What has been your most memorable race and why?
Joel Bevenour - I would say my most memorable race as of yet is our 2024 Dad Vail race, where we narrowly lost to Drexel and nearly Temple as well. Every workout I use it as motivation so we can change the outcome this year. We had many troubles that effected our lineups and the health of certain athletes leading up to the race, but we were still confident we could defy the odds. We were disappointed we couldn't walk away with gold that year. To me however, it's only a prelude to our inevitable legacy of success.
The feeling of that defeat was harrowing, and I use that memory as fuel to ensure it won't happen again this year. We have so many talented athletes, so many newcomers who can be inspired to continue a streak of Dad Vail wins in the years to come, and an immensely talented coaching staff who are both knowledgeable of the sport and passionate about this team. I know all the tools are there, and it is only the mindset we have going into this spring that will ultimately determine the outcome. A loss should not discourage us from victory but only help us understand where we went wrong and push us even harder to ensure future victories. I know for certain if we stand at the top of Vails this season, it will be my most cherished racing memory.
row2k - What are you studying at the La Salle and do you have any other plans for after graduation?
Joel Bevenour - I am studying Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics and IT. I plan on becoming a software engineer after college, as I have always had a passion for programming and computers. I want to take up more internship opportunities to get as much experience as possible and hopefully find a way to fund a master's degree in computer science sometime soon. Furthering my education in the subject and having a fulfilling career as a software engineer is my plan for the future and I am open to whatever experiences I can find.
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