1. What inspired you to go to your first rowing practice; was there anything memorable about it?
I've always played sports but was getting to the end of my usefulness on the baseball diamond. Some of the guys on the first boat grabbed me off campus and brought me to the boathouse. The river was still frozen so we had a land workout. I was able to do about three push-ups and one pull-up (if I used my momentum by jumping up) and I don't even want to know what I looked like on the erg.
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?
My first year, at the championship regatta, we got off the line slowly, but then rowed through the other boats to win. They called us in to the medals dock and we just thought that we were taking the boat out of the water there, so we all started to take our oars out before our coach had to tell us to leave them in and get our medals.
When you thought you could make the national team?
I was invited to a pre-elite camp in 1996, and though I knew I wasn't competitive with the top guys there, it made me realize that I was on the right path.
3. Best race/practice,
My best practice was my senior year at Brown, fall of 1998. We had two even boats on the water for a Saturday practice that was 2k, 6k, 2k, all open rate racing. I was seven seat in one of the boats. We lost the first 2k by a small margin and then lined up for the 6k. We got down almost a length early, but then held there. I remember thinking that the other boat had the advantage of a stern pair that had a much better rhythm and that we could be in trouble (seven seat in the other boat was Luke McGee). But, every time they tried to open it up and break us we held on. We stayed almost a length down until the last 1k when we easily rowed past them. It was the best piece I ever rowed in a practice in college. Of course, we were so spent we lost the last 2k piece.
One of my best races was my first win in the single. It was at the Sweeps and Sculls regatta in Providence in 2001. On that day the Seakonk was actually calm. The main competition was Mike Perry who I had been training with (we won the double earlier in the day). He got out early and I was able to move in the middle part of the race. The feeling of moving through a single field is unbelievable. It's the high that I live for now. It was the first time I had beaten Mike in a race or practice piece and we drove back to Boston in an awkward silence, especially when my girlfriend called to ask how it went.
worst race/practice?
Too many to count. But, it's always that one great one that reminds you of why you do it.
4. Best/Anything you've done in the sport no one knows about?
I really enjoy coaching. I've coached at the high school, college, club, and masters levels. I like coaching at Craftsbury where you take people who have never rowed before and by the end of the week they are racing down the lake.
5. Any/Most important advice for young rowers?
I would say work hard, surround yourself with good people, and have fun. If you can do those things, the rowing will take care of itself.
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