1. What inspired you to go to your first rowing practice; was there anything memorable about it?
After riding the bench freshmen year playing/watching basketball, I was cut sophomore year and went back to swimming. I made a lot of close friends that year on the swim team that later tried out for the crew once the winter swim season was done. Since the program was still in it's beginning stages and I was the tallest (probably the skinniest) the coach immediately put me and a couple other dudes in the varsity eight. Up until that point we had been erging in some basement at the school and I was not too impressed with rowing. After our first row on the Potomac River, I was hooked.
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?
The thing I love about rowing is that there are a lot of great people with great personalities. Every other sport I have played is full of aggression and people out there that want to rip your head off. All through high school, summer club programs, and college I had just been trying to get faster and show up at races to win. I guess after college, my coaches convinced me the only logical next step was to try out for the national team.
3. Best race/practice, worst race/practice?
We practice 7 days a week, it is hard to single out one good or bad practice since there are so many. I think the one race that sticks out in my mind was in 2003 when I was rowing for Rutgers in the Varsity 8. We were at Eastern Sprints and managed to eek out Cornell and finish behind Navy to qualify for the grand final. It had been 22 years since the last time a Rutgers Varsity had been in the grand final at Sprints. I don't think I have ever had a bad race since I have already forgotten about them.
4. Best/Anything you've done in the sport no one knows about?
I guess the only thing that nobody really knows about except for the guys that I row or have rowed with is that I still laugh whenever somebody farts in the boat.
5. Any/Most important advice for young rowers?
Never grow up. Make sure that you always have fun and remember that whatever you put into rowing, you're going to get twice as much out of it.
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07/14/2008 11:03:26 AM