Molly Reckford graduated from Dartmouth in 2015 and is currently set to race in the United States LW2x at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
1. What inspired you to go to your first rowing practice; was there anything memorable about it?
My sister inspired me to become a rower. She is two years older than me and was on our high school's rowing team. Like a good little sister, I copied her and decided that I wanted to be a rower, too. My first practice was memorable because we went out in our school's barge. I believe it sat 12 athletes in two rows and the oars were old tulip blades with holes drilled into them. After we learned the basics of the stroke in the barge, we graduated to real eights. We spent the rest of the spring learning how to row in wooden Schoenbrod shells - which I think it took 10-12 of us to carry. It was really fun and 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?
I loved rowing from day one, but it took me a really long time to learn how to be a good rower. Despite starting my rowing career as a freshman in high school, I didn't actually think I had a moonshot of a chance at the National Team until I was 3 years out of college and about 8 months into my (short, yet illustrious) Masters Rowing career.
I was living in Redwood City and rowing out of Bair Island Aquatic Center, where I was training 3 days a week in my single, and 3 days with the Masters competitive sweep team. We were getting ready for Masters Nationals in Oakland. I was in four sweep lineups, and I entered the open and light 1x. I cannot recommend Masters Nationals enough - the regatta was a blast from start to finish. Our little team did really well, and I won both of my races in the 1x. That made me think that there might be a chance for me at the higher levels, and I decided to go for it.
3. Best race/practice, worst race/practice?
Without a doubt, the worst race I ever rowed was in college my sophomore year. I had been stroking the 2v8+, and had just been moved to the 1v8+ the day before the race. It was my first time ever rowing in the varsity boat. With 500 meters to go, I caught a boat-stopping crab and we lost the race. I was devastated. It still hurts a bit to think about.
I hope my best race is still to come, but one of my favorites was the final at Trials II. We put together a race that I was really proud of, and not only were we facing athletes who I had been looking up to when I first got back into rowing, we held our own against them. It also added to the experience that we didn't have to weigh in before the race!
4. Best/Anything you've done in the sport no one knows about?
A small group of people know about this, and I am not recommending it, but my erg PR was set "blind," and after a 3-day regatta. In August of 2020 there was a Socially Distanced Regatta in Boston to give us something to train for and look forward to. It was the highlight of my summer, and after the final race I was asked by another athlete what my 2k was. I was almost too embarrassed to tell her. As I was driving home from the regatta, I figured that I wouldn't be in 2k shape again for a few months, so this was my shot. I decided to pull a 2k that same day. I used tape to cover everything on the monitor but my stroke rate and meters so that I would execute the piece based only on perceived effort. I beat my previous best time by 5 seconds. It wasn't smart, but it got the job done.
5. Any/Most important advice for young rowers?
Use the resources offered to you! Coaches, boatmen and boatwomen, nutritionists, sports psychologists, trainers, and PTs are all really good sources of knowledge and advice. They are there because they want to help you develop and succeed: all you have to do is ask.
Hometown: Short Hills, NJ
Birthplace: Short Hills, NJ
Current Residence: Boston, MA
Club Affiliation: Sarasota Crew
Began Rowing: 2007 (retired 2015, ended retirement 2018)
Date of Birth: 10/9/92
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 125
High School: Phillips Exeter Academy
Undergraduate Education: Dartmouth College
Training Location: Sarasota and Boston
Current Coach: Casey Galvanek
Number of Years on National Team: 2019 Senior, 2020 Olympic
International Results:
-2019 World Champs LW4x: 4th
-2021 in LW2x Trials and FOQR: 1st
Personal: Molly was born on 10/9/1992 and attended Phillips Exeter Academy, where she learned to row. She walked on to Dartmouth‘s open weight rowing team after failing to be recruited. She enjoys cooking, cycling, reading, sculling, cross-country skiing, and erging. She has two older siblings and a pet cockatiel. Molly credits her big dreams and love of sport to her grandparents, and her competitive nature to her sister and father. Her grandfather, Bill Spencer, was a two-time Olympian and longtime coach for team USA in Biathlon.
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