Ben Davison graduated from Washington in 2018 and is currently set to race bow seat the United States M8+ at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
1. What inspired you to go to your first rowing practice; was there anything memorable about it?
I was inspired to go to my first rowing practice by my older brother, Joe. Growing up I played soccer and ran track/cross country but after a year or so of Joe starting rowing, I gave it try. The club we rowed at was particularly small, with only about 6 athletes at the time, so there was a great team chemistry which was a huge draw for me. Despite my steaming hot 9:14 2k at the time I spent most of my first-year coxing.
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 would have to say the moment I found a passion for the sport was at a race in 2010. At the time I was doing very little rowing but was at the Tampa Bypass Canal mostly to support my brother, but also to enjoy the baked goods brought by parents of the team. One of the guys in the double didn't show up so my dad spoke up and with confidence volunteered me to fill in, despite very much not being up to the job. We somehow managed to beat one boat but that race hooked me on the sport. I started training with my dad, fell in love with the process and put an end to my coxing career
I didn't think I could make the national team until the summer of 2013 when I attended the Junior team selection camp. From my first day of rowing both of my parents and brother have always believed in me, but it took until that summer before I really found some confidence. The prior summer I attended a sweep development camp where I really struggled and was placed in the 'D' boat. Without the support of my family I probably would not have carried on rowing.
3. Best race/practice, worst race/practice?
My worst race is a toss-up between the 2013 Junior 4x Final and the 2016 Final Qualification Regatta 4x Final. In 2013 I was competing on my first national team and with 350 meters to go in the final I caught a boat stopping crab. We fell from 2nd to last place by 7 seconds. At the 2016 FQR I managed to keep ahold of both oars for the full 2000 meters, but we unfortunately didn't secure the top 2 finish needed to qualify us for Rio. After promising performances in both the heat and rep, the result in the final was fairly devastating.
My favorite race would have to be the 2016 Head of the Charles Champ 8+, racing for University of Washington. It was my first race back at UW after taking a year off to try for Rio and it was just a brilliant trip. We knew we had some decent speed but on the day it all came together, and we were able to win. After a tough summer of racing it was incredible to be back with the UW team and have a positive result.
4. Best/Anything you've done in the sport no one knows about?
In 2017 I raced at the prestigious Red Bull High Stakes Regatta in Boston and the team I was a part of made it to the final. Unfortunately, just before the final race one of the other competitors counted that we had one more male athletes, and one less female athlete, than we were required to have. This was of course news to me and as far as I was concerned unintentional, but we were then disqualified for cheating. Which is only fair.
5. Any/Most important advice for young rowers?
There will undoubtedly be many low points in your rowing career but what matters most is what you do with these dark moments. How you turn them around into learning experiences and use them to bounce back as a better version of yourself. Throughout my rowing career I have had plenty of crushing defeats, but I don't regret any of them. They have brought me to where I am today and made the periodic successes that much sweeter.
Hometown: Inverness, Fla.
Club Affiliation: Oakland TC
Date of Birth: July 24, 1996
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 190
High School: Citrus High School
Education: University of Washington
Training Location: Oakland, Calif.
Current Coach: Mike Teti
National Teams: Twelve - Junior, 2013-14; Under 23, 2014-18; Senior, 2017-19; Olympic, 2020
International Results: Finished fifth in the the eight at the 2019 World Rowing Championships...Finished 14th in the double sculls at the 2018 World Rowing Championships...Finished fourth in the single sculls at the 2018 World Rowing Under 23 Championships...Finished seventh in the double sculls at the 2018 World Rowing Cup III...Finished ninth in the double sculls at the 2017 World Rowing Championships...Won bronze in the four with coxswain at the 2017 World Rowing Under 23 Championships...Finished seventh in the single sculls at the 2016 World Rowing Under 23 Championships...Raced in the quadruple sculls at the 2016 World Rowing Cup II...Finished third in the quadruple sculls at the 2016 European and Final Olympic Qualification Regatta...Finished seventh in the single sculls at the 2015 World Rowing Under 23 Championships...Finished sixth in the single sculls at the 2014 World Rowing Junior Championships...Finished 21st in the single sculls at the 2014 World Rowing Under 23 Championships...Finished sixth in the quadruple sculls at the 2013 World Rowing Junior Championships.
National Results: Won silver in the varsity eight at the 2019 IRA Championships...Won gold in the varsity eight at the 2019 Pac-12 Championships...Won the championship single sculls at the 2018 Head of the Charles...Won the senior double sculls and under 23 single sculls at the 2018 USRowing U19, U23 and Senior World Championship Trials I...Won the senior double sculls at the 2017 U.S. Senior and Para World Championship Trials...Won the four with coxswain at the 2017 Under 23 Team Trials...Won the single sculls at the 2016 Junior, Under 23 and Senior Team Trials...Won the single sculls at the 2015 Under 23 World Championship Trials...Won the single sculls at the 2014 Under 23 and Junior World Championship Trials...Won the quadruple sculls at the 2013 Junior World Championship Trials.
Personal: Ben was born on 7/24/1996 and attended Citrus High School. He was named the Pac-12 Conference Men's Rowing Athlete of the Year in 2019. Ben lists his family as the most important people in his life. Ben's hobbies include rowing, eating and playing Temple Run. He said he hopes to row for the U.S. National Team as many times as possible and someday make it to the Olympics.
Comments | Log in to comment |
There are no Comments yet
|
row2k's Olympics coverage is brought to you by:
row2k's Olympics coverage is brought to you by: