January 2010

CrossFit
Will Daly
Q&A with John Parker
Adaptive Rowing
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Member Services Directory
About USRowing
The mission of USRowing is to provide ongoing
opportunities to achieve excellence in rowing in the
United States. In pursuit of this mission, USRowing
will achieve the following results:
• Consistently growing lifetime participation in
rowing
• Safe, fair racing opportunities for all rowers
• Continually improved performance at the Olympic Games
• Steadily increasing awareness of rowing
• Continually growing knowledge and practice
of rowing safety, healthy training methods and
effective rowing technique
• Fiscal growth and responsibility
The United States Rowing Association was
founded in 1872 and incorporated in 1970. We are
the national governing body for rowing in the United
States and administer all aspects of the sport.
USRowing would like to thank its official corporate
partners, suppliers and patrons for the tremendous
support they provide throughout the year.
USRowing Board of Directors
Frank Biller, Mid-Atlantic Region Representative
Pete Cipollone, Treasurer, At-Large Representative
Christine Collins, Women’s Vice President
Caryn Davies, Female Athlete Representative
Tom Feaster, Southeast Region Representative
Tom Fuller, Treasurer, Northwest Region Representative
Kristopher Grudt, Men’s Vice President
Robert F. Kidd, Southwest Region Representative
Laura Kunkemueller, Secretary, Northeast Region Representative
Don Langford, President, Midwest Region Representative
Chris Liwski, Male Athlete Representative
Joan Schriger, At-Large Representative
Mary Whipple, USOC-AAC Representative
Tyler Winklevoss, USOC-AAC Representative
USRowing Member Services Center
Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Eastern Time, Monday-Friday
Phone: (800) 314-4ROW
(609) 751-0700
Fax:
(609) 924-1578
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: www.usrowing.org
USRowing Services:
Address Changes: (800) 314-4ROW
Athlete Services/National Team: (609) 751-0708
Club Services: (800) 314-4ROW
Coaching Services: (317) 450-3229
Media Relations/Communications: (609) 751-0710
Membership: (800) 314-4ROW
Merchandise: www.usrowing.org, (800) 875-1883
Regatta Services/USRowing Events: (609) 751-0706
USRowing E-magazine
Advertising: (609) 751-0710
Customer Service: (800) 314-4ROW
Editor: Allison Frederick, (609) 751-0710
Contributor: Lynda Confessore
USRowing’s E-magazine is published bimonthly by the United
States Rowing Association, 2 Wall Street, Princeton, NJ 08540.
All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without
written permission prohibited.
4
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
6
CrossFit: Forging Elite Fitness
By Allison Frederick
10
Q&A with John Parker
By Allison Frederick
18
Adaptive Rowing: Keep the Momentum
Featuring Jacksonville University and Brooks Adaptive Rowing
Program and Capital Rowing Club Adaptive Program
By Lynda Confessore
28
Will Daly: Train to Win
By Allison Frederick
On the cover: Future plans for the Oklahoma City River, full
diagram on page 14. Photo provided by John Parker.
Table of Contents: CrossFit South Brooklyn erg workout. Photo
by Allison Frederick.
5
CrossFit
Forging Elite Fitness
Story and Photos
by Allison Frederick
Above: 2000 Olympic rower Nick Peterson works out at CrossFit South Brooklyn
O
CrossFit
ne of the latest trends in fitness has captured the attention of endorphin-crazed people all over
the country, from recreational athletes to the competitive elite. Defined in the simplest terms, CrossFit is
a strength and conditioning program. Believers will
tell you it’s much more – a network, a methodology,
a fitness philosophy. Toss an ergometer and a few
2,000-meter sprint pieces into the workout mix, and
viola! CrossFit.
Founded in Santa Cruz, Calif., by Greg Glassman, CrossFit, Inc. started in 2002 as an online workout forum, with the aim of forging a broad, general
and inclusive fitness. As he puts it, CrossFit is, quite
simply, a sport – the sport of fitness.
“We sought to build a program that would
best prepare trainees for any physical contingency,
prepare them not only for the unknown, but for the
unknowable,” said Glassman in the April 2007 issue
of CrossFit Journal. “Looking at all sport and physical
tasks collectively, we asked what physical skills and
adaptations would most universally lend themselves to
performance advantage. Capacity culled from the intersection of all sports demands would quite logically
lend itself well to all sport. In sum, our specialty is not
specializing.”
Glassman’s ideology has spread to thousands
of participants in hundreds of boxes (CrossFit code for
gym locations) all over the country in the last several
years. His model has ignited a flame. A growing population of people are re-evaluating what they are doing
to get fit, be fit and stay fit. And they are learning to
love and hate the erg.
David Osorio, head coach and owner of CrossFit South Brooklyn, oversees group classes seven
days a week and operates out of multi-use space in the
century-old Brooklyn Lyceum building. Every day, a
workout (or waad, in CrossFit-speak) is posted from
headquarters on www.crossfit.com, off of which boxes
everywhere, including CrossFit South Brooklyn,
coach.
“There’s a lot of different communities and
subtle variations on the same theme,” said Osorio.
“Workouts incorporate gymnastics and weight training; we do some long and slow distance to create a
broad and well-rounded athlete. One of the hallmarks
of CrossFit’s style of strength and conditioning is mixing up the workouts, so there will be a weightlifting
component like dead lifts, with a track and field work7
CrossFit
out like 200-meter sprints. We put them together and
lift – you want to bend down from the hips and feel a
put a clock to it. It’s constantly varied and you don’t
stretch in the hamstrings. I feel like I’m learning just
know what to expect.”
as much as everyone else, really. It’s a lot of fun.”
In addition to seven Concept2 ergs, the room
Osorio said the machine is a staple of the trainis filled with barbells, medicine balls, kettle bells and
ing program, and that not a day goes by when somebands. Off to the side, in the area Osorio calls the
one’s not pulling on the erg, even if the daily workout
“meat of the gym,” are squat racks, gymnastics rings
doesn’t include erging.
and the cage – used for muscle-ups, pull-ups and dips.
“We’re really big fans of them,” said Osorio.
“Most of the equipment here is second-hand,
“It’s a phenomenal tool for developing aerobic and anborrowed or bought on
aerobic capacity. It’s
Craigslist,” said Osoa really user friendly
rio. “The pull-up bar
machine – total-body
was custom-made by a
and low-impact. With
welder down the street.
Nick’s contribution to
It’s a pretty bare-bones
the program, there’s
program. We don’t
been a lot of added
have mirrors. We don’t
interest, perhaps more
have a lot of machines
than other affiliates.”
– it’s the basics. If it’s
So much interest, in
functional and totalfact, that CrossFit
body, we’ll use it. If
South Brooklyn is
it’s heavy enough,
sending a team to
we’ll pick it up.”
C.R.A.S.H.-B.s in
CrossFit caught
February.
the interest of three“We have people
time national team
breaking seven minmember and 2000
utes and better” said
Olympian Nick PeterPeterson. “Some of
son, who got involved
these guys are clearly
with the encouragestrong and spitting
ment of his wife,
nails. Improving is
Charlotte, last June.
just a matter of getAlthough he says the
ting more relaxed and
erg factor made him remore confident.”
luctant initially, PeterAlthough on-the-water
son quickly embraced
resources and rowing
the program and really
equipment are unenjoys it. Putting his
available at CrossFit
rowing expertise to
South Brooklyn, there
CrossFit
South
Brooklyn’s
David
Osorio
use, Peterson now
are several boxes from
coaches rowing technique at the South Brooklyn gym. coast to coast that offer the outdoor experience. Con“When Dave first asked me to help out on
cept2 reached out to the CrossFit community about
the ergs, my initial response was, why do you want
five years ago to help bridge that gap.
to erg?” said Peterson. “It’s been really interesting
“When we discovered they were using our
to hear the questions people come up with, and the
rowing machines, we asked how we could help,” said
coaching experience has been very valuable for me.
Concept2 commercial and government sales represenI try to figure out ways to break down the rowing
tative Tracy Desrocher. “The CrossFit community is
stroke and explain it to people. I try to tap into their
very dedicated to their sports. They strive to do everyexperiences and other physical things that they do. For thing they try, very well. Rowing was no exception,
example, I talk about comparing the stroke to a dead
so it became Concept2’s goal to offer any support the
8
CrossFit
CrossFit community wanted.”
The rowing equipment manufacturer provides
a link on its Web site, www.concept2.com/us/communities/crossfit/, dedicated to CrossFitters. With
resources like videos, articles and training forums,
athletes are encouraged to learn more about rowing.
“We conduct trainings, support different CrossFit events and help to prepare tools, such as how-to
videos for the sport of rowing,” said Desrocher. “In
general, we just want to make sure we offer the support for rowing, much like Olympic lifting, running,
gymnastics, nutrition, power lifting and mobility are
supported. We look forward to continuing to work
with CrossFit as their affiliations continue to grow.”
Concept2 recently hired 2008 Olympic goldmedalist Erin Cafaro as one of its
two trainers to conduct CrossFit
Rowing Foundation courses. As a
certified CrossFit coach, she visits
different centers to evaluate and
coach new instructors and athletes on the erg. Cafaro also sets
up programs and practices, which
include both indoor and on-thewater session options.
“CrossFit is focused on
becoming a functional athlete and
to learn how to move well and be
efficient,” said Cafaro. “Athletes
use the erg to supplement their
performance training. These are
people that are already fit, but just
need the technical advice. It’s fun
to watch people that already have
a high athletic I.Q. pick up another
sport. I never thought I would coach rowing, but this is
a perfect balance with two of my passions”
Cafaro became involved in CrossFit a few
years ago, near her hometown of Modesto, Calif. During off-season training, she supplements rowing workouts with CrossFit to avoid burnout and come back in
the summer refreshed.
“CrossFit workouts help sustain me and keep
the flame for rowing alive,” said Cafaro. “I’m always
racing against anyone and everyone else during the
sessions. It’s that competitive energy that I think
ultimately makes me a well-rounded athlete. It’s a fun
community to be involved in, and I’m always looking
for new challenges.”
To be a well-rounded athlete means bring-
ing up your weaknesses – whether it be in general
physical-preparedness, strength, flexibility or power,
stressed Osorio.
“A lot of times people get so specialized in
one thing,” he said. “While that might be effective for
them if they’re a competitive athlete, they might find
bringing up some other weaknesses may help their
performance within that sport, as counter-intuitive as
that may seem.”
“This kind of thing is really applicable to the
rowing community,” said Peterson. “Glassman says
that it’s important to branch out and try new things.
It will force you to improve, no matter how randomseeming it is. I’m personally more and more convinced that developing other skills that seem unrelated
to your sport are going to help you.”
Learning functional movements, like a handstand, for example, is just one of many elements that
make the CrossFit model unique. It’s the development
of fundamental, valuable basic athletic skills that’s
missing when people get too focused on specialized
sports, said Peterson.
“CrossFit is really a fitness philosophy,” said
Osorio. “It’s kind of a counter-model of what you
would see in a commercial gym. Our goals are all
quantifiable; we’re more focused on performance than
aesthetics. We want to see what you do, not how you
look.”
9
Clinic attendee demonstrates BioRow VIFS at Dr. Valery Kleshnev’s biomechanics clinic.
Photo provided by John Parker.
10
Q&A with John Parker
Q&A with John Parker
By Allison Frederick
Since being named director and head coach
of the Oklahoma City High Performance Center in
September 2009, John Parker has been busy establishing and maintaining the training, athlete identification
and educational programs in his new role. Located
on the Oklahoma River, the center was recently designated as a U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Site
for both rowing and canoe/kayak and incorporates
all aspects of elite-athlete training and performance
with intensive coaching, sports nutrition, strength and
cardiovascular conditioning, sports psychology and
sports medicine. It also emphasizes the use of performance technology to systematically improve the
athletes’ chances in international
competition.
A 1992 Olympian and multiple-time national team member,
Parker came to Oklahoma City
serving as USRowing’s lightweight head coach, where he
worked with both the men’s and
women’s programs. He joined
USRowing’s coaching staff fulltime in June of 2007 as a men’s
assistant coach, overseeing the
lightweight men’s team. In 2008,
Parker’s lightweight eight won
gold at the world championships
in Linz, Austria. Last year, along
with his staff of Bryan Volpenhein,
Steve Dani and Bruce Smith, he
helped guide the lightweight men’s eight to a silver
medal and the lightweight women’s quadruple sculls to
a bronze medal at the 2009 World Rowing Championships in Poznan, Poland.
USRowing E-Magazine caught up with Parker to
talk about his role at the Oklahoma City High Performance Center, significant developments in the area
and his goals and expectations going forward.
How did you first get involved in the sport of rowing and eventually coaching?
My dad rowed in high school and college but did
not push it on me. I came to the sport at age 13 as a
swimmer and hockey player, had some early success
and stuck with it. I knew that I wanted to be a rowing
coach by the time that I went to Princeton, which was
only reinforced by my experience at college and on
the U.S. National Team. Initially, I was tall for my age
and a hammer. Gradually, as my size did not provide
me an advantage, I became a student of the sport.
Foremost, I was really fortunate to have great coaches
during my career like Brian Ford, Andy Anderson,
Todd Jesdale, Charlie Butt, Sr., Ed Kloman, Larry
Gluckman, Gary Kilpatrick, Curtis Jordan, Dan
Roock, Harry Parker, Kris Korzeniowski, Mike
Spracklen and Mike Teti (teaching
me from the bow of a pair that we
rowed together for a little more than
four years).
I continue to learn from coaches
with whom I have worked closely
like Teti, Korzeniowski, Matt
Imes, Cameron Kiosoglous and,
now, another coaching legend, Tim
McLaren, last summer with Bryan
Volpenhein, Bruce Smith, and Steve
Dani, and while a part of programs
at Princeton, Washington, Columbia,
and Rutgers, and currently all the
ones in Oklahoma City. I feel fortunate to be a part of this community
of coaches and am indebted to them
all.
As a competitor, you stroked the
1992 men’s eight to a fourth-place
finish at the Olympics and trained for multiple
years with the U.S. National Team. What was that
experience like for you, and how did it shape your
future career in the sport?
Rowing on the national team, to be able to compete at the highest levels of the sport, was a privilege
for which I am still grateful. Mostly, I am reminded
of how much rowing has given to me, and how much
I would like to give back. I prefer the challenges of
international competition, which are different than collegiate ones, and have made a commitment to coach
in this arena despite the fact that the opportunities and
support are less.
11
Q&A with John Parker
How do you hope to integrate your national team
coaching experience into the programs at the High
Performance Center? In what ways will having
dual roles of director/head coach at OKC and USRowing lightweight coordinator benefit the sport?
Over the past couple years, I began to create a
system for lightweight men and more recently, lightweight women, which are both still in process. In the
broadest terms, this system aims to maximize opportunity without sacrificing peak performance. When I say
opportunity, most people think in terms of increased
chances to make the team, which is just a small part of
it. By opportunity, I also mean access to competition
among the top athletes, a variety of coaching, the best
equipment and technology and all other areas of support necessary to succeed at the world level.
The general perception of our lightweight rowing
populations is that they are deep and talented, which is
true when you speak in terms of potential. Statistically,
lightweights reach full maturity closer to age 30 than
20. Here lays our biggest limiting factor in terms of
increasing chances for success. Our athletes at the top
are under-developed, and to remedy this requires time
to learn long-term training methods with proper peaking, to acquire small boat skills and to gain international race experience. The bottom line is that we need
to keep athletes in the sport longer, which is a difficult
task in the wake of pressures to pursue a career and
family or sometimes simply just to put food on the
table.
The obvious immediate benefit that the Oklahoma City National High Performance Center can
provide to lightweights, as well as open weights, adaptive rowers and USRowing, in general, are resources
such as equipment and technology, the ability to host
camps, sponsorship opportunities to send athletes to
international regattas and medical and sports science
support, among others. However, my main goal is to
set up a system whereby talented athletes graduating
from college are not faced with an either/or situation
when they have to make a choice to row or not to row,
even when they still have the desire to do the work
and spend the time necessary to compete at the international level.
Our residencies, which are still a work in progress, will meet this need. Eventually, we hope to
provide a level of support to qualified athletes that
matches or exceeds anything that has been set up in
our country to date. These residencies and their ben12
efits are also available to senior athletes who have
already had some success and need a home base that
will support them.
The Oklahoma City High Performance Center
recently played host to a biomechanics and rowing
technique clinic. What was the feedback? Do you
have plans for future coaching education events?
The feedback from the clinic has been very
positive. When we first announced the event on short
notice to coincide with an already planned visit by
Dr. Valery Kleshnev (biorow.com), one of the premier
rowing biomechanics in the world, we expected 10
people. Like many of our events at the Oklahoma City
National High Performance Center, we blew past that
number shortly after the announcement. There were
over 50 attendees, some travelling a great distance. I
personally learned more in 48 hours from Dr. Kleshnev than I have in a long time, and we plan to utilize
Q&A with John Parker
his expertise in the future both at the training center
and with USRowing. His lecture was videotaped and
will be archived by the Kossev Consortium (kossevconsortium.org) for anyone that missed it.
I have been fortunate recently to have the chance
to meet great scientists and technologists through
my role as an advisory and founding member of the
Kossev Consortium. The Kossev Consortium aims to
continue the work of the late Emil Kossev by bringing
sports scientists and coaches together so that they can
learn from each other and find practical applications
to new ideas often through the use of technology. The
next Kossev Symposium scheduled for October 7-8,
2010, in Oklahoma City in conjunction with the Head
of the Oklahoma, is going to be our biggest event to
date and not to be missed. This should be exciting
news to coaches in the U.S.
The new facilities planned to open this fall along
the Oklahoma Riverfront will provide an amazing
venue for the Kossev Symposium and USRowing
coaching education events in the future. It is a mission of the Oklahoma City National High Performance
Center to support and provide cutting-edge information to coaches through education opportunities.
Last month, Oklahoma City approved funding for
several major civic projects, including improvements to the Oklahoma River and surrounding
areas. How significant was the recent MAPS 3 vote
for the sport of rowing?
In my lifetime, I have never seen anything like
this in the sport of rowing. The citizens of Oklahoma
City voted for a penny tax when they passed MAPS
3. Sixty million dollars will be utilized to develop the
race course into a world-class facility. Sixty million
dollars. I find it strange that this has not made more
news in the rowing world. Just as one example, the
entire course will have permanent lighting so that you
can row at night. This is part of a $777 million dollar
package to improve the quality of life in Oklahoma
City, including a street car system and interconnected
running and biking paths throughout the city. Where
else is anything of this magnitude happening in our
sport?
I have been awestruck by the amount of support
from the Oklahoma City community, whether it is
from large companies like Devon, Chesapeake Energy
and OG&E, smaller city businesses just around the
corner or a neighbor that lives down the street. The
support of the community both carries you to try great
things and imbues you with a sense of responsibility to
see them through. This vision and bringing it to fruition is due to the efforts of Mike Knopp and his staff
at the Boathouse Foundation. It is truly inspirational to
me.
What makes the Oklahoma City area an effective
training location for identifying and developing
young athletes? What goals do you have for future
development of the programs in Oklahoma City?
Where do I begin? The Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation has hosted world-class events and
has four different bodies of water all with boathouses.
The lightweight men’s eight with USRowing Board President
Don Langford. Under Parker, the crew won silver at the 2009
World Rowing Championships in Poznan, Poland.
13
Q&A with John Parker
You can row year round. The river is a U.S. Olympic
Training Site and the facility is a USRowing Training Center integrated into the overall system. The
new boathouse will contain approximately fifty ergs,
mostly dynamic (Concept2 and Oartec). The Devon
Boathouse will include professional sports-style locker
rooms, a physiological testing area, trainer and recovery rooms, and state-of-the-art strength and conditioning and cross-training facilities. We are beginning
to acquire a fleet of Hudson boats, along with our
Empachers presently sailing across the Atlantic. We
will eventually have Fluidesign, Fillippi and WinTech
boats so that different boat classes will have the best
equipment to row. We are currently working closely
with Concept 2 to test a wide variety of blades to
ensure that our athletes use the best oars available.
There is a propulsion swimming pool and the first
ever dynamic rowing tank with moving water for both
sweep and sculling designed by Jeff Peterson and Dick
Pereli of Stillwater Design, and in consultation with
Valery Kleshnev of BioRow. We also have BioRow
VIFS (virtual reality goggles) and BioRowTel (biomechanical measurement equipment) and are working
with FaCT Canada Consulting to get the latest in sport
14
science and technology. Both inside the building and
on the water will be extensive video analysis capability through Dartfish. The next two items on our list are
to finalize design of our hypoxic room, which we hope
will sleep eight and to upload our new Web site, which
will be a resource for both athletes and coaches.
Athletes in residency may receive benefits including subsidized housing, tuition waivers at Oklahoma
City University and travel sponsorship for both domestic and international competition. Soon this will
also include sports medicine, rehabilitation, nutrition,
and sports psychology support. We have initiated a job
mentoring program, which helps line up athletes with
internships and, in cases where athletes want more of a
career, use our contacts in the business community to
help them find leads. In case I have forgotten anything,
please check out our blog where I try to keep up with
all that is happening at okchighperformance.blogspot.
com. For a recent or upcoming graduate of college,
our goal is to make the transition to rowing at the elite
level as painless as possible. Simply put, by providing support in areas off the water, the Oklahoma City
National High Performance Center is a place where
you can just focus on the water.
Q&A with John Parker
Left: Diagram of future developments along the Oklahmoa City River which will include additional boathouses,
stadium, Jumbotron and finish line tower. Above: Oklahoma City River. Photos provided by John Parker.
15
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adaptive rowing:
keep the momentum
Featuring
Jacksonville University and Brooks Adaptive Rowing Program
Captial Rowing Club Adaptive Program
Story by Lynda Confessore
Adaptive rowers on the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Fla.
Photo provided by Alice Krauss.
Adaptive Rowing Feature
20
18
Adaptive Rowing Feature
The inclusion of adaptive rowing in the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, China, allowed adaptive
rowers to demonstrate their skill and talent to a worldwide audience, which served as a powerful stimulus
for the sport’s growth. A growing body of knowledge
supports the benefits of adaptive rowing. Training and
competition have benefits for therapy and recreation,
and there have been many advances in adaptive rowing equipment, simulation technology and prosthetics.
The popularity of rowing among wounded veterans
who experience the sport at Paralympic sports camps
and the inclusion of adaptive events for the first time
at events such as the 2010 C.R.A.S.H.-B.s can be
viewed collectively as a tremendous breakthrough for
adaptive rowing.
The numbers of organizations that run adaptive
rowing programs in the United States have more than
quadrupled in the last five years, yet there are still not
nearly enough programs to serve the demand. If you
want to hear the exuberant shout of, “I’m free!” as a
first-time adaptive rower takes to the water where you
row, perhaps you will be inspired by the experiences of
the people who have started and run successful programs.
The Partnership:
Brooks Adaptive Rowing Program, Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital, Jacksonville University and the
City of Jacksonville.
Through a partnership between Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital, Jacksonville University and the City
of Jacksonville, the Brooks Adaptive Rowing Program
was funded and approved for development and execution in 2006. Today, the thriving program enables
members of the community with disabilities to row
out of the new 15,000 square-foot, fully-accessible
Negaard Rowing Center on the St. Johns River. Jacksonville University, with a campus on the shores of the
river, has had a rowing program since 1956. In 2006,
the long-held dream of building a new boathouse became a reality, thanks to Brad Negaard, an alumnus of
the rowing program and a custom home builder.
“We still needed to raise funds to complete the
building, and at the same time, we were looking for
ways to serve the community as part of our mission,”
said Jim Mitchell, Director of Rowing and men’s head
coach at Jacksonville University, who now also oversees the adaptive program.
Mitchell, who has a master’s degree in orthopedic
impairment, approached Brooks, a well-known rehabilitation hospital in Jacksonville with 25 outpatient
centers and an established adaptive sports and recre-
ation program. With this infrastructure in place, Mitchell thought it would be relatively easy to add a rowing
program. Brooks responded with community health
funds to help with construction costs for the adaptive
program and a bit later, the passionate involvement of
occupational therapist and Brooks Adaptive Sports and
Recreation Program Manager Alice Krauss.
At the same time, the city government was asked
for support and the river itself played a role in obtaining it. The St. Johns River is the longest river in
Florida, and the last 35 miles runs through the city of
Jacksonville and its port. Through cleanup efforts, the
river became integral to community recreation as well,
and according to Mitchell, “activities that get people
on the water are highly desirable.”
The local councilmen were very enthusiastic, but
several town hall meetings were held to explain the
program and assure the city council that the project
had wide community support before additional funding was granted. Meanwhile, as construction continued, Krauss was getting total immersion in all aspects
of adaptive rowing.
“Don’t re-invent the wheel, learn from those who
have gone before and use their passion and knowledge,” said Krauss, repeating lessons and tips she
picked up early on. “The people involved in adaptive
rowing are incredibly supportive and generous with
their time.”
Krauss travelled to Philadelphia and stayed for
a week to observe Isabel Bohn and Jeff McGinnis of
the Philadelphia Rowing Program for the Disabled and
U.S. Adaptive National Team coach Karen Lewis in
action.
“I loved going out in the coaching launch,” said
Krauss. “But most importantly, the immersion added
to my understanding and related experience.”
Krauss also attended a clinic conducted by McGinnis with adaptive rowing advocate Deb Arenberg to
learn more about adaptive equipment and recruiting
and training both athletes and volunteers specifically
for adaptive rowing. In addition, Krauss, Mitchell
and 2008 Paralympian Scott Brown participated in
a hands-on demo at a Brooks community education
event that focused on adaptive sports.
Krauss said she views being an occupational
therapist as a quality of life profession.
“I like to ask ‘what is the potential of each human being, spiritually and emotionally, as well as
physically?’” said Krauss. “I see rowing as a sport that
nurtures all three. For our athletes, rowing is a dream
come true, whether they are enjoying glorious sunsets
on the river or competing at the Bayada Regatta.”
Krauss has learned firsthand how the buoyancy of
19
Adaptive Rowing Feature
water can overcome limitations that may seem insurmountable on land and the sense of independence
achieved by controlling and directing a shell. “Leave
the disability on the dock” is the program’s unstated
motto. She also worked closely with builder and rowing alumnus Brad Negaard to ensure accessibility at
the Negaard Rowing Center. At Jacksonville, the adaptive program was developed, approved and funded
after construction had started.
“Brad was unwavering in his commitment to
making the adaptive program work,” said Krauss. The
Negaard family – Brad, his father, wife, sister and now
two sons have been Jacksonville University rowing
participants and supporters since the seventies. As a
builder, Brad Negaard was aware of Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines and was willing to
go back and make changes, such as retro-fitting heavy,
awkward doors on restrooms with power doors and
adding a ramp to the erg room entrance.
The opening ceremony for the program was
held in September 2007, with many adaptive rowing
athletes, including Scott Brown, travelling back to
Jacksonville for the event and participating in a press
conference. Since that time, Mitchell and Krauss have
developed a smooth working partnership and taken the
program through its growing pains. Krauss manages
the recruitment, intake and classification of potential
athletes, while working with Mitchell to provide a
social and athletic introduction to prepare prospective
rowers for a successful experience. Mitchell and his
assistant coaches set up and conduct training programs
for each athlete with the help of student volunteers,
who are also rowers. The program is held once a week
and has handled as many as 15 athletes.
Another strong source of support is Jacksonville University president Kerry Romesburg, whose disabled
son has overcome challenges to become a university
professor.
“The experience has given all of us in the Jacksonville University rowing program a lot of satisfaction,” said Mitchell.
Mitchell’s initial motivation was simply to give
more people the opportunity to row that he knew
might never have the chance otherwise. He said that
setting up a training program for adaptive athletes is
not that different from setting up programs for his collegiate crews. In both cases, the challenge is in setting
up equipment and designing an effective coaching and
training program.
“We want to get them addicted to rowing,” said
Mitchell. “After the rower passes the erg test and is
ready to go out on the water, a coach or student takes
him or her out in a double and the rower can progress
20
to a single. We monitor progress and for those who
want to compete, we set up extra sessions and help.
This past year, we sent athletes to the Bayada Adaptive Regatta in Philadelphia for the first time.”
Krauss is so convinced of the life-changing
benefits of adaptive rowing that she recruits outside of
Brooks. Wherever she goes, she gives out fliers at bus
stops, talks to people at the grocery store and Home
Depot. She sees dramatic improvements in confidence
and physical fitness.
“One of my inspirations is Grady Harris, a for-
mer coxswain at MIT, who participated in the adaptive
program despite the increasingly debilitating effects of
circulatory failure, including having both legs amputated,” said Krauss. “He said adaptive rowing was the
most fun he had since 1957, the year he was diagnosed. Even when he could no longer row, Grady still
came to the boathouse and helped however he could.
From the donations made to the program in his memory, we purchased a shell in his honor and christened it
Adaptive Rowing Feature
at a naming ceremony attended by his wife, Diane.”
With a volunteer corps made up entirely of rowers, the benefits are many and as Krauss and Mitchell
noted, ‘the students go above and beyond.’ Christopher Ottie, a member of the JU crew and a volunteer
for the adaptive program, connected with the program
to fulfill a university community service requirement
for graduation.
“[The service requirement] was the reason for
my first appearance or two with the program, but then
I discovered the nice, friendly atmosphere, and I had
a good time every time,” said Ottie. “I also offer my
help because it is a two-way street. In teaching form
and helping the adaptive rowers improve their forms,
it helps me see form from a coaching angle not just as
a rower. Thirdly, because of the varying limitations of
the rowers, it can be like an exciting puzzle to figure
out the best setup of the seats and straps. If community service hours were all my motivation, I would
have stopped a long time ago – I’ve already more than
doubled my graduation requirement.”
Ottie is at the boathouse from the time the rowers show up until the time they leave, assisting in the
erg room and out on the water. For people new to the
program, he says set-up can take multiple sessions to
find what is most comfortable.
“I adjust the angle and length of the seat on
the erg and then assist those who need help with the
transfer,” said Ottie. “The erg seats are generally
much lower than the rowers’ chairs, and they have to
get past the wheels. Some are entirely self-dependent
in transferring. Once seated, I get them straps for
chest, legs, waist, and so on. Once all are strapped in,
I either give them the handle so they can start rowing, or I set up a piece for them. After everyone is set
up, most people are doing individual workouts, and I
walk around offering to see if there is anything they
need. I spend most of my time with those who are
new and those who are least self-dependent or doing a
test.
“The only group-like workouts would be the occasional rowers challenging each other to a race, for
example, first to 3,000 meters. Soon, we plan on setting up the ergs like an erg sprint regatta, letting the
rowers race on a projector screen. With new people, I
teach the basics of rowing form and erg monitors. I’ll
generally stick with them, making sure they are doing
this properly.”
When going out for a row, Ottie helps carry
boats and oars down to the dock and return wheel
chairs back to solid ground once the rower is transferred to the boat. When doubles are taken out, he
gets the opportunity to row bow seat.
“The experience has been great,” he said. “I’ve
met some wonderful people and through the experience, my mind has been immersed even more deeply
in rowing. I’ve been able to see parts of the stroke
from a wholly different perspective.”
Ottie said the rowers have scored a lot of
achievements from the program. About half of the
rowers also play quad rugby, and they say that since
they have started rowing, they have more than tripled
their speed backwards on the court. They also notice
the incredible cardio they have gained from rowing
and improvements in endurance.
“There is a woman who started in the fall and
rows arms only and has loss of sight,” said Ottie.
“Her splits when she first came were very erratic,
2008 Paralympian and six-time adaptive national team member Scott Brown coaches Jacksonville adaptive rower.
Photo provided by Alice Krauss.
21
Adaptive Rowing Feature
even for the typical novice ‘fly and
die’ method. Through persistence
in training, even though she can’t
see her splits, she is now able to
hold a solid stroke rate with splits
that only fluctuate about 10 seconds. All her training is for her goal
of rowing in an erg sprint in a few
months.”
This past summer, the program sent four rowers to the
Bayada Regatta and two placed.
One of the silver medalists, Lorri
Newstadt, became a paraplegic a
little over five years ago when she
fell building a tree house with her
husband.
“I broke my back and was
paralyzed from the waist down,”
said Newstadt, who became a
patient and then an outpatient at
Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital. “I
became close to many of the people
at Brooks; they became a second
family to me. Alice Krauss got me
started in the sports rehabilitation
program using hand cycles. When
the rowing program began, I went
to a training clinic for potential
athletes and volunteers. The people
who conducted the event inspired
me to try a sport I had never even
thought about before.”
Newstadt started training on
the ergs using the fixed seat and
strap and quickly progressed. Soon
she was able to get out on the river
and eventually, be on her own in a
single.
“That was the eureka moment,” said Newstadt. “I was powering myself, and I could look back
and see my wheelchair on the dock.
It was a great feeling and the first
time since the accident that I was
doing something without depending on the chair. Being one with
the beautiful St. John’s River is a
Zen-like experience; sometimes we
have dolphins swimming along besides us and we always have fun.”
Newstadt says that having the use
of the boathouse facilities and the
22
help of the coaches and student
volunteers has been a blessing.
“The coaches often give up
personal time to help us,” she said.
“The students are an awesome
group, and I think the program also
bridges a gap for them. They learn
that there is not that much of a difference between them and disabled
rowers. Social interaction is equally
important. The rowers in our group
have become a support network
for each other and have developed
strong friendships.”
----------------------“That was the
eureka moment. I
was powering myself, and I could
look back and see
my wheelchair on
the dock. It was a
great feeling and
the first time since
the accident that
I was doing something without depending on the
chair.
-----------------------Going to the Bayada Regatta
has been the most incredible experience for Newstadt so far. Beyond
the opportunity to row in a competitive regatta, it was her first time
flying, traveling and staying in a
hotel by herself since her injury.
“I met athletes with lesser
disabilities than mine, and those
whose disabilities were much
greater, but put us all out on the
water and we were all the same,”
said Newstadt. “Water is the great
equalizer. I am hoping that we can
start an adaptive regatta in Florida
and invite teams from other states
and, of course, that more adaptive
programs will flourish. Statistics
indicate that only about 10 percent
of the disabled get out and get
involved. Now, if I go very long
without rowing, my husband will
tell you I get very frustrated and
grouchy. Rowing is something I
plan to do for the rest of my life.”
The Rowing Club – Capital
Adaptive Rowing Program Capital Rowing Club of Washington, D.C.
Capital Rowing Club is the
home of community rowing in the
nation’s capital. Each morning before daybreak, Capital rowers push
off the docks into the waters of the
historic Anacostia River, the reserved waterway that flows through
the southeastern neighborhoods of
Washington, D.C.
Founded in 1988, Capital is
home to an active membership of
more than 250 men and women
from the District of Columbia,
Maryland and Virginia. Capital is
a volunteer-directed, non-profit,
educational organization offering
rowing instruction and sweep and
sculling programs for all levels.
The programs range from novice
classes for people of all ages and
physical abilities to a competitive
racing program that has earned
local and national recognition.
Capital rowers not only have
river views of the U.S. Capitol, the
Washington Monument, the Washington Navy Yard, and historic Fort
McNair, but they are keenly aware
of the many military hospitals and
rehabilitation facilities nearby.
Starting an adaptive rowing program therefore seemed a good fit
with Capital’s mission and location.
Realizing that unprecedented numbers of young soldiers were com-
Adaptive Rowing Feature
Capital Rowing Adaptive Club’s Kathryn Kurre and Denna Lambert. Photo provided by Meredith Miller.
ing back to the U.S. with injuries
from Iraq and Afghanistan, Capital
believed rowing could provide
them with a great opportunity for
rehabilitation and therapy, as well
as introducing new athletes to the
sport. Capital’s boathouse, docks
and parking areas are all at ground
level and thus accessible for adaptive rowers in wheelchairs.
Over the past decade, Capital
had made several attempts to start
an adaptive rowing program in
partnership with the Walter Reed
Army Medical Center, but various
hurdles could not be overcome.
“The biggest challenge was
finding a committed partner and
champion on the inside, someone
affiliated with the military to help
coordinate schedules and participa-
tion,” said Capital Adaptive Rowing Club executive director Meredith Miller.
In late 2008, two factors
persuaded Capital to try again.
The previous year, Capital had the
experience of training disabled
rower Kendra Berner in its standard novice program, who then
went on to train with the U.S. Paralympic Team. Also in 2008, Capital
recognized that the U.S. Olympic
Committee’s Military Paralympic
Program was now well-established
and D.C., which was a natural
training site given the proximity
of multiple military medical facilities. With a remarkable number of
volunteer-minded members with
solid ties to branches of the armed
services, the Department of Veter-
ans Affairs and rehabilitative
medical professionals, Capital
decided it was the right time
to build a sustainable program.
The launch date for the Capital
Adaptive Rowing Program was
set for mid-2009.
Miller got the planning
process off to a start with intensive research. She scoured the
Internet for resources and found
helpful information from both
USRowing and Rowing Canada.
“I spoke to the staff at
WinTech Racing, Alden and
Concept 2 about equipment,
and spoke to leaders of adaptive
programs around the country,
such as the Philadelphia Rowing Program for the Disabled
23
Adaptive Rowing Feature
and the Louisville Rowing Program,” said Miller. “At that point,
we had a much better idea of the
steps we needed to take and formed
an executive committee to develop
the program.”
Miller’s key recruits were
Kirsten Powell, a fellow competitive rower at Capital and a trained
speech therapist who had worked
at Walter Reed; Patrick Johnson,
an active duty military member
and certified USRowing coach who
rows with D.C. Strokes (a masters’
team that shares the Anacostia Community Boathouse with Capital);
Dana Hinesly, a Capital recreational
rower who volunteers most weekends at Walter Reed’s Military Advanced Training Center; and Molly
McCoy, another Capital rower who
served as the Club’s Community
Development Director and could
muster its volunteer base.
“All of us had been involved
with charities, and since Capital is
a 501(c)(3) organization, we could
operate under the umbrella of the
club,” said Miller. “Our process was
very organic. We figured out next
steps as we went along. Aside from
setting up the program’s structure,
we learned from others in the sport
that the key to sustaining an adaptive program is flexibility. It works
best to recruit and evaluate each
athlete, then develop a plan to train
him or her successfully based on
individual needs.”
The executive committee’s first
step was to assess the Capital fleet
and, based on Miller’s research, decide on the adaptive equipment the
program would need. A few singles
and doubles could be modified, but
Capital would have to make new
acquisitions. The program renewed
its effort to establish relationships
with personnel at local military
medical facilities, resulting in a
connection with the U.S. Olympic
Committee’s Military Paralympic
Program Coordinator at Walter
24
Above: Captial Rowing Club volunteer Lori Green. Photo provided by Meredith
Miller.
Below: Jackonville’s Diane Pollock. Photo provided by Alice Krauss.
Right: Jacksonville’s Lori Newstadt. Photo provided by Alice Krauss.
Adaptive Rowing Feature
Reed. Her enthusiasm and support through funding
enabled Capital to establish an ergometer training
facility for military athletes, and to purchase its first
WinTech Racing adaptive single with pontoons and a
fixed seat. Miller noted that adaptive rowing advocate,
Deb Arenberg, encouraged starting small and building. As evidence that a club can start a program with a
minimal investment, Capital started with a single shell
that could be used continuously for recreational and
training programs, as well as for adaptive rowing; two
sets of stabilizing pontoons;
and two fixed seats with
straps. This investment is
exceedingly small compared
to other specialized adaptive
sports equipment, but the reward turned out to be huge.
Capital started recruiting at Walter Reed with
an open house in April
2009 designed to introduce wounded soldiers to
the sport via an ergometer
demonstration. Capital then
held an open house on the
Anacostia a month later for
prospective athletes, volunteers and coaches that kept
the momentum going.
“Deb Arenberg got everyone on an erg equipped
with a fixed seat, and then
she and our volunteers got
every prospective athlete
into a boat to try rowing in
singles, doubles, or in Capital’s sweep training barge,”
said Miller. “Their excitement was palpable, and our volunteers were inspired.”
The volunteers had a chance to help people with
all kinds of disabilities – the blind, amputees, those
with cognitive impairments and paraplegics – and
to learn how to assist them with the fixed seats and
straps, adjustable pontoons and transport tools such as
mats and stair steps for those using wheelchairs. The
event was capped off by a barbecue that highlighted
the importance of both the social and physical benefits
of the sport.
Capital is a member of the Anacostia Community
Boathouse Association (ACBA), an organization that
supports all water sports on the Anacostia River, so
the executive committee continued recruiting by approaching ACBA member organizations to help with
coaching, equipment adaptation and repair, organizational support and logistics, fundraising, and land and
water training. The goal was to start rowing on the
Anacostia by summer, and, if possible, to send a team
to the Bayada Regatta in August.
After recruitment and evaluation, the coaching
staff started working with the first group of athletes,
mostly members of the military. While it proved difficult to coordinate around a soldier’s multiple medical and therapy appointments, the volunteer coaching
staff was committed to the
flexibility principle and
being able to tailor an onand off -the-water program
for each athlete. Coaching
Director Patrick Johnson
and a team of USRowingcertified coaches, assistants
and volunteers established a
schedule to see each athlete
twice a week – once in a
group training session and
once in a private training
session – to address each
athlete’s specific adaptive
needs and goals.
This winter, the coaches
have been working extensively with those athletes
who have set their sights
on the Mid-Atlantic Erg
Sprints and C.R.A.S.H.-B.s
in February, trying out for
the U.S. Paralympic Team,
or participating in the 2010
Bayada Regatta. Capital
also continues to host largegroup activities at Walter
Reed and the National Naval Medical Center (NNMC)
through the Military Paralympic Program, such as an
ergometer training session for over 20 wounded marines held this past December.
“All of our coaches are certified through USRowing,” said Miller. “Many of our volunteers are trained
in CPR and first aid, and others are certified lifeguards.
Administering and implementing an adaptive rowing
program calls for wide range of talents and skills, and
rowers and others in our community have them. We
also have found it important to involve people trained
in occupational and physical therapy.”
According to Miller, one of the main benefits of
working with partners like the Military Paralympic
Program, Walter Reed and the NNMC, is that Capital
25
Adaptive Rowing Feature
has been able to connect with a ready population of
eager athletes and their support systems.
“Therapists at these facilities have become more
and more interested in the therapeutic benefits of team
sports, such as rowing, that foster not only strength
and confidence, but also teamwork and community
skills,” said Miller. “Having that extra support system
outside the rowing community has been key to building our program.”
In 2010, Capital intends to continue working with
military athletes and also to broaden its reach to veterans living in the area, as well as civilian community
members who are disabled – athletes like Denna Lambert, a blind rower who learned to row at Capital Rowing Club last summer through the “Community Learn
to Row” program. Lambert then continued training in
the Louisville Rowing Club last summer and earned
a silver medal in the double sculls at the 2009 Bayada
Regatta.
Initially, Capital viewed adaptive rowing as simply another desirable program to provide the Washington, D.C. community. The most significant portion of
the program’s costs has been supported by the club’s
normal fundraising activities. However, the program’s
success – a win-win for all involved – increased the
demand.
“We are now in the process of applying for
supplemental funds through outside sources to make
it possible to expand the program and acquire more
specialized equipment,” said Miller.
Also in the forefront for future planning are
negotiations between ACBA, steward of the Anacostia
River and holder of the boathouse lease with the city,
and the Washington, D.C. city government to relocate
its boathouse, which is being displaced by a highway
bridge project. The city is offering to relocate the
boathouse to another spot on the Anacostia River, and
ACBA is reviewing design options for a temporary,
then permanent, boathouse facility.
“Sustaining all our programs, including the Capital Adaptive Rowing Program, is of paramount importance to ACBA and our members,” said Miller. “Accessibility and storage space for specialized adaptive
rowing equipment must be part of the design. We’re
proud of our efforts to diversify our sport and to reach
potential new rowers.”
Adaptive rowing advocate Deb Arenberg assists Captial Rowing Club’s Ginger Hedegore. Photo provided by Meredith Miller.
26
I am a USRowing referee because...
“...it ’s ʃhe bHVt ȿHat on ʃhe rʖvʑɠ! I gHt Wɛ be ʖʜYɼlvHd bɰʕʖQd
ʃhe VcʑȸHs at UowʖQɒ ʑvʑQWs ɪɸɗ ovʑɠ ʃhe FouQʤry, hɰlpʖQɒ Wɛ
aVʣuȾe ʃKat UacHs ʋȾe Vafe ʋQd Iʋʖɠ ʇʕɵȵe ʖQɀʑUaFʤʖQɒ wiʃɓ
ɪɸɗ ʃhe FRaɭʕʖQɒ ʋQd UowʖQɒ ʓrȲʑQGs I’ve ȫʑvɰOoȼHd ovʑɠ ʃhe
ɆHʋUs.”
Tiffany Knapp, 32
Sacramento, Calif.
Get started today.
www.usrowing.org/referees
Will Daly
Will Daly (left) stroked the lightweight men’s four at the 2009 World Rowing Championships in Poznan, Poland.
Will Daly: Train to Win
Story and Photos by Allison Frederick
For 25-year-old Will Daly, growing up in Vail,
Colo., meant watching Olympic-level snow sports
since he was young. Set at 8,000 feet, in the heart of
the Rocky Mountains, the resort ski town has produced its fair share of winter Olympians over the years
— alpine ski phenomenon du jour Lindsey Vonn,
2006 bronze-medalist Toby Dawson, Chad Fleischer,
Sarah Schleper and Lindsey Kildow – to name a few.
Next month, when all eyes are on the Olympic Games
in Vancouver, this 2008 Olympian will be cheering
for Team U.S.A. from Princeton, N.J., where he’ll be
working towards a gold medal of his own in 2012.
“We saw tons of world cup races growing up, and
we were always watching the Olympics for as long as
I can remember – mostly the winter Olympics,” said
Daly, a member of the lightweight men’s four at the
2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. “The most prevalent memories I have are watching Tommy Moe and
Picabo Street in the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics. That
was pretty huge. I think from that moment on, I was
thinking that going to the Olympics would be a re28
ally awesome thing to be able to do. I guess I always
thought that it would be the winter Olympics.”
Daly and his younger brother, Drew, grew up
skiing and playing hockey in Vail. In fourth grade,
Daly got the idea that he wanted to go away to boarding school. He attended Vail Mountain School, with a
student body of around 200, through the eighth grade
before heading east to the Kent School in Connecticut.
“Vail is a nice place to grow up, but it’s very
small,” said Daly. “I ended up loving boarding school.
I had a great time.”
At the Kent School, Daly was involved in several
different sports including soccer and hockey. When
trying to decide on a spring sport, biology teacher and
head men’s rowing coach Eric Houston encouraged
Daly to join the rowing team.
“I tried out and made the club team; I didn’t even
make the varsity squad,” recalled Daly. “But I liked
it and stuck with it. Kent has a long history of rowing, and it’s the big thing there. I think a lot of it was
that Houston would always make me feel like it was
a privilege to row, like it was something unique and
special. He was always very emotionally involved in
our rowing, and it made us emotionally involved as
well. It made me realize how passionate people were
about the sport early on and then start to develop my
own passion. And he taught me how to row—can’t
discredit him there.”
“At an early age, Will was a pretty independent
character,” said Will’s father, Andy Daly. “The circumstances are interesting. Rowing isn’t a big sport in
Vail. It turned out to be a very fortuitous move on his
part, and one that has given him the opportunity to put
a tremendous amount of passion into something that
he’s obviously learned to love.”
Daly continues to keep in
touch with his first rowing coach
and counts Houston as one of
the most influential people in his
sporting career. One of Daly’s
most memorable high school
rowing experiences was his
junior year at the St. Andrews
Regatta in Delaware. The Kent
School had a pretty solid team
and was looking to cap off an
undefeated season.
“St. Joe’s Prep was always
a huge rival for everyone, and
we hadn’t beaten the Prep in
nine years up to that point,”
said Daly. “We ended up beating them, and that was the first
time I ever felt what it was like
to have everyone in the boat
click together and the boat really
move well. The other part of the
story is that our crew was one
of those crews that didn’t get
along at all, just constantly bickered nonstop. Before
the race, in our boat meeting, Houston walked up to us
with a bunch of flowers and handed us each a pansy.
He walked away. That was it.”
Despite his lean, 150-pound build, Daly knew
that he wanted to row at a Division I college, and he
wanted to row heavyweight. He moved to Boston to
pursue crew and a business degree at Boston University.
“At the time, everyone told me that I was insane
to row heavyweight,” said Daly. “But they gave me
a shot, and I made the most of it. I got to row with
some pretty extraordinary guys. My junior year, I was
the only American in the boat, in addition to being
the lightest by 40 pounds, rowing with Australians,
Will Daly
New Zealanders, Dutch, Germans and a Swedish guy.
Also, three of the guys that I rowed with went to the
Olympics and four or five of them had been to a world
championships. It was a pretty unique experience that
really helped me develop great relationships that have
continued past college. I still see these guys at international competitions, and we’ve kept in touch over the
years.”
The exposure to athletes from different countries,
and being able to connect with them as teammates,
made an impression on Daly. While he had a good
sense of what it meant to train
and perform at that next level,
he wasn’t completely convinced
of his national team potential
until a few weeks into the summer before his senior year when
he made the Under 23 lightweight men’s four and raced in
Amsterdam.
“In my mind, I always thought
it would be really hard to be an
elite rower,” said Daly. “I mean,
I wanted to do it, but I didn’t
know if I could. When I went to
Under 23 selection camp and I
made the boat, that kind of set
off my national team career.”
After graduating from BU with
a business degree, Daly continued to train between Princeton
and Boston. He steadily dropped
his erg splits and performed consistently on the water, earning a
spot on the national team roster
in 2006 and 2007 leading up to the Olympic year.
“Going into the 2008 season, I pretty much
thought there was no way I was going to go to the
Olympics,” said Daly. “But the opportunity was there,
and I knew I had to try. I can’t say no to trying. I went
into the year trying to do as well as I could. When we
came back to Princeton after winter training, [U.S. National Team lightweight men’s coach] John Parker was
saying that I had to hit certain standard splits on the
erg if I wanted to be in the four. So I came back and
broke the standard on the first 6k test and it felt pretty
good. Then in the 2k test, the same thing happened.”
The power was there, and Daly knew his next test
would be on the water. While his impressive erg scores
were a big factor in the selection process, he would
29
Will Daly
have to prove himself in terms of technique. Daly was
paired with teammate Colin Farrell in practice that
summer, and the duo went on the win the lightweight
pair at the second National Selection Regatta. Even
then, Daly didn’t want to get his hopes up.
“I kept looking at my competition – Matt Muffelman, Andrew Bolton and Mike Altman – the three other top ports at the time,” said Daly. “These guys were
basically legendary in my mind. I mean, Colin and
I were the youngest guys in the camp by two years.
I kept plugging away and even going up to the final
naming day, I couldn’t
have told you if I’d made
the team or not. When it
comes within 0.1 or 0.2
seconds between you the
next guy, it’s pretty crazy.”
When Daly got the
news that he had been
named to the 2008 Olympic Team, it took a while
for it to sink in. Before
competing in the lightweight four in Beijing,
however, Daly would row
six-seat in the lightweight
eight that competed at
the 2008 World Rowing
Senior and Junior Championships in Linz, Austria.
“It was interesting,” said Daly. “I was back
competing with half of the guys who didn’t make the
[Olympic lightweight] four but were willing to stick
around and race in the lightweight eight. I think that
was one of the most impressive things of that whole
year. There was no hostility, animosity or bitterness.
We did really well and that eight was by far the best
eight I’ve ever rowed with. We had so much fun together.”
The Daly family was there to witness to goldmedal performance of the U.S. lightweight eight,
an experience that Daly’s father calls “the thrill of a
lifetime.”
“It was a great experience to be in the stands and
take the pictures, watching them do so well and also
to be there for such a defining moment for him at the
world championships, right before the Olympics,” said
Andy Daly. “We try to go to the world championships
every year and support him whenever we can. It’s
become a wonderful travel experience for all of us. I
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hope he continues to have the passion that he’s always
displayed, the passion that allows him to excel because he’s willing to sacrifice so much for something
that he’s completely committed to.”
Daly, along with lightweight four teammates Tom
Paradiso, Pat Todd and Mike Altman didn’t have much
time to bask in the glory of their victory. Immediately
following competition in Linz, the four rowers and
coach Parker were whisked away on a flight to Beijing, China.
“I remember having won worlds that day and
knowing we had a 20k practice row the next day in
preparation for the Olympics,” said Daly. “It was
super anti-climactic. It was a weird experience having
to shift focus, but we were
pretty psyched when we
rejoined people in Beijing.
They were pretty happy
that we won.”
In Beijing, the
lightweight four came
away with a fifth-place
finish in the B final, for
11th place overall, with
Denmark winning the gold
medal in the event for the
third time in the last four
Olympic Games. Despite
the U.S. result, Daly said
the experience of going to
the Olympics and winning
a world championship in
2008 is collectively his
greatest rowing accomplishment.
“Being an athlete, you want to win and you
want to get a medal,” said Daly. “I hope next time, I
get to do better, and I’m working hard to do better if I
get another chance.”
Daly describes himself as being competitive and
driven in his goals, to the point, he says, teammates
might find it annoying at times. Yet, while he’s critical
of every row at every practice, he tries to keep a clear
mind. If he’s had a bad piece, he looks to the next one
and starts fresh.
Leading up to the 2009 World Championships in
Poland, Daly found himself in an unfamiliar position
within the group of people training to make the lightweight boats. The transition to being one of the more
experienced rowers on the team had snuck up on him.
“It was a new mind-set and weird to all of a sudden be a veteran,” said Daly. “It was difficult for me
– still capable of making mistakes and having to set an
example and knowing that guys were watching me at
----------------------“Going into the 2008
season, I pretty much
thought there was no way
I was going to go to the
Olympics. But the
opportunity was there,
and I knew I had to try. I
can’t say no to trying.”
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the same time. In the boat, I had to be conscious of my
manner and make some changes – things like sitting at
stroke seat and shaking my head in dissatisfaction. For
the new guys, they feed off of my reaction and think
that if I’m not happy, then the row must be horrible.”
Racing in the lightweight four in Poland was a
positive experience for Daly, and despite a 12th-place
finish, he said the young group was able to come
together for races and handled the first-time world
championships scene well.
“There was unity and good boat chemistry in the
races and guys were able to push themselves. I don’t
think we found it before that. It was a fun and energetic group.”
U.S. teammate Nick LaCava was also a member
of the crew and says that what makes Daly a natural
leader is his knowledge and experience in the sport.
“Will was one of the older members of the team,
and he was one the designated leaders of the group
training in Princeton,” said LaCava. “I think he’s a
really great teammate. He’s one of the most competitive people I’ve ever met and incredibly focused and
hard-working.”
Upon returning from Poland, LaCava and Daly
stayed in Princeton to continue training. Both port-side
rowers, Daly took initiative to learn rowing starboard
Will Daly
in order to maximize training time with LaCava.
“He’s rowed port all his life – in high school,
college and four years after,” said LaCava. “Then all
of a sudden, in two months, he’s able to switch sides
and row with me. That’s something I really appreciate; I think we work well together because we push
each other a lot. I’ll beat him on an erg piece, and then
the next day, he’ll show up and beat me. We are super
competitive in practice. It translates well to the boat,
being able to push each other.”
This winter, Daly said that he’s keeping his head
down and plugging away, while training with the
heavyweights as much as he can. If he gets a day or
two off, he might go skiing or hiking, but for the most
part, he’s back and forth between training and work at
a marketing and technology company, JagTag.
“I think we set a good tone last year and had a
few really good races, and it gave the group the confidence to have a really strong quad,” said Daly. “Hopefully, we can keep building on our results every year.
For me, when I’m training, I’m training to win. Not
just in 2012, but every day.”
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