Rowing in Color

#032 - Manny Valentin is the Head Boys’ Rowing Coach at Saratoga Rowing Association and identifies as an American with Puerto Rican lineage.

In this episode, we talked about:

• How he identifies [1:22]
• Books Manny recommends for fellow Americans with Puerto Rican heritage [7:48]
• How Manny got into rowing [9:24] 
• Advice for younger coaches [14:45]
• What was it like to be the only coach of color in various spaces [18:20]
• The role anxiety plays in sports psychology as it relates to non-white athletes in predominantly white  spaces [20:40]
• Manny’s philosophy on athletic performance and sports psychology as it relates to triggers and racial events of 2020 [24:15]
• Onee way Manny prepares his rowers for peak athletic performance [28:30]
• His approach to increase diversity in our sport [31:05]
• Discussing “you can’t be what you can’t see” through the lens of sports psychology [38:36]

… and much more.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• The War Against All Puerto Ricans, by Nelson Denis
• Fantasy Island, by Ed Morales
• New York Young Lords and the Struggle for Liberation, by Darrel Wanzer-Serrano

To get in touch with Manny, please reach him on Instagram @coach.valentin

We hope that the conversation in this podcast helps us all in the rowing world -- no matter your race -- to unify the rowing sport through diversity.

If you have a response to this or any episode, we want to hear it. Send us your voice message at www.speakpipe.com/rowingincolor or just check out our Linktree (linktr.ee/rowingincolor). If you don't follow us on IG already, find us @rowingincolor.

Lastly, if you can, please hit "follow" or "subscribe" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you can, please leave a rating and a review on Apple Podcast -- it would really mean a lot.

We hope you and yours are well. Stay safe.

#031 - Mayfield Vashti-Roberts and Keira Gotrell are both black high school rowers from Washington and New Jersey, respectively. 

In this episode, they talked about:

What made Mayfield stay with rowing [3:57]

Mayfield’s response to going to regattas and not see others that look like you [7:07]

What would Mayfield tell coaches to improve the experience of rowers of color [13:41]

What Mayfield says to other HS rowers who are thinking of leaving the sport [18:35]

… and much more.

To get in touch with Mayfield, please email him at  [email protected]

To get in touch with Keira, please reach her on Instagram @keiragotrell

We hope that the conversation in this podcast helps us all in the rowing world -- no matter your race -- to unify the rowing sport through diversity.

If you have a response to this or any episode, we want to hear it. Send us your voice message at www.speakpipe.com/rowingincolor or just check out our Linktree (linktr.ee/rowingincolor). If you don't follow us on IG already, find us @rowingincolor.

Lastly, if you can, please hit "follow" or "subscribe" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you can, please leave a rating and a review on Apple Podcast -- it would really mean a lot.

We hope you and yours are well. Stay safe.

#030 - Jo Victorio is a Philippine American and the Head Coach of the NYU Rowing Team.

In this episode, we talked about:

How she got into rowing [2:00]

Her team’s powerfully inclusive team culture [4:31]

Advice for youth coaches on how to create a culture of inclusivity [7:13]

How she got into coaching [16:02]

Advice for collegiate coaches on how to create a culture of inclusivity [18:46]

The biggest challenge she experienced as a coach of color [29:06]

Advice to other Filipinx Americans in rowing [39:09]

… and much more.

To get in touch with Jo, please reach her on Instagram @joannevictorio

We hope that the conversation in this podcast helps us all in the rowing world -- no matter your race -- to unify the rowing sport through diversity.

If you have a response to this or any episode, we want to hear it. Send us your voice message at www.speakpipe.com/rowingincolor or just check out our Linktree (linktr.ee/rowingincolor). If you don't follow us on IG already, find us @rowingincolor.

Lastly, if you can, please hit "follow" or "subscribe" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you can, please leave a rating and a review on Apple Podcast -- it would really mean a lot.

We hope you and yours are well. Stay safe.

#029 - Kadee Sylla is a black college rower at University of San Diego and 2019 U23 rower for Team USA. 

In this episode, we talked about:

An obvious takeaway for collegiate coaches who want to diversify their team [11:15]

What Kadee meant when she called her experience “interesting” [14:37]

Kadee’s thoughts on being acknowledged as a person of color who rows versus just being treated as a rower and not having to worry about skin color [18:20]

When she felt oppression within the sport of rowing [21:00]

What it feels like to be hyperaware [29:00]

Where Kadee’s drive comes from [32:58]

What’s really a most beautiful thing [40:00]

Kadee’s advice for younger rowers [42:37]

Why we need to diversify our sport [46:35]

… and much more.

To get in touch with Kadee, please reach her on Instagram @kadeesylla

We hope that the conversation in this podcast helps us all in the rowing world -- no matter your race -- to unify the rowing sport through diversity.

If you have a response to this or any episode, we want to hear it. Send us your voice message at www.speakpipe.com/rowingincolor or just check out our Linktree (linktr.ee/rowingincolor). If you don't follow us on IG already, find us @rowingincolor.

Lastly, if you can, please hit "follow" or "subscribe" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you can, please leave a rating and a review on Apple Podcast -- it would really mean a lot.

We hope you and yours are well. Stay safe.

#028 - Xavier Aniton is an 8-year rower, who served as team captain at both Shaker Heights High School in Ohio and Jacksonville University in Florida.

In this episode, we talked about:

• Saying no to basketball and yes to rowing [1:35]
• Building a strong team culture on a boys high school team [7:23]
• Juggling rowing and academics in the role of a student-athlete [19:33]
• Did support differ when coming from a more demographically diverse team than from a less diverse team? [28:56]
• “Do you feel like your team was treated any differently because of who you were or how you looked?” [34:25]
• Advice for younger rowers of color [38:59]

… and much more.

To get in touch with Xavier, please reach him on Instagram @xaniton2024

We hope that the conversation in this podcast helps us all in the rowing world -- no matter your race -- to unify the rowing sport through diversity.

If you have a response to this or any episode, we want to hear it. Send us your voice message at www.speakpipe.com/rowingincolor or just check out our Linktree (linktr.ee/rowingincolor). If you don't follow us on IG already, find us @rowingincolor.

Lastly, if you can, please hit "follow" or "subscribe" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you can, please leave a rating and a review on Apple Podcast -- it would really mean a lot.

We hope you and yours are well. Stay safe.

#027 - Gabi Heard is a Black and Puerto Rican rower at Jacksonville University. 

In this episode, we talked about:

• Gabi’s journey quitting and then returning to rowing [1:09]
• What the transition was like between college rowing and high school rowing [5:15]
• Tips for any high school athletes to keep focused on training during COVID [10:35]
• “Has being a rower of color strengthened you to be a better rower?” [12:14] 
• Gabi’s advice for younger rowers of color [16:03]
• Why you should hire Gabi! [22:22]
• On stereotypes in rowing [25:04]  

… and much more.

To get in touch with Gabi, please reach her on Instagram @gabi_heard

We hope that the conversation in this podcast helps us all in the rowing world -- no matter your race -- to unify the rowing sport through diversity.

If you have a response to this or any episode, we want to hear it. Send us your voice message at www.speakpipe.com/rowingincolor or just check out our Linktree (linktr.ee/rowingincolor). If you don't follow us on IG already, find us @rowingincolor.

Lastly, if you can, please hit "follow" or "subscribe" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you can, please leave a rating and a review on Apple Podcast -- it would really mean a lot.

We hope you and yours are well. Stay safe.

#026 - Francine Chew is a Jamaican American whose mother was a housekeeper, who attended Phillips Exeter, and who rowed as an undergraduate on the Yale Women’s Rowing Team in the 1990s and in Harvard in the early 2000s while she earned her MBA. In this episode, we talked about:

• How she got into rowing from Jamaica to Brooklyn to Phillips Exeter to Yale [7:00] 
• How rowing laid the foundation for success in life [12:00]
• How rowing at Yale taught her to stand proudly with her body, celebrate her strength, and not hide [14:07]
• Being proud of putting yourself out there, especially if you don’t see yourself in this sport [16:10]
• Barriers to entry for rowing [19:58] 
• Advice for other “non-traditional” rowers [25:19]
• Advice for future black and brown board members [31:53]
• Advice on for black and brown rowers of color on how to deal with racism [38:48]

 
… and much more.

To get in touch with Francine, please email her at [email protected] 

We hope that the conversation in this podcast helps us all in the rowing world -- no matter your race -- to unify the rowing sport through diversity.

If you have a response to this or any episode, we want to hear it. Send us your voice message at www.speakpipe.com/rowingincolor or just check out our Linktree (linktr.ee/rowingincolor). If you don't follow us on IG already, find us @rowingincolor.

Lastly, if you can, please hit "follow" or "subscribe" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you can, please leave a rating and a review on Apple Podcast -- it would really mean a lot.

We hope you and yours are well. Stay safe.

#025 - Kevin Harris is the Head Women’s Rowing Coach at The University of Tulsa and T.C. Williams HS Alumus. In this episode he talks with Patricia and guest co-host, Keira Gotrell, on the best advice for recruitment, social issues like race, and many more.

Episode Tips:

 - For recruiting high schoolers, get people who are going to bring in their friends (and their parents!), and make recruiting fun! Make it something they'll want to tell their friends about and want to give a shot.

 - As a rowing coach, listen to your athletes. 

 - If rowing unfamiliar to you, give it a try.

We hope that the conversation in this podcast helps us all in the rowing world -- no matter your race -- to unify the rowing sport through diversity.

If you have a response to this or any episode, we want to hear it. Send us your voice message at www.speakpipe.com/rowingincolor or just check out our Linktree (linktr.ee/rowingincolor). If you don't follow us on IG already, find us @rowingincolor.

Lastly, if you can, please hit "follow" or "subscribe" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you can, please leave a rating and a review on Apple Podcast -- it would really mean a lot.

We hope you and yours are well. Stay safe.

#024 - Katherine Valdez is an Ecuadorian-American PR1 rower, which means she is an adaptive rower who rows using only her arms and shoulders. In this conversation she talks about how she started to row, moments she didn’t feel welcome outside of the boathouse, and advice for any future adaptive rowers.


Tips: Learn the language

• Use people-first language; 
  • Say "person with disability" not "disabled person"
  • Say "person with wheelchair" not "wheelchair-bound person"
• Ask respectful questions regarding ability; don't assume you know what someone with a disability can or cannot do.
• If you don't understand someone's accent, then ask (don't dismiss). Someone's accent is part of their identity.

To follow Katherine on her journey, find her on Instagram @kat.valdez72

We hope that the conversation in this podcast helps us all in the rowing world -- no matter your race -- to unify the rowing sport through diversity.

If you have a response to this or any episode, we want to hear it. Send us your voice message at www.speakpipe.com/rowingincolor or just check out our Linktree (linktr.ee/rowingincolor). If you don't follow us on IG already, find us @rowingincolor.

Lastly, if you can, please hit "follow" or "subscribe" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you can, please leave a rating and a review on Apple Podcast -- it would really mean a lot.

We hope you and yours are well. Stay safe.

#023 - Lyss Villablanca returns to interview Jena Thompson and Char Rendon who are both members of the trans and non binary community. In this conversation they talk about coming out in the rowing world, toxic masculinity, and advice for rowing clubs to make their culture more inclusive.

Hint: Start with language

• Offer a place to state pronouns on the registration form/waiver
• Use "folks" or "y'all" instead of "you guys"

To follow Jena on their journey, find them on Instagram @_itspikacxu_

To follow Char on their journey, find them on Instagram @crendon_26, @charrscrafts, or [email protected]

To follow Lyss on their journey, find them on Instagram @bidalyss. 


We hope that the conversation in this podcast helps us all in the rowing world -- no matter your race -- to unify the rowing sport through diversity.

If you have a response to this or any episode, we want to hear it. Send us your voice message at www.speakpipe.com/rowingincolor or just check out our Linktree (linktr.ee/rowingincolor). If you don't follow us on IG already, find us @rowingincolor.

Lastly, if you can, please hit "follow" or "subscribe" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you can, please leave a rating and a review on Apple Podcast -- it would really mean a lot.

We hope you and yours are well. Stay safe.