Rowing in Color

#003: Chierika “Coco” Ukogu is a recently graduated orthopedic surgeon, Stanford University rowing alumna, and American-born Nigerian professional rower. To top that all off, she competed as Nigeria’s first ever rower in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro… Pause. Re-read the previous two sentences again, more slowly, and for dramatic effect. Yes, now please. Did I mention that we spoke to her during match week? Moving on, she talks about taking part in youth sports in Philadelphia (where she grew up) and the one very specific factor that led her to choose rowing over other sports. Additionally, we quickly discuss what we should be doing during this time of quarantine and social distancing as COVID-19 takes a strong presence in New York City, where she is currently based. To hear more on her journey and her continuing accomplishments, follow her story on Twitter and Instagram @cukogu

#002: While recorded during Black History Month, we will amplify Black voices anytime and every time. The interviewee of our second episode is Patricia Destine, who is the co-host of Rowing in Color. She is a Haitian American coxswain turned rower turned rowing coach who lives in Brooklyn, New York. Her experiences chronicle what it was like to learn how to row in a sports based youth development setting. With co-host Denise, Patricia recalls her experiences at the boathouse, at regattas, with racist teammates, with white coaches, and what it feels like to be black - and human.

#001: Welcome to Rowing in Color, where we publish interviews from Black History Month only a month later. We kick the season off by interviewing Dwayne Adams, Sr. He is the founder and executive director of Breaking Barriers Rowing & Fitness, which is a non profit organization located in Delaware. Its mission is to help youth (both with and without disability) and senior citizens through the sport of rowing. As a teenager, Dwayne was shot in the head, leaving him legally blind. He went on to become an elite adaptive rower, winning a bronze medal in the World Rowing Championship in Seville, Spain, in 2002. Hosts, Patricia and Denise, talk to Dwayne about his journey to rowing, advice to young rowers, and what it means to be a black man in a white sport. For more on his organization, check out www.breakingbarriersde.org

Rowing in Color is a podcast that amplifies the voices of color in rowing. Hosts, Patricia Destine and Denise Aquino, are passionate about promoting diversity in rowing. Two former rowers turned coxswains turned coaches share one mic while recording in a bar. Not only do they break the rules of podcasting, but they also break their silence and what is know to be a white-dominated sport.