March 01, 2025

S6E5 - Cool Rowings: A Dynamic Concoction

44 minutes

From primary school kids to octogenarians, Cool Rowings is introducing diverse populations to rowing in and around London. Founder Weininger Irwin – competitive and confident from a young age – has a community first approach, prioritizing fun and social interaction. And we hear from one of his rowers, 86-year-old Hazel Parkins, who took up indoor rowing after the death of her husband and says she can't do with out it these days. This is an episode about building your own path and embracing lifelong functional fitness.

QUICK LOOK

PART 1: Weininger Irwin

00:00 - Episode Intro

04:06 - The Huddle: A quick get to know you

05:20 - The Hot Seat Q&A

06:45 - Growing up a runner

07:58 - Rowing origin story: from Gladiator tryout, to Ford Motor Co. gym erg, and a Concept2 2k training plan

13:16 - Established Cool Rowings to introduce primary school kids and diverse populations to rowing

16:26 - Ageless Teenagers and Weininger's philosophy for coaching seniors

21:23 - Being a beacon for the community

PART 2: Hazel Parkins

24:03 - Meet Hazel Parkins, 80+ 2025 BRIC Gold Medalist

24:47 - On a scale of 1-10, Hazel's rowing week was a 9

26:15 - An introduction to the erg during COVID

29:46 - A "lovely" experience at BRIC and Hazel's approach to training and racing

33:12 - The importance of support from family and community

37:08 - Hosts Rachel and Tara post-interview banter

40:54 - Steady State Network news and notes

To see photos of Weininger and Hazel, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.

This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.

Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.

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