Steady State Podcast

The aches of a teenage growth-spurt, years of collegiate and high performance training and racing, and injuries sustained in an accident, all inform Lisa Lowe’s personal and professional attitudes and opinions about self-care.

Now a PR3 rower and physical therapist in Boston, Lisa’s goal is to cultivate a culture within rowing where we support each other without breaking each other.

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Ask most any rower about the perfect rowing conditions and they’ll wax poetic about  glassy calm water and zero wind, when a blade can quietly drop into the water at the catch, release clean, and the boat glides across the surface undisturbed.

But ask a coastal rower about great conditions and the answer will be completely different. It’ll involve navigating waves, executing turns around buoys, and end with a sprinting dive to the finish line on the beach.

We invited John Huppi, Kats Siemens, and Will Kuckro from New Orleans Rowing Club to tell us about The Big Easy – a city with a rowing history that stretches back nearly 200 years – and their vision for the future of coastal rowing in the Gulf South. 

TIME STAMPS

00:00 - Intro and welcome

02:30 - Rapid Fire 

04:22 - Mardi Gras is more important than rowing

07:42 - Recruit by looking outside standard flat water pipeline/training/racing 

11:40 - How Will and Kate as “coastal outsiders” are contributing to NORC’s success

12:30 - With fewer flat water LTWT opportunities, smaller rowers are finding success in coastal 

13:45 - How is coastal different?

16:55 - On-water problem solving and the importance of finesse

21:24 - The thrill of mixed boats and beach sprints

21:24 - The time John was a boat handler for Norwegian Olympians

28:44 - Throw “the perfect stroke” out the window, prepare for chaos

31:30 - What makes a great coastal rowing venue?

34:35 - Hurricane Ida's impact on NORC and training

38:04 - On coaching: helping people overcome challenges

40:39 - Rowers take ownership and redefine rowing training

42:58 - To grow coastal in the Gulf South, NORC is hosting development camps and experiential opportunities, and developing an endurance race on Lake Pontchartrain

44:38 - In a tourist town, coastal touring could thrive

48:58 - Coastal bucket list locations 

52:23 - Turning coastal boats and historic stake races in New Orleans

52:45 - NORC is the only boathouse in the Louisiana with juniors and masters programs

54:40 - LA2028 Olympics: perfect for building audience engagement, race coverage

58:50 - The year ahead at NORC

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When it comes to clubs and boathouses we like to go behind-the-scenes to find out what makes them engaging, inclusive, successful, and fun! With that in mind, we’re going to the city of brotherly love to get to know Philadelphia City Rowing.

PCR is a non-profit organization drawing on the proven power of sports to empower public school students to reach their highest potential. With a small staff, lots of heart, and the support of numerous partners, the newest neighbor on Boathouse Row is leading the way in changing the face of rowing on the Schuylkill River.

TIME STAMPS

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Produced by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan

In this first-of-its-kind episode, we invited Steady State Network fan Koen Elbers to join us for a chat.

Koen is a masters rower and the Chairman of Alkmaarsche Roei- en Zeilvereeniging (ARZV Rowing) in Alkmaar, The Netherlands. After learning to row in university, then taking a 15-year hiatus from the sport, it was ARZV’s welcoming community that got him hooked. To give back, he took on the roll of a juniors coach, championing fun and teamwork.

Koen talks exuberantly about rowing in The Netherlands, parties with Alkmaar’s sister city and club, long distance events, rowing tours, and generally finding enjoyment in your rowing life beyond competition.

TIME STAMPS

Steady State Podcast is a project of www.steadystatenetwork.com

In 2016, Steven Dowd was a 37-year-old weekend warrior cyclist, living and training in London when an accident left him with a devastating spinal cord injury. Facing total paralysis and a bleak prognosis, Steven was motivated by his acceptance into a clinical research trial and a goal to walk by Christmas.

With an exceptional personal will and the support of family and friends, Steven today is not only walking, but cycling, skiing, erging, and even rowing. We sat down to talk about his journey, finding motivation, and the EnduRow Challenge, a charity even Steven launched in 2021.

TIME STAMPS

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Rowers and coaches across the country are spotting opportunities to step up – and step outside boxes – to share their love of rowing by establishing clubs for their communities. 

This conversation brings together the founders of three clubs: Dave Harvey, Tacoma Rowing; Katie Jones, North Carolina Rowing Center, and Sue Koscielski, Sweeps & Sculls Rowing. They get honest about heart-warming surprises, dealing with red tape, the importance of partnerships and collaboration, and the hows and whys behind their decisions to start their own rowing clubs.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Maurice Scott was just a kid when he was introduced to rowing during a learn to row camp at Bachelor’s Barge Club. But when he noticed that no one else looked like him at regattas on the Schuylkill River, his father’s moral support motivated him to keep at it.

Five years later, as a member of a Philadelphia City Rowing’s newly-launched high school program, he was a part of the Philadelphia City Champs M8. Maurice went on to row for the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia and today rows for Potomac Boat Club in Washington, D.C.

He is a lightweight sculler with championship titles, multiple corporate sponsors, and a personal mission to be a face of positive change in the world of rowing.

Steady State Network believes access to opportunities to thrive should be inclusive regardless of ability to pay. That’s why we created the Changemaker Scholarship initiative.

Throughout the year, we seek out educational and professional development events and courses for visionaries in the rowing community. With the help of sponsors, we were able to provide eight deserving rowers, coaches, and students with scholarships to attend the USRowing Annual Convention, held virtually Dec. 6-11, 2021.

On [S2] Ep 18 of Steady State Podcast, hosts Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan talk takeaways from the USRowing Annual Convention, big ideas, and plans for 2022 with several of our most recent Changemaker Scholars. This broad touches on the things our Changemakers are thinking about and working on – from burnout to breathing technique, to DEI, sports psychology, and transgender policy.

GUESTS

Nicole Arrato: Masters Novice LTR Coach / Winter Training Lead, Greater Columbus Rowing Association

Kati Brennan: Yoga and Mobility Coach, Philadelphia City Rowing

Corinne Kazmierczak: student, University at Buffalo

Martyna Wasilewska: student, University of Central Florida

Vanessa Harvey: Programs Director / Head Youth Coach, North Star Community Rowing

TIME STAMPS

THANK YOU to these individuals and businesses for their Changemaker Scholarship support: Rower’s Dream, Bobby Kizer, Catalyst Rowing Fitness, Tacoma Rowing, Science of Rowing, Concept2

On [S2] Ep 17 of Steady State Podcast, hosts Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan talk with CB Sands-Bohrer, Senior Manager of Coach Education at Community Rowing, Inc. (CRI); and Mitch McManus, 2019 Institute for Rowing Leadership (IRL) Fellow and newly-named Rowing Director and Head Coach of Shrewsbury High School Crew.

If you are a rower or coxswain in the United States who’s ever thought “I want to start coaching,” where’s the first place you think to turn? USRowing, right? A USRowing Level I, II, or III coaching certification speaks volumes and opens doors. But did you know that it’s not the only coaching education option?

The Advanced Certificate in Rowing Leadership at the The IRL is an intense, one-year coaching education program offered by CRI in Boston. It provides students opportunities to gain the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of a master rowing coach. 

The IRL is the only accredited US Coaching Education Program in rowing, ever. 

TIME STAMPS

On [S2] Ep 17 of Steady State Podcast, hosts Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan talk with CB Sands-Bohrer, Senior Manager of Coach Education at Community Rowing, Inc. (CRI); and Mitch McManus, 2019 Institute for Rowing Leadership (IRL) Fellow and newly-named Rowing Director and Head Coach of Shrewsbury High School Crew.

If you are a rower or coxswain in the United States who’s ever thought “I want to start coaching,” where’s the first place you think to turn? USRowing, right? A USRowing Level I, II, or III coaching certification speaks volumes and opens doors. But did you know that it’s not the only coaching education option?

The Advanced Certificate in Rowing Leadership at the The IRL is an intense, one-year coaching education program offered by CRI in Boston. It provides students opportunities to gain the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of a master rowing coach. 

The IRL is the only accredited US Coaching Education Program in rowing, ever. 

TIME STAMPS