As a 5’1, 108lb freshman at Western Washington University, Rachel Le Mieux was literally picked up and placed in a coxswain seat. Thirty five years later she’s the head coach of Martha’s Moms, a competitive masters women’s team in Seattle, WA. She’s also a USRowing referee and FISA umpire.

During her years in the cox seat, coach’s launch, and chase boat, Rachel’s seen her share of sketchy situations. Today, in her role as the Chair of the USRowing safety committee, she wants to make sure that rowers, coaches, and coxswains have the knowledge and skills to stay safe around the boathouse, at practice, and during regattas.

We talk boat feel, coxing commands, flipping a four at the dock, nearly losing your lunch after a race, the rich history of rowing in Washington, and a whole lot more.

Oak Ridge Rowing Association was founded in 1978 and today is home to the Atomic Juniors and Masters Rowing Team. Oak Ridge offers a wide array of Learn-to-Row classes, hosts several championship regattas every year, and provides a world-class training venue to visiting crews. ORRA – built on the passion and enthusiasm of its community, coaches, and volunteers – successfully navigated COVID, keeping all of their programs intact, healthy, and thriving.

GUESTS:

When recent podcast guest Tracy Falkenthal suggested we talk with Napoleon Griffin, we chased the lead.

A decorated middle distance track runner who learned to scull as an adult, Napoleon beat male breast cancer and today strives to get as much out of life as possible. He also survived Hurricanes Irma and Maria which devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, causing long-lasting power outages and leaving residents without access to clean water. Motivated by a desire for more training and racing opportunities, Napoleon relocated to Texas, where he now splits his time between Austin and Dallas.

Eamon Glavin is a former high school and collegiate rower who started experimenting with cameras in boats and drones overhead to capture video of rowing unlike anything else we’ve seen in mainstream rowing media. In February 2021 he began following lightweight Olympic hopefuls through training and qualification trials to produce a rowing documentary about the journey to the Tokyo Olympics.

Take a look back at the launch of Steady State Network in June 2020, go behind the scenes of the podcast, get updates on our Changemaker Scholarship initiative, and listen in as co-founders Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan go unscripted to talk about our own experiences as rowers and coaches.

We are really interested in backstories – the experiences on and off the water that make people the rowers, coaches, and coxswains they are today. And when it comes to clubs and boathouses we want to meet the people that make them vibrant, engaging, inclusive, successful, and of course, fun!

With that in mind, our semi-regular club spotlight series takes us around the world. On this episode we head West to Alaska, to talk with Anchorage Rowing Association.

Guests

Founder, member, and coach Ed Hall

Head Coach Steve Full

President Kim Morris

Situated on beautiful Sand Lake, ARA’s seasonal coaching staff learns to deals with float planes and moose. And the club works together to care for each other and their fleet.

An introduction to rowing as a teen in California completely changed the trajectory of Tracy Falkenthal's life. She has spent the years since paying it forward as a member of the Army National Guard, a firefighter, a personal trainer, health coach, and rowing coach.

Today she's a member and coach at Texas Rowing Center in Austin, and is working in lock step with the Center's owner to develop and lead DEI initiatives to get "butts in seats."

Her rowing story is one of finding a way up and a way out through rowing and sport, and we’re honored to talk with her.

After losing his vision to cataracts in his 30s, Dammie Onafeko wanted to get involved with a specialized sport. He was introduced to Capital Rowing Club’s adaptive program at the Anacostia Community Boathouse in Washington, D.C. where he quickly found success at regattas, and the support of his rowing family. And Dammie is hard to miss around the boathouse: at 6’5”, this Nigerian man is a presence.

Take a listen to our interview with him, which is full of his quietly profound perspectives on rowing and life.

Part erg review, part coaching advice - this episode is what you need to get connected and get moving on your rowing machine.

If you’re a rower – in a boat, with oars – it’s likely that your introduction to the erg was by way of supplemental workouts for race training and the dreaded 2k test. Most on-water rowers (aka oarsmen) roll their eyes at the mere mention of spending time on the erg.

Sarah Fuhrmann, CEO of UCanRow2 wants to flip the script and reshape the way people think about indoor rowing. She is passionate about sharing the sport with people who can benefit from its total body workout no matter their fitness or competitive athletic goals at any age.

Lisa Weise was a recipient of the Steady State Network Changemaker Instructor Scholarship in April 2021. With the scholarship, Lisa was able to attend a UCanRow2 online instructor certification course.

A note: UCanRow2 founder – and Sarah’s business partner – Terry Smythe, passed away from mucosal melanoma, a rare form of the skin cancer melanoma, in November 2018. While recording this interview it was clear that telling the story of UCanRow2 and indoor rowing was impossible without telling Terry’s story, too. Terry’s legacy lives on through Sarah and Lisa, UCanRow2/Concept2 instructors, fitness professionals, and enthusiasts they have worked with around the world.

GUESTS

Sarah Fuhrmann: CEO, UCanRow2

Lisa Weise: Founder, Rower’s Dream

When we spotted Corin Wiggins on Instagram (@TheBlackCoswain), we knew we wanted to hear her story. At just 16, this member of Atlanta Junior Rowing Association already has four years of coxing experience and the drive to connect the BIPOC rowing community.

We sat down to talk with Corin and invited two of her coxing influences: Coral Kasden (UCSB/NYAC), and Dustin Mara (UW/Everett Rowing Association).

These three young coxswain share their rowing origin stories, insights on coxing responsibilities and personas, influences and mentors, the importance of getting to know your crew, how to motivate your boat when it's clear you aren't going to win the race, and a whole lot more.

Stick around after the show: Rachel and Tara delve deeper into coxing, coaching the coxswain, evaluations, and motivating masters rowers to take their turn in the coxswain seat.