Steady State Podcast

Dr. Susannah Cass learned to row at Cambridge University where she says it was near impossible to make it through your degree without being dragged to a boathouse to give rowing a go. This self-titled accidental athlete is a scientist interested in plants and other wildlife whose love of “messing about in boats” opened her up to adventures like the Celtic Challenge (150km across the Irish Sea), Great Pacific Race (2,400nm), and Row2Rio (London to Rio). COVID-19 has put a damper on her travel, but Susannah is now looking for new ways to link her love of boats and biodiversity.

To see photos of Susannah and links to the people, places, and events mentioned in this episode, visit www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast.

Join our Patreon community, sponsor the podcast, register for our events, and submit your rowing-related writing and art at steadystatepodcast.com. Go Team!

In 2016, Aisyah Rafa'ee became the first rower to represent Singapore at the Olympics. She was an athletic and competitive kid, finding her way onto Singapore's national netball team before being handpicked in high school to train in a 2x for the national rowing team. She eventually fell out of love with sculling, retired, and found herself in Boston, rowing sweep with masters women.

Aisyah's honesty about how rough training could be both mentally and physically is humbling, and refreshing. Today she's interested in mental skills and growth mindset, and is pursuing an athletic counseling degree.

See the full show notes at www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast.

Join our Patreon community, sponsor the podcast, register for our events, and submit your rowing-related writing and art at steadystatepodcast.com. Go Team!

In this episode we talk with Corinne Kazmierczak, who learned as a young rower that managing her anxiety and PTSD came in the form a 1x. We delve into the effects of anxiety on sport performance, the benefits of rowing for the anxious mind, and how well-informed coaches can help rowers with anxiety to approach training and competition with perspective and confidence.

See the full show notes at www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast.

Join our Patreon community, sponsor the podcast, submit your rowing-related writing and art - all on our website! Go Team!

In Ep. 12: Trans/Athletes, 16-year-old Cillian Mullen and grad student Liam Miranda sat down with us to talk about their experiences as trans male rowers in high school and college, and highlight opportunities for how the rest of us can help make boathouses welcoming and inclusive for all athletes.

In this bonus recording, Cillian takes the mic to survey Liam, 10 years his senior.

In the past few years it’s become clear that boat clubs and organizations that have historically catered to binary athletes, are struggling to put out a welcome mat for trans, and gender non-conforming athletes. Scholastic, collegiate, and masters programs – along with USRowing – are slowly adopting new policies and opportunities for trans rowers, but there’s a lot to learn and a long way to go.

We talk with Liam Miranda, a former Division 1 transgender rower. He studies the intersection of access to athletics and physical, mental, and social wellbeing, and has published various reports and policy reviews relating to LGBTQ inclusion in sports. Liam has also extensively presented research as it pertains to transgender inclusion in sports for diverse audiences, including athletic leaders, policy-makers, advocates, and health professionals. He is a current graduate student at the Duke Sanford School of Public Policy and a Sports Inclusion Researcher at Inclusion Playbook. 

And we're joined by Cillian Mullen, a junior at Batavia High School and a member of Chicago Rowing Foundation’s women’s varsity squad. We found Cillian on instagram, where he recently launched the tra.united account with a vision for establishing the non-profit Transgender Rowers Association in 2021.

See the full show notes at www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast.

Join our Patreon community, sponsor the podcast, submit your rowing-related writing and art - all on our website! Go Team!

Joe DeLeo is the Co-founder of Science of Rowing, host of the Leo Training Podcast, and head strength and conditioning coach for the Portuguese Rowing Federation. A recent transplant to Limerick, Ireland, Joe tells us about being a part of the rowing community, no matter where you are. 

• Tamara Clayton: Asst. Coach, Lake Las Vegas Rowing Club

See the full show notes at www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast.

Join our Patreon community, sponsor the podcast, submit your rowing-related writing and art - all on our website! Go Team!

Daniela Nacházelová learned to row at age 10 on the Vltava River in Prague, Czech Republic. She received a rowing scholarship to Washington State University and collected medals at World Cups and world championships, and spent 15 years chasing an Olympic dream. She fell in love with rowing, but also ended up hating it.

Daniela recently wrote and published Women’s Voices in Rowing, a book featuring 14 unique women from around the globe. Each woman has claimed victories and medals, and each has their own forceful, empowering stories to tell.

Joining our conversation are two of these women: Michelle Carpenter, CEO of Rowing Ireland who has been named three times to the list of Women of Influence on Irish Sport; and Judy Geer, 2x Olympian and part of the owner-operator family at Concept2 and Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Vermont.

See the full show notes at www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast.

Join our Patreon community, sponsor the podcast, advertise in the upcoming magazine and submit your art - all on our website! Go Team!

Bill Babonas, a member of Mt. Baker Rowing Center and College Club in Seattle, WA talks about the exciting and daunting process of learning to scull.

Aquil Abdullah became the first Black man to represent the United States at an Olympic rowing event when he qualified in the M2x in 2004. We paired him with Olympic hopeful John Olbrys who has his sights on the 2021 Olympic trials. Both have deep roots in the Washington, D.C. region. 

Aquil’s path to the Olympics started at Woodrow Wilson high school and an offer of a rowing scholarship (and his mother’s influence) brought him to George Washington University. He now lives with his family in Boston, and is working to make the sport more inclusive through several initiatives. In 2019, Aquil joined Hydrow as a featured athlete.

Olympic hopeful John Olbrys learned to row in high school, and found fit rowing into his crammed schedule at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. He is currently serving in the U.S. Coast Guard and training for the Tokyo Olympic trials. He is an out and proud LGBT rower at Potomac Boat Club. 

See the full show notes at www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast.

Join our Patreon community, sponsor the podcast, advertise in the upcoming magazine and submit your art - all on our website! Go Team!