Steady State Podcast

By Steady State NetworkSociety & Culture Sports Health & Fitness

Steady State Podcast episodes

August 18, 2024 S5E17: Julien Bahain’s Lifetime of Seeking Perfect Moments
Inspired by his parents from an early age to work hard, Julien Bahain became a 3-time Olympian and an Olympic medalist. He’s been involved with rowing for 25 years, taking on multiple disciplines including flat water, coastal, and ocean rowing.
Over the years, his involvement in the sport has grown too, from organizing World Rowing Championships and helping establish OARCA, to founding West Coast Rowing Adventures with his wife Katie. Together their goal is to grow coastal rowing and share the beauty of British Columbia.
QUICK LOOK
00:11 - Pre-Show Banter
01:08 - Welcome
01:55 - Episode Lead-In
05:08 - The Huddle
06:38 - Rowing Week on a scale of 1-10
09:10 - The Hot Seat Q&A
13:19 - Julien’s rowing origin story
15:52 - “Work hard, do it well, and do your best” was instilled from a young age by his parents
18:48 - Coastal rowing in Julien’s life from LTR to organizing World Rowing Championships
21:20 - Establishing OARCA
22:52 - Coastal as an alternative access to rowing for people around the world
27:47 - The perfect stroke is found in a perfect moment
30:42 - Honing his Olympic rowing color commentary for the CBC
35:38 - Founding West Coast Rowing Adventures
37:24 - Race Around the Rock
40:38 - Thoughts on the proliferation of ocean rowing races
44:18 - A lifetime of rowing leads to an ever-growing community “family”
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To see photos of Julien, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Live2Row Studios, Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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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.
50 min
August 04, 2024 S5E16 - 100 Episodes: From Launch to Cox Seat at Every Level
In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, when it was clear that the 2020 rowing season was in jeopardy, we started brainstorming. We were just two masters rowers and coaches who wanted to celebrate the expansive array of rowers, coaches, and coxswains and savor real-life experience from launch to cox seat at every level.
We launched Steady State Network in September 2020 with one goal: reframe the popular, yet limited narrative about rowing culture by creating a more inclusive and better represented rowing community.
On September 22, 2020 with very little audio production experience, but plenty of big ideas and lots of opinions, we dropped episode 1 of Steady State Podcast and wondered: will anyone notice? Will anyone listen?
Join us to look back – and ahead – as we celebrate our 100th episode!
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode Intro
01:13 - Re-writing the original show intro, the simplicity of the early scripts, how COVID reshaped our lives, and learning to be brave
07:15 - From Day 1, Steady State Podcast was a COVID project with a long-term mission to challenge the popular yet limited narrative about rowing
Training and Racing
10:35 - Williamsburg Boat Club coach Tom Rooks on finding your “why,” and on nerves, anxiety, expectations and visualizing “rear view moments”
14:20 - New Zealand Olympian Eric Murray tells a story about an out of control water bottle during a World Cup race
Coaching
16:29 - Live2Row Studios Founders and Coaches Stephen Pryor and Justin Knust on checking yourself
19:33 - Technique spotlight with New Zealand Olympian Eric Murray: finding suspension on the erg
Coxing
23:33 - Whitney Powell of the Candid Cox explains taking ownership of the boat
26:24 - Olympian and founder of the 9th Seat Mary Whipple says “less is more” and give space between asks
29:26 - Masters coxswain Mitch King hinges his coxing on being collaborative
The Big Issues
32:29 - Coach Libby Boghossian’s seasonal SafeSport discussions create a culture for her young athletes where everyone is enlisted in the effort to keep their rowing community safe.
37:48 - Olympian, author, and UVA strength coach Lindsay Dare Shoop worries about the pressure of collegiate name/image/likeness (NIL) deals
41:39 - Non-binary rower David Scherzer on the limiting male/female gender structure
46:04 - Former Tulsa University Women’s Head Coach Kevin Harris on USRowing’s gender identity policy and the importance of inclusion
The Perfect Stroke
49:30 - Setting up the perfect stroke
50:35 - New Orleans Rowing Club accepts the chaos of coastal rowing
53:09 - Joe DeLeo of Science of Rowing and the Leo Training Podcast considers whether the perfect stroke is possible
54:12 - Olympians Mary Whipple and Gevvie Stone on the eternal quest
55:31 - UW Coach Marqus Brown describes a “quiet” prefect stroke
56:48 - Lake Washington Rowing Club boatswain Susan Kinne describes the meditative experience of rowing in the morning

53:55 - Outro
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To see photos of our guests, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Live2Row Studios, Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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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.

1 hr 2 min
July 20, 2024 S5E15: Trading Oars for Megaphones: Olympian Kris Thorsness on Life as a USRowing Referee
In 1984, Kris Thorsness brought home gold in the U.S. women’s 8+ from the Olympic Games Los Angeles. Home was Alaska, where she was welcomed with a parade and the distinction of being the first Alaskan to win an Olympic medal.
Today she says she’s “just a masters rower,” but 40 years after that gold medal Olympic performance, she’s also a USRowing Referee and is an Arbitrator for the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the U.S. and Paralympic Committee.
Before she heads off to Paris for the 2024 Olympics in her role as an Arbitrator, we talk with Kris about refereeing, which is often glossed over by rowers but is key to ensuring regattas are safe and effectively run, with a focus on sportsmanship.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Welcome and Episode lead-In
01:34 - The Huddle
03:00 - Rowing Week
04:55 - The Hot Seat Q&A
06:30 - Favorite part of refereeing: the chase boat
08:57 - Favorite place to referee
09:40 - Challenges of referees and a lack of funding isn’t helping with bringing new refs down the pipeline
16:59 - Rowing Origin: walking on at the University of Wisconsin (Go Badgers!)
20:04 - Grit, coming back from behind, and being eager to go into the pain cave
23:36 - Accepting the pain and getting gold at the 1984 Olympic Games L.A.
26:04 - Advice for rowers aspiring towards the Olympics
30:44 - A pair of tan pants and a blue Oxford shirt got Kris started as a referee
31:55 - The process of becoming a USRowing referee
35:35 - What you need to understand about race officials
36:11 - Sassing the referees
38:30 - As an arbitrator for the Court of Arbitration for Sport, what types of cases *might* Kris handle at the Olympic Games Paris?
41:54 - Are there any doping concerns in Olympic rowing?
43:10 - As an IOC delegate, Kris has an all access pass to the events … if she has time to go
44:28 - Making the pitch to new potential referees
46:37 - SSN Events & Announcements
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To see photos of Kris Thorsness, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Live2Row Studios, Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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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.
51 min
July 06, 2024 S5E14: Olympian Jacob Plihal's Lesson in Patience and Persistence
Born and raised on Vashon Island, Washington, Jacob Plihal wasn’t super excited to start rowing (ugh, spandex!), but in 2012 a knee injury prompted him to give up his basketball dreams. With prodding from his physical therapist, and then motivated by friend, classmate and Jr. National Team rower Mia Croonquist, he climbed the ladder to Northeastern University team captain, then the U23 National team, and most recently was named to the 2024 U.S. Olympic team in the men’s single. At 6’10”, Jacob has a clear view of the world’s biggest rowing and athletic achievement: Paris 2024.
We really appreciated his honesty about working for over a decade through both success and disappointment. About turning down opportunities because funding wasn’t available. And about having to work around limited mobility in his knee. He credits sticking to the grind and figuring out what works (and what doesn’t) to being stubborn.
For all these reasons, we’re rooting for Vashon Island’s hometown kid this summer at the Olympic Games Paris.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode Lead-In
01:22 - The Huddle
02:13 - On a scale of 1-10, Jacob’s rowing week was a 7
02:37 - The Hot Seat Q&A
03:53 - Growing up with freedom to explore on Vashon Island, WA
05:21 - Rowing origin story: A serious knee injury as a teen changed Jacob’s athletic path
08:42 - Rehabbing an injury while you’re still growing, and working around limited range of motion today
10:23 - Being a member of the Green Racing Project at Craftsbury Outdoor Center
12:28 - Playing it safe before the big show
14:10 - The idea of making a national team was planted very early
16:55 - What the heck is the Regatta of Death?
21:06 - What’s on your mind on the starting blocks in Lucerne?
23:30 - Rowing Fillipi’s biggest single and testing out various Concept2 blades
24:15 - Hometown response to qualifying for the Olympics
26:00 - Making the most of being an Olympian in the community
27:47 - Olympic race date/time and getting a new Fillipi in Paris
29:27 - Jacob explains the perfect stroke and a Kris Korzeniowski drill to help you get there
31:50 - Tara and Rachel’s move into sculling in 2024 for Race Around the Rock
34:57 - Rowing with Isaiah Harrison (6’9”) vs Don Williams (6’2”)
36:00 - SSN Events & Announcements
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To see photos of Jacob Plihal, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Live2Row Studios, Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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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.
40 min
June 22, 2024 S5E13 - Chiro Joe: Back Pain and Injury Prevention
We challenge our listeners to "Ask us Anything." When a very specific question came in about back pain, we didn't feel like we 100% had the authority to answer it. So show co-host Rachel Freedman called up her chiropractor – and former DC Strokes Rowing Club member – Dr. Joe Henderson to get his insights.
Together we delve into causes of rowers' back pain, injury prevention, managing expectations, stretching, and considering other pain points like forearms and hip flexors.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode lead-in
00:54 - Co-hosts Tara Morgan and Rachel Freedman talk about their own back pain and experiences with chiropractors
07:35 - Dr. Joe Henderson on managing expectations when working to prevent injury
08:51 - Listener question: "I experience back pain when sweeping but not sculling..."
12:59 - Rachel’s journey to chiro care
15:29 - Mitigating pain through stretching and mobility
20:50 - Take time off and see a doctor
22:40 - Steady State Network events and initiatives
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To see photos of Dr. Joe Henderson, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Live2Row Studios, Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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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.
25 min
June 08, 2024 S5E12 - Feet, Seats, and Finding Comfort on the Erg
There are many impersonators, but Concept2 RowErgs are the original – and for many the gold standard – indoor rowing machine. It all started in the early 1970s with brothers Dick and Pete Dreissigacker, a bike wheel, and engineering experiments in a barn in Vermont.
Dick and Pete know their machines, and rowing, inside and out so we called up Dick to talk about how foot stretcher set up can help both new and seasoned rowers.
And because we were really geeking out on erg set up 101, we enlisted Will Ruth, the Green Racing Project Strength Coach and Sculling Camp Coordinator at Craftsbury.
Dick and Will help us consider heel height, seat pads, horizontal drive, and finding comfort on the erg.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode lead-in
01:05 - Dick Dreissigacker on erg foot stretcher set up considerations and compromises
06:07 - Seat pads
06:59 - Clip in shoes, raising your heels, and that pair of erging shoes you just can’t give up on
09:45 - Heels up or heels down at the catch?
14:36 - Part 2: Will Ruth on setting up the erg for comfort
18:27 - Setting up heel heights for rowers with leg length discrepancies, or significant differences in left/right shoe sizes
19:38 - How adjusting the foot stretcher height effects the stroke
21:18 - Modifying the horizontal seat to heel relationship by using a seat pad - on the erg vs in a boat
22:47 - Rigging solution choices for club boats
25:48 - Foam heel inserts for rowers with small feet
26:37 - Horizontal forces can be good as long as they don’t compromise something else
28:05 - SSN events and initiatives
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To see photos of Dick and Will, and get links to the people and resources mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Live2Row Studios, Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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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.
32 min
May 25, 2024 S5E11 - With Equal Parts Data and Devotion, Live2Row Founders Help Rowers Find More Speed
Twenty years after meeting as high school athletes, long time friends Stephen Pryor and Justin Knust are coaching in studio, online, and on the water, as the data-driven founders of Live2Row Studios.
While hauling regatta trailers and drinking beers in bars, Stephen and Justin realized that the coaching and training system they’d been developing for youth rowers could be valuable for the larger rowing community. In 2015, they opened the doors to Live2Row Studios in Ocoee, FL, and pivoted during COVID to offer live on-line training.
Today, their growing coaching staff uses ErgZone’s powerful metrics to provide personalized benchmarks and they are devoted to making a difference for the rowing community.
SIDE NOTE: We're grateful to Live2Row for creating a 6-month endurance training plan for our Allies with Oars crews to prepare for Race Around the Rock, an 88k coastal relay race around Salt Spring Island in British Columbia on Aug. 25, 2024.

QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode lead-in
02:45 - Rowing week on a scale of 1-10
04:28 - Hot Seat Q&A
13:19 - Stephen and Justin's rowing origin stories
15:36 - Early days developing as a rower and coxswain with the Orlando Area Rowing Society
18:10 - The culture of suffering and working to change opinions about erg workouts
21:01 - Approaching the erg and culture around masters coaching
25:21 - Live2Row seeks to impact all levels of rowing from the top down, bottom up
29:34 - “Talking about rowing is becoming a better coach”
34:20 - How Live2Row pivoted (and grew) during COVID
38:22 - Live2Row camps are designed around the on-water training schedule AND with basement erg owners in mind
40:10 - The Live2Row community
44:14 - The guys describe the perfect stroke
47:54 - SSN events and initiatives
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To see photos of Stephen, Justin, and Live2Row members, and get links to the people, clubs, events, and resources mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Live2Row Studios, Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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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.
51 min
May 11, 2024 S5E10 - Rethinking Flying Solo: Bill Byrd Has a Change of Heart
This is the fifth and final episode in a series on heart attacks and emergency preparedness. In this series you’ll hear first hand accounts from rowers who survived heart attacks, teammates and coaches who witnessed these events, and even from widows who reflect on warning signs and “what ifs.”
On this episode:
Bill Byrd has been rowing for nearly six decades and was a founding member of Willamette Rowing Club in Portland Oregon. One morning in 2018, he suffered a heart attack while training in his single. This is a story about living well, being prepared, the power of having all hands on deck, and survival.
We couldn’t tell Bill’s story without his ex-wife and longtime rowing partner, Jann Byrd, who was also on the water that morning and played a pivotal role in saving his life.
Stay tuned at the end for safety tips from US Rowing Director of Safeguarding Tom Rooks and be sure to share the whole series with your boathouse safety committee and coaches.
Other episodes in this series:
Perspective: One Coach’s Lifesaving Efforts
Giving and Getting Support: Burnham Boat Slings’ Peter Kermond
Sue and John Hooten’s Mutual Admiration Society
For One Heart Attack Survivor, the Beat Goes On

QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode lead-in
02:55 - Rowing week on a scale of 1-10
04:13 - Hot Seat Q&A
06:31 - Rowing on the Willamette
07:45 - Bill wanted to play football at UW but instead got recruited to row
11:32 - Jann first got in the coxswain seat for mens boats at the Naval Academy
14:25 - Bill’s heart attack story, from slipping into the water, to CPR and EMS response
22:48 - Ripple effects on the club and teammates
25:30 - The diagnosis, rehab, recovery, and return to racing
30:10 - Safety precautions: logbook, PFD, cell phone, heart rate monitor
33:51 - What a life of rowing has given Bill and Jann
36:06 - The perfect stroke
38:47 - 2024 season
40:30 - How racing changes as you age up through the categories
42:50 - Top Tips from Tom Rooks, USRowing Director of Safeguarding
47:30 - SSN events and initiatives
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To see photos of Bill and Jann, and get links to the people, clubs, events, and resources mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Live2Row Studios, Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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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.
50 min
April 27, 2024 S5E9 - Perspective: One Coach's Lifesaving Efforts
This is the fourth episode in a series on heart attacks and emergency preparedness. In this multi-part series you’ll hear first hand accounts from rowers who survived heart attacks, teammates and coaches who witnessed these events, and even from widows who reflect on warning signs and “what ifs.”
On this episode:
Damion Winship had only been coaching for the Ancient Mariners Rowing Club for a short while the morning his coaching life changed. A masters rower new to his program had a heart attack on the water. Hear how Damion worked through his emergency checklist, how his CPR training kicked in, and how the crew worked together to try to save a life.
Other episodes in this series:
Giving and Getting Support: Burnham Boat Slings’ Peter Kermond
Sue and John Hooten’s Mutual Admiration Society
For One Heart Attack Survivor, the Beat Goes On

QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode lead-in
01:25 - What prompted our heart attack and emergency preparedness series
03:40 - Coaching older rowers; Rowing and Aging project
05:58 - Coach Damion Winship details the moment a guest rower suffered a heart attack and the steps he and the crew took to try to save his life
12:38 - Providing CPR on the water, and quick decision making
23:05 - Damion and the aftermath - protocols and more
28:31 - Tara and Rachel post-interview reflections
36:28 - USRowing Director of Safeguarding Tom Rooks’ tips for rowers and coaches in an on-water emergency situation
39:47 - SSN events and initiatives
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To see photos of Damion, and get links to the people, clubs, events, and resources mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Live2Row Studios, Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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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.
44 min
April 13, 2024 S5E8 - Bonnie Garmus: Life Lessons in Balance
Bonnie Garmus was a competitive masters rower for years before an offhand comment during a business meeting prompted her to begin writing her debut novel, "Lessons in Chemistry," which has been adapted into an Apple TV+ series.
Everyone wants to talk with Bonnie about the book’s main character, Elizabeth Zott, but we turned the table to ask Bonnie about the role rowing plays in her life – and her book – which has been on The New York Times bestseller list for nearly 100 weeks.
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode lead-in and intro
03:04 - The Huddle: Get to know Bonnie Garmus
03:35 - Rowing Week: erging
05:15 - Meeting the Queen
07:26 - Hot Seat Q&A
08:38 - Cold open water swimming as a kid with her Dad
11:42 - Learning to row at Green Lake Rowing Club in Seattle
15:08 - Feeling a boat pick up and go for the first time
17:34 - Tara explains “the rower life cycle”
19:33 - How rowing effected Bonnie’s life
22:50 - Rowing as a character in "Lessons in Chemistry"
22:46 - Rowing as a hardship for Elizabeth to handle
29:14 - Was any of the book’s rowing based on Bonnie’s personal experience?
30:11 - What Bonnie really thinks about the Apple TV+ adaptation of "Lessons in Chemistry"
32:34 - Learning to never quit
33:19 - About that other book adapted for screen: "Boys in the Boat"
39:01 - SSN events and initiatives
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To see photos of Bonnie, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Live2Row Studios, Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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This episode was 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.
42 min