Steady State Podcast

By Steady State NetworkSociety & Culture Sports Health & Fitness

Steady State Podcast episodes

March 30, 2024 E5S7 - Giving and Getting Support: Burnham Boat Sling's Peter Kermond
This is the third 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:
Peter Kermond has been the face and voice of Burnham Boat Slings since purchasing the business in 1999. When he's not in the shop, or out rowing, he is probably manning a Burnham booth at a regatta. That’s where we met him - at Head of the Charles - in 2022, just a month after he survived a widowmaker heart attack. Peter and his wife Carin Reynolds are both successful national team members, masters rowers, and high school coaches. They are also a testament to teamwork, as they navigated Peter’s health emergency and rehabilitation, and his return to racing.
Other episodes in this series:
Sue and John Hooten’s Mutual Admiration Society
For One Heart Attack Survivor, the Beat Goes On

QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode lead-in
02:20 - The Huddle: Get to know Peter and Carin
04:40 - Rowing Week: erg and tank workouts
06:12 - Hot Seat Q&A
10:59 - Peter got hooked on rowing in high school training, traveling, and racing in the summer with Belmont Rowing Club
13:22 - Carin’s college sophomore experience with “WRECK” rowing
14:10 - Peter and Carin met in 1984 as members of the US LTWT National Team, reconnected years later as coaches in New Hampshire
15:59 - The day in 2022 when Peter had a widowmaker heart attack
24:12 - Family history, no warning
25:45 - Rehab, getting back in the boat, and feeling better than before the heart attack
31:08 - Support from the rowing community
32:32 - Bringing awareness to friends and rowers about heart health
35:59 - Finding perfect strokes on the Connecticut River in Hanover, NH
39:47 - Burnham coastal products, Blackburn Challenge, and Race Around the Rock
47:10 - Tom’s Tips
49:10 - SSN events and initiatives
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To see photos of Peter and Carin, 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 Breakwater Realty, Live2Row, EB5 Investors, 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.

52 min
March 16, 2024 S5E6 - How to Thrive: Lessons from ZLAC, the World's Oldest Women's Rowing Club
As part of our club spotlight series and in the lead-up to San Diego Crew Classic, we head to California to get to know ZLAC, the oldest women’s rowing club in the world.
Established in 1892, ZLAC's unique structure allows for both competitive and social memberships. You don't have to row. New members are added to generational Crews to bolster cross-program and boathouse interaction and provide personal connections to members in a similar age range for support. As far as we know, ZLAC is unique in this offering. Be prepared to take notes and consider what more your club could do to help build and sustain community.
Through the years, ZLAC programs have produced U.S. National Team members, Olympians, top college rowers, regional racers, and thousands of recreational rowers. The heart of ZLAC’s mission is to support all women and girls through the sport of rowing.
We're joined by ZLAC's Masters Head Coach Chris Shannon, Athletic Chair Tanya Ferguson, and recent LTR grad Lee Copson.
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode lead-in
02:17 - The Huddle: Get to know Chris, Tanya, and Lee
02:54 - Rowing Week
05:39 - Hot Seat Q&A
09:56 - Chris got just one sculling lesson, then spent months flipping before being invited to a sweep team
14:49 - Lee was a social member since high school, and learned to row when she became an empty nester
17:38 - Tanya came to rowing after a soccer injury
20:52 - A brief look at ZLAC's 130+ year history
23:18 - ZLAC’s generational social crews and the bonds they help create among members
27:06 - Understanding the inner workings that make ZLAC so special
27:55 - Joining, membership, and programs
30:18 - Lee describes San Diego Bay
30:59 - ZLAC’s decades-long involvement with San Diego Crew Classic
35:14 - Chris, Tanya, and Lee tell us what's ahead in 2024
41:39 - ZLAC’s Legacy
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To see photos of Chris, Tanya, Lee, and ZLAC founders, 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 Breakwater Realty, Live2Row, EB5 Investors, 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.

47 min
March 02, 2024 S5E5 - Sue and John Hooten's Mutual Admiration Society
This is the second 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:
A member of the first U.S. women’s Olympic team and a longtime masters rower, Sue Hooten has a lifetime of rowing memories. She learned to row in California in the early 1970s, really appreciated the boathouse sock box in Philadelphia, and has raced around the world. In March 2018, her husband, former National Team and Vesper Boat Club coach John Hooten, had a medical emergency on the water while training in his 1x. He was out with his training partner, without a coach, and – like most rowers – was not wearing a PFD.
Stay tuned ‘til the end. We tapped Tom Rooks, USRowing’s Director of Safeguarding, for top safety tips that scullers – who row without a coach present – should consider.
Other episodes in this series:
Giving and Getting Support: Burnham Boat Slings’ Peter Kermond
For One Heart Attack Survivor, the Beat Goes On
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode lead-in
01:57 - The Huddle: Get to know Sue
05:55 - Sue’s Rowing Week… could have been better: arthritis & cataracts
06:37 - Hot Seat Q&A
11:20 - Sue’s rowing story began as walk on at UC Santa Barbara
14:29 - Meeting Coach Harry Parker and moving to Boston for National Team selection camp
18:47 - Coach Ted Nash paired Sue with Laura (Staines) Giardano for the 2x
22:27 - Meeting Vesper coach John Hooten
24:36 - About John and his unconventional way of looking at things
29:37 - John’s return to rowing in 2016
31:14 - March 5, 2018: The day John didn’t make it back to the dock
33:20 - Looking back at warning signs
35:57 - Could a life jacket have helped John?
38:21 - Staying connected with friends after John’s death
39:23 - What’s ahead for Sue’s rowing life in 2024?
41:57 - Tom’s Top Tips: USRowing safety guidelines for scullers rowing without a coach present
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To see photos of Sue and John, 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 Breakwater Realty, Live2Row, EB5 Investors, 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.

48 min
February 17, 2024 S5E4: For One Heart Attack Survivor, the Beat Goes On
This is the first 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.”
In this episode:
Willamette Rowing Club couple David Setter and Sarah Copeland are enthusiastic about having learned to row as adults and use the word "fun" to describe their rowing life way more than anyone else we've can think of. But one day in 2018, David had a heart attack. Together, David and Sarah recount that day and why he survived, and delve into recovery and returning to the boat. We also come to terms with erg splits going up as we get older and talk about learning to enjoy rowing for the sake of rowing.
We also tap Tom Rooks, USRowing’s Director of Safeguarding, for top tips that coaches, rowers, and teammates can use when there’s an emergency on the water, or around the boathouse.
Other episodes in this series:
Giving and Getting Support: Burnham Boat Slings’ Peter Kermond
Sue and John Hooten’s Mutual Admiration Society
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode lead-in
01:21 - The Huddle: Get to know David and Sarah
04:10 - David and Sarah's rowing week was terrible
06:44 - Hot Seat Q&A
17:00 - David’s rowing origin story
21:43 - Sarah’s rowing origin story
24:41 - David describes his heart attack like “the 1,500m mark of a 2k”
30:27 - Genetics had David thinking he’d be dead by 60
35:39 - Sarah’s side of the story: knowing David since they were 16, she was sure he’d survive the heart attack
37:36 - Trusting your body after injury, and your heart after a Widowmaker heart attack
44:18 - The reality of getting older, slower splits, and finding joy in rowing
49:19 - What’s ahead for David and Sarah’s rowing life in 2024?
53:18 - Tom’s Top Tips: USRowing guidelines for responding to a heart attack at your boathouse
57:49 - Behind the scenes with Tara and Rachel
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To see photos of David and Sarah, 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 Breakwater Realty, Concept2, EB5 Investors, 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.

1 hr 2 min
February 02, 2024 S5E3: Elizabeth Gilmore Gets After It
Elizabeth Gilmore has had in insanely meteoric trajectory from indoor rowing newbie to indoor rowing champion and world record holder, to Head of the Charles course record breaker.
It all started with getting on the erg to rehab a running injury. Then came the Concept2 Logbook and challenges. Then virtual racing (and winning), before stepping onto the gym floor at Erg Sprints for her first in-person event where she took home two gold medals.
She was scouted by Capital Rowing Club where she learned to row sweep on the fly with the competitive women’s program, and today is to training for a row across the Atlantic.
And all of this in the span of just about two years.
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode lead-in
04:20 - The Huddle: Get to know Elizabeth in a minute
05:07 - Rowing Week on a scale of 1 to 10: 7 - good training, bad weather
05:53 - Hot Seat Q&A
08:44 - When ball sport coordination is lacking, run
10:57- Elizabeth’s rowing origin story began while rehabbing a running injury
13:57 - COVID and the rise of virtual indoor rowing training and racing
16:04 - Elizabeth’s first in-person indoor rowing event: Erg Sprints
18:54 - Getting scouted by Capital Rowing Club and how learning to row with the competitive women’s program was like drinking water from a firehouse
25:35 - Endurance rowing: training to row the Atlantic in 2024; December 2023 erg 100k with friends; passing the time on the erg; Lessons in Chemistry
31:25 - What’s next in 2024?
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To see photos of Elizabeth, 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 Breakwater Realty, Concept2, EB5 Investors, 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
January 20, 2024 S5E2: Coach Libby Boghossian Picks Up Where SafeSport Leaves Off
Teens are super aware of stranger danger from a really young age, but most of them have genuinely never thought about misconduct from known adults. Using SafeSport training as a springboard, Coach Libby Boghossian leads in-depth discussions with her Brookline High School rowers about team policies and the concepts of consent, power imbalance, and coercion. She’s helping to create a culture for her young athletes where everyone is enlisted in the effort to keep their rowing community safe.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode lead-in
01:54 - Rachel & Tara talk SafeSport, "when were kids," and "kids nowadays"
07:45 - Key point: the kids are crucial
08:40 - The Huddle: Get to know Libby in a minute
09:22 - Rowing Week on a scale of 1 to 10: 6
09:55 - Hot Seat Q&A
16:28 - Libby's rowing origin story is a doozie
24:25- Libby's first coaching gig while in college, and the quirks of coaching novices
33:07 - A (very) brief intro to SafeSport
34:26 - Why SafeSport and conduct are important to Libby and her rowing community in Boston
38:11 - SafeSport training for teens: making sure the whole team is on the same page
46:38 - Inside the teenage mind when determining unpleasant vs abusive treatment by coaches
49:07 - Kids are critical in terms of being on the front lines and seeing behaviors and activities first
50:13 - Red flags to look out for and a deep dive into Libby’s discussion for her junior athletes
58:27 - Feedback from rowers and parents about Libby's curriculum
1:03:10 - What Libby wished she knew as a teenager
1:04:07 - Libby’s hope for the future of the rowing community
1:05:43 - Abuse can happen at all levels, getting kids involved in spotting and reporting incidents
1:08:22 - Resources
1:09:14 - Teenagers and maturity
1:10:00 - Sign off
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, Concept2, EB5 Investors, 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.

1 hr 14 min
January 06, 2024 S5E1 - Mary Whipple: Coaching the Coxswain
After providing some basic instruction, coaches often leave coxswains to figure things out on their own.
Three-time medal-winning U.S. Olympic coxswain Mary Whipple recognized this gap in the coaching playbook and founded The 9th Seat, offering camps, resources, and community for coxswains.
Hear what Mary has to say about lucky breaks and logistics, and why being a motivator isn’t at the top of her coxing list.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro
05:07 - Team huddle: Mary’s coxing bio
05:45 - Mary’s rowing week: Writing the USRowing Coxing Course for athletes and coaches
13:30 - Developing empathy as a coxswain and giving rowers time to make changes
16:48 - Creating a practice environment where coxswain feels safe to fail
23:03 - Hot Seat Q&A
26:45 - What was behind Mary’s successful trajectory from high school, to UW, to the National Team?
33:33 - Hitting her stride at the University of Washington
35:15 - Mary’s most influential coaches
40:21 - Keeping coxswains engaged and motivated throughout the pipeline from scholastic, to college, to masters
45:27 - On bad days…
46:30 - More talking isn’t better. Listen, feel, check-in, fix.
49:05 - The perfect stroke: a feeling that comes from efficiency, suspension, and collaboration
55:38 - Leading the way in coaching coxswains
56:29 - Outro
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To see photos of Mary, 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 Breakwater Realty, Concept2, EB5 Investors, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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This episode was written, produced, hosted, and edited by Tara Morgan and Rachel Freedman. 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 23 min
December 23, 2023 S4E23 - The Jen Huffman Connection
Jen Huffman gave her son a guilt trip about learning to row. “You would make your great grandpa so happy!” And when your great grandpa is Joe Rantz, 7 seat in the University of Washington crew that took gold at the 1936 Olympics, you learn to row. Jen also took up the challenge and learned to row as an adult, quickly becoming an accomplished masters rower in the Seattle area.
Growing up, Jen didn’t know much about her Grandpa Joe’s rowing history. But late in his life, she found his memorabilia from the crew’s trip to the Berlin Olympics. Jen tells us how a scrapbook she made became the jumping off point for author Daniel James Brown’s now blockbuster book The Boys in the Boat.
Ten years after the book was published, it’s become a George Clooney-directed movie. We talk with Jen about the power of rowing and seeing her grandpa brought to life on the big screen.
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro
01:49 - Team huddle: Jen’s rowing bio
02:13 - Jen’s rowing week rated a 6, and included a “sushi race” in Lake Union in Seattle, WA
05:33 - Hot Seat Q&A
08:34 - Getting to know grandpa Joe
13:18 - Jenn guilt-tripped her son into learning to row, then learned to row herself in 2008
18:24 - Coaching gymnastics, coaching rowing, and taking off your coach’s hat when you’re rowing
25:56 - Jen’s 2023 rowing season
28:45 - The story of The Boys in the Boat book began with a family scrapbook
34:42 - Being a part of Daniel James Brown’s writing process, and learning about Grandpa Joe chapter by chapter
39:55 - MOHAI exhibit, Joe’s “Amerika” flag, and some Husky Challenger history
43:28 - North Cascades Crew Joe Rantz Boathouse on Lake Stevens
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To see photos of Jen, Joe, and 1936 UW memorabilia, and to 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 Breakwater Realty, Concept2, EB5 Investors, RowSource, and our Patrons.
49 min
December 09, 2023 S4E22: 2023 Year in Review
In this special episode, co-hosts Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan take a look back at 2023. Go behind the scenes of Steady State Podcast to learn more about Rachel and Tara's rowing careers, listen to clips from some of their favorite season 4 episodes, consider their big takeaways from interviews with nearly 40 guests in the past 12 months, and get a peak at what's to come in Season 5 in 2024.
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro / a reflection on the first 4 seasons of Steady State Podcast
03:14 - Get to know co-hosts Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan
08:57 - On a scale of 1-10 ... rating our rowing year
13:28 - Hot Seat Q&A
24:05 - The building blocks of a podcast: awesome audience, supportive Patrons, marketing
26:25 - Favorite moments of 2023: gender identity policy series, Gevvie Stone, Lindsay Dare Shoop, Next Level Rowing, Indianapolis Rowing Club spotlight, Unity Boat Club's Excellence in Black Rowing event
45:05 - Upping our game as a media outlet at USRowing Masters Nationals and Head of the Charles
47:41 - Takeaways: it's time to take beach sprints and coastal rowing seriously; incorporating non-binary athletes into racing is complicated
53:05 - Partnerships
54:29 - Wrapping up Season 4 with Jennifer Huffman, masters rower and granddaughter of Boys in the Boat central character Joe Rantz.
56:07 - Season 5 sneak peek: Olympic coxswain Mary Whipple, on water emergencies and safety, keeping junior athletes safe, indoor world record holder Elizabeth Gilmore, and Lessons in Chemistry author Bonnie Garmus.
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To see photos of Rachel and Tara, 2023 podcast guests, and get links to the people, clubs, policies, 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 Breakwater Realty, Concept2, EB5 Investors, RowSource, and our Patrons.
1 hr 4 min
October 19, 2023 S4E21: Mass. Local Ellen Minzner on HOCR, Para, and Equity in Rowing
Think of rowing and Boston and there’s one name that really stands out: Ellen Minzner. Born and raised in Lawrence, Mass., Ellen has spent more than two decades developing and leading programs in the state, including most recently as the Director of Outreach and then Director of Inclusion and Advocacy at Community Rowing Inc.
Ellen also balances being the co-chair of the Head of the Charles Announcing Committee with her full-time position as USRowing Para High Performance Director, a title she’s held since 2019.
From walk on at Villanova University to 5-time National Team member, to her transition into coaching and program development, Ellen saw the long game: changing the status quo of her clubs, organizations, and communities.
In this episode, she also gives a peek behind the curtains of the world’s premier annual rowing competition - the Head of the Charles - from her vantage point in an announcers booth on the roof of Cambridge Boat Club.
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro
00:24 - Lead-In Banter
04:45 - Welcome
06:26 - Bio/Olympics Distance
Rowing Week is quiet after getting home from Worlds, looking ahead to para rowing in ‘24 and ‘28
11:19 - The Hot Seat Q&A
18:51 - Walking on at Villanova sophomore year, being a part of Boathouse Row, and finding summer rowing in Lowell, MA
23:39 - Coaching at CRI planted the seeds of a National Team dream. A bumpy trajectory across five national teams in the ‘90s was a lesson in playing the long game.
26:24 - Retiring from the National Team and transitioning into college coaching
28:40 - The teaching magic of the pair
31:50 - Returning to Massachusetts to help bring rowing opportunities to her blue collar community
34:36 - Pairing rowing community accessibility with “what is just and equitable” has driven Ellen’s career
37:15 - The future of para rowing: developing juniors athletes, and supporting collegiate programs that recruit athletes with disabilities
45:50 - Ellen’s early involvement with HOCR, how announcing has changed over the years, and how it makes the sport more inclusive and accessible
49:54 - Watching HOCR from the roof of Cambridge Boat Club, Elliot Bridge, and other great spots
51:58 - Behind the scenes at HOCR
56:56 - Listener Question: "My HOCR coxswain hasn't coxed in several years. Should I be worried?"
58:50 - HOCR meet and greet for para rowers at Noon in the USRowing tent
1:00:04 - HOCR’s Ellen Minzner trophy, awarded each year to the winners of the LTA 4+
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To see photos of Ellen 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 Barb, Breakwater Realty, Concept2, EB5 Investors, RowSource, and our Patrons.
1 hr 7 min