Giving and Getting Support: Burnham Boat Slings’ Peter Kermond
This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, Live2Row Studios, EB5 Investors, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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.
Stay tuned ‘til the end. We tapped Tom Rooks, USRowing’s Director of Safeguarding, for top safety tips for rowers and coaches to consider.
Other episodes in this series:
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 - USRowing Director of Safeguarding Tom Rooks’ tips for rowers and coaches with access to an AED in an emergency situation
49:10 - SSN events and initiatives
EPISODE Mentions
CLUBS
Belmont Rowing Club
Cancer Recovery Through Rowing (CReW)
Salt Spring Island Rowing Club
Upper Valley Rowing Foundation
COACHES
Stan Bergman (Univ. of Pennsylvania)
Trevor Michelson
Stacey Mitchell (Salt Spring Island)
COXSWAINS
John Chatsky
EQUIPMENT
Burnham Boat Slings
Concept2
FootJoy golf rain gloves
Maas boats
EVENTS
Coffee Chat 🎥
REGATTAS
Blackburn Challenge
Canadian Sculling Marathon
FISA (World Rowing) Masters Regatta
Head of the Charles
Heineken Roeivierkamp
Race Around the Rock
Royal Canadian Henley Regatta
World University Games
RESOURCES
American RedCross CPR certification
American RedCross First Aid certification
American Red Cross AED certification
The Nuts and Boats Guide to Rigging
US Coastguard Boating Safety Course
USRowing Safety Audit Checklist
USRowing Safety Guidelines
ROWERS
Russ Cone
Sarah Copeland
John Hooten 🎧
Sue Hooten 🎧
Sandy Kendall
Linda Muri
David Setter 🎧
SCHOLASTIC & YOUTH PROGRAMS
Belmont Hill School
Hanover High School
Lebanon High School
UNIVERSITY PROGRAMS
Dartmouth College women’s rowing
University of Pennsylvania
USROWING
Masters Nationals
National Team
Tom Rooks 🎧
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.