After guilt-tripping her son into learning to row, Jenn followed suit. At 38 she stepped into a boat for the first time and quickly became an accomplished masters rower. She also gained new appreciation for her grandpa – Joe Rantz – who was a member of the 1936 University of Washington V8 that won Olympic gold in Berlin. By unlikely happenstance, Joe’s scrapbooks became the spark for The Boys in the Boat.

In [S3] Ep20 we interviewed New Zealand Olympic gold medalist Eric Murray, known for dominating in the men’s pair with partner Hamish Bond. The wide-ranging conversation covered so much we couldn't get it all into one episode.

New Zealand Olympic gold medalist Eric Murray is known for dominating in the men’s pair with partner Hamish Bond. From humble beginnings as an awkward teenage athlete, Eric quickly discovered that being 6’5” translated into impressive erg splits. Coaches noticed too, and it was a one way ticket to the national team, World Rowing Championships, and the Olympics.

Concept2 oars and indoor rowing machines are nearly synonymous with rowing today. But it all started in the early 1970s with brothers Dick and Pete Dreissigacker messing around with carbon fiber and fiberglass in a kitchen hoping to develop a better oar - their “secret weapon” for finding more speed on the water.