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.

Head of the Charles Announcing Committee co-chair, USRowing Para High Performance Director, and Massachusetts native Ellen Minzner. From walk on at Villanova 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. She also gives a peek behind the curtains at the world’s premier annual rowing competition - the Head of the Charles - from her vantage point in the announcers booth on top of Cambridge Boat Club.

Growing up the daughter of immigrant parents, Donna Pili didn't have time for sports. She watched the '84 Olympics rowing on TV but it wasn’t until nearly 30 years later, in an effort to retake control of her life, that she learned to row. Since then, Donna’s found community at ZLAC and San Diego Rowing Club, and has traveled the world as a member of Endeavor Racing Alliance. 

A wide-ranging chat with EBRC President Denise Martini, DEI Committee co-chair Carla Jourdan, and Erin Cafaro, new Head Coach of Oakland Tech Men’s Varsity program. We dive into: Growing a rowing club to meet the needs of – and look like – the community; moving beyond standard certs for coaching education; and boycotting USRowing Masters Nationals and hosting Boats Without Barriers regatta as an alternative.

When Susan Kinne cracked the bottom of a wooden hull, she never could have guessed that nearly 25 years later she’d be a master craftsman handling boat repairs of all sizes at Lake Washington Rowing Club. Just north of 70 years old, Susan handles everything from setting pitch to building Frankenstein 3x boats, is a powerhouse with tools and in a scull, and is a well of information about Pocock Racing Shells.

Brook Yimer started coaching as a volunteer in high school. Just six years later he's the program coordinator for Stem to Stern and coaches for three different programs. He honed leadership skills as a scholastic rower in high school and college, which today is clearly articulated by his advocacy for – and involvement in – community service.

The aches of a teenage growth-spurt, years of collegiate and high performance training and racing, and injuries sustained in an accident, all inform Lisa Lowe’s personal and professional attitudes and opinions about self-care and injury management.

John Huppi, Kats Siemens, and Will Kuckro from New Orleans Rowing Club tell us about The Big Easy – a city with a rowing history that stretches back nearly 200 years – and their vision for the future of coastal rowing in the Gulf South.

As a 5’1, 108lb college freshman, Rachel Le Mieux was literally picked up and placed in a coxswain seat. Today she’s the head coach of Martha’s Moms, a masters women’s team in Seattle, WA. She’s also a USRowing referee, FISA umpire, and Chair of the USRowing safety committee.