Leadership on the Lake: Matt Knifton and Texas Rowing Center
Mention Texas and you might picture the Wild West — flat, dusty highways, and tumbleweeds rolling by. But head to Austin, tucked into the Hill Country, and you’ll find something different.
Right in the heart of the city flows Lady Bird Lake, a stretch of the Colorado River that has become a daily gathering place for runners, paddlers, and rowers alike. On its banks sits a true Austin institution: Texas Rowing Center.
For owner Matt Knifton, this place isn’t just a business, it’s where his story unfolded. His ties to the lake reach back to the 1980s, and over the decades he’s become not just an owner, but a steward — someone who has quietly shaped the culture of rowing in Austin, protected access to the water, and ensured that this shoreline remains a starting line for generations to come.
In this conversation, we also explore how Matt is thinking about the future — and what thoughtful, sustainable growth looks like for a place so deeply rooted in community.
GUEST:
Matt Knifton | Owner, Texas Rowing Center
IG: @matt.knifton • @texasrowingcenter
This episode was made possible in part by RowSource and our Patrons
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro
02:12 - Welcome and Matt’s rowing week on a scale of 1-10: 6 (great weather!)
03:25 - The Huddle
04:35 - The Hot Seat
6:00 - Matt's rowing origin story started at the University of Texas
10:47 - How the University of Texas women’s program got its start in Austin in the 1980s
11:30 - Matt’s daughter Kate Knifton, an Olympic rower, only agreed to learn to row after seeing tall boys at Texas Rowing Center
14:38 - How Matt came to be the sole owner of Texas Rowing Center
17:01 - TRC member and rowing evangelist Napoleon Griffin
19:08 - The growth of rowing in Texas: Austin, Texas Hill Country, Lady Bird Lake, and the University of Texas
23:48 - The synergy between competitive rowers and weekend SUPers at TRC
25:11 - Aha moments running TRC
27:25 - Daniel Velazquez: TRC’s famous greater
30:22 - The “boathouse welcome mat” concept and TRC’s commitment to inclusion and accessibility
36:20 - Rowing! Come try it!
39:06 - The vision: Make Austin a center of rowing in the United States. Mission accomplished.
40:47 - For Matt, rowing on Lady Bird Lake is rewarding
43:14 - Steady State Network news and notes
Episode Mentions
🎧 = Listen to a Steady State Podcast episode
CLUBS & TEAMS
Austin Rowing Club
Look of Change
Oak Ridge Rowing Association 🎧
Texas Rowing Center
COACHES
Dave O’Neill
EQUIPMENT
Concept2 Model A 🎧
LEADERSHIP
Richard Butler
ORGANIZATIONS
Black Women Who
Texas Rowing for All
POLICIES
Title IX
REGATTAS
NCAA Championships
San Diego Crew Classic
USRowing Masters Nationals (RowFest)
World Rowing Championships
ROWERS
Teal Cohen
Tracy Falkenthal 🎧
Ken Gates
Napoleon Griffin 🎧
Kate Knifton
SCHOLASTIC & YOUTH PROGRAMS
The Hockaday School
TEXAS ROWING CENTER
Daniel Velazquez
TRAINING CENTERS
Occoquan Sculling Training Center
UNIVERSITY PROGRAMS
Cal
Notre Dame
Princeton
Stanford
University of Texas
University of Washington
Yale
USROWING
Tom Rooks, Chief of Sport 🎧
Steady State Podcast is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is Open Mind by Soundroll.
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