Right in the heart Austin 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 has unfolded since the 1980s.

After a brain cancer diagnosis and multiple surgeries, the athletic identity Katie Weber had always known felt suddenly out of reach. When she found adaptive rowing at Seize the Oar, Katie discovered a new challenge, rebuilt confidence and independence, and redefined what competition could look like. Through it all, her husband Will has been her gym buddy, race-day cheerleader, and number one fan.

Lisa Lowe is a sought after rowing specialist physical therapist. Her course Keys to Working with Rowers is designed to help rehabilitation professionals gain background knowledge of rowing. We talk high school growing pains, over training, grumpy ribs and twingy backs, knowing when to take a break, and the importance of having a care team that understands the fundamental movement patterns rowing.

The Head Of The Charles Regatta celebrates 60 years in 2025, a perfect opportunity to reflect and look ahead at an event that brings together countless thousands of rowers and fans in Boston. We’re honored to talk with founder D’Arcy MacMahon and Fred Schoch, whose tenure as executive director stretched 33 years. Together we explore the vision of the founders and its stewardship since 1965.

In 1984, Kris Thorsness brought home gold in the women’s 8+ from the Olympic Games L.A. Forty years later, she prefers sculling, is a USRowing Referee, and an Arbitrator for the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Committee. Before heading to Paris for the Olympics, she joined us to talk about refereeing, which is often glossed over by rowers but key to ensuring regattas are safe and effectively run.

We challenge our listeners to "Ask us Anything." When a very specific question came in about back pain, we didn't feel like we 100% had the authority to answer it. So show co-host Rachel Freedman called up her chiropractor, Dr. Joe Henderson (aka Chiro Joe) to get his insights.

Bill Byrd has been rowing for nearly six decades and was a founding member of Willamette Rowing Club in Portland Oregon. One morning in 2018, he suffered a heart attack while training in his single. This is a story about living well, being prepared, the power of having all hands on deck, and survival.

Damion Winship had only been coaching for the Ancient Mariners Rowing Club for a short while the morning his coaching life changed. A masters rower new to his program had a heart attack on the water. Hear how Damion worked through his emergency checklist, how his CPR training kicked in, and how the crew worked together to try to save a life. 

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 widow maker heart attack. Peter and his wife Carin Reynolds are both successful national team and masters rowers and high school coaches. They are a testament to teamwork, as they navigated Peter’s health emergency and rehabilitation, and his return to racing.