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. 

Corin Wiggins, a recruited coxswain for the Hobart College men’s crew, established @TheBlackCoxswain Instagram account in 2020, in an effort to connect athletes of color in the rowing community. Two years later, she has forged a community of thousands online and on the water.

A former D1 volleyball player with an M.S. in Sports Administration, Jess Jackson joined USRowing in 2022 as a DEI associate. She hasn’t learned to row (yet), but swears by Orange Theory workouts which incorporate indoor rowing. She’s honest about her first impressions of rowing as exclusive and white, proud of the steps USRowing is taking around diversity and equity, and hopeful that today’s juniors are leading the way in inspiring change for the future of rowing.

Seattle has the Pococks. Philadelphia has the Kellys. And Boston has the Stones. We’re really excited to kick off season 4 with mother/daughter Olympians Lisa and Gevvie Stone. Lisa was a member of the first U.S. women’s Olympic rowing team in 1976 and went on to a 42-year coaching career. Gevvie was a natural when she took up rowing in high school and was a member of the 2012, 2016 and 2021 U.S. Olympic teams.

When eight octogenarian rowers and a coxswain take on the Head of the Charles, the lessons are huge: about lifelong fitness, being relentlessly active, and those moments you can only find after shoving off the dock.

When she learned to row in the late 1970s, Liz Winter was excited to have a place be “unladylike” and fell in love with putting power behind the oar. After landing in Pittsburgh in the ‘80s, Liz was involved in developing Three River Rowing Association, focusing on creating community. Now retired, she’s combined her experience as a lawyer, social worker, coach, and educator, with a USRowing Level 3 High Performance Coaching Certification. We talk with her about coaching education, trauma-informed coaching, and building trust.

Isaiah Harrison is a huge talent in the next generation of American single scullers. Born and raised in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, he started erging when he was just 12 and today, this 6’9” 19-year-old currently holds 35 indoor rowing world records. Isaiah made the transition from the erg to a single, coached by his Dad. Independent of a school program or community club, he’s climbed the ladder to the U23 National team and was named the 2022 USRowing U23 National Team Male Athlete of the Year.

Allison Mueller is many things including a highly competitive masters rower, a successful business owner, and former communications director for USRowing. Her most recent “Baby on Board” marketing campaign has really got us enamored. Allison recently announced that she’s expecting a baby early in the new year, and wrapped up the 2022 season having rowed 15 races, 14 of them with her +1.

Go behind one of the biggest names in boats to talk with Brent Keuch, marketing director for King Racing. He fell in love with rowing when he was just 13 and looking for direction in his life. Rowing helped get him his first job, and introduced him to the woman who would become his wife. Today, Brent’s personal and professional philosophy is all about getting more people in boats, and sharing life lessons learned from rowing.