Tag: Rowing

Jimmy Graham’s post-football plan: Row across the Arctic Ocean

Jimmy Graham has lofty ambitions in his post-football plan: Travel to the top of the world and row across the Arctic Ocean

It doesn’t look like Jimmy Graham will be playing for the New Orleans Saints again in 2024, but you never know. He was a surprise addition to the training camp roster last summer and showed he can still play — but his ambitions for the future are bigger than football. Known as an avid aviator, Graham has now explored a passion for traveling the world by sea.

Graham announced Monday that he’s preparing for “The Arctic Challenge,” an endurance rowing project which will pursue a world record by rowing 1,000 miles across the Arctic Ocean in July 2025. Graham is the team’s lead navigator.

“Using this challenge to inspire young people is very meaningful for me,” Graham said in a statement from the organization. “As someone who has experienced homelessness, I recognize the importance of not letting your circumstances define your future. Through this challenge, we will showcase the power of determination, teamwork and resilience, and I am thrilled to use it as a platform for empowering kids to pursue their wildest dreams.”

He is part of a four-person rowing team planning to set out from Tromsø, Norway and travel to Longyearbyen in the country’s Svalbard archipelago, aiming to break the speed record set in 2023 of 15 days, 5 hours, and 32 minutes. Graham and his teammates will spend a year and a half training for the challenge.

It sounds like the experience of a lifetime. The Arctic Ocean is one of the last frontiers — fewer people have rowed across it than those who have walked on the moon. It’s home to a variety of wildlife: seals, seabirds, polar bears, and elusive narwhals and beluga whales among them. Weather conditions and temperatures can be highly variable as the climate changes, and the Arctic Ocean that Graham and his team plans to traverse may look drastically different from the one our grandchildren may live to see. We’ll be keeping an eye on his progress.

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Rowers flock to Boston for Head of the Charles Regatta

It’s a race across the water.

Since 1965, rowers have flocked to Boston’s Charles River for the annual Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR). This year, the big event runs October 20-22. Boston is expecting peak fall color, 11,000 rowers from around the world, and 400,000 spectators. If you love rowing, you’ll want to be there.

Boston has long been associated with rowing, which is one of the oldest Olympic sports and also closely identified with academia. So, it makes sense that the HOCR is a big deal for the city. Rowers start the race at the Boston University Boathouse. They proceed under a railroad trestle and the BU Bridge, then navigate five more triple-arch bridges before reaching the finish line about three miles upstream.

The schedule is packed and timed down to the minute. It starts on Friday, October 20, at 7:45 a.m. with a men’s single race in the 70+ and 80+ age groups, followed by women of the same age at 8:05 a.m. It continues, race after race, for a total of 75 races over the three days.

Rowers on a river.
Community Rowing brings the sport to the masses. / Photo courtesy of Community Rowing, Inc.

Way more people want to row than can fit into the 75 races. Would-be competitors submit an online application, then cross their fingers that they’ll be accepted. In addition to the thrill of victory, top finishers in the men’s and women’s championship singles event will get $10,000. Second place brings $5,000, and third place earns $2,500.

Interested in rowing but not a contender? Community Rowing Inc., North America’s largest public-access rowing organization, is partnering with Hotel Commonwealth to let guests try out the sport. Hotel Commonwealth guests can take private indoor instruction, then try their skills out on the water with a Community Rowing coach. Community Rowing is dedicated to exposing people of all backgrounds to rowing. Its partnership with Hotel Commonwealth will support rowing programs for Boston Public School kids, veterans, active duty military, and para-athletes.

Join Riversport OKC for these 13 outdoor adventures

It’s time for adventure.

The North Canadian River used to flood Oklahoma City. So, in the 1950s, the Corps of Engineers redirected the flow, leaving a dry ditch. 

“We used to joke that we mowed the river two or three times a year,” said Mike Knopp, executive director of Riversport, a nonprofit foundation encouraging people to get active outdoors. “You stayed away from the river. It was right through the heart of town, so it did a lot to divide the community.”

But since a $53.5 million project brought back seven miles of river in 2004, the renamed Oklahoma River has become a major draw for local and international athletes. The enormous Riversport complex is at the heart of this shift. “We wanted to infuse a more active outdoor culture in OKC,” Knopp said. “We don’t have an ocean. We don’t have mountains. So we wanted to try to create these experiences.” On a hot July day, I experienced Riversport. Here are 13 adventures you can try with Riversport OKC.

A wide river in a city.
The Oklahoma River. / Photo by Teresa Bergen

Kim Cupini named Tennessee rowing head coach

Kim Cupini named Tennessee rowing head coach.

Tennessee hired Kim Cupini as its rowing head coach.

She replaces Lisa Glenn.

Cupini has earned conference coaching honors in nine of her 16 seasons. She is one of the most decorated coaches in college rowing.

She previously coached at San Diego (2007-17) and SMU (2017-23). Under Cupino’s direction, the Toreros and Mustangs combined to make four NCAA championship appearances, finishing in the top 15 nationally each time.

Cupini developed high-caliber rowers at both San Diego and with the Mustangs.

At SMU, her top crews earned AAC Boat of the Year three times. With the Toreros, she coached a WCC Rower of the Year, four WCC Coxswains of the Year and two WCC Newcomers of the Year.

Cupini has coached nine All-Americans and 55 all-conference student-athletes.

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Tennessee 1V8 claims third consecutive Big 12 Boat of the Week honor

Tennessee 1V8 claims its third consecutive Big 12 Boat of the Week honor.

Tennessee’s rowing team claimed another honor during its 2021-22 season.

Tennessee 1V8 earned its third consecutive Big 12 Boat of the Week honor on Wednesday.

UT press release:

With its second top-20 victory in as many weeks, the Tennessee varsity eight boat earned its third consecutive Big 12 Boat of the Week nod to start the season, the league office announced Wednesday.

In a dual with 18th-ranked Alabama, the Lady Vol 1V8 crossed the finish line in 7:15.4 to beat the Crimson Tide by 12 seconds on their home course. The victory improved the boat’s record to 7-2 this season and lifted UT over its conference rival. During the week before, Tennessee topped No. 6 Virginia on the road during the UVA Invitational.

“The crew has used each race as an opportunity to develop, and it’s nice to get recognition for a job well done,” head coach Lisa Glenn said. “We’re excited about moving into the later season and continuing to improve.”

With its third Big 12 Boat of the Week honor of the season, UT has already surpassed its total weekly awards won prior to this season (2) after joining the conference in 2015.

Tennessee, ranked 17th in the most recent Pocock CRCA Coaches Poll, is off from competition this weekend but returns to action for the Big Ten Invitational in Sarasota, Florida, on April 15-16.

For the most up-to-date information about the program, follow Tennessee rowing on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook.

1V8 Lineup

Madelyn Walsh, Senior, Coxswain, Ambler, Penn.
Emma Seawright, Sophomore, 1, Toronto, Ontario
Natalia Loram, Sophomore, 2, Fullerton, Calif.
Kathleen Rice, Junior, 3, Tampa, Fla.
Jaimie Armitage, Graduate Student, 4, Winter Garden, Fla.
Reagan Long, Junior, 5, Chattanooga, Tenn.
Lindsey Morrissett, Graduate Student, 6, Atoka, Tenn.
Sydney Pardy, Senior, 7, Westmont, Ill.
Erin Gifford, Sophomore, 8, Chattanooga, Tenn.

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Rowing: Women’s eight channels passion, team legacy ahead of Tokyo Olympic Games

The U.S. Olympic rowing women’s eight team will look for a fourth consecutive Olympic title at the Tokyo Games while channeling their team’s legacy.

The U.S. Olympic rowing women’s eight team will look for a fourth consecutive Olympic title at the Tokyo Games while channeling their team’s legacy.

Stanford drops 11 sports in wake of pandemic

Bad news from one of Notre Dame’s rivals on Wednesday as Stanford cuts 11 sports in wake of the pandemic. Find out the details right here.

You can probably count on one hand the amount of colleges and universities that have as impressive as athletic program across all sports as Stanford University.  The Cardinal have won a combined 126 team national championships, the most of any Division I athletic program.

On Wednesday bad news was made by this historic athletic program as Stanford is dropping 11 sports to cut costs during the pandemic.

The school will discontinue men’s and women’s fencing, field hockey, lightweight rowing, men’s rowing, co-ed and women’s sailing, squash, synchronized swimming, men’s volleyball and wrestling after the 2020-21 academic year. Stanford also is eliminating 20 support staff positions.

If interested, you can read the entire letter penned by university officials that was released Wednesday.

In case you were wondering, Stanford had a reported endowment of $27.7 billion in 2019.  I won’t pretend to be an expert when it comes to how that money all works but I feel like there is enough there and that there would probably still be around 27.6 or so billion dollars left over if they chose not to cut these sports.

This flat out sucks for all of the student-athletes that are effected and their family and friends but also touches on a bigger part.  That is, if it happens at Stanford, chances are great it’s going to happen at a lot more colleges that it hasn’t already in the coming days and weeks.

NCSA: How to get recruited for women’s rowing

NCSA gives tips, guidelines and camps ideas for help getting recruited to college for women’s rowing.

At the college level, women’s rowing offers great opportunities for student-athletes. Many rowing teams are located at top academic schools, and they also have some of the largest roster sizes in women’s college sports, with an average of 61 women per team at the NCAA Division 1 level and 31 women per team at the NCAA Division 2 and Division 3 levels. However, the experience of earning a roster spot differs greatly for recruited athletes who rowed in high school and walk-on athletes who are learning to row at the college level. To shed light on this experience, we here at NCSA compiled the Guide to Getting Recruited for Women’s Collegiate Rowing, which all potential college rowers should read and reference. Here are just some of the main takeaways from this recruiting guide.

Scholarships and financial aid

Athletic scholarships are available for women’s rowing at the college level, but competition for scholarships is stiff, and it’s important for athletes and families to be aware of other ways to help pay for college. For example, a large portion of women’s rowing teams are NCAA D3 or D1 Ivy League (Yale, Princeton, Penn, Harvard [Radcliffe], Dartmouth, Cornell, Columbia, Brown) programs that do not offer athletic scholarships. However, these colleges do help with obtaining academic scholarships and other forms of financial aid, and rowing can help boost your chances of getting accepted into a prestigious school. With that said, athletic scholarships are available at the Division 1 and Division 2 levels, though the majority of athletes will receive only a partial scholarship. Read more about scholarships and financial aid for women’s college rowing.

Recruiting guidelines

For women’s rowing recruits, college coaches look for a few things in order of importance (give or take a spot):

  • 2k erg times
  • Academics
  • Technique
  • Physical attributes
  • High school or club experience

Simply put, 2k erg times are the first thing that college coaches look at. It’s what they use to gauge speed in recruits and is the best predictor available for athlete performance. However, strong grades and test scores are also very important because rowing teams must often deal with very high academic standards set by the school’s admissions office. Technique is tricky because while it is important, it is difficult for coaches to get a complete assessment of technique without seeing recruits row in person. If they do see a recruit at a prominent race or get to evaluate them enough at tryouts, it can be a great boost. College coaches are always on the lookout for tall recruits. Finally, rowers from an established high school or club team can work in conjunction with their high school or club coach to share a recommendation with college coaches. Read more about women’s rowing recruiting guidelines.

Recruiting tiers and 2k times for open weight rowers

Tier 1:

  • 2k in low 7:20s and under
  • 5’10”+
  • Top Division 1 teams.

Tier 2:

  • 2k in mid 7:20s to 7:30s
  • 5’9”+
  • Top Division 3 teams.

Tier 3:

  • 2k in 7:30s to 7:50
  • 5’8”+
  • Division 2 teams, middle Division 3 teams and lower Division 1 teams.

Tier 4:

  • 2k under 7:55
  • 5’7”+
  • Lower Division 3 teams and top club teams.

Read more about tiers and 2k times, including for lightweight rowers.

Women’s rowing camps

Attending the right rowing camp can be a tremendous benefit for athletes. There is something about the intensive process spanning multiple days that tends to get rowers to improve and find a new gear in their performance. However, before attending a camp, athletes and families should always consider their budget and realize that camp attendance does not necessarily lead to securing a roster spot or athletic scholarship money. Camps can help boost skills and learn-to-row camps can introduce potential walk-on athletes to the sport. Read more about women’s rowing camps and find a camp near you.

Women’s rowing walk-ons

Walk-ons make up a good portion of varsity women’s rowing rosters at all but the most accomplished teams. While there may be few walk-on spots available at elite programs, there are plenty of athletes without rowing experience who earn roster spots on strong varsity teams. Walk-ons need to exhibit raw athletic ability and learn quickly to show progress throughout tryouts. Read more about becoming a women’s rowing walk-on.

Colleges with women’s rowing

Women’s college rowing is an NCAA sanctioned sport and enjoys some of the largest roster sizes of any women’s sport, especially at the Division 1 level. However, lightweight women’s programs compete as part of the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA), which is not part of the NCAA. With that said, there are currently around 156 varsity programs competing in college women’s rowing. Additionally, according to the cMax in-season rankings, there were more than 40 American College Rowing Association (ACRA) club teams competing during the 2018–19 season. Read more about women’s college rowing teams and see a full list.