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.

When Stephen Pryor and Justin Knust met as teenage athletes in Florida, they couldn’t have know that 20 years later they’d be coaching people in studio, online, and on the water, as the data-driven founders of Live2Row Studios.

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.

Chicago Rowing Union (CRU) is the Midwest's only LGBTQ+ rowing organization, and one of just a few such clubs in the world. CRU member and social media manager Michael Toutloff talks with us about the importance of safe spaces and being yourself, finding community and competition on the water, and proudly flying the flag at regattas. 

Only a handful of rowing clubs around the world cater specifically to the lesbian, gay, bi, transgender, questioning and ally community. In Part 1 of our Pride month special, we introduce you to leaders at DC Strokes Rowing Club and the Melbourne Argonauts Queer Rowing Club who talk with us about rowing and the gay rights movement in the 1990s, safe spaces, and why this part of the diversity issue is still relevant today.

Our club spotlight series takes us to Little Rock, Arkansas, which, according to members of Rock City Rowing, is sorely underrated. Located on a beautiful stretch of water in Little Rock, RCR is home to one of just two boathouses in the entire state offering programs for masters and juniors.

Coastal rowing is coming to the Olympics in 2028. To get ready, USRowing is developing a framework to adopt and embrace coastal rowing. Plus coastal just looks plain fun and offers up exciting opportunities for new and experienced rowers. We sat down with four coastal rowers and coaches to talk wetsuits in winter, beach sprints, buoy turns, boat design, green waves, and running in the sand.