When I was a kid, I was teased about how I huffed and puffed when I ran. I was the token chubby kid picked last in gym class. So slow. So uncoordinated. My parents were dead set on having me be an athlete, but that was met with a huge eye-roll from me. I tried soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, ski team, track and field, and more before we’d all nearly given up. 

Then, I found rowing. The first time I took a 2k erg test, I felt like I was going to die. It was the hardest thing I’d ever done in my life. What I remember even more vividly, though, is what I felt like after the second erg test, when I beat my previous time. I was totally surprised. 

What began in a grungy boathouse at Community Rowing in Boston blossomed into a 15-year rowing career spanning high school, college, and 7 years rowing for Team USA. I sat at the starting line of Youth Nationals, IRA National Championships, World Cups, World Championships, and the Olympic Games. 

I went through the highs of setting records, winning National Championships and competing at the Olympics to lows of injuries, losing races, and failing to qualify for the National Team. I navigated the college recruiting process, then the transfer process from one university to another, and the leap to the National Team after college. 

Me? Getting better at something?

i was hooked.

 I didn't dream of it when I was racing in high school or college either. I just took it one step at a time, one workout at a time, learned the tricks, and honed my skills so much that competing on the international stage was a natural progression. 

When I was a kid, I never dreamed of becoming an Olympian.

Now, I’m passing on everything I learned in those 15 years to athletes who want to get to the next level. 

Sure, you could keep doing what you’re doing, but I want you to make leaps ahead in your rowing. I want to help you transform into the athlete you never even knew you could be.