This Was The Right Choice (feat. Clark Dean)

Many of you may or may not have heard of a man by the name of Clark Dean, the 6'5" USA Olympian and Harvard Men's Heavyweight from the town of Sarasota, Florida. Well, fortunate for you, and here at the For Stars Podcast, we got him spotlighted, talking about United States Rowing as a whole both at the junior, collegiate, and olympic level. Clark has made a lasting impact on the past, present, and future of the USA with his intellect and skill in the rowing shell. During his 8th grade year (2014), Clark took his first challenge in rowing at Sarasota Crew, the nationally-ranked youth rowing program here in the States, leaving middle school with a 5th place in the nation competing in the Lightweight Youth 8+ at just 14 years of age. Freshman year of high school, Clark and his team got 7th in the Men's Youth 8+ (2015), 3rd in 2016 & 2017, leaving high school with a Gold Medal at the national stage in 2018. All while, competing with and for the United States Junior National Teams, during the summers of 2016-2018. Clark spent the summer of 2016 after his sophomore year making the USA U19 World's 4x, (having 3 Sarasota boys in that boat) and getting Bronze that year. The following year (2017), Clark got Gold in the USA U19 World's 1x amongst all countries, also competing in the 4+ with a 6th place finish. In 2018, Clark continued the streak of Gold Medals in that event going undefeated in the USA U19 World's 1x.Going into his freshmen year of men's collegiate rowing, Clark signed with Harvard, getting 2nd at Eastern Sprints and 3rd at IRA's. That summer of 2019, Clark skipped the U23 level and went right to the Senior National Team, stroking the straight four. He qualified the boat for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics which was taken place in 2021, also stroking the straight four. Clark's journey is not done in the sport of rowing, and although this is his last year of racing for the Crimson, he is eager to help the next generation of rowers get to the next level, so be sure to reach out to Clark on Instagram @clark_dean to get some coaching/instruction.We talk about injury prevention, where he sees US Rowing in the next several years, the lack of funding in America for the Senior National Team level rowing (which is the only non-government funded rowing body in the World), reasoning to enroll at Harvard, and his experience with Mike Teti over at the California Rowing Club. Be sure to tune in!Xeno Müller - Elite Rowing CoachMake your rowing dreams real! Use Code “FORSTARS” for $200 OFF on your desired training package!Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.