Rowing Pieces

Avery Ericksen and Thomas Phifer, Penn AC High Performance athletes and world and US record-holders in the indoor rowing marathon, respectively, stop by to share their stories, their motivation to stick with rowing, and their strategy and preparation for extremely long erg pieces.Rowing Pieces is the student-led podcast of Philadelphia City Rowing’s media and communication internship. Students are building communication and outreach skills that support success in college and career pathways.To support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give.

PCR student-athlete Rakimah and Coach Nick interview Arshay Cooper, founder of A Most Beautiful Thing Inclusion Fund. They learn how he came to the sport of rowing, the lessons in leadership he learned as the Captain of Maley Crew, the first all-Black high school rowing team, and what he's enjoyed most about promoting his new book, Let Me Be Real With You.Rowing Pieces is the student-led podcast of Philadelphia City Rowing’s media and communication internship. Students are building communication and outreach skills that support success in college and career pathways.To support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give.

Something fairly common within our sport is coming up through a rowing program and then returning as a coach. Philadelphia City Rowing is no different, in this respect, in that we have four alumni who coach with the high school teams and several who work with the middle school team as well. This episode features a brief roundtable with the four PCR Alumni who coach the high school teams: Seth, Michaela, Myi, and Kera. They discuss what it is about their high school rowing careers and the program in general that brought them back to coach.Rowing Pieces is the student-led podcast of Philadelphia City Rowing’s media and communication internship. Students are building communication and outreach skills that support success in college and career pathways.To support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give.

Dr. Luna Ugrenović from Greenepsych has been leading sports psychology workshops for Philadelphia City Rowing student-athletes and coaches for the past two years. She stops by practice one Saturday morning to speak with Lilly and Abby about her own rowing background, how she came to Greenepsych, how she builds the sessions for PCR, and concrete tips for managing what Dr. Mitchell Greene refers to as "mind chatter" before erg tests.Rowing Pieces is the student-led podcast of Philadelphia City Rowing’s media and communication internship. Students are building communication and outreach skills that support success in college and career pathways.To support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give.

Philadelphia City Rowing varsity captains Lilly and Sasha interview Kevin Leslie, founder and head coach of At The Thousand. They discuss the origins of At The Thousand, Kevin's philosophy on training and testing, and how he approaches longer pieces. Listen to the end for Kevin's special announcement regarding the Philadelphia Indoor Classic!Rowing Pieces is the student-led podcast of Philadelphia City Rowing’s media and communication internship. Students are building communication and outreach skills that support success in college and career pathways.To support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give.

Philadelphia City Rowing student-athlete Jonah and Coach Nick interview Frank Rowe, long-time Undine Barge Club member, former national teamer, and the newest member of the PCR board, about his trip to the Pan-Am Games in 1991, walking onto the team at UCSB, and how he made the transition from international competition to masters rowing on the Schuylkill.Rowing Pieces is the student-led podcast of Philadelphia City Rowing’s media and communication internship. Students are building communication and outreach skills that support success in college and career pathways.To support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give.

PCR rowers Shai and Lilly interview Coach Michaela about the PCR Alumni Panel that took place over winter break in January. Coach Michaela shares the behind-the-scenes of organizing the session, insights about scholarships and rowing in college gleaned from alumni spanning eight years of program history, and the ways in which next year's alumni panel might look a little different.Rowing Pieces is the student-led podcast of Philadelphia City Rowing’s media and communication internship. Students are building communication and outreach skills that support success in college and career pathways.To support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give.

PCR rowers-turned-coxswains Susan and Isa interview Charlotte Bentrim and Michaela Donnelly. Charlotte has both rowed and coxed for Drexel, raced for Vesper over the summer, and coached at Conestoga this past year. Michaela coaches at PCR and both rowed and coxed for PCR and Marietta College.Rowing Pieces is the student-led podcast of Philadelphia City Rowing’s media and communication internship. Students are building communication and outreach skills that support success in college and career pathways.To support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give.

PCR rowers Omnia and Lilly interview Sarah Ghazaz, a Drexel student-athlete who trains on Boathouse Row and competes for the Moroccan national team. Sarah tells the story of how she went from sweeping at Henley Royal Regatta to sculling for Morocco, offers some tips for training during Ramadan, and shares some insight into the career and leadership opportunities for young student-athletes in Philadelphia.You'll definitely want to stay tuned to learn how she prepares for the erg pieces required by the World Rowing Development Programme.Rowing Pieces is the student-led podcast of Philadelphia City Rowing’s media and communication internship. Students are building communication and outreach skills that support success in college and career pathways.To support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give.

PCR rowers Sasha and Abe interview Colin Stewart, owner and director of Five Tribes Cinema Productions and the force behind the livestreams of the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta, the Knecht Cup, the Dad Vail Regatta, Philadelphia City Championships, and the Stotesbury Cup, to name a few. Colin shares what he finds so compelling about bringing rowing races to viewers via livestream, explains what happens behind the scenes to make these livestreams possible, and introduces his brand new feature-length documentary film, It's a Philly Thing, premiering on January 10th at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre at 6pm.Rowing Pieces is the student-led podcast of Philadelphia City Rowing’s media and communication internship. Students are building communication and outreach skills that support success in college and career pathways.To support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give.

Head Coach of TopCrew Academy, Sam Dutney, joins us to discuss periodized training and the importance of individualized training plans as we kick off the fall season. For more from Sam, check out https://www.topcrewacademy.com.au/ and @topcrew_academyTo support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give.

Director of Programs and Community Inclusion George Rowley returns to the show to discuss programming for middle school student-athletes, especially the PCR Summer Camps....To support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give.

In this coaches' roundtable with Kera, Myi, and Nick, we debrief the spring racing season and talk about what is to come with the summer high school racing program. Stay tuned for next week's episode in which we discuss the middle school summer program....To support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give.

In our 20th episode, PCR student athletes Keris and Lucia interview Amanda Kraus. Amanda is CEO of USRowing as well as the founder of Row New York. She made time to visit us at our boatyard so this interview was taped on location at our new dock, which will explain a little traffic noise from the Schuylkill Expressway in the background.For more of Amanda in podcast form, check out The Swing of Things....To support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give

In episode 19, PCR student athlete Keris interviews Dr. Ajilli "Jill" Hardy. Jill is an alumna of Central High School, which is where Keris is currently a sophomore. After Central, she went to MIT, where she walked onto the rowing team and later earned a doctorate in mechanical engineering. She is still rowing competitively with Riverfront Recapture in Connecticut as well as remotely with Live2Row, and she took bronze in the women’s 45-49 openweight division at the 2024 World Rowing Indoor Championships....To support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give

This week, PCR student athlete Sophia V interviews Hilary Gehman. Hilary is a two-time Olympian in the quad, a six-time national teamer, and a bronze medallist in the 2001 World Rowing Championships. She has also led an illustrious coaching career at Cornell and with various US national team boats. She currently serves as Events Manager and Director of Mercer Rowing Programs at the Princeton National Rowing Association....To support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give.

This week, PCR student athlete Georgia interviews Margot Shumway. Margot is a two-time Olympian in the quad and the double, respectively, a World Rowing Cup silver medallist in the quad, and a Pan American Games Gold medalist in the single.For more on Margot, check out her blog at www.margotshumway.com....To support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give.

In episode 16, PCR student athlete Sophia interviews Célia Dupré just a few short weeks after she qualified for the Olympics with the Swiss 4x. Célia won a U19 world championship in the quad in 2018 and is taking a year away from Stanford to train for the Olympics, having led the team and varsity eight to national championship victories (Stanford's first since 2009) in 2023.For more on Célia check out celiadupre.com...To support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give.

With the winter season done and dusted, now is the perfect time to reflect on what the winter season is all about. This episode features a roundtable with PCR student athletes discussing the lessons they'll take with them from the winter, a segment on the history of the "Manny Flicks," and interviews with the PCR JV Boys' 4+ after their win in Flick 1....Check out philadelphiacityrowing.org/pcr10kchallenge to sign up for the March 9th Block Party Ergatta (or for more info on the #PCR10kChallenge).To support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give.

In episode 14 we bring you an interview with Hap Whelpley, former US National Teamer and Coach of Craftsbury’s Green Racing Project, conducted by PCR student-athlete Ciaran....Check out philadelphiacityrowing.org/pcr10kchallenge to sign up for the March 9th Block Party Ergatta (or for more info on the #PCR10kChallenge).To support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give.

In episode 13 we bring you an interview with Dylan Hartwick, a racing team member at Undine Barge Club and record holder in the Lightweight Men's age 30-39 marathon erg, conducted by PCR student-athletes Rainer and Ciaran....Check out philadelphiacityrowing.org/pcr10kchallenge to sign up for the March 9th Block Party Ergatta (or for more info on the #PCR10kChallenge).To support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give.

On Saturday 2/24, Philadelphia City Rowing hosted the first-ever PCR x BCR Indoor Rowing Challenge at our indoor facility in East Parkside.Over the past year, PCR and Baltimore Community Rowing have collaborated to host multiple events that have allowed our student-athletes to explore new places, meet rowers from another city, learn from new coaches, and participate in scrimmages and practice sessions. This weekend’s indoor rowing challenge included a number of exciting events, including individual 2k races and a coaches-and-mixed-lineups 6k relay competition.After racing concluded, BCR's Sof Alfonso, Jaiden Gomez, and Donovan Gomez sat down with PCR's George Rowley to talk about the event and the value of collaborating with other programs in forming community within the sport of rowing....For more on Baltimore Community Rowing, check out: https://www.baltimorerowing.org/To support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give.

On Saturday, February 10th, 27 PCR student athletes competed at Center City Slam. PCR took home two medals, 20 personal records, and seven top-ten finishes. This episode is a roundtable with four of the student-athletes who raced last Saturday. Jonah, Keris, Zayd, and Rome share their stories and offer up some advice to rowers preparing for a 2k....To support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give.

In episode 10 we bring you an interview with Julianna Rogers, a PCR Alumna who has gone on to row for Drexel University, conducted by current PCR student-athlete, Keris....To support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give.

Episode 9 features two interviews with Philadelphia City Rowing alumni conducted by current PCR student athletes. First, Georgia interviews Cypress Kaulbach, who is currently rowing for the University of Pennsylvania, then Zayd interviews Maurice Scott, who rows with Potomac Boat Club....To support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give.

Episode 8 features an interview with Bill Manning, Head Coach of High Performance at Penn AC, conducted by PCR student-athlete Ben. The episode opens with an interview with PCR Girls' Varsity Coach and former PCR student-athlete Kera McCarthy.Bill Manning joined Penn AC as Head Coach of High Performance in February, 2022. In his first season with the club two athletes earned selection to the senior national team and he coached the M2x at the FISA Rowing World Championships. The M2x won the “B” Final for the best finish in this event for the USA since 2004.In his second year four Penn AC athletes made the senior national team for the 2023 FISA World Rowing Championships, and he coached the M2- to fifth-place and Olympic Qualification. Manning also assisted with the M4x that earned a ninth-place finish at the world championships. In October, 2023 he coached the W2- (Gold), W4- (Silver), W8+ (Silver), LW2x (Silver), and Mixed 8+ (Gold) at the 2023 Pan American Games. Seven of the twenty rowers/scullers on Team USA came from the Penn AC High Performance Group....To support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give.

Episode 7 features an interview with Rebecca Gronsdahl, Head Coach of Fordham Women's Rowing, conducted by PCR student-athlete Georgia. The episode opens with an interview with PCR Boys' Varsity Coach, Boatyard Assistant, and former PCR student-athlete, Myi Harte.Rebecca Gronsdahl is in her third year as head coach at Fordham University. She began rowing at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where, upon graduation, she spent time coaching both the novice and varsity squads. Prior to Fordham, she served as both operations manager and director of community rowing at Row New York. She has a Master's in Sports Coaching Leadership from Drexel University and is working towards an MBA at Fordham....To support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give.

Happy New Year! Our first episode of 2024 features an interview with Nate Clark conducted by PCR student-athlete Ahmed. Nate is in his second year as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Trinity College. He began rowing at Don Bosco Prep in NJ before walking on to the team at University of California, Santa Barbara. He has previously coached at Columbia University, Williams College, UCSB, NYAC, and USRowing's ODP Camps. Nate works to incorporate teaching into his coaching philosophy and has recently been teaching a class on recruiting for CRI's Institute for Rowing Leadership.The episode opens with the return of Coach Jimmy with a new drill of the week as well as a "This Week in Rowing History" taking us all the way back to 1837 New Orleans....To support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give.

Episode 5 of Rowing Pieces features a longform interview with Jack Burns, who started rowing relatively late but managed to earn a GB National Team vest and win trials in the men's 1x in 2021. We discuss the ups and downs of pursuing a career in elite rowing as well as Jack's transition from national team athlete to online coach of athletes around the world. For more on Jack, check out Edge Rowing....To support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give.

Olympian and World Championships Silver Medallist Charlotte Buck and PCR student-athlete Georgia talk about Charlotte's rowing career: walking on at Columbia, training through covid, and the balance of needing alone time while also training in an 8+ with eight other athletes. For more Charlotte Buck (and US Women's National Team) content, be sure to check out @womenintheboat on Instagram.The first half of the show is a conversation with Jimmy McInerney, who coaches at both PCR and La Salle University....To support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give.

Episode 3 of Rowing Pieces introduces a couple of new segments. Drill of the Week brings us the return of Coach Nick Santos to talk about the hang drill, a.k.a. the suspension drill. This Week in Rowing History brings us excerpts from an essay by Greg Lange about the origins of rowing at the University of Washington on December 15th, 1899. Afterwards, Coral Kasden joins us to offer PCR coxswain, Ben, some pointers on coxing in a variety of different situations and lineups....To support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give.

Episode 2 is here! The show opens with a conversation with Nick Santo, head coach of PCR's novice girls' squad and PCR’s representative on the Schuylkill Navy Board. Nick started his rowing career off at Row New York in the 8th grade and has been rowing ever since. Afterwards, Chloë Lewis joins PCR student-athlete Johnny to answer questions related to nutrition in rowing.Chloë is a graduate student in nutrition at Simmons University working towards her Registered Dietitian credentials. Her research is focused on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) and her areas of interest are sports nutrition for female athletes, eating disorders in athletes, weight manipulation in sport, and treating RED-S. Outside of school she is part of Riverside Boat Club’s High Performance Group training for a berth on the US Senior National Team. She can be reached at [email protected] support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give.

In this first episode, get to know Philadelphia City Rowing through a conversation with PCR's Executive Director Caitlin Mance and Director of Programs and Community Inclusion George Rowley. Afterwards, hear from Peter Choi, coxswain of the 2022 US Beach Sprint National Team's Open Mixed Quadruple Sculls with Coxswain, in an interview conducted by one of PCR's own student-athletes, Ciaran.To support Philadelphia City Rowing in its mission to create a unique, comprehensive and free after-school enrichment experience for young people in the school district of Philadelphia by offering a mix of competitive rowing, academic mentorship, and wellness education, visit https://www.philadelphiacityrowing.org/give.