For athlete Kouadio Franck N’Dri (who goes by the name Franck-Aimé), rowing is not just an Olympic dream, but a deeply personal goal: he rows in his late father’s memory as a way to connect to and remember the man who taught him the sport. Franck-Aimé realized at a young age that he wanted to do something significant in rowing. Representing the Ivory Coast at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will surely fulfill that goal. Continue Reading ›
When Pete and Dick Dreissigacker first started playing with oar designs in 1976, they were two rowers who were also engineers and they couldn’t resist the challenge of making a faster oar. Specifically, they wanted to improve their speed in the pair because they were racing together in the Olympic Trials leading up to the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Rowing races can be won or lost by fractions of a second so every little bit of speed is worth gathering. Continue Reading ›
Happy Birthday to Don McCluskey, who turns 100 years old on February 17, 2021!
We’re always excited to share the stories of our centenarians who demonstrate that rowing can be a lifelong sport. Don credits his longevity to a diet of red wine, Brussel sprouts and carrots, along with his daily exercise on the Concept2 RowErg. Don lives in an assisted living facility, where he continues to work out daily during COVID-19.
“During the pandemic I’ve been rowing every single day for at least 20-30 minutes, and it’s kept me healthy and sane during the lockdown. It’s one of the best exercises you can do when you’re stuck indoors. I have it set up by a window, and I don’t listen to audio while I’m rowing. It’s such a pleasure to row that I just look out the window and get my best thinking done while rowing on my Concept2.” Continue Reading ›
Many races and events have gone virtual this year, including the Head Of The Charles® Regatta. In addition to indoor participatory and live racing events, the Head Of The Charles Regatta has offered a participatory on water event. Athletes are encouraged to row 4702 meters on their local courses and submit their best times. Best of all? All proceeds from these events support the Head Of The Charles x Gold Cup Grant Fund to build and sustain diversity in the sport. Continue Reading ›
Concept2 recently invited Arshay Cooper, rower, author, speaker and activist, to speak with us about his film, A Most Beautiful Thing. Unlike our last visit in November 2019, this time Arshay visited us via Zoom and we were able to ask questions about the movie.
Narrated by the rapper Common, A Most Beautiful Thing chronicles the first African American high school rowing team in the US in the late 1990s. The team is made up of young men, many of whom were in rival gangs from the West Side of Chicago, coming together to row in the same boat. Concept2 employees agreed that the movie made us laugh, cry, feel inspired and gave insight to how the sport of rowing provides opportunities to those living in challenging circumstances. Continue Reading ›
Fall is in the air, which means it’s usually the time our Vermont crew starts packing up to travel to Boston, Massachusetts, for the annual Head Of The Charles® Regatta. This year, we’ll be cheering on the athletes and racing from home with the regatta’s multi-component event that includes on water racing opportunities, indoor rowing for all, and a competitive live broadcast indoor rowing race. Continue Reading ›
Many athletes are looking to row in a single as they consider ways to stay socially distant and also stay fit. There’s a lot to consider as you make this new purchase. Here are a few tips based on my personal experience. Continue Reading ›
Many sweep rowers are finding new ways to row this spring and summer in singles, the “original” social-distance sport. The single is a great challenge—you can only blame yourself when things go poorly. But when it's going well, you can take all the credit!
I transitioned to the single after finishing my high school and college rowing careers. I took many years off staying busy with triathlon and running; I returned to the single looking to get back on the water on my own schedule.
Here are a few things I learned along the way. Continue Reading ›
Steve Whelpley started coaching in 2016 after 19 continuous competitive years in the sport of rowing. He is now the Head Coach of Craftsbury's Green Racing Project, an elite training group based in Craftsbury, Vermont. We last checked in with Steve in our 10 Questions blog series in 2018. We've reached out again to see how he is navigating these unpredictable and unsettling days, and to see he's continuing to train, both himself and his rowing athletes. Continue Reading ›
Concept2 was saddened to learn of the tragic drowning of PR1 athlete Dzmitry Ryshkevich (Belarus) during a training session at the World Championships in Linz, Austria. Our condolences to his family, friends and teammates.
The World Rowing Championships in Linz, Austria, kicked off the Olympic and Paralympic qualification process for many crews with their sights on Tokyo 2020. 86% of all medal-winning boats at the 2019 World Rowing Championships rowed with Concept2 oars and sculls! Countries race to qualify in each boat class, qualifying the boats, not the athletes. This year's event attracted nearly 1200 competitors from 80 countries, including two outstanding "older" elite competitors of note: Continue Reading ›
