Jimmy Germano coxed the U.S. Jr. M8+ to gold at the World Rowing Junior Championships in 2005, but he swears it was sheer luck – being in the right place at the right time with a great crew and a “fake it ‘til you make it” attitude.

More than 20 years later, motivated to help others hone their coxing skills, you can find Jimmy pondering coxing and life on his Instagram account @coxswain_clinic. So of course we invited him to talk Coxing 101, coaching coxswains, the cox/8/7 relationship, finding your coxing voice, and a whole lot more.

Long before Jak Kazmarek joined Team Moar Than Us for the World’s Toughest Row Pacific, there was a moment when survival – not ocean rowing – was the goal. Years of surgeries and recovery followed as Jak rebuilt their life: from a wheelchair to an erg, from LTR to the Head of the Charles. Now, Jak is preparing for an extraordinary adventure – rowing more than 2,800 miles across the Pacific Ocean from Monterey, California, to Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi.

When Megan Roark learned to row at 12 years old, she couldn’t have known the sport would one day shape not only her athletic identity, but her approach to medicine. Megan shares with us her holistic approach to caring for the athlete as a whole for long-term health and performance. We talk about habits for deeper sleep, nutrition and hydration, building a strong “therapeutic alliance” with your doctor, and yes — even why showering matters more than we realize.

It was stepping away from elite competition that gave Ruben Rapi a new perspective on rowing. Not just as a sport, but as a community that sometimes struggles to grow or adapt.

Today, Ruben and his brother Ahmet – both former Swedish National Team members – are working with clubs around the world to strengthen the foundations that help them thrive through small, intentional shifts that can make a big difference.

Martin Helseth is helping lead a movement that connects rowers to the waterways they depend on. Growing up in Norway, he spent as much time beneath the surface as he did on it—free diving from a boat his father built, finding calm and clarity below. Martin shares how early experiences with marine debris shaped his mission today, and how the rowing community can become stewards of the water it calls home.

Before RegattaCentral became the go-to platform for regatta registration, it was an idea sparked by a rower who saw a better way. Founder and president Steve Lopez’s lightbulb moment in 1999 brought rowing and early internet technology together, and his idea quietly reshaped  regatta registration, data, and analytics. From fax machines and modems, to mobile-first design and data-driven insights, we trace the evolution of RegattaCentral.

In 2021, Cillian Mullen was at a pivotal moment — navigating his identity, the college recruitment process, and transgender athlete policies. Five years later, his journey has taken him to the U19 and U23 National Teams, and the University of Washington. We catch up with Cillian to explore what’s changed, what hasn’t, and how he’s continuing to carve out his place in rowing.

Head to Michigan to spend some time with Ann Arbor Rowing Club. Masters rower Francine MacBride reflects on balancing being a rower Mom with her own rowing life and shares stories from the Club’s early days in the 1980s. Fundraising and marketing chair Andrea Danz walks us through helping AARC build a thoughtful approach to fundraising, while Coach Mary Giacobbi explains how the club manages to support both recreational and competitively driven rowers – often in the very same practice.

Right in the heart Austin flows Lady Bird Lake, a stretch of the Colorado River that has become a daily gathering place for runners, paddlers, and rowers alike. On its banks sits a true Austin institution: Texas Rowing Center. For owner Matt Knifton, this place isn’t just a business, it’s where his story has unfolded since the 1980s.