This episode was made possible in part by Barb, Breakwater Realty, Concept2, EB5 Investors, RowSource, and our Patrons.

“Physical limitations only exist if you’re willing to find them.” This is the philosophy of Mitch King, a coxswain for River City Rowing Club in Sacramento, CA. Every day he does countless things that doctors said were impossible when he was a kid diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.

Mitch doesn’t call himself a disability advocate, doesn’t want to be an inspiration, and would rather folks didn’t try to tiptoe around his disability.

We talk balancing coxing with graduate school, developing a coxing style, team building, motivation on the erg, and shattering expectations. 

QUICK LOOK

00:00 - Intro
02:10 - The Huddle
04:38 - Rate Your rowing week: 1-10… quickly turns into swapping coxing stories
10:05  - The Hot Seat Q&A
15:44 - Getting hooked Day 1 as a walk-on at Sacramento State University
19:24 - Erging with the team began as a means to understand what his athletes were going through, and became an outlet for moving beyond internal and external limitations of his Cerebral Palsy
29:18 - Collaborative coxing: getting to know your rowers, giving and receiving feedback, sharing race strategies, leaving your worries on shore
35:08 - Diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy as a kid, Mitch wants strangers to assume he, and other people with disabilities, are competent and capable
38:50 - It’s okay to ask, and it’s okay to say “disabled”
43:21 - Being an inadvertent ambassadors for people with disabilities, how we’ve been socialized to understand disability, and  rebutting the notion of being an inspiration
49:03 - Mitch’s rowing pitch
50:00 - What’s next and hoping to make it to Head of the Charles
49:56 - Outro
54:48 - Outtakes

EPISODE Mentions

COACHES
Eric Weir

CLUBS
Dallas United Crew
River City Rowing Club

EQUIPMENT
Concept2 RowErg
CoxBox
CoxOrb
Rite in the Rain notebook

ORGANIZATIONS
Seize the Oar

REGATTAS
Head of the Port
Head of the American
Head of the Charles
Head of the Lagoon
Head of the Occoquan
Gold Rush Masters Regatta

ROWERS
🎧 Sophie Brown

UNIVERSITY PROGRAMS
Sacramento State

This episode was written, produced, hosted, and edited by Tara Morgan and Rachel Freedman. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.