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

Once upon a time, way back in 2020, we thought of rowing in a very particular way: flat water, racing shells, and seeking the perfect stroke. As coastal rowing and beach sprints has gained some traction here in the U.S., we’ve broadened our understanding and definition of rowing to bring these disciplines into the conversation, too. 

On balance, coastal has probably tipped the scales of our conversation in 2024 as we trained for and participated in Race Around the Rock a coastal circumnavigation of Salt Spring Island in British Columbia. If you’re a tried and true flat water rower, thanks for sticking with us as we’ve explored new ideas about rowing!

In case you missed it, the 2024 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals were held September 13-15 in Genoa, Italy and Team USA brought home 3 Gold and 1 Silver medal.

Joining us to talk about the rise of coastal rowing and beach sprints are Team USA head coach Marc Oria, and rower Pearl Outlaw, a member of the first ever pararowing women’s quad.

QUICK LOOK

02:10 - The Huddle
03:15 - Welcome 
05:18 - Rowing Week 1-10
07:32 - The Hot Seat Q&A
15:54 - A degenerative eye disease impacted Pearl’s sight; learning to row offered her an opportunity to participate in a sport
19:47 - Marc learned to row at age 12 in Spain, and ate humble pie at his first regatta
22:13 - Marc’s coaching career began with making sure little kids had fun, and he maintains that philosophy today
28:11 - A brief introduction to coastal endurance and beach sprints
31:43 - Pearl’s transition from flat water national team to coastal rowing
33:45 - Adaptive technology for vision impaired athletes
38:58 - Letting go of perfection and embracing chaos
40:49 - Next Level Rowing’s role in developing coastal and beach sprint athletes
44:33 - The first pararowing women’s quad
45:54 - Opportunities to get involved in coastal are sparse, but growing, in the U.S.
47:29 - Pearl’s pursuit of being a dual sport athlete, with success in nordic skiing and biathlon
52:15 - Pearl and Marc’s  training, racing, and coaching goals for 2025
54:19 - Getting the ball rolling for Youth Olympic Games 2026, and LA Olympics 2028
57:43 - Outro

Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. 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.

Episode Mentions

CLUBS
Bair Island Aquatic Center
Cincinnati Rowing Club
Great Miami Rowing Center
Rivanna Rowing Club
Station L Rowing Club
Vesper Boat Club

COACHES
🎧 Ben Booth
🎧 Marc Oria
Roger Payne
Steve Whelpley

COXSWAINS
Joanna Knight

EQUIPMENT
The Remote Coxswain

HIGH PERFORMANCE TRAINING
Green Racing Project
Next Level Rowing
Oklahoma High Performance Center

ORGANIZATIONS
Ski for Light

ROWERS
🎧 Chris Bak
🎧 Christine Cavallo
Bill Donaho
Dani Hansen
John Rhee
Kory Rogers
Charles Strauss

REGATTAS 
Head of the Charles
Race Around the Rock

UNIVERSITY PROGRAMS
Ithaca College
University of Cincinnati

USROWING
Beach Sprints National Team
Paralympic National Team

WORLD ROWING
Beach Sprint Finals
Coastal Championships