By Danielle Farinella  Part 1. Workout Session Secrets Have you ever sat on an erg in January while your coach wrote an overly complicated workout on the whiteboard and wondered:  what are we actually achieving here?  And why do they think doing the workout exactly that way  is so important? Well, today you can stop wondering. In this article, I’m going to walk us through the different types of workouts, what they achieve, and how better understanding the goal of the workout

A rower and a coach “Dude, you’re 6’ 3’’, you’re perfect for this,”  was the line Matthew Houser’s mother used to convince him to try out for the crew team in high school. As a former volleyball player looking for a Fall sport, he said why not.  That was over ten years, and a lot of medals, ago. From watching the first three rowers he coached grow into Midwest Champions, to biting into his own gold medal at the Head of the Charles in 2025, Matthew hasn’t left the boathouse. 

Disclaimer: Coach Jill (me) recruited at a DI women’s program for two years. These tips are based on my experience at the collegiate level, but things may be different for men’s recruiting or DII/DIII recruiting. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me or any of the coaches for advice! We are dedicated to your success and future, and are always happy to have a meeting with you.  Before you begin Identify what you want in a college: Big, medium, or small

A practical guide for youth rowers navigating college recruitment So you've been rowing for a while now. Maybe you've seen former teammates get scholarships. Maybe you read about the new D1 opportunities starting 2026. Either way, you're getting faster, your coaches are talking about college, and you start to wonder: could I get a scholarship for this? The short answer is yes—but it takes planning and understanding how the process works. Even then, college sports might not