My rowing career takes me back to 1979 when a shoulder injury ended my (American) Football career at Harvard University. I learned my first lifelong lesson about the importance of technique as I was near the top of erg table, but near the bottom of the seat racing. My one distinction was being captured by a photographer rowing in a Riverside RC 2x one summer morning. That picture that would become quite popular around Cambridge and you can still buy postcards with the photo on it in Harvard Square today (see below).
In the 1990s, my company sent me to London to open a European operation for them and we eventually settled in Marlow, home of Sir Steve Redgrave and hallowed rowing heritage. After more than a decade off the water, I started gently with some recreational paddling, and as soon as our children were old enough to pull a blade and I was taking them on outings (see photo above).
When our son entered Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School, it had a small programme run out of the Marlow rowing club. I stepped forward to help out with the coaching load and ended up Chairing the support group for a decade. During that period, the programme grew from 34 to 149 athletes, and Borlase was the top ranked State school in the country (in the Nat Schools medal table). In 2014, the new Marlow Rowing Club was rebuilt and they made a major investment in accessibility to host adaptive rowing. I volunteered to be the Coach and Coordinator.
As we built the programme, we have spearheaded a number of initiatives and innovations which will be provide much material for this site. I have also joined the British Adaptive Rowing Advisory Board and the Adaptive Rowing Working Group which are working to promote and develop the sport. Hopefully, this website will provide a useful resource to help that objective.