For Stars Podcast

On this week’s episode of the For Stars Podcast, Hudson brings on Head Coach of Penn Heavyweight Rowing, Al Monte, a man who lives and breathes Philadelphia. Entering his third season this year with the Quakers, Al is back in the boathouse and ready to take on this next year. Hudson and Al discuss the 2023-2024 season where the team went neck and neck with Northeastern, inches apart from one another at the IRA National Championship closing in with nearly the same time to end the year. Al calls it somewhat of a rivalry, so we shall see ho...

On this week’s episode of the For Stars Podcast, Hudson brings on Head Coach of Princeton Heavyweight Rowing, Greg Hughes, a staple in collegiate men’s rowing. Entering his 16th season this year, Greg is ready to get back in the coaching launch and drive his team to another amazing season. Hudson and Greg discuss the 2023-2024 season where the team went undefeated in the regular season, and the unbelievable race at the Eastern Sprints that lead up to the IRA National Championship in New Jersey. The two talk about recruiting, land training, facilities, erging in the winter, the...

Welcome everyone to Episode 100 of the For Stars Podcast, where we bring you an individual who has impacted the lives of countless student-athletes, Jake Coert, Former Head Coach of Channel Islands Rowing Club, a junior rowing program nestled in Southern California. Hudson was under the tutelage of Jake in his early years as a coxswain, and only felt that it was right to bring on the coach that changed his life forever.

Jake was a rower on the 2012 US Junior National Team before making his way over to row at Cal. He spent time coaching the Men’s...

There are very few people in this sport that continuously impact the lives around them, and fortunately, Hudson was able to speak with an icon in American Rowing, Mr. Bryan Volpenhein. The 10-time National team member, Bryan rowed the US Men's 8+ to two medals at the Olympics. Alongside his boatmates, Volp broke records like no other. He stroked the US Men's 8+ to a Gold Medal in 2004, while breaking a world-record time, and Team USA Rowing's first Gold Medal in nearly 40 years. His boat in 2008, got Bronze at the Summer Olympic Games, with an ambition to get back on the...

Welcome everyone to another episode of the For Stars Podcast, featuring Head Coach of Harvard Men’s Lightweight Rowing, Billy Boyce. Coming off of an undefeated dual season, winning the Eastern Sprints and the IRA National Championship, the H150’s made history this past season. 

Boyce shares his testimony with Hudson on what went into the season, his overall method to excellence and recruiting athletes to join the Crimson, managing a college lightweight rowing team, recent renovations to the historic “Newell Boathouse” home to the Men’s Heavyweight & Lightweight teams, and the excitement for what’s in store for the...

Welcome everyone to another episode of the For Stars Podcast, featuring Tim McLaren, Australian Sports Hall of Fame Olympic Coach and Director of UTS Haberfield, which became one of Australia's most successful clubs. A seasoned veteran of over 35 years in the coaching launch, Tim gives us a taste of what it means to coach a crew at the highest level in the sport. Hudson and Tim chat about the National Team system in both Australia and the United States, and what goes into running high performance clubs. In 1998, he was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for his work...

Welcome everyone to another episode of the For Stars Podcast, featuring Head Coach of Boston Men's Rowing, Tom Bohrer. In his 16th year at the helm of the program, Tom has significantly made an impact on the BU squad and the sport of rowing in general. The Former US National Team Rower competed at three World Championships and is a two-time Silver Medalist in the Men's 4- at the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games. 

Bohrer brings an insight into what it means to row for the Terrier men's program and why he is still coaching the squad to this d...

Welcome everyone to another episode of the For Stars Podcast featuring Dr. Michael Toon, a Bronze Medalist at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, coxing the Australian Men’s Eight.

Hudson and Mike touch on what it is like to compete at an elite level, and the daily life of an athlete training for the Olympics. Mike shared some helpful advice and tips to improve in the coxswain seat, and what really matters. He also shared some more information about the atmosphere when he was coxing the Australian National Team, and the relationship he had with legendary ro...

Welcome everyone to another episode of the For Stars Podcast, featuring Head Coach of Holy Cross Men's Rowing, Jim Barr, in his ninth year at the helm of the program. Hudson and Jim discuss the current climate of men's collegiate rowing, student-athlete development, power of team culture, recruiting the person as oppose to the fastest erg score, the facilities offered to the student-athletes, and pursuit of academics over athletics. Jim touches on the influence of Jim Harbaugh and a quote that keeps him going as a rowing coach, as well as answering Hudson's theory of college coaches in the...

One week out from the 2024 San Diego Crew Classic, and we bring you another episode here at FSP, featuring the Head Coach of Notre Dame Women's Rowing, Martin Stone, a coach for the Fighting Irish since 1997.

Hudson and Martin cover the prep for SDCC, events that happened last year at the event, and outlook for this year, along with the recent changes with conference realignment, and how he sees Cal, SMU, and Stanford being three great teams to compete against starting in the Fall throughout the season on a conference level, leading up into NCAA's. Stone has...

Spring is here, and so is another FSP episode, featuring the new Head Coach of SMU Women's Rowing, Chase Graham. The former Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator of the Duke Blue Devils made his way over to the Hilltop in July of 2023, where he now sits at the helm of the program coaching the Mustangs in Dallas, Texas.

Hudson and Chase elaborate more on the move from North Carolina to Texas and recent changes with conference realignment, and how he sees the role that SMU will play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, better known as the "...

From Mic’d Up in the Erg Room to the podcast, Head Coach of Syracuse Women’s Rowing, Luke McGee, joins us here at the For Stars Podcast for some fun. 

To close out the month of February, Hudson & Luke dive into the upcoming spring season, going over conference realignment and the three new powerhouses (Cal, SMU & Stanford) being added to the ACC next fall. We talk all things Syracuse Women’s Rowing, answering a plethora of recruitment questions, going over how imperative strong team culture means to a squad, touching on the static and dynamic erg, and ult...

As we approach the tail-end of the month of February, we bring you an episode with the Head Coach of Dartmouth Men’s Lightweight Rowing, Trevor Michelson, who is also apart of the coaching staff for the United States Under-23 Men’s Sweep Group. 

Hudson & Trevor get into several topics surrounding the team, overall team culture, recruitment for lightweight rowing, and the unfortunate cut of the program several years ago. Be sure to tune into this episode, especially if you are passionate about lightweight men’s rowing at the D1 level and the upcoming season for the D150’s...

On this week's podcast we bring you the Co-Founder of AllMarkOne, Rory Cruickshank, former coxswain at Oxford Brookes University. We touch on the overall backstory behind the brand and taking the lessons learned from rowing into the inner workings of running a business. Rory's impact on UK Rowing has been monumental through creating more exposure (no pun intended) in his team's photography and media content as a whole. 

Cruickshank made his way through the Oxford Brookes Men's circuit (2018-2021) and coxed his crews at some of the largest regattas in the world, coming on top during his l...

All eight, sit ready… ROW! A call you may hear from one in the 9th seat. Hudson decided to bring on one of the best and most successful coxswains in the history of American Rowing, Mary Whipple! 

On this week’s episode on For Stars Podcast, we dive deep into the connection one has with their crew, taking the lessons you learn from crew into your family life and the workforce, but most important, truly loving what the sport has to offer to it’s participants, and fighting for what you want both in sports and ordinary life. <...

A little over 26 weeks away from the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Hudson sat down with Mike Grady, a 2020 Tokyo Olympian competing on the US National Team.

Grady graduated from Cornell University in 2019, where he rowed under Todd Kennett ‘91, on the Men’s Heavyweight team. The connection that he shares with his teammates is evident when surrounded by each other… brotherhood, as some coin it. Nonetheless, the bonds he has created with the guys that he’s been able to row with along the years, whether that be at Central Catholic, Cornell, the U19, U23, and even Senior National Team, is...

Two years of FSP, and we want to wish you all a Happy New Year! 2024 is going to be filled with exciting content and expansion! On today's episode, Hudson brings on Head Coach of Cornell Men's Heavyweight Rowing, Todd Kennett '91. Coach Kennett, currently in Orlando on his team's Winter Training Trip, dives deep into recruiting and scouting talent along with the search for coxswains, along with reminiscing on the talent of athletes he has coached, even assembling a roster of guys who could assemble an exceptional eight! We answer the questions from the supporters in our Q&A...

Embarking on another episode here at For Stars Podcast, we bring you an insightful pod featuring USRowing's Chief High Performance Officer, Josy Verdonkschot, a highly-touted rowing coach leading boats to Gold on the Olympic stage. Starting coaching in 1987, Josy grew up in the Netherlands, but came to the United States in 2022, working full-time for USRowing. He oversees all of the high performance clubs such as, California Rowing Club (CRC), Princeton Training Center, and all others in the US, even including the Under-19 and Under-23 National Teams.

Hudson & Josy discuss several topics, including the rowing stroke, current role...

Head Coach of the Lady Vols, Kim Cupini, joins us here at For Stars Podcast. In her first year of coaching the Tennessee Volunteers, Cupini and her supportive coaching staff, took the Fall 2023 season to "amp up the volume" and focus on bringing all of the athletes together as one. 

Cupini is well-suited to lead the Lady Vols, being arguably one of the most decorated coaches in collegiate rowing. Spending over twelve years coaching the Toreros at the University of San Diego, ten as the Head Coach, she developed the women so much that prior to her c...

A fighter - that would be name for Dr. James Clark, a Washington native who spends his time breaking the barrier and defeating the odds day in and day out. Clark, a graduate and professor at the University of Washington, who was a member of the Men's Rowing Team on Carnegie Lake, took on the challenge of competing with the most historical and well-known crew team located in the Pacific Northwest. A large Power-5 conference school in the PAC-12, the UW is known for excellence both on and off the water. James was and still remains to be a...

Getting to a certain point in your life, you realize the gifts that are offered to you along the way, and for Porter Collins, rowing was one of them. The three-time World Champion, two-time Olympian (1996 & 2000), 1994 Henley Royal Regatta Champ, Eastern Sprints & IRA National Champion, Collins cemented himself as a significant, generational talent in United States Rowing. A 1998 Brown University Graduate, Porter was apart of undisputedly, the best freshman class in the history of men's collegiate rowing.

A rower in the Mike Teti National Team Era, Porter learned first hand what real work ethic and passion looks like...

For Stars Podcast brings you an insight into Syracuse Men's Rowing, featuring longtime Head Coach, Mr. Dave Reischman. Hudson and Dave dive deep into what it takes to "have the juice" in order to be a Division 1 Rowing team, discussing team culture, structure, and most importantly, having fun. A monumental figure within collegiate rowing, Reischman's high regard amongst his peers is worthy to note, so Hudson made sure to highlight the man at the helm of the Orange, entering his 22nd year as Head Coach.

Dave started rowing at Gonzaga University during his junior year of college...

What gives chicken wings the flavor… the sauce, well good for you, Hudson made sure he brought some extra! With Head of the Charles approaching in a few days, FSP brings you the one and only Philly native, Mr. Pete “Cipp” Cipollone, 2004 Men’s 8+ Olympic Gold Medalist Coxswain, and ‘97, ‘98, ‘99 World Champion.

Pete attended St. Joseph’s Prep for his high school years, and later on graduated from Cal Berkeley. An avid 9th seat, Cipp was apart of the most iconic and legendary eras of United States Rowing, coining him to be one of the greatest coxswains of all time. After...

Go Bruno All Day, Everyday! Featured on FSP is the one and only, Mr. Paul Cooke ‘89 from the esteemed Brown University, Head Coach of the Men’s Crew team for over 30 years! Paul does a great job of creating a solid team culture bringing in the right people for the job at hand.

We discuss topics such as how to establish competitiveness within a program, resources for mental health of athletes, well-known Brown alumni, our new addition of FSP supporters submitting questions for Coach Paul, influence of Great Britain coaches on the staff, how useful social media can...

Welcome everyone to another episode featuring Head Coaches around the world, where this week we get an opportunity to hear from, Mr. John Graves, current Head Coach of Dartmouth Women’s Rowing and former Associate Head Coach of the Men’s Heavyweight team. An avid rower from a well-known family in crew, John (the youngest of three) reflects on his time rowing in college at Trinity, following up on the legacy left by his relatives and the impact his brother Peter made on the program (Olympian & Head Coach of Trinity Women’s Rowing) & Tom (Current Head Coach of Long Beach...

Another episode of the For Stars Podcast is here, and today we are proud to bring you a solid episode featuring the Head Coach of Harvard Radcliffe Women's Crew, Ms. Claire Ochal. This Crimson Coach is a Massachusetts Native, walking on to row for Boston University on their Women's Rowing team in 2008, graduating from BU in 2012, impacting the program on a positive note. Attending Graduate School at Temple University, Ochal coached the Owls Women's Rowing team as a Graduate Assistant, as her first introduction to coaching a Division 1 Crew team, learning the fundamentals. Coming down to California, Ochal coached...

Welcome everyone to another episode of the For Stars Podcast, featuring Director of Rowing for the US Naval Academy, Mr. Robert Friedrich, who also stands at the helm of the Men’s Heavyweight program as Head Coach. Friedrich attended Rutgers University, while rowing for the Men’s Rowing team, and spent sometime rowing on the US National Team, figuring out along the way that he was destined to be a collegiate rowing coach. 

In this episode we talk all Navy-rowing-related questions and topics, with our addition of the “Q&A”, and getting to know more about what it means...

Welcome everyone to another episode featuring the "Man of the Hour" and arguably the most comedic Head Coach in the history of rowing, Mr. Chris Clark, Director of Rowing at the University of Wisconsin. The former Head Coach of the Badgers Men's Rowing Team, Clark cemented himself as a legend in the rowing world. His overall demeanor, way of communicating and being to the point, is unlike any other. This man has absolutely no fear. 

A man of dignity, Coach Clark emphasizes the importance of team culture, the brute force of power needed to propel a rowing s...

Welcome everyone to another episode of the For Stars Podcast, featuring Head Coach of Rutgers Women's Rowing, Mr. Justin Price. This episode entails all of the characteristics involved within running a NCAA Division 1 crew team, and how he as a coach aims to influence his athletes in a positive manner. Price resembles one who genuinely cares about the overall health of the athlete, and being a great teammate to one another to not only advance the team, but the betterment of the individual in all avenues while at Rutgers and graduating from the university.

Price spent his...

Welcome to another episode of the For Stars Podcast, where we have the privilege of speaking to a Future Hall of Fame Rowing Coach, the highly-esteemed, Mr. Dave O'Neill of Texas Women's Rowing. It was about time that we had the Seven-Time Big 12 Coach of the Year, 2022 USRowing Man of the Year, 2022 Rowing News Coach of the Year, and '21 & '22 NCAA National Championship Head Coach along with Five-Time CRCA National Coach of the Year, with a plethora of other accomplishments and award recognitions... O'Neill cemented himself as an icon in this sport.

After speaking with newly...

Welcome to another episode of the For Stars Podcast, where we have the absolute pleasure of speaking to the Head Coach of UCLA Women's Rowing, Mr. Previn Chandraratna. After speaking to the 9th seats of the squad during their season last year, we were able to get an idea for how the coxswains impact the program and aim for improvement, but most of all how much they love their teammates and university. The Bruins are up for an exciting season after the PAC-12 Conference released that they will be joining the Big 10 Conference for the upcoming 2023-2024 athletic year...

Welcome everyone to another episode of the For Stars Podcast, where today we hear from Southern California rower, 10-Time US National Team Member, and well-known sports filmmaker, Nick Trojan. We talk about his impact on Long Beach Junior Crew, the United States National Team, rowing at seven World Championships, and even spending a year rowing with Orange Coast College (the only junior college in America to have a competitive rowing team). Nick has always loved visual arts, even dating back to high school, so when he decided to take sports filmmaking to the next level, passion took over... and...

Welcome to another episode of the For Stars Podcast, where we hear from Olympic Gold Medalist ’04, Beau Hoopman (Wisconsin Rowing ’03) & Assistant Coach of Wisconsin Men's Rowing. Coach Hoopman is an established men's collegiate rowing coach, coaching the Badgers for going on 12 years. Former US National Team member (2001-2009), National Rowing & Wisconsin Athletics Hall of Fame athlete, Hoopman won two Olympic medals (Gold in 2004 & Bronze in 2008). Beau was not a recruited athlete out of high school, but a walk-on freshman found at Wisconsin’s Freshman Year Orientation referred to as, “SOAR”. Beau was captain of the Badgers and helped lead the Badger...

Welcome everyone to another episode featuring Maritime Rowing Club's Hall of Fame athlete, Mr. Will Legenzowski, of USRowing & Brown Men's Crew '23. Will, also known to his peers as "Leggo" continues to inspire a fleet of athletes dreaming about getting to the highest level in rowing, and just know that this podcast won't be the last time you will hear from Will... we have some things cookin'!! Legenzowski, hails from "The Big Apple" where he attended New Canaan High School while rowing for their crew team, but decided it was time to travel to Connecticut to compete with Maritime...

Welcome everyone to another episode of the For Stars Podcast, featuring the Head Coach of Oregon State Men's Rowing, Gabe Winkler, who has made a lasting impact not only on the Beavers program but the US National Team as well. From graduating Cornell University and rowing on the Big Red's Lightweight Men's Rowing team, and then coaching the Scarlett Knights' Men's Rowing team at Rutgers University, Winkler emphasizes the power of creating a strong, healthy team culture wherever he goes. 

On today's episode, we talk about the true embodiment of rowing at Oregon State, the #1 college town i...

After a month's absence without podcasts, please welcome another episode of the For Stars Podcast, where we hear from legendary and highly accomplished rowing coach, Will Porter, Head Coach of Yale Women's Crew. Coach Porter has been coaching the Bulldogs for going on 26 years, being at the helm of the program for quite some time. Former US National Team member and Rutgers Men's Rower, Porter mixes his love for rowing and value of what it means to be a family into his coaching style creating the ultimate group of athletes and true teammates, bringing in the right people for...

Welcome everyone to another episode of the For Stars Podcast, where today we feature the ultimate rowing team, at the University of Texas-Austin, the two-time consecutive NCAA D1 Rowing National Champions, with an abundant of athletes competing for World Championships, a good amount winning as well! We here at FSP, have featured a plethora of athletes at Texas Rowing, but today we got to hear from Anna Jensen, Sammie Schalk, Sophie Calabrese, and Etta Carpender!

On this episode, we talk about Texas' winning streak for the past couple of years, recent races against Princeton & Yale, goals and...

Welcome everyone to another episode of the For Stars Podcast, where today we feature Jack Burns, a rowing coach out of Scotland! This podcast has been in the works for quite some time, and we finally got some time to talk shop about ALL THINGS Jack Burns... from what rowing means to him and going back to rowing for Great Britain.

Although there were a plethora of positives for being apart of the GB Rowing National Team, Jack felt it was out of his best interest to part ways from the organization, and so today, we speak...

Welcome everyone to another episode of the For Stars Podcast, where today we bring you the infamous and well-known rowing coach, Mr. Casey Galvanek (Head Coach of Sarasota Crew & the USA Junior National Team)! It was only right that we had this episode drop a week after one of his upper-echelon and top apprentices, Clark Dean, was featured! We talk today about a plethora of topics revolving around United States Rowing, in particular, the youth scene, as well as his entire journey coaching at one of the most premier rowing clubs in the world, Sarasota Crew, home of over 200+...

Many of you may or may not have heard of a man by the name of Clark Dean, the 6'5" USA Olympian and Harvard Men's Heavyweight from the town of Sarasota, Florida. Well, fortunate for you, and here at the For Stars Podcast, we got him spotlighted, talking about United States Rowing as a whole both at the junior, collegiate, and olympic level. Clark has made a lasting impact on the past, present, and future of the USA with his intellect and skill in the rowing shell. 

During his 8th grade year (2014), Clark took his first challenge i...