Athlete Spotlight

Riley Peters

Sophomore at Whitefish Bay High School

When/Why I began rowing:

I began rowing my freshman year. My mom had heard about Learn to Row and signed me up along with one of my good friends Grace. She was in an earlier learn to row so I asked if she enjoyed it. She raved about how fun rowing was which got me excited for my session of Learn to Row. Since then, I have dropped all my other sports and have fell in love with rowing.

Favorite workout:

We do so many different workouts day to day, therefore practice is never boring, but I have two favorite workouts for on the water. As far as a steady state workout, I loved one of Roger's most recent workouts which was the 75% then 100% pressure as the number of strokes increased by ten. It was something that I had never done before and enabled us to give it our all on each stroke. For high rate pieces I really enjoy some type of time pyramid or 6x2min plus 4x1min. It pushes us to get more distance on each piece and is one of my favorite preps for a 2k.

Favorite aspect of rowing:

For me I love completing a workout and having a really good piece. The feeling of accomplishing something that we work everyday towards and the positivity that everyone has after finishing a well rowed piece. These are the best aspects of rowing and why I am passionate about the sport.

Favorite rowing season:

My favorite season is spring season. There is nothing like sitting at the start line and the intensity build up to when the officials drop the flag to start the race. Racing at higher rates shows us how hard we have to practice and work but eventually that hard work pays off. Also, I enjoy the race courses that we go to and getting to race against a bunch of other crews.

What motivates you to work hard:

My coaches really motivate me to work hard as well as my teammates. I am a very competitive person and always want to do my best and both my coaches and team members are always there for me to help me accomplish that. I look to older girls, girls that have more experience then me, and girls who are better then me as people to motivate me and as a way to set goals for myself. Overall, the positivity of the team, especially from the novice girls who show up with smiles on there faces everyday, really motivate me to work hard.

Favorite race:

By far, my favorite race is Midwest Championship in Cincinnati, Ohio. The race course is beautiful but the atmosphere is slightly overwhelming initially. There are so many different crews that race there and it gives the team a great chance of racing multiple times, which I find to be a great experience. The competition is intense and the race itself is what we train for all year. Overall Midwest Championship really teaches us to give it our all in one race and if we do that it is very rewarding.

Athlete Spotlight

Paul Boechler

Senior at Shorewood High School

When/Why began rowing:

I began rowing the summer after my sophomore year. I started rowing because it seemed like a good fit for my height, plus It seemed like a unique sport unlike many school athletics. I also knew a few rowers at my school who urged me to give it a try.

Favorite workout:

To be honest I enjoy any day out on the water. But if I had to choose, it would probably be long steady state up the inner harbor, back down then up the Menomonee, then finally back to the boathouse. I feel like this helps the team build endurance strength but also with boat feel and technique.  

Favorite aspect of rowing:

My favorite aspect about rowing is definitely the mental discipline. Everyday I leave practice more physically and mentally tough than before. But the mental toughness is something that not only helps you succeed as an athlete, but also succeed outside of practice.

Favorite rowing season & why:

Spring is by far my favorite season because of the teams high energy. After sitting through a long hard/tiring day of school, practice livens you back up. I also love this season because racing is more intense than anything else I’ve ever experienced.

What motivates you to work hard?

I would say that I am a competitive athlete, and I work hard because I know that on race day it will all pay off. I also demand improvement from myself daily, which I can do because I have awesome teammates and coaches to push me to my max everyday.

Favorite race & why:

Personally I don’t have a “favorite” race. I enjoy every regatta because it gives my teammates and I a chance to do better than the last race.

Interests/hobbies outside of practice:

Outside of practice I mountain bike, longboard, aggressive skate, graphic design, play guitar, play sports, go hiking, and hang out in the outdoors.

Interesting fact about yourself:

I have five sibling, I lived in Panama for a year (Central America), I grew up on a farm.

Favorite quote:

“There are two types of Pain in this world: Pain that hurts you, and Pain that changes you!”

Athlete Spotlight

Grace D'Souza

Sophomore at Whitefish Bay High School 

When/Why began rowing:

Since I was younger, people always noted my height and told me I would be a natural rower. I also love to be on and around water, so rowing seemed like a perfect fit. In the summer of 2013 I decided to try Learn to Row, just to see how I liked the sport. 

Favorite workout:

My favorite workout on the erg is 1000m to 100m (even though I complain every time we do it) and on the water I like to do the Lake Washington Pyramid. I like both of these workouts because they over prepare you for a 2000m race, making it seem less difficult in comparison. These workouts also require you to exert 100% of your energy for a long period of time; it makes the boat tougher.

Future plans:

While on my team, my goal is for us to qualify for Junior Nationals at least one more time. Additionally, I would really enjoy rowing for a school in college. 

Favorite aspect of rowing:

My favorite aspect of rowing is that everyday you discover something new about yourself. You push yourself to a new limit, challenge your mental strength, or learn something about your character. Everyday is something new and I think thats something unique to rowing. 

Favorite rowing season & why:

My favorite season of rowing is Spring season. I love the competitive atmosphere, 2000m races, and the opportunity to race at Midwest. 

What motivates you to work hard?

My teammates motivate me everyday. I work hard to improve myself so that we can succeed as a team. I'm so lucky to have such a strong group of girls motivating me to be the best I can.

Favorite race & why:

Head of the Charles is my favorite race because we are surrounded by elite rowing programs from around the country, and masters from all over. I love the city of Boston and seeing the enthusiasm the people have for rowing. Most importantly, the race course is beautiful and fun to row on.

Interests/hobbies outside of practice:

In addition to rowing, I play varsity tennis and varsity ski race with my school.

Proudest accomplishment in your life so far:

My proudest accomplishment thus far has been placing 13th at Junior Nationals in the Lightweight 4+. Seeing how far I came in just one year of rowing was an incredible transformation for me. I'm also extremely proud to have represented our club on a National level.

Favorite quote:

 “What mattered more than how hard a man rowed was how well everything he did in the boat harmonized with what the other fellows were doing. And a man couldn’t harmonize with his crewmates unless he opened his heart to them. He had to care about his crew.” Daniel James Brown, The Boys in the Boat

Athlete Spotlight

Tommy Ferrara

Junior at University School of Milwaukee

When/Why began rowing:

I began rowing the summer after Freshman year. I was good friends with James Lueken freshman year through hockey, and he talked about rowing during our car rides from hockey and school, so that got me interested in joining. Also, my sister was a coxswain on the team and loved it.

Favorite workout:

Lake Washington pyramid is one of my favorites. It starts off easy and then gets really hard, forcing your boat to work together and push each other every piece.

Future plans:

Hopefully get the chance to rage at Nationals with the boys.

Favorite aspect of rowing:

I love the team aspect of rowing and how close everyone becomes on the team. It is fun to have another group of good friends outside of school.

Favorite race & why:

My favorite race was the 2013 Head of the Charles. This is my favorite because I was a novice, and experience my first Head of the Charles with my sister being my coxswain. Also the energy in the environment of the race is incomparable to any other race. Another favorite race of mine was my first ever race in Chicago when Brad Wolff and I raced in boxers, both forgetting trou.

Who is your role model & why:

My role model for rowing is definitely coach Peter Helfer because of his ability to row at one of the nation's top collegiate rowing teams, while being a smaller guy like myself. This pushes and shows me that it is possible to do even though many say you have to be a huge guy to row in college.

Interesting fact about yourself:

I love clothing and have a lot of it. Especially Vineyard Vines #whaleup. I also enjoying hanging out with Cole Wirth and Peter Helfer on the weekends.

Favorite quote:

“Life is one grand, sweet song, so start the music.” - Ronald Reagan

Spotlight Athlete

Peter Ullrich

Senior at Marquette High School

When/Why began rowing:

My parents brought me to watch the River Challenge one year because they have friends in the masters program, and after watching the regatta I thought it was such a cool sport that seemed very appealing.

Favorite workout:

This might sound crazy, but I love the Pumpkin Pain Train (4k erg, 2 mile run, 10 hills). It's definitely not easy but it was just a really competitive overall fitness test that was really rewarding.

Future plans:

I'm attending UW-Madison next year, and still deciding if I am going to try to walk on to the team. 

Favorite aspect of rowing:

When you can get that perfect unison among everyone in the boat, there's nothing better. 

Favorite rowing season & why:

I love summer because when we are finishing a 3 hour practice, most people are just waking up, so the whole day feels really fulfilled. Also the regattas are pretty casual and fun to be a part of. 

What motivates you to work hard?

It's always the guys who are the team that push me the hardest. I wouldn't be half the rower I am today without my teammates.

Favorite race & why:

It would be a little cliche to say Head of the Charles, so I'll go with Midwest championships. It's just riled

Interests/hobbies outside of practice:  

Skiing (downhill and cross country), playing instruments (guitar, ukulele, harmonica), and sports.

Proudest accomplishment in your life so far:

When it comes to rowing, it was FOR SURE making the 4+ at HOCR. It was basically 3 weeks of intense competition between the three ports, and I was very humbled to be finally chosen to be in the boat. Big shoutout to Spencer Gaseoweriwuoieski and Tommy Ferrara for pushing me in those crazy few weeks. 

Who is your role model & why:

After reading Boys in the Boat, Joe Rantz has been so inspirational and motivational in my efforts to improve as a rower because of all the hardships he went through to make the olympic gold medal boat in 1936. 

Interesting fact about yourself:

I love lamps

Favorite quote:

I love lamp -Brick Tamland