Episode 118 | Kate Bertko: From Heavyweight to Lightweight

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In Episode #118 of the LEO Training Podcast, the 5th and final interview of the lightweight rowing podcast series I interview Stanford Women's Lightweight Coach, Kate Bertko.

In the previous episode we heard from Peter Antonie who went from competing as a lightweight to competing as a heavyweight. Kate will be sharing her rowing career and how she transitioned from a heavyweight to a lightweight and having outstanding success in both weight classes.

Kate took her experience from her athletic career and has immediately translated that to success on the coaching front with the Stanford Women’s Lightweight Rowing program with three consecutive titles at the IRA National Championship at the helm.

Interview Topics:

Part 1 - Athletic Career | Heavyweight to Lightweight

• You graduated from Princeton University in 2006 and started your career on the national team as a heavyweight and later transitioned to a lightweight.
• You graduated two years out from the Beijing Olympics. What was the transition like going from Princeton University to the US National Team? What was your focus on in those first few years?
• In 2009, from your results on USRowing and World Rowing you appeared to be competing in sculling and sweep events. What’s the back story behind World Cup III in 2009 at Lucerne, you competed in the W8+ and W4x, getting 2nd in the eight and a later that summer at the World Championships took a Silver Medal in the Women’s 4x?
• Leading up to the 2012 Olympics you were focusing primarily in the heavyweight sculling boats, both the W4x and W2x. 
• What led you to your decision to move from the openweight category to a lightweight?
• How did you make the change in terms of training, sleep, diet/nutrition?
  • How much weight did you have to drop in total?
  • How did this effect your performance?
• In the next quadrennium your focus was solely on competing as a lightweight.
  • You rowed the LW2x with Kristin Hedstrom which resulted in a silver medal at the 2013 World Championships. What was that that year like? 
  • In 2014 and 2015 you rowed in the LW1x earning a bronze medal at the World Championships
  • In 2016 competed at Rio Olympic Games in LW2x with Devery Karz

Part 2 - Coaching Career | Stanford, USA W2x

• Retired after Rio and promptly named head coach of the Cardinal Lightweight Women on Sept 9, 2016.
• In your first two seasons, you have won the IRA National Championship in the Lightweight Women’s 8+.
• What are some of the biggest changes and adjustments you had to make going from an athlete to a head coach?
• What are some of the aspects of the culture you have tried to create at Stanford from your international experience?
• Would you discuss your work coaching the Women’s 2x of Meghan O’ Leary and Ellen Tomek? You and Sarah Trowbridge are coaching the W2x. How did that come to be and what’s that experience been like in conjunction with your head coaching responsibilities?

Extra | Training Recommendations | To be used

• What’s your top technical tip/drill for a rower?
• Favorite session on the erg? Water?
• 2K PR?
• Injuries/Medical : Atrial fibrilation, emergency abdominal surgery
• What type of training session do you recommend an athlete do for continued development?
• Best advice to make weight?
• If you were consulting with FISA and the IOC what would be your recommendation to keep lightweight rowing in the sport?
• How does rowing need to continue to progress and evolve past the 2020 Tokyo Games?

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Show Notes:

• The Road to Rio: Bertko ’06 Prepares for an Olympic Debut 10 Years in the Making
• Stanford Profile
• Five Straight Titles for Stanford Lightweight Women 

Episode 117 | Peter Antonie: From Lightweight to Heavyweight

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In Episode #117 of the LEO Training Podcast, I interview Thomas Keller Medal and Olympic Champion in the Men's Double Scull and Lightweight World Champion, Peter Antonie.

First, I want to thank my friend Dan Garbutt for first telling me about Peter Antonie and for Drew Ginn for helping me connect with Peter to make this interview happen.

Peter Antonie’s rowing career spanned 24 years. In that time he won a world championship in the lightweight men’s single in 1986 and in 1992 along with Stephen Hawkins took the Olympic Gold Medal in the Men’s Heavyweight Double at the Barcelona Olympics. A lightweight athlete who won at the highest level in both weight classes in rowing.

Interview Topics:

Part 1 - How you go started in rowing and career

• Earliest result was 1977 in LM4- (Silver at World Championships)
• 1986 LM1x World Champion
• 1987 World Championships - Result was 5th but I checked the time stamps and you were in 1st for the first 1500 meters.
• 1988 Seoul Olympics Heavyweight Men’s 4x
• 1989 and 1990 | M2x finished 4th and 3rd respectively
• 1991 in Heavyweight Men’s 1x finished 4th against Thomas Langer of Germany
• 1992 Barcelona Olympics Gold in the M2x

Part 2 - State of Lightweight Rowing Currently

• Potentially up for removal
• Latest FISA News | http://www.worldrowing.com/news/fisa-council-meeting-decisions-february-2019?fbclid=IwAR3I5oWwWAHWP152bmSPrzYypCBnJoLz0voPBWqQCbj1nvm_Bn9lI4uISz4
• What would you say to FISA and the IOC?
• What would be your suggestions to keep lightweight rowing as it is but still move the sport forward and help it continue to grow and expand.

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Show Notes:

• Wikipedia
• World Rowing Profile
• Thomas Keller Medal Write Up
• Rowing still holds attraction for Olympic Gold Medallist Peter Antonie
• 1986 LM1x Race
• Barcelona Olympics 1992 M2x
• FISA Council Decisions
• Out of his Shell

In Episode #116 of the LEO Training Podcast, I interview world record holder and entrepreneur Juliane Rasmussen.

The third interview in our lightweight series is with Juliane Rasmussen. Juliane has a long and storied career and has competed in four olympic games beginning in Athens and through to the Rio Olympic Games. She has earned multiple medals at world cups and world championships in the lightweight women’s double and lightweight women’s quad.

Juliane and I discuss her consistent success over so many years while starting a family as well as entrepreneurial endeavors with a company she co-founded,  Athletes Own.

Photo Credit: Büro Jantzen

Interview Topics:

• Started rowing in 1999
• How did you start?
• Rowed until 2012 Olympics then 3 year break
• How did you manage training around family and work?
• Set the Lightweight Women’s 2K Record this past Sunday at Crash B’s on Sunday Feb 17th, 2019 with a 7:05.3
• Culture | A lot of clubs not popular at university/college level.
• If you could race another boat class other than the LW2x, what would it be and why?
• If you could row with any rowing athletes from any era and in any boat class who would you pick and why?
• What solutions would you propose to FISA to keep lightweight rowing beyond the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games?
• What is Area 9?
• Tell us about the clothing company that you and your wife created and why.

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Show Notes:

• World Rowing Profile
• Athletes Own
• Area 9

In Episode #115 of the LEO Training Podcast, I interview my friend Mads Rasmussen, Olympic Champion in the LM2x.

In this interview Mads will share the insights of his career in high performance sport all while going through medical school, getting married, and starting a family. If you are looking for insight into how to excel in both sport and life you will enjoy this episode.

Interview Topics:

Part 1 - Becoming a Champion

• How did your athletic career begin? What sports did you begin your career with?
• When we were in Avis, this past spring you told me that when you were a young boy knew you wanted to be a world champion. You didn’t necessarily know what sport - yet but knew you wanted to be the best at something. What drove you at such an early age to have this goal?
• How did you come into the sport of rowing?
• You began competing in the LM2x at the Junior World Championships in 1998 and continued competing all the way through the Rio Olympic Games. An 18 year career competing at the international level that resulted in 2 Bronze Medals, 1 Silver Medal, and 2 Golds at the World Championships and a Bronze Medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and a Gold Medal at the 2012 London Olympics.  Please take us through your journey and experiences leading up to each Olympic Games and the years in between.
• Let’s discuss some of the successes you had between 2004-2008 and what lessons you and the team learned in the lead up to Beijing that effected the training. ( I recall you saying there were some injuries for Rasmus and you were both quite tired with the additional training load.)
• Not many people know this but you were in medical school while training as an elite level rower. Your doubles partner Rasmus Quist was a full time plumber while he was training. What year did you enter medical school during your international career? How many years were you in medical school while you were training and competing?
• How many sessions a day did you train? How many during camps? How did you balance training with a professional career, personal life, and family while also being a high performance athlete?
•  

Part 2 - Reflections on sport and current projects

• If you could race another boat class other than the LM2x, what would it be and why?
• If you could row with any rowing athletes from any era and in any boat class who would you pick and why?
• What solutions would you propose to FISA to keep lightweight rowing beyond the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games?
• Let’s discuss your article “deterioration in lung function over time, in former national team rowers” or pre-ischemiac on limbs.
• What is Area 9?
• Tell us about the clothing company that you and your wife created and why.

Extra | Training Recommendations | To be used

• What’s your top technical tip for a rower?
• What type of training session do you recommend an athlete do for continued development?
• Best advice to make weight?

Share your thoughts with me on social media:

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Facebook

Show Notes:

• • World Rowing Profile
  • Instagram
  • Area 9
  • Athletes Own

In Episode #114 of the LEO Training Podcast, I interview triple olympic gold medalist Eskild Ebbessen.

Eskild Ebessen won three olympic gold medals, 2 bronze medals, 6x world champion, and 19 world cup gold medals. In 2013 he was awarded the Thomas Keller Medal by World Rowing and named to the Danish Sports Hall of Fame in January 2017.

This interview will take you through Eskild’s career and how he continued to find speed. Enjoy the show!

Interview Topics:

• How you go started in rowing and career
  • Earliest result was 1990 Junior Worlds. How did you begin rowing? I watched your 2012 interview with World Rowing and you said you rowed at a club for 2 years before you competed and it started off as a social endeavor. Were you just trying to make friends?
  • You said it was a “natural choice”
  • Lead up from 1992-1996 Atlanta Olympics.
  • 97-99 World Champions and in 2000 Sydney Olympics Paulson had a knee injury.
  • 2004 - Starboard stroked LM4-
    • Retired after Athens but returns in 2007?
  • 2008 - Port Stroked LM4-
    • Returned in 2011

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Show Notes:

• • 1999 World Champions LM4- 
  • 2004 Olympics LM4-  
  • 2008 Olympics LM4- 
  • 2012 Olympics LM4-
  • 2013 Thomas Keller Award 
  • World Rowing Profile  
  • World Rowing Interview 
  • Danish Sports Hall of Fame 
  • Instagram 
  • Website