Josh has dedicated himself to the sport of rowing for the past three years, and credits rowing at CRI for bringing great change to his life. Always a competitive athlete, Josh played both hockey and lacrosse in college and even went on to play hockey in Germany after graduating. During his post college sports career, Josh unexpectedly lost feeling in his lower extremities.
Cassandria was 13 years old attending the John D. O’Bryant School when she heard an announcement over the school loud speaker – Olympic gold medalist Holly Metcalf was coming to talk about rowing. Cassandria didn’t know what rowing was, but she was excited to meet a star athlete. “I was an awkward, shy teenager with green hair and an eyebrow piercing. Holly was the nicest, most welcoming person I had ever met. “
It was 2002 and Theresa Welsh knew something wasn’t right. She hadn’t felt well for days and was having balance and coordination problems. “I was only 39 and thought, what could possibly be wrong with me?” Finally she drove herself to Mt. Auburn Hospital, and “right there I had a massive stroke.
Breaking through the mental barrier of erging is a challenge, let alone for a new rower in 8th grade.
When Jenna McCarthy learned to row in the summer of 2014, she knew she wanted to try out for the competitive novice program the following fall. “I was hooked by the sport” but as a young new rower, Jenna was not invited on the team.
REASONS TO SMILE
BY GEOFF KRONIK
When CRI military rower Richie Derle talks about rowing, he does something he rarely used to do. He smiles. He smiles when he remembers his first day on the water. “I was so scared. I said, ‘if I fall in, I’m never coming back.’ But someone told me, ‘Rich, you can walk across this pond, it’s not deep. Don’t worry.’
Meet Jose
BY GEOFF KRONIK
Jose Pineda knows how being the new kid feels. Because that’s what he was, over and over, until the day he learned about CRI and Row Boston.