Jamrog's Journey Needs Assistance
7/9/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
by Nick Barnowski, MSU Athletic Communications
A Spartan rower has qualified for the 2015 Under-23 World Rowing Championships, and leaves next week for her first international competition -- and now she needs help getting there.
Recent Michigan State graduate Olivia Jamrog is part the lightweight quad that will race in the U-23 Championships, which will be held in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Since U.S. Rowing is not funding the boat's trip, the Edwardsburg, Mich., native is using a crowd-funding site to help get her to Europe.
Click Here to Help Jamrog and the Lightweight Quad With a Tax-Deductable Donation
The site allows for tax-deductible PayPal donations that go directly to Jamrog's world championship journey. "It is a pretty incredible feeling to know there are so many people willing to help us make this dream a reality," Jamrog said. "Whether it's family, friends, a member of the Spartan family or someone interested in rowing, it's very special to know there are people who are putting faith in our work to represent the United States."
The World Rowing Under-23 Championships are slated to run July 22-26. The four-year MSU rower qualified when her crew posted a 6:57.42 time at the U.S. U-23 trials on June 24, where her entry raced uncontested. Jamrog raced in a boat with three other athletes who represent the GMS Rowing Center in Greenwich, Connecticut.
"It was both exciting and a little bit nerve-wracking," Jamrog said about qualifying. "We put together a full race plan and raced against the clock, as if there was another boat there. We were really happy with our race."
Jamrog began training with GMS, a high-performance sculling training center, following her sophomore year at MSU. After qualifying in June, Jamrog and her crew have been training daily to prepare for the world championships, where she says "anything can happen."
"We took a day off to celebrate but since then have done a lot to get time in with each other," said Jamrog, a 2015 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar. "We've done some lifting and a little bit of cross-training, but really we've just been getting miles in with each other."
In Jamrog's first-ever international competition, her crew is aiming compete for a medal by qualifying for the A-final.
"I think it'll be pretty surreal to sit at the starting line and hear `Italy, Germany, United States,' then realize that's you," she said. "I'm definitely excited to have earned this and represent the U.S. and see how we do against the top crews in the world."
Jamrog started her rowing career at Michigan State, and said it's the place where she grew the most mentally as an athlete.
"Over the four years I rowed for Michigan State I learned how to make the best of any situation," she said. "Whether that's going through a tough season, a tough winter, or injuries, I learned how to turn that into a personal success and to build off of anything.
Jamrog and her crew leave for Bulgaria on July 17.
"I'm definitely excited to have earned this and represent the U.S. and see how we do against the top crews in the world," she said.
Players Mentioned
