From primary school kids to octogenarians, Cool Rowings is introducing diverse populations to rowing in and around London. Founder Weininger Irwin – competitive and confident from a young age – has a community first approach, prioritizing fun and social interaction. And we hear from one of his rowers, 86-year-old Hazel Parkins, who took up indoor rowing after the death of her husband and says she can't do with out it these days. This is an episode about building your own path and embracing lifelong functional fitness.

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QUICK LOOK

PART 1: Weininger Irwin

00:00 - Episode Intro 04:06 - The Huddle: A quick get to know you 05:20 - The Hot Seat Q&A 06:45 - Growing up a runner 07:58 - Rowing origin story: from Gladiator tryout, to Ford Motor Co. gym erg, and a Concept2 2k training plan 13:16 - Established Cool Rowings  to introduce primary school kids and diverse populations to rowing 16:26 - Ageless Teenagers and Weininger's philosophy for coaching seniors 21:23 - Being a beacon for the community

PART 2: Hazel Parkins

24:03 - Meet Hazel Parkins, 80+ 2025 BRIC Gold Medalist 24:47 - On a scale of 1-10, Hazel's rowing week was a 9 26:15 - An introduction to the erg during COVID 29:46 - A "lovely" experience at BRIC and Hazel's approach to training and racing 33:12 - The importance of support from family and community

37:08 - Hosts Rachel and Tara post-interview banter 40:54 - Steady State Network news and notes

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To see photos of Weininger and Hazel, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.

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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.

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Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.

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