Jennifer Fitz-Roy: Rowers with Disabilities Are Not Going Anywhere, Katherine Valdez Guest Hosts Artwork

Rowing in Color

Denise Aquino and Patricia Destine are two women of color who are dedicated to promoting diversity within the sport of rowing. Both are former rowers turned coxswains turned coaches in the sport. Together they have almost 25 years of experience on the erg, at regattas, in the launch, or at the boathouse. No stranger to navigation or microphones, these former coxswains amplify what it’s like to navigate the topic of race within the white-dominated sport of rowing. Like most bodies of water, the tide is changing; there are more American rowers of color than there has ever been. You’ll hear from people who represented the U.S. in international races to folks who just started to row this year. Tune in to listen to a mix of interviews, special co-hosts, and tag-team shows from hosts, Denise and Patricia. Whether a rower or not, you’re not going to want to miss. Hit subscribe and enjoy.

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Rowing in Color

Jennifer Fitz-Roy: Rowers with Disabilities Are Not Going Anywhere, Katherine Valdez Guest Hosts

December 03, 2020 • Season 1 • Episode 41

#041 - Jennifer Fitz-Roy is a black PR2 rower at the Community Rowing, which is also the USRowing Para Training Center.

In this episode, we talked about:

What PR2 means and what classifications of pararowing there are [2:18]
How she got into rowing [9:02]
The one person who convinced her she didn’t belong in the sport [15:15]
Race [ ]
Colorism [ ]
Advice to younger rowers of color or younger rowers with a disability [ ]

… and much more.

To get in touch with Jen, please reach her on Instagram @fitzroyj

We hope that the conversation in this podcast helps us all in the rowing world -- no matter your race -- to unify the rowing sport through diversity.

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