BLOG

The Launch

Athlete Spotlight: Isabella Pearson

Athlete Spotlight: Isabella Pearson

Meet Isabella, a sophomore and student-athlete at Purdue, who balances a busy academic schedule with her love for rowing, dance, and soccer. Growing up as a competitive gymnast, she never anticipated rowing to become such an integral part of her life. In fact, she was initially reluctant to trade her sparkly leotards for the waters of an estuary, but rowing quickly won her over with its technical demands and the strong sense of teamwork she found on the water. Isabella sat down with JL to share her journey into rowing, her tips for novice rowers, race day rituals, and the role models who inspire her both on and off the water. 
Meet the Team: The Arctic Challenge 2025

Meet the Team: The Arctic Challenge 2025

In 2025, four extraordinary athletes will embark on a mission to row the Arctic Ocean, facing one of the harshest environments on the planet. The Arctic Challenge Team is made up of Hannah and John Huppi, Jimmy Graham, and Andrew Tropp—an adventurous group with shared goals to become the first mixed-gender team of 4 to row the Arctic Ocean, the fastest 4-person team to row the Arctic Ocean, and the first All-American team to row a polar ocean. As proud partners of the Arctic Challenge, we’re excited to introduce each member of this team and share their unique stories and motivations. 
Team Spotlight: The Arctic Challenge 2025

Team Spotlight: The Arctic Challenge 2025

Team JL Ambassadors, Hannah and John Huppi, along with their two teammates, Jimmy Graham and Andrew Tropp, will be taking on the challenge of rowing the Arctic Ocean in 2025. Along with aiming for multiple performenace goals, the team is on a mission to inspire young minds, and challenge the next generation to defy their limiting beliefs and chart their own course toward extraordinary achievements. The Arctic Challenge is also proud to support two non-profit organizations dedicated to supporting New Orleans youth. We sat down with the Arctic Challenge Team to learn more about the challenge, their goals, and what is motivating them.
Team Spotlight: Allies With Oars

Team Spotlight: Allies With Oars

Since 2022, Steady State Network has raced as Allies with Oars to promote inclusion and accessibility for all rowers, regardless of gender identity. They pull together competitive lineups for major regattas. The current Allies with Oars team is training for Race Around the Rock, an 88k coastal relay race on August 25th around Salt Spring Island in British Columbia, Canada. The team will be taking over the JL Racing Instagram story for the weekend of the race. Be sure to tune in to follow along!
JL Racing Partners with Fulham Reach Boat Club

JL Racing Partners with Fulham Reach Boat Club

JL Racing has proudly announced a strategic partnership with Fulham Reach Boat Club. This collaboration aims to broaden access to rowing within their communities, particularly among those facing financial or social challenges, fostering their growth both on and off the water. Bringing together two prominent rowing organizations from the United States and the United Kingdom, this partnership seeks to enhance the rowing community on a broader scale. By reaching out to underserved communities, establishing connections within the rowing industry, and providing unique exposure opportunities, both parties aim to expand their impact.

Celebrating the Launch of Xavier Rowing Club

Celebrating the Launch of Xavier Rowing Club

In September 2023, New Orleans Rowing Club and Xavier University of Louisiana  partnered to launch the Xavier Rowing Club program, becoming only the second of its kind at a Historically Black College or University. The initiative is currently led by NORC members Elizabeth Manley and Chloé Jobin. Over the past months, more than a dozen enthusiastic Xavier students with no previous rowing experience have learned the fundamentals of the sport on the waters of Bayou St. John and at the NORC indoor rowing facility. The team is eager to continue to train this season with a group of capable and eager novice rowers, and they hope to race in fours or eights in the spring.
Honoring Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month

Honoring Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month

My name is Tammara Quevedo and I am a senior studying Kinesiology and Disability Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I am a current varsity member for the Illinois Rowing Team. I started rowing my freshman year of college and I have fallen in love with the sport ever since. In celebration of Latinx and Hispanic Heritage month, I am honored to have JL Racing invite me to the conversation about what it is like to be a Latina in the rowing community and celebrate my culture. 

Team Spotlight: Sammamish Rowing Association

Team Spotlight: Sammamish Rowing Association

Usually a rowing club starts with some rowers and a coach, then some boats and oars, and eventually a boathouse. But with SRA, the boathouse came first. In 1994, Hod Fowler, a former collegiate rower, learned of an old boathouse in Marymoor Park. The boathouse was originally built by the Overlake School on the site of a former sewage-treatment plant. Overlake later abandoned the building, and Fowler discovered it was weeks away from being demolished as part of a toxic-site cleanup project in Marymoor Park.