On this week’s episode of the For Stars Podcast, Hudson brings on Head Coach of Penn Heavyweight Rowing, Al Monte, a man who lives and breathes Philadelphia. Entering his third season this year with the Quakers, Al is back in the boathouse and ready to take on this next year. Hudson and Al discuss the 2023-2024 season where the team went neck and neck with Northeastern, inches apart from one another at the IRA National Championship closing in with nearly the same time to end the year. Al calls it somewhat of a rivalry, so we shall see how this year unfolds for both of the teams out East. The two talk about what makes Penn Rowing so unique, the maturation of the squad since his arrival, upgrades to the boathouse, what the process looks like of bringing on the right guys to the team, and more.

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On this week’s episode of the For Stars Podcast, Hudson brings on Head Coach of Princeton Heavyweight Rowing, Greg Hughes, a staple in collegiate men’s rowing. Entering his 16th season this year, Greg is ready to get back in the coaching launch and drive his team to another amazing season. Hudson and Greg discuss the 2023-2024 season where the team went undefeated in the regular season, and the unbelievable race at the Eastern Sprints that lead up to the IRA National Championship in New Jersey. The two talk about recruiting, land training, facilities, erging in the winter, the team’s principles, media in the sport and where it’s leading, the power of student-athlete development, what it means to row for Princeton, and more!

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Welcome everyone to Episode 100 of the For Stars Podcast, where we bring you an individual who has impacted the lives of countless student-athletes, Jake Coert, Former Head Coach of Channel Islands Rowing Club, a junior rowing program nestled in Southern California. Hudson was under the tutelage of Jake in his early years as a coxswain, and only felt that it was right to bring on the coach that changed his life forever.

Jake was a rower on the 2012 US Junior National Team before making his way over to row at Cal. He spent time coaching the Men’s Team at UCLA, and shortly after began coaching on the Channel Islands Harbor where he helped start the Channel Islands Rowing Club (CIRC) in 2018.

On this episode we discuss the importance of student-athlete development and how crucial it is for coaches to prioritize growth in a program. The two discuss what it takes to be an elite athlete and how many sessions on average that will take per week, in order to compete with the best of the best in the sport. We touch on the reality of small boat-clubs and competing against programs that suit a larger roster of athletes, with more financial support and better boats and equipment. In addition to that, suiting coxswains in programs that have a limited amount of rowers, and what to do with that predicament. Jake gives a plethora of advice to coaches out there from his personal experience coaching juniors and how rewarding it is to see his athletes continue to prosper in the collegiate sphere as well as post-rowing. Be sure to tune into this episode and reach out to him on Instagram @jakecoert with any questions or comments.

There are very few people in this sport that continuously impact the lives around them, and fortunately, Hudson was able to speak with an icon in American Rowing, Mr. Bryan Volpenhein. The 10-time National team member, Bryan rowed the US Men's 8+ to two medals at the Olympics. Alongside his boatmates, Volp broke records like no other. He stroked the US Men's 8+ to a Gold Medal in 2004, while breaking a world-record time, and Team USA Rowing's first Gold Medal in nearly 40 years. His boat in 2008, got Bronze at the Summer Olympic Games, with an ambition to get back on the medal stand once again.

To close out the month, Hudson brings Volp on the show to talk about his experience as an Olympic Oarsman and the realities of what it takes to be an elite athlete. Not only is Bryan a genetically-gifted individual, but he spends his free time cooking up five-course meals to suit his athletic endeavors and feed his family quality eats!

Hudson and Volp make their way over to answering the Q&A, reflecting back on the training program for the Olympics, and to remember the importance of always being a solid teammate. Bryan explained his reasoning for feeling so removed from the sport since he left UPenn, the Olympics in 2000, as well as common misconceptions when pertaining to that cycle, and ultimately, what got him back into coaching, as it was recently announced that he was appointed Head Coach of the Men's and Women's Rowing team at Oklahoma City University, an NAIA school, home to the OKC High Performance Club. Be sure to tune into this episode, and hear about how one of the Greatest Walk-On's in American Rowing, never forgets the brotherhood that he had while rowing for the United States at the highest stage in sports.

Welcome everyone to another episode of the For Stars Podcast, featuring Head Coach of Harvard Men’s Lightweight Rowing, Billy Boyce. Coming off of an undefeated dual season, winning the Eastern Sprints and the IRA National Championship, the H150’s made history this past season.

Boyce shares his testimony with Hudson on what went into the season, his overall method to excellence and recruiting athletes to join the Crimson, managing a college lightweight rowing team, recent renovations to the historic “Newell Boathouse” home to the Men’s Heavyweight & Lightweight teams, and the excitement for what’s in store for the future of the program. Billy answered some of the questions in our Q&A, but made it clear of how proud he really is of his team, commending their success this season to hard work and pure discipline. The competitive culture of the squad, prompted each individual to reach their highest potential both on the water and off the water, setting some record-breaking standards across the team. Be sure to listen to this episode and hear more from Head Coach, Billy Boyce, as the squad makes their way over to the 2024 Henley Royal Regatta across the Atlantic.

Welcome everyone to another episode of the For Stars Podcast, featuring Tim McLaren, Australian Sports Hall of Fame Olympic Coach and Director of UTS Haberfield, which became one of Australia's most successful clubs. A seasoned veteran of over 35 years in the coaching launch, Tim gives us a taste of what it means to coach a crew at the highest level in the sport. Hudson and Tim chat about the National Team system in both Australia and the United States, and what goes into running high performance clubs. In 1998, he was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for his work and service to coaching education. McLaren's passion for the sport is evident in the way he shares stories and reflects back on his career as an athlete and coach. Having coached the Australian Men's Eight in 2004, where his crew got Bronze in Athens, he shares the details of training plans and schedules to better explain the magnitude of elite-level rowing and preparing for the Olympic Games.

Tim has spent time coaching crews from Tasmania (1981-1982), Sydney (1996-2006), China (2001-2005), Great Britain, and the United States. Having teamed up with Mike Teti in 2006 creating the California Rowing Club, which became the USA's first serious High Performance Training Center for post-college athletes. After the 2008 Olympics, McLaren took over the USA Men's Olympic Team serving as Head Coach all through the 2012 London Olympic Games. Tim helped coach the athletes that will be racing for the USA Olympic Team this summer in Paris. Since 1993, Tim has spent each year coaching Cambridge University for their annual Boat Race against Oxford.

Prior to learning the sport of rowing, McLaren was a professional rugby star and national surf champion, but it was rowing where he saw success as an athlete at the Olympics, getting a Silver Medal in the 1984 Australian Men's Quad. He came 7th in the world in the Single Scull in 1983 after less than two years in the sport. Be sure to check out this episode, especially if you are interested in coaching!

Welcome everyone to another episode of the For Stars Podcast, featuring Head Coach of Boston Men's Rowing, Tom Bohrer. In his 16th year at the helm of the program, Tom has significantly made an impact on the BU squad and the sport of rowing in general. The Former US National Team Rower competed at three World Championships and is a two-time Silver Medalist in the Men's 4- at the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games.

Bohrer brings an insight into what it means to row for the Terrier men's program and why he is still coaching the squad to this day. He highlights the power of recruiting, and the intricacies of what to look for, where essentially the prospective athlete has to buy in to the culture and really do something. Tom is a huge believer in student-athlete development and seeing the athletes really flourish during the duration of being on the team.

Hudson and Tom go over the Q&A, and answer the vast majority of the questions on there for him. If you want to row crew for BU and Tom Bohrer, be sure to reach out, but most importantly, listen to the episode and see what it takes to be a Terrier.

Welcome everyone to another episode of the For Stars Podcast featuring Dr. Michael Toon, a Bronze Medalist at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, coxing the Australian Men’s Eight.

Hudson and Mike touch on what it is like to compete at an elite level, and the daily life of an athlete training for the Olympics. Mike shared some helpful advice and tips to improve in the coxswain seat, and what really matters. He also shared some more information about the atmosphere when he was coxing the Australian National Team, and the relationship he had with legendary rowing coach, Tim McLaren, who is now working alongside Mike Teti at the California Rowing Club. Be sure to tune into this episode to enhance your knowledge of what it was like to compete in the early 2000’s, Australian Rowing history, and more!