The Launch
Team JL 2025 Ambassador Program
Are you passionate about rowing and eager to share your love for the sport with a wider audience? Do you want to join forces with JL and help elevate our brand while building connections within the rowing community? If you enjoy creating engaging content and making an impact, we’re excited to announce that applications for the 2025 Team JL Ambassador Program are open from September 17 to September 26.
Two Passions on a Single: Charlie, the Rowing Chestnut
I have some rather niche passions. The first one might not seem so niche to you, since you are currently reading “The Launch” a rowing blog made by a rowing gear company, but for many, it seems quite odd to have a wake up before 5 am to go sit on a tippy boat, narrower than your butt, to move backwards on a river…My second passion is the Castanea dentata tree (I told you it was rather niche…), the American Chestnut tree!
Didn't compete in varsity? It's not too late for you, Masters!
This blog post is dedicated to people who discovered rowing later in life at the masters level, and who haven't raced in school or college. Many masters are rowing in clubs for leisure/exercise more than to compete and it's sometimes hard to train for competitions when the rest of the team is not in this mindset. This blog post features quotes from two JL ambassadors sharing their advice with us
Team JL Spotlight: Joanne Culley
Team JL Ambassador Joanne Culley may not have been introduced into the rowing world until she was 43 years old, but she has been loving every minute of it for the last 10 years. Joanne prefers the wildness of rowing at sea over flat water rowing, starting with gig rowing, and more recently - coastal rowing. Keep reading to learn about gig rowing vs coastal rowing, the exciting World Pilot Gig Championships, and Joanne's goals for Coastal World Championships this year.
Team JL Spotlight: Rusna Sangha
Team JL Ambassador, Rusna Sangha is working to increase Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the sport of rowing, one stroke at a time. After joining her local rowing team, she realized that although there were similarities between her and the other rowers, there was one thing that made her different: She was one of only three BIPOC athletes on the team. By the end of her novice year, she was the only BIPOC athlete left on the team. Read about Rusna's story, and her goals for not only herself as a rower, but for increasing DEI in rowing as a community.
