She's brash, powerful, and not afraid to rock the boat. But Ursula Grobler had never even touched an oar when she moved from South Africa to the United States in 2003, at age 23. A top junior triathlete back home, she learned to row on Seattle's Green Lake. Eight years later, Grobler is a U.S. citizen, one of the country's top rowers, and an indoor world-record holder. She's so good, in fact, that she was set to qualify for the 2010 world championships in three events when an uproar ensued. Rowing traditionalists begged her not to enter all three so that other American athletes could have a chance. She relented, entering two and winning silver, along with three boatmates, in the 2,000-meter quad. The author caught up with her in May as she prepared for the National Selection Regatta, which could send her back to the August world championships in Slovenia.
OUTSIDE: How does rowing compare with competing as a triathlete?
GROBLER: In tris, I usually came in last in the swim, but I got away with it by making up time in the biking and running parts. In rowing, the technical side—handling the oars and the boat—became a greater challenge. I couldn't just hammer down the course like I do in tris.
What was your reaction to the controversy at last year's world championships?
I wasn't surprised, knowing that I was taking spots away from other people. But my feeling is that this is the world championships. If I can get a medal and the other person is just getting experience, I feel like I should go and get the medal.
What did you learn from the process?
That patience—of which I have none—is a virtue.
What do you need to do to become the world champ?
Avoid mental baggage. Olympian Dan Walsh, one of the guys on the team, put it nicely. He said, "How much do you weigh before you race?" I said, "One-thirty." He said, "Well, make sure that when you get in the boat you're not 150, carrying around so much extra shit."
Comments
They should probably just cancel the 2012 Olympics and give her all of the medals, including all other sports. Aparently she's already entitled to them.
Flag ThisThey should probably just cancel the 2012 Olympics and give her all of the medals, including all other sports. Aparently she's already entitled to them.
Flag ThisThey should probably just cancel the 2012 Olympics and give her all of the medals, including all other sports. Aparently she's already entitled to them.
Flag ThisThey should probably just cancel the 2012 Olympics and give her all of the medals, including all other sports. Aparently she's already entitled to them.
Flag ThisThis is all out of context, she didnt relent she was beaten in the trials and realised her goals were perhaps not viable in this sport, less than arrogant I would say. In swimming multiple medals by one person at the olympics has been done. There is nothing wrong with being confident, if you are better than her go and beat her, simple!
Flag ThisI now realize I've been giving Outside Magazine too much credit all these years, and this single article unravels my trust for anything they've printed. I know this story, I've trained with and am close friends with Carlos Dinares, Ursula's coach at the time she competed at the '10 Worlds, and this short article is a grossly untrue portrayal of Ursula and what really happened. Very disappointing, Outside.
Flag ThisWhoa--this is so NOT the Ursula I know! From the second word, "brash," I knew the article was heading in the wrong direction. I can imagine how hard it is to capture the essence of a person in five paragraphs, but it you can't do a better job than this, Outside, perhaps you should try some other format. Nice picture, though.
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