RowingRelated

Oxford University racing the Head of the River Fours (Photo courtesy of Mike DiSanto) Harvard alum Mike DiSanto , who recently returned from a trip to New Zealand for the Gallagher Great Race , is back and training once again with Oxford University Boat Club —and, evidently, it's going well. DiSanto and his teammates turned a lot of heads on the Thames a week ago with their performance in the men's elite four with coxswain—an event that they won, while placing ninth among all crews (yes, in a field that included quads and straight fours). The following is the first dispatch from Mike for RR about his training and racing with OUBC, with more to come as winter looms.

The original sketch for the RR logo design (Photo: B. Kitch) Amidst the flurry of activity leading up to the 50th Head Of The Charles Regatta , RowingRelated turned four over the weekend. I wanted to take a second to acknowledge that, and say thanks. When I first began this site on October 11, 2010, I had no idea the places it would take me, or how much it would grow—not only has it kept me connected to the sport I love, but, more importantly, it has kept me connected to the people who love rowing. Here are a few things that stood out to us, going back through four years of rowing journalism, banter, and just generally good times: Our first 'picks and predictions' post —from the 2010 Head Of The Charles, no less.  The first interview we ever produced—thanks again to Silas Stafford . Our first-ever series, in six parts: "What Makes the Great Ones Great?" A look back at the first two years at RowingRelated: The time that the Boat Race stopped .   I...

Weir (center) and father (right), LRC chief coach Paul Reedy (left) [Image courtesy of Iain Weir]  Following a successful career as an oarsman that included a Henley Royal Regatta victory in the Thames Cup, photographer and entrepreneur Iain Weir has found a number of ways to stay involved with the sport that he knows and loves so well. Having begun as a photographer while competing for the London Rowing Club on the Putney Embankment, Weir has since established himself as one of the premier rowing photographers in the U.K., as well as taken on other ventures, including his most recent creation, RowingJournal.com . Here, Weir shares a little about his background, how he got started, and how you can get involved with Rowing Journal, as it continues to grow worldwide. RR: How did you get started in the sport of rowing? What was it about the sport that captivated you, and what has sustained that interest in the sport? Iain Weir: I couldn't tell you exactly at what moment I deci...