Columnists

Our expert writers

Picture of Adam Freeman-Pask | Community

Adam is the Chief Executive Officer of Fulham Reach Boat Club and a long-standing supporter and enthusiast for the sport of rowing. He started racing at the state school, Windsor Boys’ and has an impressive rowing track record, having represented Great Britain as part of the London 2012 Olympic Squad. He is also a world and European medalist and won the historic Wingfield Sculls. Following his competitive career, he helped establish a rowing programme at Future Hope orphanage in Kolkata, India. Adam’s career outside of the boat is equally impressive, with a stint at PA Consulting followed by senior roles at Sport England as Head of Partnerships and Head of Digital Innovation. Adam is also a Steward at Henley Royal Regatta.

Alannah Burdess | Stories

Alannah began coxing two years ago, jumping into the deep end for the 2021-22 season with Oxford University BC after only five months. After dabbling in sports journalism with student publications, Alannah joined Junior Rowing News as a contributing writer in September 2022. Alannah was a key part of the JRN | British Rowing team and has stepped into a columnist position for the 23/24 season. Alannah's mandate will be to uncover the stories and people that make our community tick.

Dan Spring | International Racing

Dan Spring, better known by his Twitter handle Fatsculler, is a veteran rowing commentator on both the domestic and International circuits. Famed for his unrivalled knowledge base, Dan has become one of the most influential voices in the rowing world.

Ian Randall | Technical Innovation

Ian is a teacher of Art and Design from Sydney and promotes integrated approaches in STEM education. Ian is conducting postgraduate research on innovation theory and is investigating how innovation occurs within the sport of rowing. He introduced the Randall foil, which first was used in the 2019 World Rowing Championships, winning gold. The design is seeing global adoption and was used at both the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in 2021.

John Wojtkiewicz | Performance

John Wojtkiewicz has over 27 years of professional experience in the community of competitive rowing. His reputation for reliability, professionalism, maturity, team building and collaboration has put him in the unique position to advise rowing organizations and professionals on how to strategically and tactically help growing and improve their operations.

Stephen Feeney | Sports Psychology

Stephen Feeney is the founder of Invictus International which runs training programmes to give the mental tools needed to develop athletes and teams to a world-class level and maintain consistency. Stephen started out as an International athlete at the age of 21, he steadily climbed the ranks winning several world championship medals and joined the Olympic Squad in 2009 before he retired from injury in 2011 at the age of 26. During his time running Invictus, Stephen has worked with athletes from Oxford University, the British National Squad, St. Paul’s School, Lady Eleanor Holles and many more.

WOX (The Winning Cox)

WOX are a coxswain-specific mentoring team, creating a new community for coxes, rowers, and coaches alike. They want to change the narrative around coxswain coaching, to encourage athletes to find their authentic voice. Comprised of some of the UK's most decorated coxswains - with numerous Paralympic, world and European medals between them - they will be sharing their knowledge via free webinars and clinics, with access open to all. Private sessions for clubs and schools can also be arranged directly.