An interview with Liz Martin and Makayla Karr-Warner
Spotted: Two girls in a double with bright pink hair and matching unis rowing at Nathan Benderson Park at sunrise in the first week of January. It must be Liz Martin and Makayla Karr-Warner!
Gossip Girl caught up with Liz and Makayla post 90 minute steady state session:
How did you start rowing? What has kept you in the sport?
Makayla: I am originally from the West Coast and began rowing as an eighth grader. Growing up, I participated in a variety of sports, but nothing really stuck until I tried rowing. I was very fortunate to have year round water access rowing in the San Francisco Bay Area and I think that’s where my love for this sport began. I continued my rowing career to Boston where I rowed at BU on the lightweight team for four years. I enjoyed my time rowing on the Charles so much that upon graduating it was very easy to continue training. As a coach and sculler on the Charles River, I sit in a very unique seat where I have the opportunity to experience this sport from both sides.
Liz: I started rowing in high school. I hadn’t really been involved in team sports until that point and decided to give rowing a shot. I moved to Boston halfway through high school and fell in love with the spirit and community of rowing on the Charles. I’ve been rowing ever since (nearly a full 10 years on the Charles!) and have found new ways to enjoy and love the sport every year. I rowed on the women’s lightweight team at MIT for all four years in college, and decided that there was more I could do in the sport after I graduated. From rowing in high school fours, to collegiate eights, and now small sculling boats, there’s something special about the way everyone involved truly loves the sport and pushes each other to be better every row.
When did you start rowing together and what are your most memorable race moments as a duo?
Both: Our first race together was US Trials in the lightweight pair in the summer of 2018. We both wanted to race at the elite level and found each other as we were both training out of the BU boathouse that summer. In 2019, we decided to give the lightweight pair another shot, this time with a longer training block leading up to trials together. We joined Riverside that year, and have been rowing and racing together ever since!
We’ve had lots of memorable moments over the past few years, but some of our most memorable race moments came at Canadian Henley in 2019, where we won the lightweight pair and came in a close second in the lightweight double. We had lots of fun together and with all of the HPG that came down that year!
How has 2020 affected your training?
Both: While we were disappointed with the cancellation of last year’s Olympic Trials and all international racing events afterwards, 2020 gave us a really good opportunity to put our heads down and focus on training. While spending many weeks back on the ergs and staying at home, we discovered fun and new ways to exercise and move in addition to erging. Once we got back out on the water, we put in many more miles in singles then we would have otherwise, which I think has paid huge dividends for us in terms of our technical rowing ability. Piecing each other all summer and fall in singles was really fun and helpful for our overall speed and fitness as well.
How do you prepare on race day?
Both: By ingesting far too much caffeine and listening to our HPG Girl Gang Spotify playlist to get hyped up.
How has Riverside helped you achieve your goals?
Both: It is really amazing to be part of such a supportive and caring community of members at Riverside in general. The camaraderie between members greeting each other on the water, cheering us on from off the dock, and asking us how our training is going every day helps motivate us to keep showing up. It is also inspiring to be part of such a driven, focused group in the HPG. We work hard and have fun every day on the water with our teammates. Our coaches, Mark Grinberg and Sam Hausmann, are incredible resources and we are so lucky to have them as assets at Riverside.
What hair color is next for you two?
Both: Blue and white stripes, of course!
What is your favorite TV show to watch on the trainer?
Both: Gossip Girl.
Finally, we are incredibly thankful for the continued support of the Riverside community. We are excited to take you on this journey with us!
XOXO,
Gossip Girls
To find out more about how you can contribute to our athletes, please visit riversideboatclub/donate.
Photo by SCULLINGFOOL Photography
