Amanda Kraus: Changing the Face of Rowing

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Amanda Kraus took over as CEO of USRowing in November, leading the national governing body at a time of challenges across the sports-event industry. But her background is expected to help her on a number of fronts, including adding much needed diversity to the ranks of participants and the chance to fundraise for any number of projects. Before taking the helm, Kraus founded and led the nonprofit Row New York, which provided opportunities to row for those who previously didn’t have access to the sport. In this conversation with SportsTravel Editor and Publisher Jason Gewirtz, Kraus outlines her goals for the organization, her interest in USRowing, the balance between supporting the national teams and growing membership, and the outlook for the Olympic Games and the NGB’s events in 2021.

Among the topics discussed in this episode:

• Amanda Kraus’ background in rowing (2:59)
• The launch of Row New York (5:51)
• Her interest in the USRowing position (8:51)
• What she’s hearing from the sport’s stakeholders (10:23)
• Her approach to fundraising for the NGB (12:44)
• The approach to marketing the sport’s elite athletes (14:12)
• Broadening the diversity of participants and changing the sport’s image (15:46)
• The balance between supporting the general membership and the elite teams (19:18)
• Will the Olympics and Paralympics take place this summer? (20:44)
• What does planning look like for the Olympic and Paralympic Trials (23:04)
• Confidence level that other USRowing events will take place in 2021 (25:05)
• What the relationship will be between USRowing and its host cities (27:00)
• Has she been doing this job remotely? (27:57)
• Will USRowing keep its headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey? (28:54)
• What she’s most looking forward to in the year ahead (30:22)

This episode is sponsored by:

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