By Lisa Carolin
On July 7, the U.S. Rowing Men’s Eight final took place at the 2015 World University Games in Chungju, South Korea, and the U.S. team won the gold medal. The coach of the team was Gregg Hartsuff, head coach of the University of Michigan Men’s rowing team, and a resident of Chelsea.
The World University Games are held every two years and open to university athletes around the world.
How did the U.S. Men’s Eight team earn the gold medal?
“Having great athletes never hurts,” says Hartsuff. “Motivated people who want to win badly are driven to make changes to improve. All these guys were very coachable, and there was very little debate on what was being taught.”
He says they focused on the drive mechanics of the rowing motion to get the team pushing, prying and pulling together.
Hartsuff was offered the head coaching job for the U.S. team in spring of 2014 based on the success of the U-M’s men’s rowing team, which he has coached for 23 years. Hartsuff thought it sounded like fun and a challenge. He spent more than a year recruiting athletes and putting the plans in place.
“Most of these guys were in great shape for their college teams’ season. However, rowing technique can vary greatly from team to team,” he said. “Coaches have different philosophies and emphasize different things in the technique they use, so that was our main challenge.”
Some of the most memorable parts of being in South Korea for Hartsuff included the opening ceremonies, which he compares to the Olympics. He and his team walked into the stadium wearing their USA gear and received a huge ovation. He says that end of the racing, his team swapped gear with athletes from all over the world.
Hartsuff enjoys working with “very smart and motivated student-athletes” in his job.
“I think kids come in more prepared and smarter than say 20 years ago,” he says. “They may do things differently, which challenges me to coach differently, but just because it is different doesn’t make it worse, just different.”
Hartsuff likes to teach athletes to work hard, something he was taught by his parents when he was growing up in Gregory. He learned to row at Grand Valley State University.
“Chelsea provides the same atmosphere, and I love living here, the school system and the offerings of the town,” says Hartsuff. “It is perfect for me and my family.”
