A Conversation with Josy Verdonkschot

Chief High Performance Officer Josy Verdonkschot shared his thoughts going into his first world championships in his new role at USRowing. Josy looks at the team outlook for Racice, some of the changes that have been implemented, his biggest surprise over his first few months, and the importance of national team sponsors.

We're a little more than a week away from the world championships, what are your thoughts heading into your first worlds in your new role as USRowing's Chief High Performance Officer?

Every result that we see now is probably a result of the past. I think we will do well, but I think a lot of the results will be from the fruits and labor that people put in over the last few years. The things that we've been changing probably will render in the end, but maybe not immediately. That doesn't mean that we are not going to do very well. The fact is that we are on a road to change, and I think we've made some good steps. I'm lucky that there was a solid program before me, and we are going to tweak that to make it better.

How do you use this as a steppingstone to continue to implement your new system?

A system is a process; a system is not results. If we just look at results, there's no way to predict our medals or what we will do at the worlds. In 2017, we won five Olympic boat class medals, and in 2021, there were zero. So, let's look at it this way. Is there any visible change for the rowing community? If that's a fact, then I am very happy, because I think we are making changes.

We're trying to have a hybrid system where we have the possibility for athletes to come into selection camp having been selected or to come through the trials system. In the end, we want to bring everyone together under the same conditions, the same facilities, and (we're) trying to improve on that – getting to the standards that I think our athletes deserve. The process is changing. We are on the road to change, and I'm quite happy about that. There's nothing that's going to happen in the next few weeks that is going to change that opinion.

What has been the biggest surprise to you since starting at USRowing?

I knew the American system, so I knew its opportunities and its pitfalls. One of the most difficult things is how to find a good bridge between the collegiate system and the senior or elite level, as well as between junior rowing and under 23s/collegiates. Let's say you graduate from college. Is there a choice for everybody of where to go? Can somebody go anyplace he or she wants to go? Will the person have the right surrounding facilities, coaching, boats, etc. To me, the gap and service level at say any Division I program and the club system and/or the national team was a little bit surprising; the gap is a little bit bigger than one would want. I know the university system is a very fruitful environment for everybody, so we need to see how we can integrate and get to the same service levels for people who are no longer rowing for a university.

We're speaking here at media day. Talk a little about the importance of the national team partnerships that we have developed – Filippi, 776BC, Broadridge, Thorne.

By mentioning our supporters and sponsors, you just made clear what is important for a rower. You need a perfect shell, that's why we use Filippi. You need optimal rowing clothing, that's why we use 776BC. We need to have an environment where athletes can have their career integrated in their sporting career, so that's why we need partners like Broadridge. And then, rowing is not just about training, it's about recovery, and that's why we need Thorne. In our partnerships, one can see it's not looking where we can get a partner but looking at what we need for our athletes and trying to find the best partners we can find.