Celebrating Veterans Day: Four Questions with Greg Quarles

Born in Asheville, North Carolina, Gregory Quarles enlisted in the army in 1994. He served for the next ten years before moving to Australia and enlisting in the Australian Special Forces.

In 2008, Quarles returned to the U.S. and reenlisted in the U.S. military, and in 2009, he was deployed for what would be the last time. Quarles sustained serious injuries in 2012, including a broken back, and in 2014, began his journey with adaptive sports as a means of recovery.

1) How did you get involved in rowing?

I was introduced to rowing right after a major shoulder surgery and during the Covid-19 outbreak. During this time, my wife bought a Concept2 erg, and the Army rowing coach, Patrick Johnson, kind of threw me into it. I was using rowing as a recovery-based exercise at first, but then I was told by Coach Johnson that in January of that year, he had enrolled me into a virtual global challenge. I had a month to train and was able to (place) second, with 13 different countries competing. This was my intro into (competitive) rowing. The very next month, I enrolled in the C.R.A.S.H.-B Indoor National Championships. During this event, I won first place.

2) Please share one or more formative experiences you had in your early rowing days to which you credit with your continued involvement today.

Winning second in the global challenge and first at indoor nationals gave me the push I needed to continue to row. This led to me being chosen to represent Team USA at the 2022 Invictus Games, where I won silver and bronze in the one- and four-minute rows.

From there, I was given the opportunity to try on-the-water rowing. I had never rowed on the water and knew nothing about it. I flew to DC, was introduced to a boat and oar on a Friday and Saturday, then raced in my first ever doubles race on Sunday. I was hooked. I then flew to Philadelphia a few months later and was officially Para classified for the single, double, and mixed double. The next day, I won my first ever gold medal in mixed double sculls.

Fast forward a year, I went back to Philadelphia, raced the regatta again, and won bronze, all while being injured. I was chosen again to represent Team USA at Invictus and won bronze in the four-minute row while being injured.

3) What advice do you have for other veterans who might want to try rowing?

The biggest advice I have is to try. The sky is the limit. I never ever thought I would have been a rower, let alone a national champion and world stage rowing medalist. Rowing is beyond adaptive, and it's not just indoor. Get on the water; it's absolutely amazing!

4) What was your most memorable row, and why?

I don't know if I can just pick one most memorable row, because all my rowing experiences are my most memorable. It's not just about winning; it's about the experience and friendships gained at every rowing event I compete.