The U.S. Women's Eights Olympic Rowing Team has much to look forward to as well as live up to in the 2012 London Olympics. In 2004 the U.S. Women’s Eights rowing crew shocked the world by taking the Silver Medal in the Athens Summer Olympics. It had been 20 years since the U.S. women’s team had been on the podium in this most coveted Olympic Rowing event. As time would show, however, that was only the beginning. The women bested their 2004 performance in Athens by taking the Gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and cementing U.S. dominance in this event.
In 2012 the ladies will be defending their Olympic title. Six members of the 2008 Gold Medal Crew are back to attempt to repeat in London. Remarkably, Mary Whipple and Caryn Davies were on the original U.S. team which began this recent journey in Athens, making this the third Olympics for each of these women.
Mary Whipple
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- Birth Date: 10/5/1980
- Height: 5’ 4”
- Weight: 106 lbs
- Hometown: Orangevale, CA
- Lives in: Princeton, NJ
Fun Facts about U.S. Olympian Mary Whipple
- Mary is the Coxswain of the U.S. Women’s Eights Crew
- This is her 3rd Olympics
- Won Silver in 2004 Athens Olympics and Gold in 2008 Beijing Olympics
- Runs a Website Called “9th Seat”
- Mary has a Twin Sister named Sarah
Caryn Davies
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- Birth Date: 4/14/1982
- Height: 6’ 4”
- Weight: 181 lbs
- Hometown: Ithaca, NY
- Lives in: Princeton, NJ
Fun Facts about U.S. Rowing Olympian Caryn Davies
- This is her 3rd Olympics
- Won Silver in 2004 Athens Olympics in the U.S. Women’s Eights
- Won Gold in 2008 Beijing Olympics in the U.S. Women’s Eights
- She has a degree from Harvard
- Caryn enjoys downhill skiing, yoga, sailing, and dance
Erin Cafaro
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- Birth Date: 6/9/1983
- Height: 5’ 9”
- Weight: 161 lbs
- Hometown: Modesto, CA
- Lives in: Modesto, CA
Fun Facts about U.S. Rowing Olympian Erin Cafaro
- This is her 2rd Olympics
- Won Gold in 2008 Beijing Olympics in U.S. Women's Eights (8+)
- She grew up playing basketball
- Erin only started rowing when she walked on the team in college.
Zsuzsanna “Susan” Francia
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- Birth Date: 11/8/1982
- Height: 6’ 2”
- Weight: 174 lbs
- Hometown: Abington, PA
- Lives in: Princeton, NJ
Fun Facts About U.S. Olympian Rowing Susan Francia
- This is her 2rd Olympics
- Won Gold in 2008 Beijing Olympics in U.S. Women's Eights (8+)
- Born in Szeged, Hungary and moved to the U.S. at the Age of 2
- Susan joined the rowing team in college, after missing sports participation from her high school days.
Caroline Lind
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- Birth Date: 10/11/1982
- Height: 6’ 0”
- Weight: 181 lbs
- Hometown: Greensboro, NC
- Lives in: Princeton, NJ
Fun Facts About U.S. Rowing Olympian Carline Lind
- This is her 2rd Olympics
- Won Gold in 2008 Beijing Olympics in U.S. Women's Eights (8+)
- Debuted as a Debutant at the Debutante Cotillion Ball in Washington D.C.
- Caroline earned her degree in Cultural Anthropology from Princeton University
Eleanor Logan
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- Birth Date: 12/27/1987
- Height: 6’ 2”
- Weight: 185 lbs
- Hometown: Boothbay Harbor, ME
- Lives in: Boothbay Harbor, ME
Fun Facts About U.S. Rowing Olympian Eleanor Logan
- This is her 2rd Olympics
- Won Gold in 2008 Beijing Olympics in U.S. Women's Eights (8+)
- Eleanor also goes by “Elle”
- Growing up, Elle wanted to be an Olympic Swimmer
Esther Lofgren
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- Birth Date: 2/28/1985
- Height: 6’ 2”
- Weight: 174 lbs
- Hometown: Newport Beach, CA
- Lives in: Princeton, NJ
Fun Facts About U.S. Rowing Olympian Esther Lofgren
- This is her 1st Olympics
- Esther’s nickname is “Chicken Legs”
- Her Father, Karl, and Mother, Christine, were both U.S. Rowers
- Esther has a degree from Harvard University in Economics
Meghan Musnicki
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- Birth Date: 2/5/1983
- Height: 6’ 0”
- Weight: 170 lbs
- Hometown: Naples, NY
- Lives in: Princeton, NJ
Fun Facts About U.S. Rowing Olympian Meghan Musnicki
- This is her 1st Olympics
- She planned to play college basketball, but a rowing coach spotted her and convinced her to try out for the rowing team.
- Meghan planned to go to nursing school after college, but another coach convinced her to go to a rowing development camp.
Taylor Ritzel
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- Birth Date: 9/4/1989
- Height: 6’ 2”
- Weight: 198 lbs
- Hometown: Larkspur, CO
- Lives in: Princeton, NJ
Fun Facts
- This is her 1st Olympics
- Red Miller, former coach of the Denver Broncos (1977-1980), is her Granfather
- She is a swimmer turned rower, from high school to college.
- Taylor earned her history degree from Yale University.
