Did you know that the second building ever built at Groton was the boathouse, built in 1885? From the beginning of Groton, crew has been a significant and integral part of the school’s character; Groton’s founder Rev. Endicott Peabody himself was a rower. Since Groton’s founding, 14 Groton alumni have rowed in the Olympics. 

We asked Olympians Emory Clark ’56 and Alex Karwoski ’08 to share some stories and wisdom from their crew careers.

Clark commented on the atmosphere of crew at his time at Groton, saying “I loved running down to the Nashua and being out on the river.” Karwoski detailed his trajectory from sixth boat to first boat during his time here. His teammates provided the inspiration and motivation to propel him at Groton and towards an Olympic career. “A strong crew is the essence of rowing. Being with a group of very talented guys that I have been wanting to work with and get faster was extremely important to my success,” recalled Karwoski. 

Clark was in the Marine Corps and was stationed in the Philippines in 1963. He wrote to his commanding officer and told him that he was God’s gift to rowing, since he rowed at both Groton and Yale.  He urged his officer to transfer him to the East Coast when he got back stateside. After being transferred to Philadelphia, he rowed for the Vesper Club. The Vesper eight, with Clark in the 5 seat, won the trials by beating Harvard among others. They went on to Tokyo in October 1964 and won gold.

Clark competed in Tokyo 1964, while Karwoski, generations later, participated in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. 

Both Clark’s and Karwoski’s rowing careers did not end with the Olympics. “I rowed in a coxed four in regattas around the world for about 23 years,” Clark said. “Now I’m rowing on a rowing machine in my house. Not so much fun. But I’m 83.”

Karwoski has since gone on to coach at Cornell. “It is such a phenomenal sport and it continues to give me so much,” he said, “so I would love to do what I can to try and give back.”

In closing the interview, Karwoski gave some advice for aspiring rowers: “Rowing is one of those sports where significant amounts of time need to be put in before any real noticeable gains will be made.”

In compiling this article, we received information and anecdotes from Groton’s head boys rowing coach of 43 years, Andy Anderson, and Olympians Emory Clark ’56 and Alex Karwoski ’08.  We want to express our gratitude for their insight and stories.