USA Rowing: Megan Kalmoe Aiming High In London

For Megan Kalmoe, a Twin Cities native, rowing found her, she didn't find it.

While attending the University of Washington, like most college students, Kalmoe packed on a few pounds and found herself overweight according to a recent story on TwinCities.com. At the suggestion of some friends in the dormitory, Kalmoe attended an informational meeting about the schools rowing team:

"I'm sitting there, like 30 pounds overweight and eating this meatball sub," she said, "and I'm listening to the coach at the time saying that there's a great legacy and tradition of champions at Washington; that 'if you decide to walk on it's going to be the hardest work of your life. It's going to make you a champion. It's going to get you into really great shape. You're not even going to recognize yourself.'

"I decided in between bites that sounded really good. I came back the next day and got in the boat."

The rest, as they say, is history and Kalmoe, who is in great shape is headed to her second Olympics with only one goal in mind:

"I am looking at winning a gold medal for the United States," she said in a recent phone interview. "There is no reason we couldn't do it. We have experience, we have the talent, we have the motivation."

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