The Launch: Rowing stories by custom rowing clothing founder, Joline Esparza and the JL Team Page 2

One Rowing Stroke at a Time - Surviving Stage 3 Breast Cancer for 20 Years

March 17, 2022

Former rower, Beth Gardner, has published her book, One Rowing Stroke at a Time - Surviving Stage 3 Breast Cancer for 20 Years. "The book takes the reader down my journey of battling stage 3 breast cancer at the age of 30. In short, I was diagnosed one month after my 30th birthday, one year after retiring from the elite sport of Rowing and 3 weeks before running my first marathon," she said. "Without having the firsthand experience as an elite level of rower AND having been coached by both the late Igor Grinko and late Ted Allison Nash, I may not have had the will to beat the non-discriminatory disease."

Stand With Ukraine Pre-Order Store

March 16, 2022

JL Racing is collaborating with Team JL Ambassador, Michael Toutloff, to launch a pre-order store to help support an organization that is providing aide to the Ukrainian people. 100% of the proceeds of this pre-order store will be donated to the UN Crisis Relief Fund. Donations from UN Crisis Relief go towards the United Nation’s efforts to fund immediate rapid-response aid when disasters strike and critical work in humanitarian crises around the world. In this case, the Ukraine crisis.

Women's History Month: 24 Hour Indoor Row

March 08, 2022 1 Comment

In honor of Women's History Month and International Women's Day (March 8th), we sat down with Team JL Ambassador, Rachel Smillie to ask her what she is doing to celebrate women in sport. Her answer? A Guinness World Record attempt on the indoor rowing machine to travel the furthest distance by a female team in 24 hours. Keep reading to learn about the details of a row like this, why she is taking on this challenge, and what Rachel hopes to accomplish by taking part in a 24 hour row

Nereid Boat Club: Freezing February Fundraiser

February 25, 2022

Nereid Boat Club is holding a fundraiser to help replace three boats that were destroyed by Hurricane Ida last Fall. The club has committed that for every $1 raised, athletes will row 10 meters on March 5th with their teammates. If they hit their team target goal, they will have rowed over 200,000 meters.

Team JL 2022 Picks

February 21, 2022

Team JL ambassadors have a wide variety of experiences with rowing. From rowing and coxing to coaching, and from youth to masters, our ambassadors are all throughout the rowing community. Because of their years of experience, we asked our ambassadors what their favorite piece of JL gear is. See how they responded below!

Valentine's Day Gifts For The Rower In Your Life

February 08, 2022

It's the season of love! There are many ways you can show someone you love them. If you would like to show the rower in your life a little extra love this Valentine's Day, surprise them with some new gear from JL! With so many options to choose from on JL Athletics, we've created a guide that makes finding a gift easy.

Team JL Ambassador Training To Row Across The Atlantic

February 02, 2022

On this National Girls and Women in Sports Day, we join in on recognizing student-athletes, champion athletes, coaches, administrators and lawmakers committed to providing equitable access to sports for all girls and women. We would like to highlight one of our Team JL ambassadors, Rachel Smillie, who is currently training to rowing across the Atlantic Ocean with two other women.

Black History Month 2022

February 01, 2022 3 Comments

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history over the month of February. In honor of Black History Month, we worked with Kizmet Wallace, a black small business owner & designer, and Team JL ambassador, Maurice Scott, to design this year's Black History Month Collection.

Indoor Rowing Essentials

January 18, 2022

It's the middle of January which means cold temperatures in parts of the world. If the weather or the increase in COVID cases is keeping you off the water or erging at home, it's important to be prepared for rowing and training indoors. Your summer training gear might be tucked away, you may want some new gear to motivate you through your erg session, or you're looking for the perfect erging apparel. We have assembled a list of gear and apparel that is essential for indoor rowers.

2022 Staff Picks And Favorites

January 11, 2022

It's a brand new year, so that calls for new gear! Whether you are replacing some old gear, looking for some motivation for those New Year's resolutions, searching for the perfect rowing apparel, or wanting to try something new, there are plenty of options to choose from. If you're not sure what the next piece of JL apparel is that you should add to your closet, we have curated a selection of our favorites, must-haves, and fun picks for you. This is a great time to try out something completely new or different!

JL Racing Set to Directly Endorse Athletes in 2022

December 21, 2021

For the last four years, JL Racing has been the official sponsor of the US National Team, providing them with unique custom uniforms and performance apparel. In light of the new N.C.A.A. policy change, JL Racing plans to re-direct marketing efforts by offering sponsorship opportunities to individual athletes from each level and from all over the world.

JL Racing's Ali Abrams to Participate In ROWAPALOOZA Livestream

December 21, 2021

Ready, Row! USA is celebrating 3 years, and 100 episodes of the podcast series with ROWAPALOOZA. The event is a rolling series of livestreams & podcasts with a variety of guests and topics. On Wednesday, December 29th at 2:00pm EST, JL Racing's Director of Sales, Ali Abrams, will be one of the guests on the "Makers" episode of the livestream series.