By: Jimmy Brooks, News Staff
According to head coach Joe Wilhelm, former Husky rower Jen Forbes has qualified for the U-23 national team that will compete at the world rowing championships later this summer.
“The US U23 [roster of] eight was officially announced yesterday,” Wilhelm said. “Jen will be rowing in the 6 seat in that boat at the U23 World Championships in Amsterdam… She has worked hard to earn that opportunity and we wish her the best at the World Championships in Amsterdam.”
For Forbes, the road to the world rowing championships has not been easy. The Baltimore, M.D., native first needed to take the preliminary steps towards earning a spot on the US under-23 squad. This past week, Forbes’ attempted path to Amsterdam led her to a mandatory selection camp in Oklahoma City, followed by Princeton, N.J. These camps are essentially the gateway to qualifying for the championships this summer, and Forbes passed the test.
“I think I have a pretty good chance of going to Amsterdam,” Forbes said prior to qualifying. “I’m excited. I’m very humbled by the whole situation because I came into on the wait list for this [under-23] program. I’ve been proving myself in the water, which is nice.”
Wilhelm, Forbes’ former head coach, had plenty positive to say about Forbes and her accomplishment. He reflected on Forbes time at Northeastern, and her improvement over her four years on the team.
“Jen has been one of our top boat movers at Northeastern for the past four years,” Wilhelm said. “She is blessed with a tall frame, which allows her to row a really long stroke. Over the past four years she has increased her technical efficiency, and overall power, which has made her a real force.”
Despite the distinction that comes with being a world-class rower, Forbes said that there was never a defining moment that made her realize she had the potential to compete at the World Championships. Instead, the concept came to Forbes slowly over several intervals during her Northeastern rowing career.
“It kind of came gradually,” Forbes said. “I think the gradual progression of my training helped me realize that I could compete at a higher level.”
Northeastern hasn’t seen the last of Forbes, as she has another year left on campus. Still, she won’t find herself racing with her former teammates anymore, or taking part in the intense multi-kilometer rowing circuits that are a staple fixture in crew training.
“I still have a year left, so I’ll still have some Northeastern time,” Forbes said. “As far as rowing goes, [I’ll miss] the camaraderie our team shared. There’s something really unique about college rowing.”
