Bryan Volpenhein
Height: 6-3
Weight: 215
Birthplace: Cincinnati, Ohio
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
Residence: Princeton, N.J.
High School: Kings High School
Undergraduate Education: The Ohio State University, Philosophy
Began Rowing: 1994 - Ohio State
Club Affiliation: USRowing Training Center
Training Location: Princeton, N.J.
Current Coach: Mike Teti
Years on National Team: Nine - 1998-05, 2007 Senior
Event (s): Sweep
Facts of Interest:
Bryan stroked the men's eight to its first Olympic gold medal in 40 years and a world record at the 2004 Olympic Games. He also stroked the men's four to a gold medal at the 2004 World Cup stop in Lucerne, Switzerland, beating the defending world champions from Canada and the eventual Olympic champions from Great Britain by open water. For his efforts, Bryan was named the USRowing Male Athlete of the Year in 2004, becoming the only person to ever win the award twice. He also won the award in 2002. Bryan took time off from rowing following the 2005 World Championships to go to culinary arts school at The Art Institute of Seattle. He did his apprenticeship at Rover's Restaurant and also worked at the Ponti Seafood Grill, both in Seattle. Bryan developed his interest in cooking in his early teens when he would come home from school and watch a cooking show on great chefs from around the world. His interest was put on the "back burner" until 2004, when he started cooking meals out of an Indian cookbook with his girlfriend. Bryan's culinary school focus was in French cooking methods, but he also enjoys Mexican flavors and Latin cuisine. His ideal meal is a grilled steak with a raw vegetable salad or grilled vegetables. Eventually, he would like to combine his rowing and cooking backgrounds to teach rowers how to cook healthy, inexpensive meals conducive to the training lifestyle. Bryan also enjoys reading cookbooks and recommends Tom Colicchio's Think Like a Chef: The Craft of Cooking and Paul Bertolli's Cooking By Hand. Bryan played baseball, soccer and volleyball growing up and began rowing in college. He grew up a huge fan of the Cincinnati Reds and Cincinnati Bengals. Now, he is a big college football fan. Bryan lists The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan as one of his favorite books. He also likes the works of J.D. Salinger and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Bryan lists his favorite movies as "The Big Lebowski" and "Little Miss Sunshine." He is a big soccer fan and lists the sporting event that he would most like to attend as the final of the FIFA World Cup or the UEFA Cup.
International Results:
2008, Olympic Games, Men's Eight, 3rd
2008, FISA World Cup - Munich, Men's Pair, 7th
2007, FISA World Championships, Men's Four, 8th
2005, FISA World Championships, Men's Eight, 1st
2005, FISA World Championships, Men's Four, 5th
2004, Olympic Games, Men's Eight, 1st
National Results:
2007, U.S. National Championships, Men's Four, 1st
2007, U.S. National Championships, Men's Eight, 1st
2005, National Selection Regatta 2, Men's Pair, 1st