After spending time as a lacrosse player growing up, fifth-year Catie Castle ultimately got involved in rowing as a way to honor her late grandfather who was an ocean rower.
“When he passed away, I was always a little lost,” she said. “We were really close, and I didn’t really know how to honor him.”
Her mom was the one who gave her the idea of trying rowing, and after her first camp, she was hooked.
Originally from Vero Beach, Florida, Castle was drawn to Rhode Island because of the immediate connection with University of Rhode Island women’s rowing head coach, Shelagh Donohoe. She said that she could see herself in Donohoe. Though she visited Stetson University, Washington State University and was scheduled to visit Gonzaga, Castle said that Donahoe was exactly what she wanted to become, and she knew Rhode Island was the right place for her.
After being mostly coached by male coaches in high school, she said she liked the change of a female leader. Donahoe’s physique is similar to Castle’s, which helped Castle see their similarities .
Being captain of her team, Castle said she likes to lead by example. If something needs to be done, such as getting the team on track with a specific workout, Castle has no problem doing it herself.
She also learned to be a good leader and teammate from her former teammate Jennae Alexander (2022), who taught Castle how to balance competing against teammates for a spot while supporting them. Castle said Alexander was a friend when she needed her to be a friend, but she was also a teammate that pushed her when she needed to be pushed.
As a fifth-year student this year, Castle has had a very successful collegiate career at URI. She has been part of the Varsity 8+ for three seasons. She is a two-time Atlantic 10 conference champion and a two-time Atlantic 10 First Team member. She has also been named a Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association Pocock All-American.
Outside of URI, she won the quadruple sculls event – which features four athletes in one boat, all using two oars – at the 2022 Canadian Henley, which is considered one of the most prestigious regattas in North America according to Great Bay Rowing . She was also the runner up in the single sculls, which features one athlete in the boat using two oars.
She was also a member of the 2023 Under 23 U.S. Rowing National Team, and she competed at the 2023 World Rowing Under-23 Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria as part of the women’s quadruple sculls.
Making the U.S. Rowing National Team was no easy feat for Castle, she said. After training with the Green Racing Project out of Vermont with coach Steve Whelpley, Castle was asked to attend the national team selection camp in the summer of 2022, and made it to number six in ranks before being eliminated. Though disappointed with the result, it gave her the motivation for the year ahead.
When asked to return for another selection camp this past summer, she said she went through a series of intense testing, including competing directly against another athlete seven times before making the team. As with many of her challenges in the sport, Donohoe was there for her as a guiding light.
Coming from rowing in smaller boats in high school, Castle said that it was a big adjustment to row in larger boats with more athletes in college. Having to adjust to working with more people who have different mindsets was difficult for Castle, but it gave her an opportunity to grow.
URI’s rowing program has taught Castle how to be tough in the sport, she said. She learned that when working with so many athletes in one boat, not everyone is going to agree, or know how each person works, but it’s important to be confident in her own abilities. These are skills she can use for her goals after college.
As a reminder of everything she has learned at her time in Rhode Island, Castle wears a necklace with a rowing oar pendant. This is the URI women’s rowing team’s version of a military dog tag, she said. It is given to the athletes as a gift when they graduate, with the years of program participation carved into the oar.
Castle received a degree in sports media & communication in the spring of 2023 and is currently back as a fifth-year student working towards a degree in public relations. After graduation, she said she plans to work for and train with the Green Racing Project, with her eyes on participating in the Olympics. Castle wants to win an Olympic medal, following in the footsteps of Donohoe, who won silver at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
While she won’t be eligible for the Paris games in 2024, she said she is hoping for a shot at the games in Los Angeles in 2028. On top of training, she is also interested in enrolling in an online graduate program for sports leadership, in preparation for a coaching career after the Olympics.
“To me, this sport is a gift and I’d like to spread that and inspire other younger women or men,” Castle said.
Castle and the URI women’s rowing team hope to raise $100,000 to travel to England this summer to compete in the Royal Henley Regatta. They are hosting an English tea at Point Judith Country Club on Sunday, April 28 from 1-3 p.m. Tickets will cost $500 for up to two people to attend. Additionally, there is a link to donate any amount.
Those interested in donating can visit https://alumniportal.uri.edu/s/1638/17/crowdfunding/interior.aspx?sid=1638&gid=3&pgid=2596 .