The Truth About Lightweight Rowing 

please do more of these types of videos!! they are so helpful and powerful and help us understand influencers more, I wish other youtubers were as open and honest as you, Gretchen. You should be so proud of the platform you have created!!

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Gretchen is the epitome of a Pisces. She's SO kind hearted. She feels so much and cares so deeply. I admire her pureness and how much she cares about everyone around her. I cannot imagine the pressure and having to balance two tough obligations. Thank you for your honesty and your love, it truly shows in your videos. Your strength and power can help so many people. Your existence is appreciated so so much by many. 💞

54 minutes wow! Speak your truth Gretchen!

I really appreciate you mentioning how metabolism changes highschool to university. It's the truth. I remember my mom being so careful to talk to us about puberty, about how some girls had boobs in high school and others didn't, all those things. But what really hit me? University. Your body is STILL changing, who I was at 18 in terms of my body is totally different from who I was at 22, even now at 26 after finishing grad school. Sure, you have all the features of an adult woman by 18, but there's still so much going on and how your body holds weight and responds to food and exercise is 100% different. I think it would help a lot more young women if we discussed maturation as more than just puberty, but as something that happens into your early twenties so they can be prepared to monitor their bodies...but also so they don't feel blindsided by changes that happen.

As a "natural lightweight" rower I've watched teammates struggle to make weight. Like Gretchen said, lightweight rowing is intended for smaller athletes to compete against people who are all the same size to level out the playing field. USRowing is considering getting rid of lightweight rowing at the youth level because of how many athletes put themselves at risk of health issues to be lightweight. Its unfortunate that lightweight rowing might become non existent in the future for girls who truly are lightweight and don't need to cut. I took official visits at BU and other schools with lightweight rowing and the fact of the matter is, the girls who are naturally lightweight do better on lightweight teams than girls who need to cut weight because they aren't fueling their bodies adequately to compete at the D1 level. There are plenty of open weight teams that recruit top lightweight rowers each year, and I think its important for high school rowers considering lightweight schools to explore open weight schools as well. It's also important to note that if you do commit to rowing on a lightweight team and you can't keep the weight down but still want to row, most coaches are understanding of that and would love to see you row on their open weight team!!

Thank you for being so sensitive towards eating disorders and depression in this video, it really shows what kind of person you are. Thank you for sharing your experience, I know this is going to help so many people. You are so amazing. Love you Gretchen ♥️

As someone who is 5’11 I have struggled comparing myself to my friends who are smaller than me and understandably weigh less and I can imagine how hard it was to experience that with rowing- thank you so much for talking about it, you’re amazing!

This video was fantastic. I had a very similar experience as a D1 cross country and track athlete. I graduated three years ago, and like you it took me about that long to realize that I don’t have to exercise every day and I can eat what I want. Thank you for posting this. I don’t think people realize the pressure that female athletes are under.

Rowing definitely has its ups and downs especially in college. I commend you for doing it as long as you did especially doing youtube. Both are not easy things to do alone so I can only imagine! Thanks for sharing your experience!

I rowed from elementary school to D1 in college and I'm feeling so validated by this THANK YOU

lightweight rowing is changing sooooooo much like lots of people at nationals this year want to completely get rid of it. it’s such a controversial topic and so important for changes to be made. thank you gretchen for the video!

You’re truly such a kind genuine and beautiful soul. This type of honesty must have been so difficult for you and it means the world to your viewers. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I was actually on your team your senior year of high school (but was a freshman and not very good at the time lol) but I completely agree how toxic of an environment rowing, and lightweight more specifically, can be. I quit rowing soon after our coach left for another program because it kind of went to crap. I got horrible feelings at almost all the college programs I looked at and understanding that it wasn’t the end of the world to not row in college was such a hard thing to realize. My sister luckily rowed too and had the same stance as you after 4 years of D1 rowing and literally said “don’t do it” after I explained i hated every program but one that was way too pricey. It’s important to remember that you don’t graduate with a degree in rowing if you do row D1 it sucks up as much time as it takes to get your degree. Thank you for speaking about this, because rowing does get you sucked into this weird mindset (almost brainwash?) that you feel like you can’t live life without.

My twin sister and I row in a double just like you and Lucy did. We are going to be seniors in high school this fall. We just sat down and watched this video together and I find it extremely relatable and helpful. We were thinking about rowing lightweight in the fall because we are on the smaller side, and this clarified for us that it's probably not the best idea. With looking at colleges this was a very insightful video about what it's like to row in college. Thank you so much for being a great remodel and how brave of you to share your experiences. I have been watching your videos since you were an upcoming senior in high school just like me now and you inspired us to try out the crew. Seeing how much you have grown as a person makes you such an amazing remodel to us and many other girls. Thank you so much for all the advice you have given to me in your videos through the last 5 years it has truly changed my life!! I can't thank you enough for everything and especially this video.

This was one of the best videos you have ever uploaded. I have been following you since you were in high school and saw what you documented about rowing on your channel. I had no idea this toxic side existed, and I am so glad you managed to escape it and be able to look back on it with wise words.This was so eye opening and also refreshing to see a RU-vidr talk about disordered eating, especially among female athletes. Although not a rower, as an athlete I also struggled with disordered eating and overexercising and its crazy to see what an unhealthy outlook I had back then. Your words in this video were so wise and I know for a fact will not only hit home for many people but hopefully help some girls who are also struggling. You truly are an amazing person using your platform in amazing ways. Thank you for being so brave and sharing your story.

This video is EVERYTHING. It's so amazing someone FINALLY being candid about the realities of Division 1 athletics. Although it's such a rewarding process at times, there are so many mental stresses placed on athletes that can be soooo damaging to mental health. Props to you, Gretchen, for creating a platform where you can share this to everyone and give the real side of what many think is a "dream".

That video you posted on the old vlog channel that is now lucys channel "why i feel fat" when that person wrote to your business email commenting on your body - just hits at another level now :(((

This is so eye opening... my cousin rowed for Penn lightweight, and she quit her junior year I think? My whole family gave her such shit... After all of this it still seemed like she struggled with her relationship with food, and now I freakin get it. Wow. 😞 you’re so strong.

This broke my heart. Just recently getting out of a toxic team culture has this video hitting too close to home, thank you so much for speaking out about this 💕

I think this is a common theme in a lot of female college athletics, even ones without weigh ins. My friend played D1 lacrosse and a lottttt of girls on her team started developing eating disorders.

Hi, I am a current member of the Boston University Lightweight team. I just finished my freshman year and can quite honestly say that I have come back from college as a PROUD member of one of the best, in my opinion, teams not just in light weight rowing or rowing itself, but across the board in athletics. Not purely because of our success athletically, but because of honestly the members of the team who are synonymous with my best friends, the coaches who consistently show us so much love and positive parts of ourselves that we never knew were there, and finally because of a sport which has given me SO MUCH. I personally struggled with anorexia nervosa when I was 11 to 14 years old, FAR before I had ever touched an oar let alone one in a lightweight boat. Before rowing I was a swimmer, runner, and skier and grew up having played or tried almost every sport I came in contact with. However, it was not until I did lightweight rowing that I finally for the first time in years felt truly happy and positive about myself. It showed me what nutrition meant, that your body deserves fuel and how to fuel it. I can also say this has been the same exact experience for SEVERAL of my teammates and close friends. I am 5'7" and eat happily and healthily and the culture on my team around weight and image has been nothing but supportive, something all of me and my freshman class this past year talked about all the time as something we love in particular about BU lightweight rowing. I cannot speak for people who were on the team 4 years ago, but I can say as a current member, and as a member of the future upcoming years at BU, my team has made me so happy to be a part of. As for commitment, YES it is a D1 program. We train a lot and we train hard because our sport is our passion and any passion requires choosing it over other things at times. However, we still have so much fun and opportunities socially at school which my friends who are not athletes sometimes do not even get the chance to experience. We have dry season for 3 months, its really not too much of a tragedy and ultimately, its only enforced by ourselves of our own choice. Not the coaches or anyone else, we want to do well and substance doesn't really promote that. Training for 2 hours is what it takes. No olympian will turn to you and say that they train for an hour some days a week to achieve what they have in ANY sport. For instance, in the summer I do triathlons and my workouts for that which are completely of my own ambition and love range anywhere form 45 minutes to a little over 3.5 hours because they're distance sports. A marathon takes on average over 4 hours. Olympic distance triathlons which is what I race take about 2 hours to complete and they are so much fun. I apologize for the length of this comment but I just wanted to say that in full: I LOVE my sport and my team. Do not be scared to ever try it because of one person's cautionary tale. Sadness and hardship can come up in ANY situation or period in your life, it did for me in a completely different world than the one I am currently in. To all my teammates, our athletic staff and fellow lightweight and open weight athletes I love you and love what we work hard to do

you’re so brave and strong. recovering from an ED rn. i know this obsession. so dangerous. thank you so much for sharing.

THANK YOU GRETCHEN. It’s so relieving to hear someone coming forward with the dark side of endurance sports. This is what we all need to hear.

You have such a way of connecting with your community by being so raw. Be vulnerable , speak your truth and always be you !!! Yasss Queen 👑

im going to be upfront here- i have no idea who you are and ive never heard of you before, but this video popped up on my feed and as a fellow rower, i knew i had to watch. now, while i'm 5'10", around 145-150 lbs (so almost same stats as you in terms of weight and especially height), i honestly was really taken aback that you're so tall and rowed lightweight. like i just cannot fathom working out so much and also not eating (bc i eat often haha) and just trying to make weight. its wild. and its sad that this happens. while i personally have never considered lightweight rowing, i was mildly aware that it was problematic and i want to say thank you for posting this video. it really opened my eyes to some of the flaws that this wonderful sport has. also, as an incoming freshmen rower into a d1 school, it is nice to hear the "darker" side of collegiate rowing even if it doesn't affect me personally. thank you for posting this video, it will help a lot of men and women alike who were/are in the same position as you 💗

Wow this hit home. Not rowing in college was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Thank you for posting this such an important message

perfect example of the female athlete triad... it is so real and so unhealthy. glad you are doing better now and have the courage to talk about this

I do rowing now and for guys it may be different but the pressure of losing weight even being an open weight rower coaches are all over us to lose weight so that kinda sucks. But seeing these other guys that are pulling much better times that are a lot smaller than you really pulls you down. But I thank you for coming out with this to show the world what rowing does to our bodies

You are doing a great service to other young women out there by sharing your story!

i relate to this so much gretchen. i played college soccer for a year and i hated it so much, but i felt like i had to do it and couldn’t find myself to quit for too long. trainers and coaches promoted us to basically live an unhealthy life as long as we could compete the way they wanted us to in games. They didn’t care if we were hurt or unhealthy and constantly would tell some of us that we were “too big” to be successful in the sport, even though we were healthy but not the smallest on our team. i remember i hurt my knee in a game and they told me to suck it up and wouldn’t treat me. now three years later my knee is still in pain anytime i workout. for some people they can handle it, but i know for me it ruined my life and caused me mentally to go through such a rough time. i’m proud of you for getting out of it when you knew you had to. especially with light weight rowing it seems soooo much more intense and unhealthy for us girls... a lot of people don’t understand the pressure of college sports (or sports in general) unless they go through it too so it can be hard for people to sympathize. anyway long comment but i’m so proud of you for getting yourself healthier and knowing that it was time for you to get out of it!

I’m so glad you posted this because I used to watch you and Lucy and see how much y’all worked out and how small you were and I thought I had to be like that. I would envy you so much for being able to run for 2 hours. I worked out all the time, which is good I’m glad I did, but I’m glad you made this to say you weren’t happy doing all of that. It makes me feel better to know you don’t have to do all that to feel happy or confident. Xoxo

My brother was a wrestler his whole life and D1 in college. The things you mentioned in this video are so spot on to the struggles and physical battles weigh-ins put on athletes. Those who are assumed to be at peak fitness and health, are actually putting their body through the worst conditions to compete. Thank you for shedding light on this - its such a "hush hush" topic that needs to be exposed.

130 for an athlete is MIND BOGGLING.

Wow I can’t even believe that it would be ok for someone your height to even be that low of a weight 😥 I’m 5’6 and I’m not supposed to be under 125

That is insane to me that athletes are starving themselves just to meet this weight requirement. Athletes need to be fueled by food and not be so stressed out about weight that they don't eat. They need to change these rules...it is especially damaging towards girls bc we are already so conscious of our weight and tie it so closely to worth/self esteem/etc. I'm so sorry you have gone through this. I'm glad you left. It's important there is a rowing for lighter girls but weigh ins and strict under 130 needs to be changed.

I started watching your videos because you were a rower (like myself), and here we are, like 5/6 years later, neither of us rowing. I have stayed as a subscriber throughout so many years bc I love you!!! like another comment said, speak! your! truth! Rowing is a crazy whirlwind of emotions, and as an optimist it’s very tough to rack your brain for the bad stuff, even when you know it’s right there. Love you and love this video and all that you are. Thank you for sharing your true life with us.

This was extremely brave of you to share your story. I’m so sorry you had to go through that experience. It’s heart breaking that the coaches know what is going on, but don’t do anything! I’m glad you’re doing better now!

Oowww my heart! I saw that you posted a 50 min long video (!!!) so I threw it on during my cardio session (even though I know nothing about rowing I just love your videos) and this video had me in tears!!! Crying on the stationary bike over here!! I can relate to this on so many levels and I promise so many others will relate as well. You’re such a beautiful person inside and out Gretchen. Thank you for sharing your experience

Gretchen, thank you so much for opening up and talking to us about your rowing experience. I have been watching your videos for years now and I never comment but I feel like this needs to be said. I myself was a rower in a toxic/bad environment. My coach would congratulate girls for throwing up and tell our whole team how proud he was of girls "who went that far for their sport". He claimed pushing your body to its breaking point was the only way to be successful in the rowing world. After dreading practice every day, one day I decided I'd had enough. Just like you I would cry on the phone to my dad on my way to practice and on the way home telling him how stressful it was. I joined rowing to have fun and play a sport, not to be unhealthy and hurt my body. I really hope the rowing community can learn from its mistakes because its a shame so many girls have to experience things like you and I. Anyways I'm glad you are doing better now and please continue to makes videos like this because it helps so many people going through similar circumstances! Love you!

Found you a few months ago because I just got a golden retriever puppy Nala and discovered your Brody vlogs. I have been going through some of your past videos to get a better understanding of you and I just love how raw and vulnerable you are. You are so sweet Gretchen and are beautiful inside and out. Unrealistic body images are engulfed in society especially for adolescent girls in sports, modeling, etc. where body performance is necessary despite little to no education offered on the situations. Thank you for speaking up, I know hearing other peoples journeys is helpful for me in mine.

holy cow gretchen i didn’t realize how much i needed this video. i just want to say that i feel like the toxicity around competitive sports is absolutely insane. i played travel basketball when i was quite young until i reach high school. once i got into high school and i ended up tearing my acl my freshman year. the amount of support you need to compete in a highly intensive sport is crazy and is not given in these high school programs. i got the point that i felt i was no longer being cared for by my high school coach with my injury and my pain that i had to go through every day to continue to compete for this team. i could not let myself get a new coach and a new staff and experience the same treatment i was getting in high school. i don’t know where i’m going with this but i’m thankful for you to just bring up the toxicity in the college sports atmosphere. Love u always!!!

I am so glad that you realized that you couldn't continue doing what was going on. You really are in inspiration to young men and women, you are by far one of my favorite you tubers. I have literally been with you since you started making your videos. You GO GIRLLLL

That seriously breaks my heart to hear about all the stuff you and your teammates went through. They're probably aren't that many videos out there about this so I'm proud of you for sharing your truth. You look so amazing and heathy right now and you're glowing with confidence. You're so strong and the videos where you open up are always my favorite. I love you!!

thank you so much for sharing your story gretchen! as a former d1 college soccer player who quit during her freshman year because of the unhealthy culture surrounding the program, i really appreciate hearing that i am not the only one who has gone through something like this. unfortunately the sad part of it is that multiple people have had negative experiences with college athletics and i think something needs to be done to prioritize mental health with sports at the collegiate level!

Personally this story hit home, because I am a proud member of the BU lightweight rowing team and would like to share my experience as a lightweight. I think that all opinions, experiences, and sides (both positive and negative) should be heard. It’s only fair. I think that every situation, and particularly each individual’s situation is different and trying to lump everyone’s together is not applicable to lightweight rowing. There are multiple ends of being a lightweight and this experience will be different depending on who you ask. Personally, lightweight rowing at BU has been one of the best experiences of my life. I had not previously rowed before college and decided voluntarily to pursue lightweight rowing my freshman year. This comes from someone who had an eating disorder during high school and is fully aware of how an emphasis on weight can affect mental health and self-image. In fact, being on this team has actually helped me with self-image and has kept me accountable for maintaining my own well-being. It has given me a place and an opportunity to be competitive. I’m 5’6” and personally would break under an open weight program. This may be a different response if you asked another teammate, but I cannot speak for them. I am more than honored to be a part of this team. We do practice hard, work hard, but we also have fun and value spending time with each other along the way (dry season, for example, is a response to valuing our dedication to our sport that we don’t want anything to interfere with that. Dry season is something we do out of respect for our sport and our bodies.) It is D1 athletics and different aspects of life will be prioritized because of that. Sometimes the balance is a challenge, but I have found a way to achieve this balance. We have coaches, and resources that help us at Boston University. They are there if we ever need them, and personally, I feel supported as a student-athlete and young women. All these resources have helped me find balance. I have learned how to overcome challenges on this team. I’ve learned what grit and determination means and what a blessing being a part of a close-knit family is. I have the letter saying that I made the team framed on my desk because being apart of the BU lightweight rowing team is the best opportunity I’ve ever been given. I know this is a long comment, but I wanted to share this because my love for this team, my coaches and for lightweight rowing will always be strong.

Gretchen, I did not know anything about light weight rowing. I struggled with my own disordered eating since I was 15 and have final felt at peace. I cannot imagine the pressure you and the other girls are out under. You’re so courageous. People who don’t experience disordered eating don’t understand how toxic it is. I realized through therapy that it is so toxic bc you feel ashamed for what you are eating but also want to make yourself proud and these thoughts just go in circles in your head. It’s terrifying how much you can have conversations with yourself. You’re an inspiration to me. Healthy weight is just when you’re happy - that’s it. I have to learn it myself , I am so close. You make me feel ok being who I am. When I have my next bagel I’ll cheers to you ❤️

Girl this is SO IMPORTANT! Been following you all the years and this is my favorite of all your videos. Way to speak your truth and promote body positivity and confidence! Love your way!!!

Thank you for posting this! I used to row and my sister rowed lightweight and she went through the same things you’re talking about, sleeping in garbage bags, sweat runs, starving herself to make weight. It’s terrible for your body and just becomes the “norm” until you step back and go this is insane! Thank you so much for sharing this and exposing lightweight rowing. It should not be something that is normalized.

Gretchen! Thank you so much for posting this video. I’m a lightweight rower going into my senior year of high school. I didn’t know if I wanted to row lightweight in college or not, but this video makes it pretty clear. I relate so much to your story, and I really applaud you for having the strength to share it. You have helped so many young girls!❤️

ahhh gretchen, hearing what you and lucy went through breaks my heart. i’ve never been a part of a sport where weigh-ins were necessary but I have dealt with body image issues as a dancer. now that i’m older and living with chronic pain and an autoimmune disease, i can appreciate how great it is to have a fully functioning, healthy body. no matter what i look like, i try to remind myself how important it is that i’m healthy, because health isn’t in the cards for everyone. 💔

You’ve helped so many people by sharing your story...you’re so right that you don’t realize what you’re doing is unsafe until you’re out of that situation. Sending love!

This was so heart wrenching to watch. I have grown up with you and I always remember noticing your unhealthy behavior but thinking it was ok, and looking back now and seeing it for what it was. The amount of progress we have all watched you make is incredible and things will only get better from here ❤️ I hope you continue to talk about your journey because I'm sure we'll all look back on even this video and see even more progress. Thank you for sharing even if it was hard, you are truly admirable ❤️ love you Gretchen 💞

I’m so glad you finally talked about this! I had a very similar situation with volleyball, which didn’t require weigh-ins, but we had to meet certain lift requirements, practices, on agility training, on weightlifting, on weekend long tournaments, on top of playing a sport that physically strains your body. I never had a period and felt weird that my boobs were so tiny and that all I could ever think about was sleep because I was malnourished and trying to fit in schoolwork between all of my athletic responsibilities. Solidarity and I’m glad you parted with the toxic thing in your life!

I’m 4’11, weight around 130 and I’m completely healthy with a lot of muscle mass. Can’t even imagine how hard this was for you. The thought of sweat running and spitting to lose weight makes my stomach turn. I’m so sorry Gretchen! Proud of you for sharing babe 🧡

Wow this is really eye opening! Not only the world of weigh-in athletes, but I’ve followed you for so long and never realized you were going through this at the time. All of this going on while still keeeping an outwardly happy appearance! You are so strong!

You are amazing for posting this. It took me years to get my metabolism and body back after stopping rowing lightweight. I am now healthier, look better and eat more food than I ever did rowing lightweight. I don’t own a scale and only weight myself at the drs and have bad flashbacks to staring down at the scale. Cracking up about losing 10 lbs in 2 days and the water chug/dehydration game - it was so normal but actually ridiculous. As an adult now, i actually can’t believe the amount of adults that turn a blind eye. US Rowing needs to look at the lightweight limit to be 130 ESPECIALLY with the addition of weight training to programs today.

Gretchen, I've watched your videos since you were in high school and I have always loved how real you are. I was a competitive figure skater from age 2 to 22. Body image has always been a struggle for me. I am so proud of you for sharing your story. You inspire me and so many other girls every day. I love your strength and realness. I watch your videos when I get ready in the morning before work and all through college.

I️ cant express how important it is you shared YOUR truth! It’s inspiring how brave you were to speak out on something you felt uncomfortable sharing. This is your truth Gretchen, never apologize for speaking it! ❤️

Gretchen i am not in rowing but this video helped me a lot. I've always been so insecure about my weight and any time i go over 135 i begin to hate myself. Your struggle to be under 130 was a difficult story to hear, and i think it was so emotional to me because I've been doing the same to myself for no reason. You made me realize that it's okay, even healthy, to be over a certain weight. Thank you so much for sharing. Your story helps more than you know.

Thank you so much for this!! I was a gymnast for 15 years of my life and all of this you mentioned happened to me and lots of others and it’s horrible. It needs to stop and promoting health is great, thank you! Love your channel. I have been out of gymnastics for 3 1/2 years and I just have started realizing that no one is judging every once of fat on my body all the time. ❣️

This entire video is so impressive...your strength and maturity to talk about this now as well as how you were able to recognize the toxic things in your life and be courageous enough to make the changes necessary for your health and happiness. I'm going to be a sophomore in college this coming year and I know freshman year was hard enough just adjusting in general without the added stress of something like lightweight rowing...love you Gretchen, keep being amazing :-)

I’m am so glad you are talking about rowing. I haven’t started watching yet but I’m in high school and I row as well. I was really hoping for you to talk about this one day💗💗

Even though I’ve never really been in any competitive sports I still feel like this was such an important video! Thank you for making this and helping other girls!

It’s crazy how relatable this video was to me. Literally everything you did I did to make weight when I powerlifted competitively, even down to spilling my spit cup in my bed. This is a really important video & conversation to have! It’s amazing how your mind changes for the better when you’re no longer doing these behaviors.

Thank you Gretchen for being so vulnerable about this! I myself trained at a tennis academy for a while in high school and because of this I was very lean and at my lowest, weighed about 128 at 5'7", with some muscle on me too. Coming to college I knew I was probably going to gain weight, and I definitely did, but I had no idea what it would do to my mental health and body image. I'm going in to my senior year now and still struggle a lot with body image. I only play club tennis but I thank God that my sport doesn't do weigh-ins. I can't even image what that would do to somebody's self-esteem, to have to weigh in so often. I'm glad you recognized what it was doing to your mental health and made the decision to stop. Keep talking about the hard topics, I'm sure so many girls need to hear it!

I’m glad you made the change and took steps to better your mental health and body health. So many of women today need this positive message and thank you for sharing your story Gretchen. It’s good to see you so happy and loving life and living it to the fullest!!

Gretchen 😭😭😭😭😭😭 I fucking love you and your heart and your message. Thank you so much for sharing, I don’t row but I have had an ed for quite some time and it just is good to hear someone else talk about the behind the scenes and things that contribute. Thank you for being you we love you❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Gretchen!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am a year younger than you, from New York, and I have been watching you since I was a sophomore in high school. You are my favorite RU-vidr, thank you for being so real and honest. You are awesome!!! Thank you for sharing your story. I have the utmost respect for you and am so grateful to have been able to watch you grow. Continue to kill it!! Love you!!

Did you and Lucy go vegan because you thought it would help keep weight off and stay under 130?

I am incredibly proud of you and the amount of courage that must have gone into posting this. I understand you consideration of people who may have worse situations but just a note there is a difference between being depressed and having depression so you can say you were depressed if you believe you were. I’m so glad you are happier now. Much love!

This has opened my eyes and for sure so many other peoples. I haven’t wanted to do rowing really in the first place but hearing how toxic lightweight rowing can be and have such a negative impact on your life makes me sick. Thank you for being honest and open and I hope this reaches so many people to steer them the right way. Thank you thank you

Thank you for this Gretchen! Rowing absolutely destroyed my self confidence regarding weight and has stuck with me all these years... glad to hear I’m not alone in how I felt. Super brave of you

Thank you for having the strength to share your experience! You exerted SUCH and important message and should be incredibly proud of this positive platform you have built over the years because of who you are as an individual! Love you gg ❤️

Thank you Gretchen for always being so open and speaking the words we all want to say and what people have gone through. This takes a lot of courage to say and it means so much for you being able to open up! Love watching your videos and seeing you HAPPY! Health and happiness is the most important things in life! 💛

the same thing that happened to lucy happened to my sister julia at UC berkley, she was doing regular rowing freshman year and hurt her back so badly and is now a junior and can no longer row (although she loved it). My sister caroline rowed at gonzaga until her second semester soph year when she wanted to go abroad and then decided to bow out. crazy how much rowing controls your life. your stories legit parallel

Wow. I applaud you for being so open about your experience. I’ve been following you and Lucy for forever and I definitely remember you seeming unhappy during that time. A major contrast to now and it makes me so happy that you are able to eat all the burgers and fries and cinnamon rolls freely! :) I’m so happy you now have a better relationship with food! Your positive spirit shines through your videos Gretchen and I’m so glad I get to see it! Keep killing it girl!💕💕

I’m so proud of you for speaking out on this subject and for enlightening other people in high school/ people in general on the issues with lightweight rowing

Wow this rings so true for me and my college rowing team experience!!! It's so important for there to be a healthy team dynamic because rowing can be brutal with the time trials and weight classes and such intense training, lack of sleep and so many unhealthy habits that people promote. I had a similar experience my first two years rowing and we finally had a much better dynamic my senior year and it was such a difference!! I'm glad you did what was healthy for you.

Ok, I just started watching the video, but I SOOOO relate! I ran cross country and distance track and cross country skied in high school. I always felt so self conscious because I had hips and boobs and the girls who had the "runner body" looked like twigs. It was sometimes an incredibly toxic environment and calorie burning was like an addiction for me and my friends. I am in college now and still trying to regain some self confidence and body positivity. It is a process, but I totally related to what you are saying (lol that got long, love you by the way 😘).

You are so strong for having the courage to post this Gretchen - I’ve been here since you were in high school and it is so inspiring to see you grow up and mature into who you are today 🖤

Gretchen, when I met you on my official to BU I remember you were so so nice to me and I appreciated your kindness so so much. I actually switched to openweight rowing at wisco which was honestly the best decision I could have made, though it wasn’t much of my decision. I appreciate you and your honestly and putting everything on the table so much. You’re SUCH an inspiration.

thank you for talking about the Gretchen!! it’s so great to hear a popular youtuber talk about this. i’m going into my senior year of high school and my fourth year of rowing and it. is. so. hard. i had a back injury this year and i totally relate to my body just breaking down from the rigorous workouts. thank you for having the courage to talk about this!

I rowed in high school and it was very toxic for me as well. I saw all the same stories you talked about. The starving, cutting hair, and sweat runs. It’s all horrific and needs to be brought to the public eye. I didn’t realize any of it wasn’t normal until I quit, which is just devastating. Thank you for sharing for story. ❤️

Not many people would have the guts to film something like this Gretchen! Thank you for opening up as it has helped me realize other people have struggled with things like this too!

Very important message Gretchen. So important to raise awareness to these kinds of things especially to your younger viewers. And especially in our social media/ looks/ body image obsessed culture. So happy you made this video and stepped out of your comfort zone because it will help much more people than you realize.

gretchen I have so much respect and love for you for this video. you are such an amazing, strong person that I definitely look up to. I totally understand the weight college sports puts on you because I just finished my 1st year playing D1 soccer. your videos have definitely helped me realize that I was playing for the wrong reasons and can finally put my happiness first once I quit. Thank you for always being positive and honest when needed. I love you!

Can’t tell you how much this meant to me. I was a FH player and got into a deep funk and started to hate my sport. Thankfully I found help and really chose happiness over the pride of being an athlete. Thank you thank you thank you!

Gretchen you're absolutely amazing for sharing your journey . I can tell how much happier you are with max and just being healthy and doing life the way you wanna live life . You have this amazing life and I'm so grateful for you having a channel because you have helped me with my self confidence and thank you for that . I love you so much Gretchen

You’re inspiring others to speak up and become aware of their health in this type of competitive environment. You are strong!

I never would have thought this. Don’t ever be afraid to share YOUR story. It is a part of you and some thing you went through.

Love you Gretchen. Thank you for this. I know so many girls are struggling with what you went through. Could you do a video and go more in depth on how you got your period back and gained a healthy weight?

that’s one crazy story. I’m glad you’re better Gretchen❤️

so proud of you Gretchen for telling your truth ❣️❣️ you are truly a light and we are so glad to see you happy

I’m a 5’9” rower as well, but I’m not a lightweight bc I realize how crazy it is and know that it wouldn’t be realistic because to be healthy and race your best, you have to be hydrated and fuel yourself well! There’s some lightweights on my team and while we were at USRowing nationals this past week, they were all starving themselves and not eating meals and sweat running everyday, and I felt so bad for them bc I hated to seen them in that position to be so hard on themselves to make weight! I have no idea how you did lightweight rowing in high school and early college years bc I know from self experience as well that it’s hard to be tall, have good health, strong muscles, etc. without being above 130 lbs! I’m so glad that you got yourself out of that horrible situation and are able to be truly healthy now (physically and mentally)! ❤️ thank you for sharing your story bc I know that young rowers always want to know stories of older and experienced girls and some need this big awakening that lightweight rowing is not for everyone! You stayed so strong during this video and that goes to show how well you’re doing now while living your life without restrictions, working out a lot, fueling yourself well, being around people who care about you!

i'm so glad you made this video, it showed me that i was not the only one who had to go through this... i actually ended up in the hospital for a month from ending up with an eating disorder (anorexia) from rowing. it was the worst part of high school for me and i'm thankful that i got out of that bad environment and recovered from anorexia and couldn't be better now. thank you for sharing❤️❤️❤️

I honestly have so much more respect for you for making this video. Love you for being honest and looking out for us ❤️

There is so much about this video that I appreciate but mostly, I appreciate your honesty! You’re helping so many girls with this video, be proud of yourself! ❤️

I respect you so so much and have looked up to you since I was in middle school and you were a freshmen in high school. I’ve watched your videos all through middle/high school and look to them for advice. Now that I’m headed to college in the fall, I’m so glad I have your videos to look back at for advice in the future. Best of luck to you!!

I’m so proud of you for making this video. I know this isn’t easy but it had to be said and your experience needed to be told to help others and prevent other people from going through a similar experience. Thank you for sharing. It means a lot and just know you’ve helped so many people..love you Gretchen!