Dylan Dragswiek competes at World Rowing Indoor Championship

It’s a style of rowing competition that seems like it breaks all the rules. No oars, no boats, no water. Indoor rowing began as a way for rowers to train off of the water, but has become its own field of competition as an eSport.

World Rowing is the group that organizes the world championships for both indoor and on-the-water rowing, and on Feb. 24 they held a competition in Prague for indoor rowing competitors from across the globe. Among those athletes was Dylan Dragswiek, a Cook County resident. Dragswiek told WTIP that he started rowing during the COVID-19 lockdown, especially after an injury limited his ability to do his previous top sport, long-distance trail running.

Dragswiek competed in what is called the Versa Challenge, which he explained was a reference to versatility, saying that the athletes in this competition participated in five different races designed for well-rounded rowers. The five races were a beep test, elimination race, Power and Pace, Sprint Pyramid, and a final called The Chase. Of the 12 rowers selected to compete in the event, Dranswiek placed 8th.

The pool of competitors at the world championships was diverse, ranging from experienced Olympians and world-ranked on-the-water rowers, to amateur enthusiasts. Dragswiek said that some athletes compete virtually if they are unable to travel for the world championships. According to Dragswiek, there was a lot of promotion and excitement centered on the championships, since there is a push from the indoor rowing community to have the sport included in future Olympics as an eSport.

While he said he was happy with his overall outcome, Dragswiek said that his favorite part of the championships was the comradery between the athletes. He said, “Everybody was cheering for everybody. It’s a competition. But it’s a sport where you’re just doing your best.” He also said that the in-person competitions were where he gets to spend time with his teammates from the Sub 7 Indoor Rowing Club, which is an international group of rowers who connect online to create a support and training community.

The next major in-person event for indoor rowing will be the 2025 World Rowing Indoor Championship, but until then, Dragswiek said there will be virtual competitions open to athletes from anywhere in the world. He is in the process of putting his own competition together, Row Wars, on May the Fourth. He stated that his motivation for organizing the competition is to give back to the sport, saying, “It’s a great community for somebody, if you get a little bit more involved.”

WTIP’s Kirsten Wisniewski spoke with Dylan Dragswiek about his experience rowing at the 2024 World Rowing Indoor Championship, and how he got involved in the sport. Audio from the interview is below.

Kirsten Wisniewski March 11, 2024