Tag Archives: ESPN

In Pursuit of the Dream

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A little over a month ago, I hung up my ESPN gig to pursue the Olympic dream. That’s right. I’ve officially traded in my business suit for a unisuit. After juggling what was basically two full-time jobs for nearly three years, I finally made the decision to go all in. No regrets. My time with ESPN was nothing short of wonderful. They were kind enough to put out a farewell post on the ESPN Front Row website last week. Check it out below:

ESPN’s Meghan O’Leary starts full-time pursuit of her U.S. Olympic Rowing Team dreams

2013 National Selection Regatta I. (Photo courtesy of Erik Dresser / row2k)
2013 National Selection Regatta I. (Photo courtesy of Erik Dresser / row2k)

Working for ESPN for nearly five years, I have had the unique opportunity to not only witness amazing sports moments but to be a part of capturing and telling the great stories in sports. It’s why I first got into television and why I wanted to work for the best in the business.

I love storytelling. The world of sports has an infinite number of inspiring acts of sportsmanship, unbelievable feats of the underdog, and last-second victories that make you jump to your feet and send goosebumps down your spine.

After five years of being on the “other” side of sports, I have made the difficult decision to put my ESPN career on hold and take a leap into chasing my own sports story, in hopes to become an Olympian.

Less than three years ago, I attended my first “learn to row” class at a small rowing club on the Connecticut River in Hartford, Conn. Just 18 months later, I received the official invite and began training with the United States Women’s Rowing Team at the U.S. Rowing Training Center based in Princeton, N.J.

I was fortunate enough to have the support from ESPN to train with the U.S. Team while continuing to work. After spending last year as a member of the 2012 Olympic selection group, I knew that this was what I wanted to do. I had stumbled upon a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

I could not have done this without the support from my coworkers and managers. It’s impossible to fully express how much I have valued my time with ESPN and have grown from the experiences and relationships I’ve made with all of the wonderful and talented people here. From my beginning as a Production Assistant in the Charlotte-ESPN Regional Television office, to my time with Programming in Connecticut, ESPN has positively altered the course of my life in so many ways.

And so I’ve turned in the laptop and PDA for a boat and oars. What used to be days full of meetings and conference calls are now filled will two, three, or maybe four training sessions; presentations and performance reviews are replaced with World Cup and World Championship races; and finally watching those big sports moments are replaced with creating my own.

Thank you for the memories. Thank you for the inspiration.

At the ESPNU Warrior Classic men’s college lacrosse event in Hartford, Conn. circa 2011 (L-R) ESPNU’s Rosalyn Durant, Meghan O’Leary, Kevin Lopes, Lauren Albee, Dan Margulis, AJ Mazza and consultant Darren Lachtman.

Every Day Counts.

“Back to work and working harder than ever…”

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Check out my latest blog contribution and short video for ESPN FrontRow: Balancing ESPN duties and training, O’Leary continues Olympic quest

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With the conclusion of the 130th Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in August, the 2012 summer racing season has come to an end.

I competed in the Regatta and it was my first racing since the Small Boat Olympic Trials in April. I managed to win my heat and semifinals, taking second place out of 48 overall competitors in the Senior Women’s Single at the Canadian Henley.

I had been sidelined all of May and June with a frustrating broken rib; a huge learning experience that I hope to never endure ever again.

Even though I spent the majority of the summer rehabbing and working out on the bike, running and cross-training, I was not quite yet in racing shape. Being the competitor that I am, it was not easy swallowing defeat and knowing that I did not have my best racing.

In October, I will be racing the Women’s Championship Single at the 48th Head of the Charles in Boston, one of the largest and most prestigious regattas in the world. The single is one of the most difficult events and I plan to finish among the top competitors.

So, it’s back to work, and working harder than ever. The 2012 Olympic Games have passed, and the U.S. Women’s Rowing Team had a strong performance, winning gold in the Women’s Eight and bronze in the Women’s Quadruple Sculls.

Official workouts at the U.S. Training Center in Princeton, N.J. start up in another month. The bar is set higher than ever. When training picks back up with the Team, it’ll be Day 1 of hundreds more to come, working toward the ultimate goal: the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

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47th Head of the Charles

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Working for ESPN does have its perks…check out this feature put together for ESPNBoston.com promoting the 47th Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, MA this weekend. I had a lot of fun working with the producer, Stacy Gitlin who also rows in the Hartford, CT area. Kudos to her for braving the rain and early morning to shoot the footage…

http://espn.go.com/boston/video/clip?id=7130375&categoryid=4410351

This will be my second time to race the Head of the Charles, one of-if not the-largest regattas in the world. I think it’s where I was first “hooked” into racing (last year I was in a Club Four with Riverfront).

This year, I’m racing in the Women’s Champ Double on Saturday (3:17pm, Bow #8) with Frederique Garnier out of Union Boat Club. It’s our first time in a boat together, but should be a good race. On Sunday, I’ve been thrown into the Director’s Challenge Women’s Quad (10:03am, Bow #5) with three other women hailing from Connecticut and Washington, D.C. The weather forecast looks solid, and there’s something wonderful about Boston in the fall. It’s going to be a great weekend.

Check out live coverage of select races on Saturday and Sunday at www.espnboston.com