With a Job, a Family and Twins on the Way, Rob Milam is Having a Last Big Row

October 12, 2011

Rob Milam never really stopped training and rowing since the last time he was on a United States Pan American Games team, even if it was eight years ago.

Rowing has been a way of life for Milam, who got his start at Princeton University after being cut from the golf team. But Milam had also begun a career at J.P. Morgan, was married and started a family. Rowing had to fit in around those three priorities.

“I row for New York Athletic Club in the city and I’ve worked ever since college and anything I’ve done, I’ve done around the job,” Milam said. “You’ll see us periodically, every year at the Head of the Charles, (USRowing) Club Nationals, Canadian Henley. I’ve been club-level rowing for the most part.”

But then this year, two things happened. After a bit of an off-season last year, Milam decided to train for something, he just didn’t know what. And then his wife, Shyamli, got pregnant – with twins.

Milam and his wife talked about it and decided that this would be the “last hurrah,” and they decided the 35-year-old should try for a national team.

“That’s all part of how this came together,” said Milam, who rowed in the lightweight four on the 2003 Pan American team, finishing seventh.

“My wife is amazing. She’s been very supportive of my rowing career in the years we’ve been together,” he said. “We decided this would be my last hurrah and she gave me the hall pass to go for it.”

So Milam, who is originally from Idaho Falls, Idaho, started putting the pieces together.

“We had a good group of athletes hanging around at the club and people were trying to set goals,” he said. “I started rowing with this other guy in the city. We rowed a pair and did pretty well and we wanted to do something over the course of the summer.

“Both of us work and we can’t go to every event, so we had to pick in advance. Did we want to go to world trials and if we make it go to worlds? Or did we want to focus on the Pan Am trials? We had two other good guys at the club and we got in the four. (We) did pretty well at Canadian Henley and we decided to go to trials for Pan Am.”

The four lightweight guys, Ryan Kirlin (Medford, N.J.), Josh Gautreau (New Ipswich, N.H.), Frank Petrucci (Warwick, N.Y.) and Milam went to trials and won. And they are now hoping to medal in Mexico next week.

“We’ve got a really good group, a young group. This is my second time on the Pan Am team. I’m an experienced rower, but not really on the international level. But this is the first time for the other three guys. There’s good horsepower and the rowing has gotten a lot better. If we have a top performance, I think we can do really well. If we don’t have our best piece and the other boats do well, we’ll be in the B final.”

Either way, Milam is enjoying this last stand.

“I might be the oldest guy on the team,” he said. “I’m pretty close to retirement, so it is what it is. You never say never, but I’m 35. I’ve got a wife. I’ve got little girl (Rayah, 19 months) at home and I’ve got two more on the way. This will be my swan song.

“I’ve had a good work career, a good rowing career and my family has been amazing. This year in particular – my in-laws, particularly my sister-in-law, and niece as well, all the grandparents, have been pretty clutch. It’s hard to leave a pregnant wife home with a toddler without a little backup,” he said. “I’m very lucky to be where I am.”

Ed Moran

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