Since his return from the 2008 Olympic Games, David Banks has dedicated quite a bit his time to the sport of rowing, from outside of the boat. Banks is currently involved in coaching an outreach program based in Trenton, N.J. He shares his experiences below and will also have the opportunity to speak at this year’s USRowing Changing the Tide Diversity Workshop February 13-14 at Georgetown University.

USROWING: What's been keeping you busy since returning from Beijing?

BANKS: Since returning this fall, I have slowly been getting back into shape and back into working out. I took a little time and load off from training and had time to do some other things besides rowing. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to help start an outreach rowing program through the Princeton National Rowing Association, USRowing and the USOC. I’ve also been working in the Princeton area to help support my future training.

USROWING: Describe your role with the Trenton YMCA crew. What got you involved and what’s your vision for the future of this group?

BANKS: Along with Kay Worthington and Kris Grudt of PNRA, I helped coordinate the Trenton outreach rowing program Rowing Is Growing, or RIG, which was being offered by PNRA and USRowing. We have been able to work with kids from the Trenton YMCA, Boys & Girls Club and Trenton Central High School. Through a series of fall weekends, we brought the kids up to Mercer Lake and had weekend learn-to-row sessions. We also held a few different informational sessions at the YMCA and Boys & Girls Club of Trenton. Also, with the help of Princeton University, we were able to hold an indoor learn-to-row session at the Princeton Boathouse after the water froze. We would eventually like to incorporate some of the kids from the program into the Mercer Juniors program. Hopefully, we’ll continue to expand our outreach programming into the spring, summer and fall of 2009.

USROWING: What do you enjoy most about being around younger athletes? Was it difficult to get them interested in rowing?

BANKS: The best part is seeing how much enthusiasm and energy the kids had. Most of the kids came back for each of our fall sessions. It was also real cool to see them improve in such a short time and to have a good time rowing together. It was good to see that what brought the guys back was the difficulty of rowing and the desire to get better. That was a good sign that we will be successful in eventually getting some of the participants or future participants more involved in the sport. Kids enjoy sports, and rowing is no different. At the informational sessions, we had to literally pull the kids off of the ergs and take them apart to go home, or they would not stop.

USROWING: The theme of this year's diversity workshop is "The Challenge and Opportunity of Rowing Outreach." In your opinion, what are some of the toughest challenges our sport faces with regard to outreach?

BANKS: The biggest challenges are simply just exposure and opportunity. Rowing is a sport like any other, and kids love sports. In my experience, all we had to do was expose the people and actually give them a real opportunity to try the sport, and they kept coming back. We have to show that rowing is legitimate and let them see that they have a legitimate chance to try the sport. But with zero exposure in many areas, it will take a lot of concentrated and continuous exposure and opportunity to make an impact.

USROWING: You began rowing as a freshman at Stanford University in 2001. What drew you to the sport initially?

BANKS: Knowing nothing about rowing, I was drawn to the competition of the sport. I had wanted to compete in college, and rowing was a good fit. I was lucky to be brought into the sport and coached by two passionate and competitive people, Jon Albin and Craig Amerkhanian, who helped teach me and introduce me to the sport.

USROWING: Has race been a factor in your personal experience at any point throughout your rowing career?

BANKS: I do not think race is the biggest challenge that rowing outreach programs across the country face. Competition is competition, and at its heart, it is colorblind. The exposure and opportunity may not be fair or colorblind, but the essence of our sport is colorblind. Personally, within the sport, race has never been an issue; trying to improve and get better has nothing to do with race. I have also been fortunate enough to be coached by coaches who judged me on my performance, character and ability – not my race. That being said, the lack of diversity has always been noticeable at events and regattas, and it is always disturbing.