“… the goal is to race as hard as we can, and push the limits of body and spirit where nine bodies can become one boat moving together.”
Two-time Olympian and Methuen native Regina Salmons

By John Molori
MethuenLife Writer

With the 2024 Paris Olympics upon us, Methuen is quite well represented. Regina Salmons, 27, a Methuen native whose family still resides in the city, is a member of the United States Olympic Rowing Team competing in the Women’s Eight (8+) also known as the “eight.” The Derryfield School and University of Pennsylvania graduate also competed in the 2020 Olympics.

Salmons’ rowing resume is nothing short of amazing. Since 2015, she has been racking up strong finishes at all levels of competition. Most recently, her team finished third at the 2024 World Rowing Cup II, scored a second-place finish at the 2023 World Rowing Championships and finished fourth at the 2022 World Rowing Championships, World Rowing Cup II and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Salmons is a seven-time national team member, two-time Olympian, three-time Gold Medalist from U23’s, team captain at Penn and a Bronze Conference Medalist captain at Derryfield. At Penn, Salmons placed third in the varsity eight at the 2018 Ivy League Championships giving her school its first medal since 1980.

With this just partial rundown of her rowing prowess, Salmons has set high goals for Paris in 2024. She relates, “In Tokyo 2020, we came in fourth, just shy of a medal behind an unknown Chinese crew. We were stacked against horrible restrictions from COVID. In fact, we weren’t even allowed to be in the same boats together until seven months before the competition. Ultimately, we fell short of our goal of the podium.

“We’ve now had three solid years to train together, and we are hungrier than ever. At the end of the day, the goal is to race as hard as we can, and push the limits of body and spirit where nine bodies can become one boat moving together. If we race as one unit and give it everything we have, I truly believe in us.”

Unlike many Olympians, Salmons did not start rowing as a child. It was her zest for new challenges that brought her to the sport.

“My freshman year at Penn, I wanted to try a new sport and was super drawn to the fact that rowing is a team sport. You get in the boat together, you pull together, and you cross the finish line together knowing the endless months and years you have sweat, cried and bled on the oar handles together.

“It’s also a sport you can learn at any age. Many people start rowing recreationally in their 40s or 50s, and it’s a sport you can do for a long time as it doesn’t have any impact on knees or hips. It is really great for all ages and ability levels. Just being out on boats with friends is a dream.”

Salmons trains out of Princeton, N.J., and her rowing career has taken her around the globe. Still, she cherishes her Methuen roots.

“I’ve lived in Methuen my whole life,” says Salmons, who also works at Broadridge Financial as a senior analyst in the Elite Athlete Management Program.

“My parents (George Salmons and Marion Brown) still live in Methuen, and I played youth soccer for my entire childhood in Methuen, including several years refereeing. The love of sport was really instilled in me at the MKS fields.

“Playing a sport was so important in learning life lessons, making friends and growing confidence as a little girl. When I’m on the Olympic racecourse, I will also be pulling for that little girl doing handstands in the defensive zone and picking dandelions. The love of sport never leaves you.”

Clearly, Methuen is a huge part of Salmons’ psyche, and her family holds an even larger space in her heart: “My parents have been incredibly supportive, and now that I’m attacking my second Olympics, they continue to support me so much emotionally. Their love has been incredible.

“My mother has been a teacher my whole life. Her patience and commitment to growth is so inspiring. She has faith in and respect for all of her students. My father drove to every single one of my collegiate rowing races and took me to every sports practice growing up. His quiet belief in me has always carried me through any tough moments.”

And indeed, Salmons did experience some tough moments as she tried to find herself athletically. She explains, “I tried 10 sports in high school, and honestly, I sucked at each one of them. I encourage children to play sports, not for the purpose of being good, but for making friends, staying active and healthy, and learning confidence and skill development.

“Sport is for everyone. Pick something that makes your heart happy, not just because you’re good at it. I’ve sucked many seasons at rowing, but the life skills and friends carried me further than I’d ever dreamed.”

At Penn, Salmons exercised her expertise not only as a rower but also as a writer. She was the editor in chief of the feminist literary and arts magazine “The F-word” and chaired the poetry workshop group The Body Electric named after Walt Whitman’s poem. She was also a 2017 and 2018 Scholar Athlete Award winner maintaining an above-3.5 GPA and participating in more than 75% of varsity races those years.

She discusses the link between her two passions: “I started reading at a very young age. My mother would take me to Nevins Library and I’d come home with whatever I could carry. That library planted the seed for me to ultimately become an English major in college and a writer. If rowing practice doesn’t go well, then I can shift gears to writing and keep momentum in a different arena.

“Writing gives me space to express myself without any limits. My training is very regimented. Being in a team boat, I essentially have no flexibility, but in writing, I can create and control the lines of the poems and make magic.”

While putting words to the page is clearly a labor of love for Salmons, she has even more enthusiasm for representing her country in Paris: “Both of my grandfathers served in World War II, and being the great-grandchild of immigrants, I feel an incredible sense of pride to represent America.

“It sometimes takes generations for dreams to be realized, and I’m incredibly grateful for all the opportunities my parents worked hard to create for me. When I’m competing in Paris, it won’t just be me in the boat, but also my family and everyone who’s supported the dream along the way. And I’ll be pulling as hard as I can for my country and for Methuen of course.”

To follow the U.S. Women’s Rowing Team, check them out on Instagram @womenintheboat. Heats are scheduled for July 29 with the Finals on Aug. 3. To watch Salmons and her team, check listings on Peacock and NBC.

Salmons has risen to the highest levels of rowing, and she recognizes that it has been a process at each step: “I’m incredibly grateful for every opportunity I’ve had to sit on the race line with the best people I’ve ever known – at Derryfield, Penn and on the U.S. team. Each community is an incredible team of strong and dedicated athletes, working together to accomplish big dreams.

“I am grateful for each of these communities as they continue to be with me and support me throughout this journey. It takes a village. I’ll be sitting on the Olympic line, pulling for each of my teammates who have taught me and grown along with me. The American flag is a symbol of each and every citizen, and it belongs to us all. We represent America.”