Pupo Competes On Canadian National Team

Fifteen minutes outside of Niagara Falls, deep within the heart of Canada’s serene landscape, in the small town of Ridgefield, Ontario, rowing is not a sport commonly practiced. In a country that favors hockey and skiing when it comes to high school or college sports, the appeal of uncommon American sports sparked the attention of junior rower Greg Pupo.

“There is a certain allure to the culture of U.S. sports,” Pupo explains. “In Canada, sports do not share the same importance. My high school didn’t even have a football team. I wanted to be a part of the culture where rowing was just as significant a priority as any other sport.”

Along with the obvious attractions of American competition, the U.S. rowing season recommences in the spring, as opposed to Canada’s fall rowing season, thereby coinciding with the National Team Selections and making Pupo’s decision a practical choice.

In making the move to New York City, Pupo’s family exuded nothing but support, unfazed by the city’s blinding lights.

“Although my dad is a small-town guy, both of my parents knew I would love it here, and weren’t afraid, but excited with what New York had to offer,” he said.

Sampling the traditional buffet of potential Ivy League college options, it was both the team’s connection and energy that Pupo found at Columbia that increased his confidence in choosing the right home for the next four years.

Three years later, and no regrets to date, it’s clear just from his enthusiasm that the team is doing better than ever. Entering the winter off-season training as a collective group, friendly competition among teammates has been the driving force behind the team’s continued excellence and cohesion.

“This new program has brought a new intensity,” Pupo said. “The new freshmen push the varsity to work harder than ever. When we see them excelling, it drives us to say, ‘We aren’t going to let that boat beat us.’ We are having fun at practice again. It’s all about working against each other in order to work better together as a team.”

In high school Pupo was rewarded with the highly esteemed honor of participating in the 2004 Junior National Team, where he competed on the 1992 Olympic course set in Barcelona, and again in 2005, when he traveled to Germany. This summer and last, Pupo competed in and won the Canadian Royal Henley Regatta, with plans of trying out for the Canadian National Team in the near future.

As December approaches, Pupo and his pair partner prepare to accept their most recent honor, rowing for the prestigious Rowing Canada Male Sweep Crew, another notch on a continually expanding belt of success.

In Pupo’s time at Columbia, while concentrated on the failures and successes of the rowing team, he has also spread himself wide on all fronts of education. An economics major with a history minor, Pupo feels his interest in business corresponds to his long time dream of entering the work force, briefcase and all.

“Ever since I was little I’ve wanted to wake up early, pick out a tie, put on a suit, and go to my job. I think that’s mainly why I went into finance,” Pupo said.
With casual football games on the weekend and a supportive group of brothers at Sigma Phi Epsilon, Pupo can take a step back from rowing and concentrate on the bigger picture.

The trials and tribulations of rowing are many and rigorous. Weighing in at 145 pounds, Pupo’s small build, composed mostly of muscle, allows for fellow teammates to meet or exceed the average crew weight of 155 pounds for lightweight rowing.
“Weigh-ins are on Friday nights, generally,” Pupo said. “I try to monitor my weight throughout the year so when the time for weekly weigh-ins comes around, it isn’t difficult to maintain my build.”

Team dinners, following Friday’s somewhat extreme regulations, consist of V&T pasta, complete with salad and an unlimited amount of Gatorade to prepare for the weekend’s regattas.

“You have to put in the day’s work,” Pupo said. “You have to be a competitor and you have to have that drive to be relentless. A race isn’t over until somebody on one of the crews decides he can no longer win.”

The winter off-seasons bring rigorous workouts in the gym, trips to Florida, and endless amounts of team bonding. When asked whether or not there was something Pupo would like to add, he didn’t hesitate to answer.

“Rowing is so much of a team sport that I can’t help but feel embarrassed having an entire profile written on me and my accomplishments,” he said. “When I have a bad day, someone else is always pushing to continue and not give up. It isn’t a singular sports team; we are a group and a unit. Everyone should get their own profile in the newspaper, because we all do it together.”

Watch Pupo and his band of brothers compete in their upcoming spring season.