Photo by: Karl Maasdam
Get to Know Ben Garrison
October 15, 2019 | Men's Rowing
Senior Beaver Coxswain Ready for Last Go-Around
A gold medal in the 2016 Youth National Championships and three seasons of coxing various successful Beaver boats -- for Ben Garrison rowing started on a bit of a whim.
Born with achondroplasia, it was getting more difficult for Ben to compete in soccer and basketball during his 8th grade year. At the same time a family friend came to him with the offer to try out rowing, it became a perfect match.
"I just went out to give it a try originally, but by the end of the day I just kind of fell in love with it," said Garrison. "Sort of love at first sight I guess."
Growing up in the Bay Area, Ben says his time in club rowing and his upbringing in general was always heavily influenced by the culture of the city. The great blend of different lifestyles and people is still his favorite thing about his favorite thing about his upbringing – outside of all of the friends he made through his time rowing.
"I grew up in the bay area and I just love the culture of the whole city. It's a big melting pot: sports, universities, the people – all of it," Garrison said. "That kind of feeling spreads everywhere and was a big part of our rowing culture there as well.
During his time at Oregon State Ben has coxed the Varsity 8 to wins in a variety of events including the Lake Las Vegas Invitational and Stanford Invitational last season, as well as the Varsity 4 to top 10 finishes at the Head of the Charles since his freshman season. He'll also return to cox the V4 in the incredible Head of the Charles Regatta this season.
But he says the sport and his time in Corvallis have taught him skills that translate just as well to his success off the water.
"Being organized and staying committed to improvement. That and just the emphasis on teamwork and communication skills," Garrison said. "Especially in my position a lot of it is learning how to tap into teammates in different ways that are going to work for them – both mentally and physically."
Ben will finish his degree in finance after his senior season of coxing the Beaver boats this season.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL
For more information on the Oregon State men's rowing team, visit OSUBeavers.com or follow the team's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/BeaverMRowing, on Facebook at Facebook.com/BeaverRowing, or on Instagram at Instagram.com/BeaverMRowing.
OUR MISSION
Oregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent Authentic Visionary Student-Athletes (Go BEAVS).
Born with achondroplasia, it was getting more difficult for Ben to compete in soccer and basketball during his 8th grade year. At the same time a family friend came to him with the offer to try out rowing, it became a perfect match.
"I just went out to give it a try originally, but by the end of the day I just kind of fell in love with it," said Garrison. "Sort of love at first sight I guess."
Growing up in the Bay Area, Ben says his time in club rowing and his upbringing in general was always heavily influenced by the culture of the city. The great blend of different lifestyles and people is still his favorite thing about his favorite thing about his upbringing – outside of all of the friends he made through his time rowing.
"I grew up in the bay area and I just love the culture of the whole city. It's a big melting pot: sports, universities, the people – all of it," Garrison said. "That kind of feeling spreads everywhere and was a big part of our rowing culture there as well.
During his time at Oregon State Ben has coxed the Varsity 8 to wins in a variety of events including the Lake Las Vegas Invitational and Stanford Invitational last season, as well as the Varsity 4 to top 10 finishes at the Head of the Charles since his freshman season. He'll also return to cox the V4 in the incredible Head of the Charles Regatta this season.
But he says the sport and his time in Corvallis have taught him skills that translate just as well to his success off the water.
"Being organized and staying committed to improvement. That and just the emphasis on teamwork and communication skills," Garrison said. "Especially in my position a lot of it is learning how to tap into teammates in different ways that are going to work for them – both mentally and physically."
Ben will finish his degree in finance after his senior season of coxing the Beaver boats this season.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL
For more information on the Oregon State men's rowing team, visit OSUBeavers.com or follow the team's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/BeaverMRowing, on Facebook at Facebook.com/BeaverRowing, or on Instagram at Instagram.com/BeaverMRowing.
OUR MISSION
Oregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent Authentic Visionary Student-Athletes (Go BEAVS).
Players Mentioned
Coxswain
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