"Justin is extremely knowledgeable in the sport and has turned athletes into elite rowers and coxswains. Being said his methods have created an absolutely terrible team culture and this past year over 16 girls have left the team. He often will say hurtful things to try and motivate athletes such as “when I look at you I see us losing Big Tens” or straight up telling injured girls they are simply “lazy.” Many girls struggle with mental health issues and are often penalized for taking a step back from the team. Injured athletes are totally separated from the team and are given little support. The entire coaching staff is not very approachable and most interactions are like a business transaction. Justin is responsible for creating his lineups for the top 2 eights, but the rest of the staff creates lineups and places rowers and coxswains purely off of opinion even if you won your seat race. When asking for answers athletes are told they lack in “competitive spirit” or something else dumb. If you’re looking for a warm and fuzzy environment with an open door policy this is not it. Went to a lot of sports psych when I was there."

"Justin turned RWR from absolute dog s*** to a respectable team. I will never disagree with his ability to do that. He talks in circles and knows how to beef up what he is saying to make it sound better when in actuality he is a professional at making most people on the team feel insignificant. Unless you are a v8 contributor your importance in his eyes diminishes. In my time on the team, he would speak about how he valued academics yet would berate you if you missed a team lift or had to leave 5 minutes early from practice for a lab or an internship opportunity. It’s truly disappointing to see the value he places on athletes from a mental health perspective and how much he devalues your physical health as well despite the number of resources the university has. "

""

""

""

""