Issue link: https://www.wacmagazine.com/i/1544632
42 WAC Magazine | wac.net Rowing Arne Landboe is a homegrown rower. He took to the sport as high school student, where he learned to row with Green Lake Crew. Relatively speaking, the north Seattle lake, more popular for its walking path than rowing scene, is a pond compared to Lake Washington, where the 6-foot-9 Arne landed in 2015 as a University of Washington student. He competed all four years for the Huskies, served as the team's captain as a junior and a se- nior, and won two national championships during his time at the school, one of the most storied in college rowing. Arne's aptitude for rowing now sees him sitting in the WAC men's eight scull as part of a crew looking to win a second consecutive title at Montlake Cut's Windermere Cup, Seattle's most important boat race of the year and a classic in the global rowing scene. "It's a high-performance regatta, but it's also a uniquely Seattle event," Arne says. "Races are never as loud as they are in e Cut. It's a true celebration of Seattle's deep rowing tradition." For Arne, Seattle's nearly endless rowing loca- tions make the city one of a kind. "We have the best water anywhere," he says. "ere are so many miles, and we're right in the middle of town. Seeing the sunrise over the Space Needle and the mountains when you're out in the boat—that's something special." Aer graduating, Arne rowed for the under-23 national team followed by a stint living in Italy, where his wife, Chiara Ondoli, trained to compete in the Tokyo Olympics (see her story on page 26). e couple met as members of the UW crew. When they returned to Seattle in 2023, they also returned to the water. "e sensation of rowing is different than any- thing," Arne says. "It feels like you're flying over the water in such a unique way that's worth chasing. I'm always happiest when I'm on the water." Arne Landboe, fourth from right, is in the "engine room" of the WAC men's shell. A stalwart powerhouse, he helps provide the speed that propels the team across the surface of local waterways. Learn more about the Windermere Cup at windermerecup.com.