HARTFORD, Conn. - Trinity College sophomore Felix Goldmann is an emerging star on the men's crew team, competing in both the first and second varsity boats in just his second year of rowing.  Goldmann walked on to the rowing team as a first-year without any experience in the sport, simply wanting to stay involved athletics and try something new. Since then, he has risen through the ranks, becoming one of the team's most hard-working members. Balancing the heavy demands of rowing with his engineering and physics majors, Goldmann's first semester on the team was extremely challenging with early morning practices even on the weekends. Still, he adopted the routine pretty quickly and began competing by the spring season of his first year. The sport requires a great deal of discipline and Felix Goldmann has strengthened his over time.

Hailing from Freiburg, Germany, Goldmann attended his first two years of high school in his home country before finishing his schooling at the United World College (UWC) in Costa Rica. Goldmann played volleyball competitively for eight years in Germany, but upon attending UWC he stopped because they did not have a league. At that point, he picked up Ultimate Frisbee, and calisthenics, a form of strength training, which he has been practicing ever since. Goldmann describes calisthenics as rigorous training which emphasizes the importance of mindfulness in order to build a foundation of technique and strength that you can utilize to help you achieve your goals. This involves a lot of body weight training, like handstands, muscle ups, and pull ups, among other exercises.

As a testament to the mental toughness and discipline Goldmann has developed over the past few years, he and a friend from high school plan to bike across the United States this summer. Beginning in San Francisco, California with a final destination of Washington D.C., the duo aims to bike and camp across the country in a journey that they anticipate will take around two months. Goldmann attributes his motivation and preparation for this undertaking to the mentality he has developed from rowing and calisthenics. He acknowledges that this is the time in his life in which he is most physically fit to take on the journey, so it really comes down to testing his mental toughness and how far he can go with it. Goldmann explains, "We want to\ take it to the next level. We want to do something crazy while we can. Why not now? When would we otherwise have the chance besides college?"

Goldmann credits his confidence in seeking discomfort and trying new things to the knowledge that he always has his family and friends to support him. The comfort and support offered by his friends and family back home allows Goldmann to seek discomfort and take on more risks, even when he is far from them.  He says, "I couldn't do it alone. My friends and family back home send me so many letters and support. I know that no matter what happens here I can always come back and be welcomed. This is the way I've been living for the past four years. I might be living in a different place, but I know there is still a home I can always travel back to."

The greatest lesson the Goldmann has learned so far in his college athletic career is pushing through difficulty without striving for perfection. In the fall of his first year, after only joining the team a few weeks prior, Goldmann completed his first 5k on the stationary erg. He describes the feat as a difficult mental wall to overcome, and that during the 19:47 minutes it took for him to complete it, he pushed through a lot of physical and mental pain. He says, "This was not something I had experienced before, and it showed me that in college I am in a different place and I face a different kind of rigor." Goldmann considers himself as a perfectionist, but even though he did not finish his 5k with an ideal time, he was simply proud of himself for finishing the exercise. This prompted Goldmann to approach more challenges and new activities in the same way – not striving for perfection, but rather completion, encouraging him to not back down from bigger challenges.

Trinity College Head Men's Rpowing Coach Kevin MacDermott acknowledges the long tradition of walk-ons in the sport of rowing, and describes Goldmann as embodying the key characteristics of a good walk-on. As a very strong and competitive individual, a disciplined trainer, and someone with an innate athleticism, MacDermott says, "Felix has all the attributes to be successful, and it is very exciting for him to continue that tradition of walk-on rowing.  Felix carries himself with a very high level of maturity which has manifested itself in a high level of leadership attributes in the boat. He is physically competitive with every guy on the team, his poise and perspective has made him a very valuable member of the team, and he is just getting started. He is in his formative period still in the sport. I think he can accomplish so much over the next few years."

In terms of his future goals, Goldmann wants to improve his rowing skills, and reach his full potential while at Trinity. He hopes to make the team better by helping to foster more trust between team members. He believes that the team will be successful as long as everyone trusts that each member is doing the best they can to propel the boat forward. His advice for other athletes and individuals who are trying to push themselves is to "try something new and stick with it for a while because time is going to reveal the spirit of the sport, and reveal what kind of character you have. Don't be afraid to bring challenges upon yourself, don't be afraid to go to your absolute limit and extend that limit through the process."

On June 2nd and 3rd, the Bantam men's rowing team will be in West Windsor, New Jersey to compete in the 2023 IRA National Championship Regatta. Trinity's varsity and second-varsity boats will both participate in the competition, which includes eight of the nation's top Division III men's crew programs. Last year, the Bantams placed third in the regatta, and this year they are seeded fourth. Goldmann is excited to prepare for the race and to compete and happy to further connect with his teammates without the distractions of academic obligations. This is only the beginning of Goldmann's rowing career. With his impressive perseverance and motivation, and his determination to overcome challenges, Goldmann can achieve anything he puts his mind to.