Oneonta’s Theis Preps Paris Paralympics Team for Race

PARIS—Andrea Theis of Oneonta is in Paris right now, preparing athletes under her tutelage for the row of their lives.

The U.S. qualified two crews for this year’s Paralympics in the City of Light—PR3 Mixed Double Sculls and PR3 Mixed Four with Coxswain. Theis is the coach of the two Paralympians in the PR3 mixed double sculls, Todd Vogt of Rochester and Saige Harper of Easthampton. The PR3 four with coxswain, coached by Tom Siddall, are Emelie Eldracher, Ben Washburne, Alex Flynn, Skylar Dahl and Gemma Wollenschlaeger.

According to USRowing, the PR3 four with coxswain recently won a silver medal at the 2024 World Rowing Cup III in Poznan, Poland. All but Wollenschlaeger were part of the crew at the 2023 World Championships.

The PR3 mixed double sculls crew of Harper and Vogt finished fourth in Poznan. Vogt won a silver medal in the event with Wollenschlaeger at last summer’s world championships, while Harper was part of the silver-medal four in Belgrade.

Information about all rowers can be found at https://usrowing.org/teams/paralympic.

On Friday, August 23, Theis touched base with Iron String Press upon arrival in Paris.

“We are doing great! Completed one week pre-Paralympic training in Italy and just arrived to Paris last night,” Theis wrote in an e-mail. “We were welcomed at the airport by friendly people and a full security detail. We had our first practice on the venue and later today we go through the Team USA Welcome Experience, where gear is distributed. Everyone is healthy, focused, and ready to race!”

Theis, who was inducted to the Cornell University Hall of Fame in 1999 for women’s rowing, is no stranger to Olympic competition. Cornell’s website gives the following account of her accomplishments:

“Three-year letter winner for the women’s crew. She rowed in the No. 6 seat in the varsity boat which won the Women’s National Collegiate Rowing Championship and was third at the Easterns in 1989. In August 1989, she won a gold medal in the open quad scull at the U.S. Olympic Festival. Following graduation, she was a member of the U.S. National team. At the 1995 Pan American Games in double sculls she was 2nd; 6th in the quadruple sculls at the ‘94 World Championships; 8th in double sculls at the ‘93 World Championships; was a sculling spare at the ‘92 Olympic Games; and placed 7th in the quadruple sculls at the ‘91 Lucerne International Regatta. At the ‘96 Olympic Games in Atlanta, she was a member of the USA women’s quadruple sculls, which placed 8th in the finals. Has been a member of the women’s crew coaching staff at Princeton since 1998.”

The Paralympic Games Paris 2024 are scheduled to run Wednesday, August 28 to Sunday, September 8, with Para rowing events beginning August 30. The action gets underway on Friday, August 30 at 3:30 a.m. EDT with heats and continues at the same time on Saturday (repechages) and Sunday (finals). For more details, visit https://www.nbcolympics.com/schedule/sport/para-rowing/paralympics. Rowing events can be watched live at https://www.nbcolympics.com/para-rowing.