2022 Senior National Team Roster

row2k

Jennifer Fitz-Roy

  • Position
    PR2 Women's Single Sculls
  • Education
    Boston College, Human Development, 2009
  • Weight
    215
  • Height
    5-0
  • Hometown
    Glen Ridge, N.J.
  • Training Location
    Brighton, Mass.

Biography

National Teams: One – Senior, 2022

International Results: Finished fourth in the PR2 single sculls at the 2022 World Rowing Championships...Finished second in the PR2 single sculls at the 2019 Canadian Henley...Won the PR2 women's 30-39 division at the 2019 USRowing Indoor National Championships/C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints.

National Results: Won the PR2 single sculls at the 2022 USRowing Summer National Championships...Finished second in the PR2 single sculls at the 2021 USRowing Summer National Championships...Finished second in the PR2 mixed double sculls at the 2020 U.S. Paralympic Team Trials - Rowing...Finished second in the PR2 single sculls at the 2019 U.S. National Team Trials.

Personal: Jen is the indoor world record holder in the PR2 women’s 6k and half-marathon…She received the Young Adult Leadership Award from the Spina Bifida Association. Jen works as the manager of the Para and military programs at Community Rowing, Inc. She is a dog mom to an eight-year-old pug/beagle mix named Benson. She was a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show when she was 16 and spoke about growing up with Spina Bifida. Jen loves all things Disney. In 2012, a friend of hers was visiting from Kentucky to compete in an indoor Para rowing competition, so she went to cheer her on, learned about the sport, and attended adaptive rowing classes for about a year. She left rowing for several years, returning in 2018 when she was looking for social connection and exercise to improve her mental health. Jen lost her father to cancer when she was a teenager, but he had an enormous impact on her life in a short time, and he gave Jen her independence, her stubborn attitude, and her smile. Jen said her dad stopped her from being consumed by self-pity through the dozens of hospitalizations and surgeries she had as a child. He advocated for Jen, taught her to speak up for herself, and encouraged her to be creative and find ways that she could participate despite her physical limitations. It's because of the legacy he left that Jen loves to laugh, take on new challenges, and push beyond her comfort zone.