Ursula Grobler and Abby Broughton - connected by Speed

The Team >

Abby and Ursula have an excellent opportunity to win a gold medal in 2012
and are striving to do just that.

Ursula Grobler

In 2003 Ursula Grobler came to Seattle, from Pretoria (South Africa) to be an Au Pair. During this year she took a learn-to-row class at Greenlake. After her Au Pair year, she interned in a graphic design firm which lead to a full time position. Only 3 years later did she take up rowing again at Lake Stevens competing as a triple A master, and in 2006 won the Master's National Championship in the women's single.
In 2008 she won USRowing Elite Nationals. In 2009 while waiting for her US Citizenship she went to Spain and competed in her first World Cup in Banyoles winning silver in the LW2x. She went on the win the open single at the Canadian Henley regatta and then in October won the open single at Head of the Charles.
In February 2010, she set a new world record for the Lightweight women in the Indoor Rowing Seattle Qualifier. She broke a 10-year record held by Lisa Schlenker by 4 seconds. Just a week after gaining citizenship she raced NSR 1 winning the Lightweight single and then raced with Abby Broughton at NSR2 winning the LW2x. This double went on to win a gold medal in World Cup 1, Bled, Slovenia. Later on that year, Ursula also raced the Lightweight quad and took silver at the World Championships in New Zealand.
Currently she is making a comeback with Abby Broughton under coach John Parker, in Seattle at Lake Union Crew.
She obtained her bachelor's degree in Information Design and made the junior South Africa team in triathlon, placing 3rd at the African Championships. She has her own graphic design company and is active in the Paleo Nutrition community.

Abby Broughton

Abby learned to row--and immediately fell in love with it--during her second year at Lewis and Clark College, in Portland, OR. After college, she decided to make rowing a priority and moved to Seattle, WA, to be coached by the late Emil Kossev. After one year of training in Seattle, she represented the USA at the 2006 World Rowing Championships in Eton, England, in the Lightweight Quadruple Sculls.
For the following two years, Abby took time away from training to be with her family, but she knew she was not done with her rowing pursuit. After feeling inspired by the 2008 Olympics, she came back to full-time training and went on to win a bronze medal the following year at the 2009 World Rowing Championships in the Lightweight Quad.
In 2010, Abby paired up with Ursula Grobler and went on to win a gold medal at the first World Cup, and raced both the LW2x and LW4x at the 2010 World Championships, placing 8th and 2nd, respectively.
Abby has made another comeback this year, after being off the water for six months, and is excited to be preparing to race with Ursula once again, and continue onward toward the 2012 Olympics!
Abby's other interests include backpacking, cooking and nutrition, winter biathlon, adventure racing, and art. Her personal hero is her dad, who also is in training to accomplish a big goal: to walk again after being paralyzed in a car accident four years ago.