Where Are They Now? Michelle (Knox) Zaloom

There on Lake Banyoles, the gravity of the moment hit Michelle (Knox) Zaloom.

Lined up alongside the world's best to compete in quad sculls at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, Zaloom heard an official holler "USA ready!" and made sure to take a mental snapshot in appreciation of a dream come true.

"You get chills knowing 'Oh, that's me,'" Zaloom said. "It's just really special."

That wonderful realization on the global stage sticks out among a treasure trove of meaningful memories from a decorated career on the water that began representing the Buff and Blue.

A standout on the volleyball court, Zaloom joined the GW women's rowing squad as a means of cross-training only to discover a talent and passion for her new sport. She went on to become a two-time Olympian and two-time Pan American Games medalist before embarking on a coaching career to help share her experience with the next generation.

A product of nearby Edgewater, Md., Zaloom remains grateful that her time in Foggy Bottom provided the inspiration and opportunity to chase lofty goals as well as the tools to reach them.

"It was definitely life-changing for me," said Zaloom, who was inducted into the GW Athletic Hall of Fame shortly before her Olympic trip to the Atlanta Games in 1996. "I was from a small town, so it exposed me to a lot of people that were not like me and pushed me and opened my horizons."

Coming out of South River High School, Zaloom was attracted to the family atmosphere in head coach Pat Sullivan's GW volleyball program.

In her sophomore season, that inner circle grew with the addition of rowing to her spring schedule. It was teammate Mary Catherine Haslett who suggested she give it a try.

"I didn't know rowing existed until I came to GW," Zaloom remembered. "It wasn't something that I was exposed to at all. It was brand new to me."

On the volleyball court, Zaloom was a four-time letter winner from 1982-85 and two-time All-Atlantic 10 selection at middle blocker. She believes her rowing training helped her reach her full potential there, particularly boosting her power and vertical leap.

Under the direction of Head Coach Paul Wilkins, she was part of GW women's rowing's contingent at Nationals from her first season, culminating with a fourth-place finish in the four competition as a senior in 1986.

There were times, especially in the spring, when things could get hectic, but the people made the balancing act well worth it.

"I think I was super fortunate with all my coaches and my teammates," said Zaloom, who earned her undergraduate degree in Public Affairs before adding a master's in Public Administration. "My teams were family, so they had your back. They looked after you."

At the beginning, Zaloom's ERG scores were merely middle of the pack, but she kept working and put herself in position to make the national team development pool.

She credits Wilkins' leadership – both in his training program and the high-level events he entered the Buff and Blue in – with giving her the confidence to stay in D.C. after graduation and keep training out of Thompson Boat Center.

"Basically, I just decided to see how far I could take it," said Zaloom, who represented the U.S. in the 1989 World University Games coached by Wilkins. "I wasn't ready to stop competing. I wanted to see what my potential was."

Zaloom's busy GW experience proved good preparation for her international rowing career.

By day, she held down a job in the federal government, and any free time before and after work was spent chasing her rowing dreams.

Zaloom's tireless drive paid off in unbelievable moments: She was presented a gold medal by communist politician Fidel Castro after winning the quad sculls competition at the 1991 Pan American Games hosted by Cuba.

A year later, she made her Olympics debut at the Barcelona Games where she qualified for the quad sculls final before placing fifth. She'd add a silver at the 1995 Pan American Games in Argentina before earning her second Olympic berth in Atlanta rowing doubles sculls in front of a contingent of friends and family that included former GW volleyball teammates Anna McWhirter and Corinne (Hensley) Thompson.

"I think the same thing that got me to the Olympics is probably what got me to GW, too," Zaloom said. "It's 'What's my potential? What can I do? What's next?' You just keep striving, trying to do the next best thing."

That attitude pushed Zaloom to coaching and led to her founding of the Peconic Community Rowing Association, a non-profit based in Long Island designed to spread the sport there. Over an 18-year run in New York, she found that she enjoyed training the beginners as much as the elite-level athletes.

"That's the great thing about the sport," Zaloom said. "Anybody can row. You don't have to be a mutant athlete to row and really reap the benefits from it."

These days, Zaloom is living in Carlsbad, Calif., with her GW men's rowing alum husband Charles and their family.

True to form, the GW Athletic Hall of Famer is still balancing a bunch of projects.

She's pursuing her doctorate in Business Administration while working with 24-Hour Fitness' non-profit arm providing grants to employees in need. She's also assisting her son as he tries to get a wearable technology company off the ground centered on smart clothing that provides real-time data on performance.

Zaloom rows a bit, plays beach volleyball regularly and supports the wide-ranging interests of her four children - Charlie IV, Kathryn, Josie and Anna. (Kathryn has followed in her footsteps in a unique way: After starting her collegiate career playing volleyball, she's now a junior on the rowing team at Cal-Berkeley.)

It's a spirit that's unchanged since her days representing the Buff and Blue.

"It's a lot of fun," Zaloom said. "I've always liked having a lot of balls in the air."

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