Temple University senior Konstantin Kluge is an international student from Flensburg, Germany, who has been rowing for the Men’s Crew team for the last three years. Kluge started rowing in 2016 and was looking for the opportunity to get an education while continuing the sport he’s loved for the past 10 years.
“During the talk with [the coaches] I realized they were really interested in me as a rower and in my rowing background… and just the way they talked to me was more appealing than some of the other coaches,” Kluge said. “I felt more welcome to come [to Temple] than to other universities.”
With years of rowing experience, Kluge was ready for the next step. However, rowing opportunities in Germany are much different from those in the U.S.
“We have college or university, and then we have rowing, but we don’t have college sports as we have here in the U.S., or generally,” Kluge said. “…We have a club team, and then we have our university, but it’s not really connected.”
Kluge decided to come to Temple to combine his college experience with his passion for rowing. Since joining Men’s Crew, Kluge has competed in more than 15 races and has helped his team bring home multiple trophies.
“I was slowly getting better within the fall season, and then in the spring season, I was really happy about how I improved, and then I was able to be in the first boat for that season,” Kluge said.
Kluge has also had the opportunity to make many great memories with his team over the last three years. Whether it was on trips or during practice, he explained that his team always managed to have a good time.
“We went with the team to Wissahickon to a place where you can go swimming… it was a very good point to connect with the freshmen and the whole team,” Kluge said.
Through these excursions and his time on the rowing team, he formed close bonds with his teammates.
Men’s Crew Captain Sebastián Rawson grew close with Kluge when they spent time rowing together as well as dorming together their freshman year.
“If you met him, you would think that he’s years above what he actually is, and I think that’s what really stood out, his maturity. I mean, he was a guy that didn’t really need a transition period,” Rawson said. “He was ready to join Temple Crew and immediately perform, and I think that was pretty evident by him being moved up to varsity almost immediately and not needing that period to transition. As a freshman, he was definitely a leader.”
After graduation, Kluge has plans to go back to Germany and continue rowing. He hopes to move to Dortmund, one of the major cities in Germany, where you can be a professional rower.
“If he puts his mind to something, he makes sure that he does it with excellence, and to the fullest extent,” Rawson said. “An individual like that is not someone you meet all the time, and I think it’s a rarity, but it’s also a treat, because I’ve been able to learn so much from him.”