st. paul

St. Paul might not be the traditional hotbed of rowing talent, but two native sons are vying to represent the United States this summer at the Beijing Olympics.

Micah Boyd and Matt Schnobrich will know by the end of the month whether they made the cut for the men's national team. Both say they never envisioned themselves competing at such a high level, but the potential for Olympic glory makes for strong motivation.

"Ours is a sport that's pretty obscure," Schnobrich said.

Baseball or football it's not, but U.S. rowing has enjoyed some recent Olympic success, including a gold medal in 2004 in Athens. There are 14 spots, plus room for two alternates, in 2008. About two dozen guys are sweating for the slots.

"I've never considered myself a world-class athlete," Boyd said. "It just doesn't sound right."

Despite the sore backs, burning legs and mental anguish, both rowers are focused on reaching the apex of their nontraditional journeys.

A modest start

Schnobrich, 29, grew up in the Mac/Groveland area and graduated from St. Thomas Academy. He participated in hockey, soccer and cross-country skiing.

It was at St. John's University in Collegeville, Minn., where he learned about rowing. The 6-foot-5 freshman with nothing going on was prime recruitment material.

The team was pretty bad -- the students coached themselves -- but by the end of his senior year it was more competitive with other regional club teams, he said.

He moved back to the Twin Cities to get a master's degree in environmental engineering at the University of Minnesota. During that time, he rowed at the Minneapolis Rowing Club.

"My interest in the sport grew with the more time that I did it," Schnobrich said.

As he improved, people at the Minneapolis club said he should head east. So he did.

He joined the competitive Pennsylvania Athletic Club in Philadelphia in fall 2004 and excelled in national contests. Schnobrich joined the U.S. national team at its training center in Princeton, N.J., in 2005. He's been racing with the nation's elite since.

"It's turned into something bigger than what I initially set out to do," he said.

Launched by his twin

Boyd, 26, grew up in St. Anthony Park and graduated from Central High School. "I was athletic, but not good enough to do any other sports," he said. He's 6-foot-3.

His twin brother, Anders, was rowing and coaxed him into the boat as a sophomore at the Minnesota Boat Club in St. Paul. "I found the sport that doesn't turn away anyone," Micah Boyd joked.

So he rowed through high school and then made the team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

He figured he'd quit competitive rowing after college, but he hung out after graduation to help the Badger team.

Although he doesn't like to admit it, Boyd is pretty competitive, and he missed being part of a team.

Like Schnobrich, he joined Penn AC and competed for about three years before his recent invitation to the Princeton training center.

"Now I'm here, in the mix with everyone else," Boyd said. "I didn't picture myself doing this."

Both athletes work part time: Boyd doing data entry for a small company and Schnobrich working as a consultant for an environmental firm. Schnobrich received a stipend from the U.S. Olympic Committee because he has rowed for the national team the past couple of years.

6,000 calories a day

Their days include four hours or more of training, which lately involves a lot of racing against teammates.

The workload guarantees good sleeping and good eating, Schnobrich said. He has to scarf down 6,000 calories a day to maintain his weight. "It's hard to eat that much," he said.

Both enjoy the camaraderie among the guys and thrive on the competition.

But the days are getting more stressful as the final selection nears. "You never know how well you're doing," Boyd said. The body gets used to the physical workout, he added, but the mind needs strict focus.

It's important not to think too far ahead and to focus on the day's training, he said. "It's nerve-racking but exciting."

Schnobrich's recipe for keeping his sanity has two parts: "Keep trying to make the boat go fast and, whenever possible, take a breath and take in the experience."

Neither native St. Paulite is willing to wager on whether he will make the Olympic team.

"Things are definitely going to come down to the wire," Schnobrich said.

Said Boyd: "I'm holding my own."

Of course, they'd no doubt be ecstatic to be holding medals in China.

Chris Havens • 651-298-1542