Last Friday, the Portland Rotary Club had the very unique opportunity to hear from Olympic hopeful Morgan Frame, who hopes to be representing the United States in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France. Her comments gave us an interesting insight into the battle to break into the very competitive world of rowing, a world that is rather foreign to Ms. Frame.As a young athlete growing up as the daughter of Waterville High School’s athletic director, Morgan has always been active in sports and, as a senior at the high school, she was named Maine’s “Miss Basketball,” an honor given each year to the state’s top female hoopster. After contemplating playing for Cindy Blodgett at UMaine, Morgan decided to take a chance and head to Durham, New Hampshire, where she was an All-conference player for two years at UNH. After graduation, Morgan went to work at Enterprise Rental Car, a company known for hiring matriculating athletes, where she received a strong training in business, which she carried into her next venture as a pharmaceutical sales representative. But, after some time in the cutthroat world of sales, she began to miss the daily grind of athletic endeavors and returned to Maine as a manager and trainer for Orangetheory Fitness, a rapidly growing fitness chain in Portland. As a trainer, she began to work hard on the rowing machines and found that, with her background and size (6’1”), she was a natural. With encouragement from friends, family and new husband Derek, Morgan decided to accept an invitation to the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, where she and other hopefuls not only tried out for the 2024 team, but were part of the filming of an NBS show called “The Next Olympic Hopeful,” which follows the women as they battle for the coveted spots. The 90-minute show will be aired on December 29th.