St. Joseph's rower overcomes loss of hearing

At times while he was growing up, Andrew Friedlander could sense the curious stares he would get from others, and would be tempted to remove the hearing aids that made him feel different.

"I was definitely self-conscious when I was growing up," the 22-year-old St. Joseph's senior said. "It would come to the point where I didn't want to wear the hearing aids. But I've learned to accept my hearing loss as part of who I am."

Those feelings of discomfort are long gone, and Friedlander stands as a shining example that much can be overcome with perseverance and dedication. And few athletic endeavors require those qualities more than rowing.

Friedlander, who was born with moderate to severe hearing loss in both ears, will be pulling from the No. 2 seat in the Hawks' varsity eight boat at the 69th Dad Vail Regatta, to be held tomorrow and Saturday on the Schuylkill.

This is the second year the native of Wynnewood and St. Joseph's Prep graduate is on the varsity eight crew. Last year, he was part of a Hawks squad that has won the men's team championship at the Dad Vail in three of the last four years and the overall team title in the last two.

He won a silver medal as a member of the freshman eight, and added a gold his sophomore year while rowing for the second varsity eight.

Aside from collecting medals and enjoying the competition and camaraderie that come with rowing, Friedlander said the sport had helped shape his self-image. Rather than feel sorry for himself, he feels pride.

In fact, he said, it's times when he's without one or both of his hearing aids that he feels fortunate, such as when one of them fell into the water while he was rowing for Penn AC during the summer four years ago.

"When I don't have a hearing aid is when I realize how far I've come," he said. "And it was one of those digital hearing aids that cost about $2,500. But there are times when I'm out on the water and something happens that I have to overcome."

The Hawks' men's rowing coach, Drew Hill, has been around Friedlander since he was a freshman at St. Joe's Prep, where Hill helped to coach before moving on to Hawk Hill. And although Hill no longer thinks much about Friedlander's impairment, he's still amazed when he does.