This feature originally appeared in the 2024 Summer edition of the Cal Sports Quarterly. The Cal Athletics flagship magazine features long-form sports journalism at its finest and provides in-depth coverage of the scholar-athlete experience in Berkeley. Printed copies are mailed four times a year to Bear Backers who give annually at the Bear Club level (currently $600 or more). For more information on how you can receive a printed version of the Cal Sports Quarterly at home, send an email to CalAthleticsFund@berkeley.edu or call (510) 642-2427.

 
Current California men's rower Angus Dawson is preparing to compete in his second Olympic Games this summer in the men's eight for his home country of Australia. For a number of reasons, this will be a different experience than his first go-around when he raced in the
men's eight that finished sixth at the 2020 Games in Tokyo.
 
In addition to his Olympics experience, Dawson was a member of the Bears' varsity eight that won back-to-back IRA national championships in 2022 and 2023. But he hasn't been rowing his whole life.
 
Dawson grew up in a small town named Dingabledinga, located about an hour south of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. He was raised on a cattle farm that his parents operated, and he remembers helping out where he could.
 
"I just remember spending a lot of time helping my dad and mom fix fences and move cows," Dawson said. "During calving season, I would help out with the problem calves, and it was just a nice lifestyle away from the city."
 
Rowers are typically introduced to the sport at an early age through family or are naturally gifted enough to be able to transition
into it from another sport. Dawson's path was actually a combination of the two. He grew up playing Australian rules football and rugby all the way through high school.
 
It was when he reached St. Peter's College that rowing sparked Dawson's interest. His first year of high school was also the last year for his brother, Hugh, who was rowing on the school's first varsity eight. A friendly challenge also helped get Dawson interested in the sport.
 
"It's funny because (Hugh) was always really strong, and at the time, he was sort of the strongest in the rowing program at school," Dawson said. "At the time, I don't think he thought that I was going to catch up to him. He said to me, half-jokingly, that he would pay me money for every year that I beat his 2K erg score. He was thinking that I wasn't going to be able to do much and I hit a bit of a growth spurt and beat his score for the next three years. I've never seen (the money), but he has acknowledged that he owes it."
 
As soon as Dawson set foot on campus at Berkeley, it was pretty evident to Cal men's rowing head coach Scott Frandsen that he had someone special on his hands.
 
"It has always been very obvious that Angus is a serious athlete intent on taking his rowing to the highest level," Frandsen said. "There isn't anything loud about that for Angus, but just a steady and consistent determination. I think that is the most powerful form of leadership when an athlete makes it clear what is important to him and what he is going to do on a daily basis."
 
Looking ahead to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Dawson reflected on just how different the journey to get there was compared to the path he took to make the 2020 Tokyo team.
 
"Going into the trials to make the Tokyo team it was very much do or die," Dawson said. "I was more on the bottom end of the scale and I did enough to get into the state racing rotation, but then from there on it was essentially seat racing by elimination. There were five or six of us going for one seat."
 
Going into the qualifications for this year's Olympic team, Dawson had a better idea of where he sat in large part due to the success he had on the Australian team during the international racing season in 2023. He won a bronze medal in the men's pair at the World Rowing Cup II, a gold medal in the men's eight at the World Rowing Cup III and a bronze medal in the men's eight at the World Rowing Championships.
 
"I think my 2K time might have been ranked third or fourth on the team and then me and my pair partner were second," Dawson
said. "That puts you at ease because when you put those results together, you know that you're going to get where you want to."
 
Not only were the two paths to each Olympics quite different, but the experiences will be as well. For example, during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, there were no spectators allowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic but it will be back to normal fan attendance at this year's games. Dawson also plans to take a different approach this time around.
 
"It was a big new experience [in 2020] because from the moment I got selected, it was just very 'go, go, go'," Dawson said. "This time going into it, you can probably settle some of those nerves and you've probably got a better understanding of what you need to do to win." This time around it's having a bit more belief in yourself, knowing that you've been there before and you're probably a bit readier for the moment."
 
Even though the path and the approach that Dawson will take are different between the two Olympics, the one thing that will stay the same is the feeling of being in the same space with the greatest athletes from Australia and around the world.
 
"I remember getting into the elevator and going on to my room and a few of the guys from the Australian basketball team get in and you see guys like Patty Mills or Joe Ingles that you've enjoyed watching play in the NBA for the last five or 10 years and it's a bit of a surreal experience," Dawson said.
 
Australia's 2024 men's eight boat includes three past Olympic gold medalists in Jack Hargreaves, Spencer Turrin and Alex Purnell – who won the gold medal in the Four. Suffice to say, the expectations are quite high.
 
Frandsen has talked to Dawson quite a bit going into this year's competition.
 
"I spoke to Angus about actively ignoring the distractions and keeping his focus internal within his boat," Frandsen said. "There will be increased interest from the media and family and that is all positive, but can't distract from what he and his crew are trying to do. The opportunity to race at the Olympics is very special but it is still just about racing 2000 meters as fast as you possibly can."
 
Dawson will be joined by a familiar face in former Bear Jack Robertson, who was also named to the men's eight squad. The two rowed in Cal's varsity eight in 2021 when Dawson was a freshman and Robertson was a senior before the season was cut short due to COVID-19. Not only that, a total of nine current and former Cal men's rowers qualified for this year's Olympics, including Dawson's current Cal teammates Gennaro di Mauro (Italy) and Tim Roth (Switzerland).