Beau Hoopman was going through freshman orientation at the University of Wisconsin, trying to figure out which end was up, when he noticed a man with a clipboard staring at him.
â??I thought, â??Uh-oh, whatâ??s this guy want?â?? â? Hoopman recalled. â??He said, â??You look like an athlete.â?? I said, â??Uh . . . yeah?â?? He said, â??Would you be interested in crew?â??
â??Iâ??m, like, â??Whatâ??s crew?â?? â?
And so began an improbable 10-year journey that took Hoopman from the rowing hotbed of Plymouth, Wis., to two Olympic medals in the sport.