Weininger Irwin

He is the CEO (Community Exercise Officer) of Cool Rowings.  His love of sport has driven his initiative to create WRS (Weininger Resistance Sliding) a.k.a Cool Rowings! ​  
Weininger a former 800m runner and is  probably best remembered by people, (of a certain age) as the man who beat the likes of Wolf and battled Shadow/Warrior to claim the title of the first ever UK Gladiators Champion in the hit ITV series of the 1990s.Weininger got his introduction into indoor rowing in his late thirties! 

 
"I was invited to one of the top rowing clubs in the UK as a result of producing a time that was recognised by a former world champion Paul Stuart-Bennett."
It was quite amusing at the time as he asked me incredulously  "Why did you go out so hard!" I didn't have a strategy!"I simply put what I read and understood from reading a Concept II rowing manual."   I put it into action, and followed the training plan and produced a sub 6.30 time for 2000m (race commentary below)at the British Indoor Rowing Championship.  

"I enjoyed my stay at the rowing club but what was apparent at that time in my life, was that I was the only person of colour in a well attended club." 

 Cool Rowings is an entry point for making a difference and addressing this.
Cool Rowings does not want accessibility to a sport to be hindered  by  access to the training opportunities/equipment or not feeling included!

    Our adaptive approach to rowing  is a way to address this and we look forward to introducing everyone to the benefits and opportunities of Cool Rowings...  Yeah Man!

Read Weininger's British Indoor Rowing Championships race commentary  

Throw back to 2000!

A native East-Londoner, Weininger Irwin’s first taste of competitive sport was his primary school (Gainsborough Primary School Hackney) sports day which the then barren grassland took place on what ironically was to become the site for the 2012 London Olympic Games. 

Weininger grew up in Lea View Flats in Hackney opposite Springfield Park.  The Flats inner circular area, would act as Weininger’s adventure playground where metal fences became hurdles, shed roofs obstacles and their circular perimeter his own personal velodrome.

This was clearly an excellent training ground, as Weininger was to become his secondary school’s top cross country runner and would often represent his house in athletics events.  

Weininger later moved to the USA where his interest in athletics continued. He came 19th in New York’s Queens Cross Country Championships out of 350 runners. 

His stint on the collegiate athletics circuit with the New York Institute of Technology though was to be short lived due to the pressures of college and work life. Some years later and back on British soil, Weininger’s passion and naturally affinity for sports and athletics were still strong. 

He competed in the British Indoor Rowing Championships in the 2,000 metres. See Rowing. 

He also organised and captained a team of friends and associates and competed alongside them in The Rover Telegraph Dream Team Challenge, a national competition which gave participants the opportunity to compete against British Olympians. 

Unfortunately the team missed out on a third place finish.  The BBC however was most interested in Team Weiningers’ efforts and invited them to participate in the first ever series of ‘Are You Tough Enough?’  Three of Weininger's four members where chosen for the show where one member made the final four!

Before this interaction with the BBC,  ITV snapped him up for their 1992 first series of Gladiators, and his triumph over the forces of the celebrity gladiators (wolfman, shadow) is still a talking point to this day.  

Weininger has appeared with his family on BBC 2 Back In Time For Brixton

In 2020 Weininger was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer and at the same time the world was put on Lockdown.  

With the help of family and friends he as made a full recovery.

At the age of 60, Weininger maintains good levels of fitness thanks to Cool Rowings, as well as regular running and rowing.  He is a successful sports coach, taking care of the likes of London Youth, an energetic fitness instructor well known and loved for his motivator style approach, a former sports club manager and a much in-demand event host and compere, as well as being the man behind Cool Rowings.