Todd Vogt is a native of the United States, who was born on August 31, 1974. He competed in the World Rowing Cup II in 2019 (PR3 Four with coxswain), the Gavirate International Paralympic Regatta in 2022 (PR3 mixed doubles sculls), and the Para Rowing Regatta to Paris in 2023 (PR3 mixed doubles sculls) which leads him to 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.
Meet Todd Vogt Wife Heather Vogt and their Children
Todd is married to Heather Vogt. They have two children together, a son named Nicholas and a daughter named Isabella.
Heather works as the Director of Client Success at a company called Creativate. Her job responsibilities include growing and supporting the company’s client accounts, making strategic plans, and ensuring goals are met.
With over 20 years of experience in marketing for business-to-business companies, Heather has developed strategies to increase sales and improve the brands of companies.
Before her current role, Heather has worked as a senior graphic designer, a videographer, and a Creative Director at a company called The Garland Company, Inc. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Visual Communication Technology with a minor in Marketing from Bowling Green State University.
In her free time, Heather enjoys attending her children’s sporting events, working on home improvement projects, and spending quality time with her family.
Todd Vogt’s Hobbies and His Early Life
Todd Vogt was born on August 31, 1974, in Rochester, New York, United States. He is tall, standing at 6 feet 4 inches (193 centimeters), and weighs 200 pounds (90 kilograms). Todd also has an older sister Cny Vogt, who works as a food nutritionist.
Vogt began rowing in his first year of college at the University of Buffalo in Buffalo, New York. He competed and won medals at different rowing competitions, including the New York State Collegiate Championships and the Dad Vail Regatta. After finishing college, he kept rowing with the West Side Rowing Club in Buffalo, racing in events like the US Nationals and Canadian Henley.
Todd enjoys simple pleasures like drinking coffee, watching movies, walking his dog, and riding scooters around Portland. During his second year of college, he worked as security at a Nirvana concert on campus. He was right in front of the stage, pushing people back into the mosh pit just two months before Kurt Cobain’s death.
Currently, Todd is working with several organizations related to Parkinson’s Disease, and he would like to do more of this work. His favorite place to compete is Boston for the Head of the Charles Regatta, and his favorite travel destination is Italy. His favorite movies are The Big Lebowski, Pulp Fiction, or any other film by Quentin Tarantino.
One of his personal heroes is Brian Grant, a great basketball player and a great person. Grant was diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease shortly after retiring from the NBA. His foundation helps others with Parkinson’s live well.
Todd Vogt qualifies for the Paralympic Games Paris 2024
Todd Vogt has earned a spot to compete in the PR3 mixed double sculls event at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. He was part of the crew that finished second in the PR3 Mixed Double Sculls Final A race at the 2023 World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, with a time of 8 minutes and 15.22 seconds. This second-place finish secured an automatic qualification for the Paris Paralympics. Vogt’s participation in Paris was confirmed after a U.S. selection camp in January.
Vogt’s journey to the Paralympics is unique because he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2018 and then transitioned to para-rowing. He has been involved in competitive rowing for over 20 years since 1992, including 15 years of coaching rowers of all ages. To prepare for Paris 2024, Vogt has followed a rigorous training schedule, rowing on the water for 90 minutes every morning, followed by strength and cardio training six days a week.
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In addition to Vogt’s PR3 mixed double sculls event, Team USA has also qualified the PR3 mixed four with coxswain for Paris 2024. The remaining U.S. rowing boats will compete at the 2024 U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Team Trials in Sarasota, Florida, from April 2-7.
How Todd Vogt Started Rowing?
Vogt started rowing after seeing a flyer in his freshman dorm that made the sport sound interesting.
In 1996, Vogt finished 4th in the Men’s 4+ event at the Dad Vail Regatta. He also secured 1st place in the Men’s 4+ at the New York State Collegiate Rowing Championships that year.
In 1999, Vogt took 2nd position in the Men’s Senior 4- and the Men’s Senior 4+ at the USRowing Club National Championships. He also finished 4th in the Men’s 4- at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta that year.
In 2004, Vogt came 3rd in the Men’s Club 4+ event at the Head of the Charles Regatta.
Vogt began coaching in 2005 at the Lake Oswego Community Rowing Club in Lake Oswego, Oregon, working with both junior and master rowers.
From 2009-2011, before joining Lewis & Clark’s staff, Vogt was an assistant coach at Willamette University for two years. While there, he helped the women’s team reach a No. 12 national ranking.
In 2011-2012, Vogt was the head coach for the Portland Women’s Rowing Club. He also spent the last two summers coaching at the Pennsylvania Athletic Club and the Craftsbury Sculling Center in Vermont. At the Pennsylvania Athletic Club, the lightweight 8+ crew he coached won the USRowing Club National Championships.
In September 2012, Vogt was hired as an assistant coach. Earlier to that, he spent a year as an assistant coach at Lewis & Clark, helping lead the men’s varsity 4 to a 1st place finish at the Northwest Collegiate Rowing Conference Championships.
In 2014 and 2015, Vogt’s crews secured 1st position in the Lightweight Novice 4+ event at the EAWRC Sprints. He also coached the Lightweight 4+ to a 1st place finish at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) National Championships those years.
Todd in his Prime Years
In 2016, Vogt again coached the Lightweight 4+ to a 1st-place finish at the IRA National Championships.
He also led the lightweight novices to a 1st place finish in the 3rd Varsity 8+ event at the 2016 EAWRC Sprints.
In 2019, Vogt finished sixth in the PR3 Men’s Pair event at the World Rowing Championships in the PR3 M2- class with a time of 8 minutes and 6.96 seconds. He won the gold medal in the PR3 Mixed Coxed Four event at the 2019 World Rowing Cup II in the PR3 Mix4+ class with a time of 7 minutes and 43.08 seconds.
In 2021, Vogt was the winner of the PR3 mixed double sculls at the USRowing Summer National Championships.
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In 2022, Vogt secured fifth position in the PR3 Mixed Double Sculls Final A race at the World Rowing Championships in the PR3 Mix2x class with a time of 7 minutes and 50.80 seconds. He was the winner of the PR3 mixed double sculls at the 2022 Gavirate International Paralympic Regatta. Vogt also won the PR3 mixed double sculls at the 2022 USRowing Summer National Championships.
In 2023, Vogt won the silver medal in the PR3 Mixed Double Sculls Final A race at the World Rowing Championships in the PR3 Mix2x class with a time of 8 minutes and 15.22 seconds. He took home the gold medal in the PR3 mixed double sculls at the 2023 Para Rowing Regatta to Paris.
His Injury
Just before turning 44 years old, Todd Vogt was diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease. After receiving this diagnosis, he first thought that his days of competing as a rower were over.
However, Vogt did not give up. He looked into the possibility of rowing competitively as an athlete with a disability. This path eventually led him to take part in the Paralympic training camp and represent the United States at the 2019 World Rowing Championships in Linz, Austria.
