C. Carter Ruml

Carter Ruml is sharp. Razor sharp. And charming.

Carter is the kind of guy you want to vote for after five minutes of conversation, even though he isn’t running for anything. He’s a classic overachiever, complete with an Ivy League education and a reading knowledge of Latin. He’s just impressive, and somebody you want on your side, whether it’s in a courtroom or on the water.

Some rowers, or scullers, like Carter, are minimalists when they head out to the river. They “go analog,” as Carter puts it. Low tech. No gear. Carter doesn’t bring those expensive gadgets and heart rate monitors like the other guys. That stuff is for when he’s training at home on his rowing machine. When he’s on his boat, it’s just him and the water. His heart rate can remain a mystery. It is what it is.

Carter originally dabbled in rowing when he attended Princeton University, where rowers seem to be forged. But he really got serious several years later in his late 20s. He and his father, who is the rowing patriarch of the family, teamed up together on three occasions to compete in the highly regarded Head of the Charles Regatta in Cambridge, Massachusetts. That’s about an hour away from where Carter grew up in Holden, a rural town just outside of Worcester. Carter jokingly calls the Head of the Charles, “NASCAR for rich people,” and says that one day he’ll compete there with his son. Clearly, a legacy is forming.

Most years, Carter competes in one or two smaller events and says racing keeps him honest, ensuring accountability to the sport. But that’s all on the surface. That’s the stuff that comes up in conversation because deep down, rowing is much more romantic to Carter. One might even say poetic.

As a reference to the sport, Carter quoted the classic author and fellow Princetonian, F. Scott Fitzgerald, from his famous closing line in The Great Gatsby:

“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”

“As lyrical and beautiful as that sounds, it’s also very literal. Rowing being what it is, when you launch and head upstream, you’re facing backwards, so you are literally rowing against the current, beating back into the past.”

And then there is what Carter calls “perfect water,” or an elusive set of environmental circumstances that, when aligned, offer a perfect physical and aesthetic rowing experience.

“Perfect water is the right weather with the right current and the right sunrise. It’s the right play of light off the water. The sound of the waves going under you. There’s a huge difference with those variables being almost perfect and actually perfect — and you’re always chasing that perfection.”

Carter has seen perfect water a few times. Once with his father on the Connecticut River and other times with his son on the Ohio in Louisville, which is where Carter lived most recently before he moved to Cincinnati.

“It can happen anywhere. You never know what to expect. You just have to keep creating opportunities where it can happen.”

Most of the time, Carter rows alone, but sometimes he doubles up. In that case, there is a stroke seat, which sets the pace, and the bow seat, which supports the stroke seat.

“Sometimes it’s nice to set the pace and be in charge, but other times it’s nice to follow the right kind of people and let your mind go and focus on the rhythm and tempo.”

Speaking of the right kind of people, Carter is impressed with his new colleagues at Graydon. Coming from his own practice that he ran with his wife, Sara, to a larger organization like Graydon, Carter seems to appreciate being part of an expanded team.

“I think the people here at Graydon have a really impressive sense of craft and professionalism. There’s tremendous collegiality here, and a really profound sense of teamwork. When any professional is doing what they do with the right team, you’re going to improve your own performance. I really like the people here. I admire them.”

As for his new home in Cincinnati:

“I love the architecture and the topography. I really get a sense of the energy here in Cincinnati. With the art scene, for example, the city has a buzz. Also, being connected to another river city is very special to me.”

Of course, Carter couldn’t help but point out the rowing conditions in Cincinnati as well. He noted the reduced barge traffic, less driftwood, and an overall narrower, calmer passage. Overall, it seems like quite a few conditions have already lined up for Carter to not only find some perfect water in Cincinnati’s bend of the river, but within Graydon as well.