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Age: 28
Local connection: Casa Roble High School, Sacramento Adventist Academy
Position: Coxswain
Olympic schedule: Rowing competition begins Aug. 9 in Mapo Town in the Shunyi district of Beijing.
Career highlights: Helped U.S. win Olympic silver medal in 2004 in Athens and the gold medal in the World Rowing Championships in 2002, 2006 and 2007. Led the University of Washington to NCAA Championships in 2001 and 2002.
Out of the water: The 5-foot 3-inch, 105-pound Whipple lives on a $1,200 monthly stipend from the United States Olympic Committee, plus sporadic income from occasional part-time jobs. She lives with two other teammates in a duplex near the team training center in Princeton, N.J. "Rent is $560, so I'm good. The rowers, it's hard to feed themselves. They consume quite a bit. We do go to the grocery store quite often and don't tend to eat out too much."
Read John Schumacher's story: Olympian coxswain Mary Whipple gleans respect from her rowers
Read Melody Gutierrez story: Local coxxwain leads U.S. team to first victory
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