Since the announcement of the 10th Anniversary Boat Fund, the Foundation has raised over one third of the $35 thousand dollars we will need to outfit the team with an updated 8 man rowing shell. As the team continues to build and grow in size, carrying 5+ eights of athletes through the Fall and 4+ eights through the early spring races, we are finding that we not only need to have the right number of boats, but that we need to have updated equipment across the varied weight categories to remain competitive.
Working with the coaches and boat vendors, we’ve determined that the team needs to purchase a one to two year-old upper-mid weight shell rated for crews with a boat average of up to 190 lbs. Thanks to boats purchased through the foundation 5 years ago, the team currently has decent coverage in the heavy and the lightweight ranges. But the lack of depth in the mid-weight range had the Novice crew – who placed 4th overall at Crew Classic this year – racing through the spring in a 15 year-old boat.
The technology behind rowing shells have come a LONG way since my day, an older boat can now maintain its rigidity longer and can still be a great fall season training boat. However, just like a car, rowing shells tend to require significantly more maintenance as they age to keep them running well enough to train in, let alone to be competitive in the spring races.
The foundation needs your help to purchase a top tier racing shell, which will allow the team to cycle one of the older boats out of their spring racing fleet. Please consider heading over to our Donate page to make your tax deductible donation today.
Regardless of your ability to donate at this time, we also need all of your help to get the message out. So, we’re asking you to please help us by reaching out to any of the people you rowed with to harass encourage them to donate as well. Anything you can do will help make this goal a reality.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.