Have you noticed all these new impressive boathouses popping up across the US? How does a club go from a man standing by a river, through to a World Class facility capable of winning medals and achieving champion status? In recent times, they all have one common denominator: RowAmerica.
RowAmerica Clubs are developed through a rigid process of; market analysis and feasibility studies, building partnerships between the public and private sectors, strategic business planning, financial strategic management as well as facility and equipment planning and procurement – including some of the beautiful boathouses we have mentioned in past articles.
RowAmerica first came to be in the form of Saugatuck Rowing Club in 2000, founded by Dr Howard Winklevoss. Sound familiar? The Winklevoss twins were an integral part in the Facebook film, ‘The Social Network’. The family have a strong presence in the rowing scene, with the resources available to have a substantial impact on the sport. The organisation is committed to promoting, supporting and growing rowing in the US. They have a close partnership with US Rowing and access to some of the best coaches in the country. Combine that with the World Class facilities in their clubs and you have a recipe for fast tracked progress that is hard to match.
Feeling inspired yet? Let’s take a look at some of their facilities:
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Images Courtesy of RowAmerica – Saugatuck RC & RowAmerica Rye
The complete A to Z process of establishing a branch of the RowAmerica network means a wider number of people gain access to rowing, which were previously non-existent. As more and more people enter the sport through these clubs, the level of competition naturally increases. A larger pool of top athletes means a higher standard of rowing across the country. This puts pressure on other well established clubs to remain at the top of the sport. Through their partnership with US Rowing, you can bet the quality in the National Team will increase too!
Of course it is not all about grooming world class athletes – RowAmerica are equally passionate about introducing beginners to the sport and all of their clubs have extensive ‘Learn to Row’ programmes aimed at both youth and adult levels.
Coincidentally, June 4th is National ‘Learn to Row’ day. A campaign started by US Rowing to help encourage new people, old and young, into the sport.
Where better to do so, than at one of these fine establishments!
Find out more information at www.rowamerica.com.
To find out more about what Space Saver Rowing did for RowAmerica, and what we can do for your club, get in touch![/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]