Athletes Without Limits Competes at #IndoorChamps

Athletes Without Limits, a national governing body for athletes with intellectual impairment and Veteran leaders, had 15 athletes compete at the 2021 USRowing Indoor National Championships / C.R.A.S.H. - B. Sprints World Indoor Rowing Championships on March 7. Their training and hard work paid off, as they took home 14 medals--eight Gold, three Silver and three Bronze.

awl rockyBoth AWL and DC Strokes Rowing Club were founded on the ideals of inclusion and diversity and have long been leading voices in such conversations. AWL, under National Rowing Director Patrick Johnson, is the only rowing program in the country dedicated to including individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities; AWL's unique approach unites these individuals with high school, collegiate, and veteran rowers and aids them in competing in mainstream and para rowing events both domestically and internationally.

AWL's rowing training hub operates out of the Anacostia Community Boathouse, located in southeast Washington DC. Its integrated team offers a variety of programs that welcome a diverse group of athletes including: athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), Veteran Leaders (through USRowing's Freedom Rows program), LGBTQ+ athletes (in partnerships with DC Strokes Rowing Club), as well as non-disabled scholastic and collegiate rowers. All of these programs work cohesively and simultaneously, which serves to directly benefit the athletes involved athletically, emotionally, and socially.athletes without limits Further, the location of this organization allows for a true view of what a diverse boathouse and rowing community looks like as the boathouse is home to over ten competitive clubs, many of which focus on inclusion in the sport.

Watch the event highlight AWL created above.

For more info on Athletes Without Limits rowing, click here. For more on the national governing body, click here.

Photos provided by AWL. The header image is from a C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints pre-Covid.

Athletes Without Limits (AWL), a national 501(c)3 non-profit organization and the U.S. Member of Virtus: World Intellectual Impairment Sport, provides opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental impairments to reach their highest level in mainstream and para sports. AWL offers these opportunities across over 10 sports at the local, national, and international levels.