Small Club Saturday: Louisville Rowing Club

General Club Information:

When was your club founded?

The Louisville Rowing Club was founded in 1986. Our partner 501c3 organization, the Greater Louisville Rowing Foundation, was founded in 2002.

What is the general background of the club?

No one is quite sure how the original organizers got together, but the siren call of the water somehow brought several folks together to start a rowing club in Louisville, many of whom had been collegiate rowers.

What is your club's mission/goals?

The goal of the Louisville Rowing Club is to provide rowing opportunities to the Louisville area community, particularly to those who have not traditionally been given access. Accomplished through a range of programs, the Louisville Rowing Club provides opportunities for:

Experienced rowers to improve their skills and fitness through its Masters Program

Novice adults through Learn to Row and individualized coaching

Youth through our Juniors Program

Youth and adults with physical or mental disabilities, including those with hearing or visual impairments, through the Adaptive Program

Any motto or quotes your boathouse lives by?

Yes, our club motto is "Pulling together on the Ohio River." We feel this encompasses not only the unity of the organization and its programs, but also represents the unique opportunity of rowing on a body of water such as the mighty Ohio River.

Program Structure:

What initiatives has your club implemented to bring in athletes and participants?

The Louisville Rowing Club recently restructured its learn to row classes in order to ease the learning process on the Ohio River, which is often rough and difficult to row on, particularly for beginners. To this end, the club recently purchased five used gig boats from Germany. These boats are much more stable in rough water and allow for just about anyone to fit in the coxswain seat.

The gig boats also allow us to offer something not many other rowing clubs in the US offer, and that is tour rowing. A few of our masters members have participated in several week-long triple-digit kilometer rows throughout Germany, France, Poland, and Lithuania. They had so much fun with this adventure-style rowing that they wanted to bring it back home. To date we've done several local tour rows on the Ohio River and one this past fall on the Kentucky River, and we hope to do even more in 2022.

We also recently brought back our Juniors Program for high school students this past summer after a five year lapse. Thanks to our three fabulous coaches we are quickly expanding and helping to fulfill our mission of providing rowing opportunities to today's youth.

Our Adaptive Program continues to strengthen its partnership with local organizations such as Kosair Charities and WHAS Crusade for Children in order to give rowing opportunities to minors and adults with disabilities.

Finally, a local filmmaker reached out to us last year about making a film about rowing. The film predominately showcases rowing activities of the Louisville Rowing Club and the beauty of rowing on the Ohio River. The film is set to release in 2022.

What programs do you offer and how is the training structured?

The Louisville Rowing Club offers three main programs for athletes: adaptive rowing, juniors rowing, and masters rowing.

Our Adaptive Program meets once per week spring through the fall for training using equipment custom-built by our Paralympic rowing coach. The program was formed to provide material resources and personal assistance to disabled persons who wish to participate in rowing for recreational, occupational, and physical therapy. The program currently assists persons suffering from paralysis and other physical impairments that are the result of conditions such as Down syndrome, Spina Bifida, spinal injury, and amputation. The Louisville Rowing Club is also the home club of Oksana Masters, a double amputee who learned to row here. On September 2, 2012 she and her partner Rob Jones finished third at the London Paralympics—winning the first-ever US medal in trunk and arms mixed double sculls.

The Juniors Program is our program for high school-age boys and girls. They meet year-round, often several days per week depending on the season. The summer is where we typically hold learn to row camps. The fall is where we transition those new rowers into more of a competitive atmosphere. The winter program focuses on conditioning of the body, while the spring season focuses on competition at regattas.

The Masters Program is less structured than our other two programs. Weekly boats are usually organized throughout the season via email, however, the roster of these often change with folks' schedules. There are also some that take out private boats. The masters conduct adult learn to row classes usually every May through July. Our tour rows are also organized though the Masters Program. Finally, when the weather gets too cold or the river gets too high, regular indoor rowing will often be scheduled.

Small Club Tips:

We notice your club offers a variety of programs for ages and skill level - what are some things your club has done to spread the word and implement to make it more of an inclusive and welcoming boathouse?

The Louisville Rowing Club recognizes that rowing is an expensive sport, and so we try to structure our fees to be below the average around the country. To keep expenses down, almost all of our operations are done by dedicated volunteers. We're very fortunate to have the facilities that we have in addition to the equipment and the people that have come before us. We also offer student discounts for those attending college.

In September we hosted a very successful rowing day for a group of some 20 children from Jack and Jill of America, Inc. Jack and Jill of America Inc. is an organization dedicated to nurturing future African American leaders. In the words of their president: "When you mentioned that there is a national focus on exposing more people to this awesome sport so that it more accurately represents the people in our communities and in our country as a whole, I was incredibly motivated to make our day happen - and what a spectacular day it was!"

Any tips to share that might help other small clubs do the same in their communities?

We recommend that other clubs try to make their rowing activities as fun and inclusive as possible. It's a lot easier to work together when everyone is having fun and being fulfilled while doing so.

Anything else you would like to share about your club?that would be beneficial to other clubs and our members!

Not all rowing has to be competitive. It can be about health and wellness. It can be about meeting other people and camaraderie. Rowing can be a life-long adventure!

For more on Louisville Rowing Club, click here.