Small Club Saturday: North Star Community Rowing

General Club InformationNorth Star

When was your club founded? 2016

What is the general background of the club? Co-founded by a group of rowers from Minneapolis Rowing Club who knew firsthand the positive impact rowing could have on a person's life. NSCR grew out of that desire-a desire to give the positive impact of rowing to those who traditionally have not had access to rowing or even the Mississippi River that flows through their backyards.?

What is your club's mission/goals?

The mission of North Star Community Rowing?is to empower individuals, transform lives, and build community through the sport of rowing.

The overarching goal of North Star Community Rowing is to make rowing accessible to all.

NSCR promotes diversity and inclusion in the sport of rowing by expanding access to two populations who traditionally have been excluded from the sport. Our programs create recreation opportunities for Minneapolis youth and adults beyond those that are currently available, particularly youth from underserved communities and individuals with physical disabilities.

Any motto or quotes your boathouse lives by?

"Rowing for All!"

"It takes a community to support a community rowing program."

"Row hard. Row well. Have fun!"

Program Structure

What initiatives has your club implemented to bring in athletes and participants??North Star Community Rowing has created partnerships with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (Youth from underserved communities), the Minnesota Veterans Administration (Adaptive), and community programs such as Connections to Independence (Young adults transitioning out of foster care)?.

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

Youth: Indoor training including indoor rowing and strength training (winter); Rowing (April–September). Year-round academic assistance and social emotional development support

Adaptive: Indoor training including indoor rowing and strength training (winter/spring); Rowing (April – September).

Community: Indoor training including indoor rowing and strength training (winter/spring); Rowing (Beginning in 2022, May - September).

Small Club Tips:

Can you share some of the DEI initiatives within your boathouse? North Star Community Rowing is an inclusion rowing program located in North Minneapolis, a neighborhood which was cut off from the Mississippi River by the construction of the I-94 highway, creating generations of residents who could not access the river for recreational purposes. The population of North Minneapolis is primarily BIPOC. NSCR has created the only ADA-compliant river access on the Mississippi River in the Twin Cities. It features an accessible walkway, ramp, and rowing dock. NSCR programming is designed for people of all abilities and socio-economic levels.

Can you provide advice about how to make a boathouse more inclusive and welcoming?

Creating an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere in any program environment requires intentional effort to make activities approachable by all. Tiered fee schedules, having coaches and volunteers that athletes can identify with, and making space for social time and interactions outside of practice, are all things that make a rowing program/club environment attractive to people who are not the usual demographic for the sport of rowing.

If it seems difficult or a challenge, explore how to make it happen then make it happen. Everyone can row. Rowing has a tradition of one image, that image is a narrow definition of a rower. A rower is anyone who wants to sit in a boat and take stroke after stroke. Each rower has their own individual goals and story. Ensuring that those interacting the most with participants are capable and open to working with each person where they're at is the first step to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment. As well as celebrating the strengths that each individual brings to the organization. We are all so much more than what we first present as.

Is there anything else you can share that can other clubs implement DEI into their club and values?

Begin by celebrating the diversity that already exists within your club. Encourage members to reach out into their families and personal networks for potential new members who might not normally consider rowing for health or wealth reasons.

Diversity can be found close by. Create relationships with businesses in your neighborhood.

Do an accessibility survey of your space. Can people who use mobility vehicles access your space? Once at the space/boathouse, are there accessible restrooms? Is rowing and workout equipment accessible and adaptable for those with diverse needs?

Rowers are unique in the sense we become comfortable being uncomfortable. We don't shy away from difficult practices or conditions. We are proud of our blistered and calloused hands. We get up before the sun, row in the rain, and put in countless hours on the erg. We pride ourselves on our grit and determination. That mentality is perfectly suited to improving the DEI of our sport. Rowing teaches us to tirelessly work towards a better stroke, catch, finish. Can we not work as tirelessly to increase the exposure of rowing? Can we not wake up at the break of day determined to make our community a welcoming place for everyone who wants to row? Can we not learn to be comfortable as we do the uncomfortable work of dismantling the elite white privileged tradition in rowing? As we know the boat is not always set, the water is not always glass, and strokes are imperfect, yet we show up. We SHOW UP to do the work of improving. We have the skills and tools as a community to rise to and above the challenge of making rowing a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive sport. Remember the fear of taking your first stroke and how unstable the boat felt. Now look where you are. Imagine what we, rowers-a community of passionate, determined, relentless individuals, could do if we worked as hard at improving our community as we do to improving our stroke.

For more on North Star Community Rowing, click here.