High Point Rowing Club is working with Greensboro city officials to start a new rowing program at Lake Brandt, the team’s program director Gene Kininmonth has announced.
“Lake Brandt is an ideal venue for rowing and it is within close proximity to a significant number of private and public schools in Greensboro,” says Kininmonth. “Half of the High Point Rowing Club’s members are residents of Greensboro and Summerfield so clearly there is demand for the sport. It makes sense the city has its own rowing program.”
While the city has never had its own crew team, Greensboro’s Caroline Lind is famous for winning two Olympic gold medals in the sport of rowing. Lind won gold for the United States in the women’s eights event in Beijing and then struck gold again at the London Games last summer.
Factor in that more female college students receive athletic scholarships for rowing than any other sport and you realize Greensboro high school students have been denied access to one of the most lucrative sports for getting into the college. Since Title IX, the sport of choice of college athletic directors to counter football is women’s rowing. So, there is huge demand at universities for high school students with rowing experience.
“Rowing coaches from across the nation are already visiting Greensboro high school athletes that are playing sports such as swimming and track and trying to recruit them to row,” says Kininmonth. “The demand for athletes is huge. Imagine how many more opportunities for Greensboro students there will be with an actual rowing team in the city.”
According to Kininmonth the teams will not split until enough students are committed to rowing at each location. “Otherwise, we are just too thinly spread on resources. But we are quickly approaching the tipping point. It will be good to have healthy competition in our own backyard.”
Greensboro Crew will be open to students age 14 – 18 attending any public or private school in the Greensboro/Summerfield/Oak Ridge areas.
Parents or students interested in rowing should contact Gene Kininmonth at contact@highpointrowing.com or by calling (336) 257-9009.
