You’ve undoubtedly heard of “The Boys in The Boat,” a book-turned-movie directed by George Clooney. It follows the story of the 1936 men’s crew team from the University of Washington, as they travel to the Berlin Olympics and win gold. The movie hit theatres Christmas Day, exposing a wider audience to the sport of rowing.
Now, you can learn to row from a nationally recognized crew team.
Winter Park Crew is offering a free “Learn to Row Experience” on Saturday, Jan. 20. It’s open to students 7th through 12th grade and adults. The event is at the McCallister Boat House in Casselberry from 10 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. While the event is free, spots are limited and you do need to register by scanning the QR code below.
News 6 Anchor Julie Broughton visited the Winter Park Men’s Crew Team during a recent practice.
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“We’ve been at it since 1967, and since then, since the inception, it’s been a nationally recognized program,” said Men’s Interim Coach Steve Coutant. “This group of kids on both the men’s and women’s teams, most of them are in IB. They’re getting it done. They’re here three and four hours a day, and doing IB on top of all of this. It’s incredible. They’re a great group of athletes....looking forward to going on to do great things in life.”
Broughton spoke with the team co-captain about why this sport helps him in all aspects of life.
”It’s definitely intense, but it’s what keeps me coming back honestly. We practice five days a week in the fall and six days a week in the spring. Being out here every day lifting weights and going out on the water, it’s just such a great connection with my guys, just great to be out here,” Jackson Kracht said. ” I feel like crew while it might seem like it’s going to prevent you from applying yourself in school, actually brings out the best of you in school. I form a schedule every day, and I’m very on top of my homework and stuff like that. This is what made me the person I am. I am so much stronger academically and athletically than I was before I joined. I recommend that anyone who wants to try it should try it.”
If you’d like to learn more about Winter Park Crew, click here:
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