Florida Hospitable to Harvard Rowing

Picture this: the top crews in the world flying through the last 500 meters of the world championships, when an underdog takes control of the race. The spectators—wearing shorts and t-shirts, because it’s Florida—gaze in amazement with one thought going through their heads: “Are you serious?”

That line, of course, delivered by Dick Vitale, who is not only a legendary announcer, but also a Sarasota, Fla. resident.

This vision could become a reality. The Sunshine State’s counties of Sarasota and Manatee have entered a bid to host the 2017 World Rowing Championships.

After a week of training in the area, I can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t want to go.

From the moment of our arrival, we rowers were treated like rock stars. (To be fair, some members of our crowd, notably Harvard heavyweight coach Harry Parker, really are rowing royalty, but I certainly haven’t done anything in my life to merit celebrity treatment.) A large sign in the Sarasota airport read, “Welcome, Harvard Rowers,” and a similar one greeted us at the Hampton Inn, where we stayed for the duration of the trip. But the highlight of the trip was probably the picnic that was hosted for us, which included an appearance by Vitale. The announcer reflected on being rejected by Harvard despite his 1520 on the SAT.

“I never understand why they rejected me,” he said. “Maybe if I was a rower, I would’ve got in.”

It was all in good fun, of course.

What stood out most to me was how genuinely happy everyone was to have us rowing there. I doubt I’ll ever feel that important again.

And if these counties can make me feel that special, I can only imagine what they’d have in store for national team members.

My two-and-a-half years as a rower have led me to believe that rowing is largely a niche sport. It will always have its participants and fans, and when it is noticed, it is respected for its grueling nature. But in my—admittedly limited—experience, towns don’t tend to revolve around their crews. Philadelphia residents follow the Eagles, not Vesper or Penn AC.

But when you drive into Sarasota, you are greeted with a large sign that says, “Welcome to Sarasota: Future Home of World Class Rowing.”

And what was extremely impressive was the cooperation between the two counties in the development of their rowing facilities, as emcee Rick Piccolo noted at the official opening of the facility at Fort Hamer. In rowing, the counties saw the potential for business growth through sports tourism, and they worked in concert to get the job done.

“Great,” a lot of rowers are probably thinking, “but how’s the water?”

Actually, it’s fantastic.

Fort Hamer sits in the middle of a waterway perfect for long, steady-state rows and interval workouts, while Sarasota’s Nathan Benderson Park plays host to the race course. Currently shy of 2000 meters, the course will reach its full size after a highway is moved to accommodate it. I was one of the Radcliffe rowers lucky enough to row on the course itself. At the time I was too focused on my own rowing to gaze at the surroundings, but looking back on it, I can see how the course has the potential to produce a stadium-like atmosphere, particularly if the counties take advantage of the water’s low height and build some grandstands.

As St. Catharines, Ont., has demonstrated, grandstands transform crew from a sport that people admire from afar to one that people watch as closely as they do football or basketball—or perhaps even more closely because races are determined by such small margins.

But beyond grandstands—and a few more meters of water for racing)—Sarasota and Manatee counties really aren’t missing very much, especially if they could get Dick Vitale to announce their races. There’s not much overlap between the college basketball and rowing seasons; perhaps he’d be willing to break from his usual routine to provide commentary.

It doesn’t take a rowing expert to look at these counties’ potential and say, “It’s awesome, baby.”

—Staff writer Christina C. McClintock can be reached at ccmcclin@fas.harvard.edu.