About
The Boston Rowing Federation is a pan-river, Greater Boston effort to support a limited number of oarsmen and oarswomen who are capable of contending for Olympic and Paralympic medals in the current quadrennial and who have committed to live and train in Boston. Support may include career advancing opportunities, mentoring, and coverage of certain training and travel expenses. In the 2013-2016 Rio Olympic Cycle, the BRF supported Rio Women's Olympic Silver Medallist Gevvie Stone, the 5th place Lightweight Men's Double of Andrew Campbell and Josh Konieczny, and the coxswain of the Silver Medal Winning Paralympic Coxed Four, Jenny Sichel.
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Over the past three Olympic cycles the Charles River has been home to a handful of senior level athletes who have gone on to Olympic competition. The Boston Rowing Federation was recently founded on the premise that the presence and success of these athletes in Boston has been benefiical not just for their own personal development, but also for USA Rowing the thousands of recreational and more serious athletes in Boston who have seen these Olympians as role models. With great water available most of the time, many boathouses and high level coaches, as well as a vibrant economy, Boston should be a natural training home for an aspiring small boat athlete.
However, it is hard for any young adult to make a home in Boston for a period of years without a
meaningful employment opportunity and some help with training, equipment and travel expenses. The Boston Rowing Federation is continuing to build a network of employment opportunities and housing options for these athletes and as well as raising a fund to help cover training and travel expenses. Models for the Boston Rowing Federation can be seen in part in the Princeton Rowing Association which supports national team athletes training in Princeton, NJ, and Potomac Boat Club in Washington DC which has successfully helped with housing and travel expenses.
Applicant athletes would be expected to meet US senior team standards. They will be selected by BRF upon consultation with experts who may include national team coaches, the US Rowing High Performance Director, and senior university coaches. BRF is agnostic as to club affiliation, boat class or gender. Under the current national team structure it is doubtful that more than a half-dozen athletes would meet our criteria and be willing to commit to training in Boston through a quadrennial. Depending on the success of the Federation, its purpose might be expanded after the Rio Olympics in 2016.
BRF will partner with Community Rowing Inc. which has agreed to take on the role of Fiscal Sponsor. All donations will be made to CRI which will disperse according to the advice of BRF and consistent with all applicable laws governing charitable activities. Funding requests for the athletes will be reviewed on a case by case basis by the Board of BRF and a Performance Committee. In no case will a conflicted party be involved in any selection or funding decisions.