The sport of Rowing was officially made a club sport at STA in 2018. The team started very small with a few girls from STA who just wanted to learn how to row and has since grown into a fully developed, competitive team. For the past five years, the team has been exclusive to girls, as that was all the team had the room for. However, as of the 2023-2024 season, STA Rowing is now open to both male and female athletes!
Many students attended the welcome meeting, which was held on Wednesday, August 30th. In the meeting, the coaches talked about what the sport of rowing is, why you should row, and information/requirements on how to get started. The novice teams launched their seasons with practices on September 6th for girls and September 13th for boys. The coaches are very excited for these new steps in expanding the team, as getting more recognition and making the team co-ed has been one of their main goals.
The current varsity team practices five days a week with Wednesday and Sunday as their days off. Having time both on the water and at the warehouse, where the team uses ergs or “rowing machines” to train, is very important for success. Water practices take place at the boathouse located at Holland Park in Hollywood. Land practices are usually at the warehouse in Ft. Lauderdale, but occasionally occur at Hortt Park.
Why Row?
According to Hollywood Girls Rowing, rowing, also known as Crew, is a “very unique sport.” It is very competitive on both an individual and team level. Each person plays an important and necessary role in each boat. For a boat to be successful in a race, everyone must be in perfect sync both physically and mentally. Rowing develops excellent physical fitness, mental focus, goal setting, confidence, dedication, passion, teamwork, responsibility, time management, persistence and resilience, and community. The sport allows for many new opportunities to meet people, better yourself, and open new doors in life, as rowing is respected by many colleges. Participation in rowing increases access to scholarship money and college acceptance due to many rowers being recognized for their ability to handle both academics and the rigorous and demanding sport. For more information on joining the team, visit https://hollywoodgirlsrowing.org/ or contact [email protected]
