Thanks to Julie Rajaratnam for the photo and report:

Seattle’s history in the sport of rowing is well known, thanks to Daniel James Brown’s best-seller The Boys in the Boat. What you may not know is how West Seattle is doing its part to cultivate rowing prowess. Meet four exceptional young women from West Seattle who have earned their way to the US Rowing Youth National Championships in Sarasota, Florida, June 12-15.

[L-R: Kiran Rajaratnam (rowing for Vashon Island Rowing Club in the Women’s U17 4x and coxswain for the Men’s U16 4x+), Anna Urelius and Genevieve Ide (both from Mount Baker Rowing and in the Women’s U17 8+), Claire Gordon (Greenlake Crew, Women’s Varsity 8+]

Each athlete shared a brief word about what the sport of rowing, and the opportunity to compete at Nationals, means for them:

Kiran: “Rowing has taught me so much: determination, confidence, discipline, and most of all, the value of teamwork. My boat mates and I have been there to support each other, push one another to be better, and share a friendship on and off the water. After all the meters we’ve rowed and the time we’ve dedicated, our hard work has paid off. We made it to nationals! I’m super excited for this opportunity, and we’re ready to give it our all!”

Anna: “Rowing at Mount Baker is like a second home to me. It’s the place I can go to take a break from the stress of school and life to be able to focus on something that I really enjoy while getting stronger and forming amazing relationships with my teammates. I feel so lucky to be able to go to nationals with this amazing group of girls that I love so much!”

Genevieve: “Nationals is what the whole year has been leading up to, every practice, race, and even recovery day has been preparing me for this. When I’m doing a hard piece or start wanting to give up, I always remind myself that my body can do so much more than my mental ‘limit’.”

Claire: “Nationals to me is a great opportunity to compete at a higher level and on such a large scale. I’m so excited to represent the PNW along with these other girls as well as race my hardest for the last time this season!” Claire, a junior at West Seattle High School, recently committed to rowing at the University of Washington!

These clubs all fundraise to support the costs of athlete participation and enable greater access. If you’d like to support them, here are three links: VIRC’s Nationals Fundraiser, Mount Baker’s Annual Fund, or Green Lake Crew’s STEM to Stern initiative. As these four young athletes take to the starting line in Sarasota, we wish them flat water and fast strokes!

Rowing culture—and the tight-knit communities built within and across clubs—offers an ideal environment for young athletes to thrive. Check out the clubs’ websites for more information on how you can get involved. In addition to these three clubs, the Duwamish Rowing Club in South Park also offers rowing opportunities for youth. The summer months are particularly ideal for dipping your toes (and oars!) in the water.