Feature Story & Photos By Larry H. Oskin
The Clermont based Lake County Rowing Association just set two new world records becoming the fastest team to reach one million meters! Two separate groups of high school kids worked with their coaches to break internationally set records over the past week. Led by Coaching Director Justin Knust and Recruiting Coordinator Matt Outlaw, they researched what it would take to break the current global indoor rowing records before the end of their most recent winter school break.
Record-Breaking South Lake Area Athletes: The first team with 10 local area high school athletes consisted of 6 men and 4 women. They broke the previous 24-hour indoor rowing record by taking shift turns to row 363,828 meters which is about 226 miles. The previous 24-hour record of 351,050 meters was held by a New Jersey Rowing Club. The second record-breaking LCRA team of 24 talented athletes targeted one million meters. Their team continuously rowed in shifts for 67 hours and 18 minutes to break their world record. The previous one million meters record was accomplished in 71 hours and 15 minutes.
World Record Team Members include Chloe Phelps, Violet Hewett, Kamryn Packney, Catherine Hann, Chloe Register, Marissa Campbell, Anders Williams, Courtney Burgess, Alexandra Burgess, Ryan Yates, Chandler Sapp, Corban Braley, Jonah Furukawa, David West, Matt Tollini, Jackson Cheplick, Garrett Hofer, Brady Ault, Chris Blake, Josh Thompson, Bryson Gonzales, Adesh Rambaran, James Kay and Elijah Miller.
Clermont & South Lake County Rowing: While the record-breaking teams were all middle and high school students, they also offer adult rowing lessons, training and competitions. This club has started to grow in popularity, yet it is still a small and relatively unknown organization. They are hoping to double to 200 middle and high school students by spring 2021. Their potential remains unlimited with year-round indoor and outdoor Florida rowing.
High School Opportunities & Scholarships: Currently, fifty percent of all LCRA high school women earn a college scholarship. They actively recruit from the 3 local high schools with Open Houses and lunch presentations, by sharing their story with the many advantages for young athletes. What is most interesting is the extraordinary scholarship opportunities LCRA provides. Last year 4 local seniors graduated with rowing scholarships to colleges. Four more are now being recruited with valuable scholarships to colleges for next year.
Lake County Rowing Association: Their LCRA story began in 2010 when a group of local Central Florida rowers met as a group of people who wanted to make a difference in our community. At the time, a lack of facilities and limited equipment did not stop them from sharing their passion for the sport. In 2011, the Lake County Rowing Association was launched. In 2015, the City of Clermont and Lake County, Florida helped to share their commitment for growing the sport of rowing on our local waterways when the City built the spacious new Clermont Boathouse. They have hosted several various regattas, as well as the annual Leader of the Lake Competition. LCRA has been the host and temporary home to multiple National Rowing Teams. Justin Knust has rowed in Orange County with the OARS — Orange Area Rowing Association. He rowed and coached in Doctor Phillips High School as well as for the University of Florida.
Adult Masters Rowing: Adult rowing is available for all athletic backgrounds and ages over 18 and those not in high school. LCRA offers a variety of opportunities to match any skill level or competitive interest. They welcome beginners, experienced, ex-collegiate and club rowers from other programs worldwide who are ready to jump into training for competitive rowing. Clermont is the perfect place to get on the water with rowers at any experience level.
What’s Next For LCRA? The LCRA is now researching how to qualify their teams for National Rowing Championships. They will need to be ranked in the top 3 teams in their Southeast Region, with rowing clubs from North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and Florida. They are also expanding their relationships with other rowing clubs. For example, Hobart & Williams College from Geneva, New York regularly trains here each winter.
Concept 2 has become the most popular indoor oar of choice for training among the LCRA and most world-class rowers. The Concept 2 Indoor Rower is the best-selling rowing machine in the world and used here in Clermont every day as well as across the globe by Olympic athletes, cardiac rehab patients, individuals at home and every caliber of rower in-between. Their primary goal remains to promote and encourage the growth of indoor and outdoor rowing as a lifelong activity. For more information on the Concept2 rowing machine and all of the world records, see: https://www.concept2.com/indoor-rowers/racing/records/world.
Lake County Rowing Association: All LCRA programs take place on beautiful Lake Minneola near Downtown Clermont. As a nonprofit 501-C3 LCRA works very hard to help our community. They have over 60 high school students, 35 middle school students and 25 people on the adult team with plenty of helpful parents and volunteers. LCRA offers a complete training and education program for only $800 per semester, with all training, coaching, complete travel and competition costs included. For more information about LCRA, contact Coaching Director Justin Knust at 407-970-1855 or by email at: CoachingDirector@RowLCRA.org. Visit: www.RowLCRA.org and https://www.facebook.com/RowLCRA/.
EDITORIAL NOTE: Larry Oskin is a writer and photographer for the South Lake Tablet. He is the owner of Marketing Solutions / Art Beautique, offering creative marketing, media relations and professional fine art photography services. He is a Board Member of the Clermont Downtown Partnership, the Florida Lakes Symphony Orchestra and the Clermont Historic Society. For more information, contact Oskin at 703-508-6800 or at LOskin@MktgSols.com.
