The USRowing Championship, held at world-class racing venue Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota this year, attracts the best rowers in the country for ages 27 and above.

 LCRA’s Men’s four-person team brought home gold in their age bracket. The group included Lake County Commissioner Doug Shields, LCRA President Mark Vantrease, and brothers Bill and Dan VanDresser. 

The next day, the VanDresser brothers went on to win gold in the Open F Double bracket. “Once two of my Ohio State University Rowing buddies relocated nearby, we decided to get the boat back together,” Commissioner Shields said. “LCRA was the perfect place for us to reconnect and strengthen our skills. By investing in our local recreational assets, success like this is possible. We continue to send local kids off to college with rowing scholarships and host northern rowing programs to train during their winter seasons at our amazing facility.”

Bill VanDresser recruited his brother Dan, who rowed for Michigan State University, to round out the four-person boat. They spent their mornings on Lake Minneola in Clermont honing their skills to ensure they were much faster than the previous year, where they missed out on gold by just three seconds. “I’d like to thank Lake County for providing this great boathouse asset to the community,” Mark Vantrease said. “I’d also like to thank the City of Clermont, ‘Choice of Champions,’ for boathouse maintenance support and coordination over our local regattas. Together we have grown the program into a rich resource for our local kids and adults to train, learn and grow together.”

The Clermont Boathouse is home to LCRA and was designed by competitive rowers to be a premier location for the sport. The lake features a 2,000-meter Olympic-style buoyed racecourse that allows eight rowing lanes and a first-class floating dock for launching.

The Clermont Boathouse is located at 1050 Victory Way, Clermont, on the shores of Lake Minneola.  To learn more, visit www.rowlcra.org 

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“The facilities and hospitality available to us at the Clermont Boat House are top-notch,” said Assistant Coach Dan Harrison. “Our student-athletes are able to use the time we have here to focus on their preparation for the NCAA Championships, and our team really appreciated the opportunity to train on Lake Minneola. Thank you to all the staff and community members who helped us enjoy our time in Clermont.” 

The team spent several days at the Clermont Boathouse, found on beautiful Lake Minneola, to continue preparation in Florida weather for the championships being held Friday, May 27 through Sunday, May 29 at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota.

“Having rowed for a Big Ten Conference school myself, I could not be more excited to have a power program like Michigan using our amazing Lake County facilities,” said Lake County Commissioner and Tourism Development Council Chairman Doug Shields. “I wish them luck as they continue their journey to Sarasota for the National Championships.”

Home to the local rowing club, the Lake County Rowing Association (LCRA), the Clermont Boathouse was designed by competitive rowers to be a premier location for the sport. The lake features a 2,000-meter Olympic-style buoyed racecourse that allows for eight rowing lanes and a first-class floating dock for launching. The University of Michigan joins Hobart and Williams College and Nereid Boat Club as teams taking advantage of the LCRA facilities this year. 

“It was a real pleasure to host the University of Michigan Women’s Rowing team as they pursue a national championship, as team training is part of the LCRA vision in addition to striving to be Central Florida’s Home for Competitive Youth and Adult Rowing,” said LCRA President Mark Vantrease. “We are proud to partner with the City of Clermont and Lake County as we continue to provide team training opportunities to universities, colleges, high schools and clubs from around the country.” 

Lake County is home to more than a thousand lakes and waterways with walkable downtowns and trails among many of them. The Clermont Boathouse sits along the Southlake Trail with a direct path to Downtown Clermont where visitors can explore an array of local restaurants and shops. Lake Minneola also has a separate 1000-meter eight-lane canoe and kayak course.

“Lake County and the City of Clermont continue to be a premier destination for the sport of rowing throughout the country,” said Director of Visit Lake Ryan Ritchie. “Strong community partnerships with organizations like the Lake County Rowing Association allows us to participate with these types of engagements. We’re excited the University of Michigan, a top program in the country, decided to train for the NCAA Championships in Lake County. We wish them all the best this weekend and look forward to hosting them and other programs in the future!”

Get updates and watch the NCAA Division I Rowing National Championships at https://www.ncaa.com/liveschedule/2022/05/27. Learn more about Lake County Tourism at www.visitlakefl.com. Follow us on social media @VisitLakeFL.

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