We’re passionate about rowing & team building
our history
KCRC began as a single ad posted on the Moose Pass Post Office community board in Dec 1996. The first meeting consisted of 4 interested women, and, although none had rowing experience, they decided to give it a try and the club was born. Two of the members began searching for equipment, and in Feb 1997 located 2 used 8+’s at Gonzaga University. Through community donations, membership dues and a no-interest loan by a club member, they raised $4500 to pay for both boats and a used set of blades. Transporting the boats to Alaska was a tag-team effort: Gonzaga trailered them to Seattle where a Kenai Fjord Tour Boat set them aboard and sailed them to Seward where they were then transferred onto a Carlile flatbed truck and hauled to the Trail Lakes Hatchery.
Marietta ‘Ed’ Anderson, an ex-collegiate rower from WSU living in Anchorage, heard of our endeavors and offered to help us in any way. It worked out perfectly as she was anxious to get her hands on a shell again and we needed instruction. In the summer of 1997 we hired our first coach and learned to row. In mid-June Ed suggested we race in Seattle at the Green Lake Frostbite and the Lake Union Head of the Lake Regattas in November. We thought she was crazy, but she persistently kept bringing it up until we decided maybe it wasn’t such a crazy idea after all! She even joked about us becoming famous and getting our picture on the cover of USRowing Magazine. We were excited at the prospect and spent the rest of the season perfecting our technique and conditioning.
When race day finally arrived, it was totally amazing! Not only were we blown away by the sheer number of people and shells, but we were on the lake with more than just our one boat! We raced 2 1000M sprint races that day. What an exhilarating feeling watching our boat crossing the finish line in that first race; it was the club’s very first race. Our novice race was not so smooth. We realized as the other boats took off around us, that the race had begun and we’d missed the start of the race! After floundering for a few seconds, we got in sync and began rowing hard. We started gaining on the other boats at the halfway point. Our coxswain, Willow Hetrick, kept us going strong, and we crossed the line in a close finish. Ed met us at the dock where she told us we had finished second! We were elated! She and Willow went to get the awards but returned instead with first-place medals!
The Head of the Lake was the next day and, although it wasn’t quite as eventful as missing the start of a race and still coming in first, it was another memorable experience to row our very first head race.
Being from Alaska brings its own sort of celebrity status, and we were treated as such while in Seattle. Susan Wood-Parkman from USRowing took pictures of us and wrote a story about our club. Ed’s teasing turned out to be prophetic. Although we weren’t on the cover, in Jan 1998 we were a story in the USRowing Magazine!
Competition View
In order to maintain the interest of rowers who want to compete, a “boat to win” could be seated for one or more of the regattas that the club participates in each year. This might be one event in the regatta or the philosophy for that entire regatta. In the preseason, the club will choose which regatta(s) will be priorities for competitive boats. The coach will establish and announce the criteria in a timely manner for being selected for the “boat to win” to allow everyone interested time to train. At no time does KCRC intend to foster a division of members or develop an elitist attitude within the club. The loss of members due to an emphasis on competition, or because of a lack of emphasis on competition, is not acceptable.
our philosophy
The Kenai Crewsers Rowing Club encourages all interested humans, ages 14 and up, to explore our sport. We welcome all comers, regardless of ability, race, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, or sexual orientation. Our club is an open and safe harbor for anyone looking to join a crew team and enjoy the camaraderie and support of fellow athletes.
We row to enhance personal growth through the challenge of continuous learning for fun and fitness; foster unity, camaraderie, and teamwork; promote a healthy community lifestyle through our visible example; and provide members the opportunity to participate in competitive sweep-oar rowing and sculling on the Kenai Peninsula, and in state, national, and international competitions.
Glory is in the team, not the individual
— Sean Sullivan