United States collegiate rowing
Throughout the world, rowing has been
established in countries through a variety
of ways. Some countries have built rowing
through club systems, some through
secondary school programmes, while in
other countries university rowing takes
center stage.
University Rowing is one of the most recognised
forms of our sport. World Rowing will be
highlighting university rowing the world over
as a continual feature over the coming issues.
This first feature looks at the biggest university
rowing system in the world. I n t he
United States, university r o w i n g
programmes are widespread and often an
individual’s first introduction to and only experience
in the sport.
Yale founded its first men’s collegiate crew in 1843.
Harvard followed a year later and so college rowing
began to bloom. About 30 years later the first
women’s rowing programme was established
( Wellesley College).
© Ted Spiegel/National Geographic/Getty Images
A 1974 Radcliffe crew team sets
its oars for an evening workout, in
Boston, Massachusetts (USA).
Men’s and women’s university rowing is organised
by leagues. The men’s university crews compete
during the season within their leagues and finish
the season with a league championship regatta.
The same applies with the women’s crews. The
traditionally strongest leagues are the Eastern
Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) which
includes the so-called “Ivy League” schools such
as Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Brown among >
