Three words. Now, mind you, they are very powerful three words. To us, they stand for a place that's been like a second home, a lot of good times, a lot of hard times, a lot of very hard working people on all levels, and in just this decade, three Olympic Gold medalists, an Olympic Bronze medalist, two more Olympians, four senior worlds medals and quite a few other athletes who have represented the United States at the international level. Of them took steps towards their dreams here. The words Riverside Boat Club are all that, and more. And that, my friends, deserves more than three words in an article about Elite rowing at the club level by the premier rowing publication in North America. Oh yeah, and lest you think that I am being too parochial, I think that Cambridge Boat Club also deserves more than a passing mention. When was the last time you saw three women's singles, including the Olympic Silver medalist, come out of the same training group in the same year? (And yes, Mary Jones spent a long time at Vesper, but she was on the Charles all summer, and will be here going forward. And hey, Vesper didn't exactly get an essay in the same article, either.) When was the last time you saw a lightweight men's double in the A Final at the Olympics? Right, that never actually happened before. And do check the club affiliations for the last two US Olympic Silver medalists in the women's single. Yep, they are both boat clubs on the Charles. And one of them, Union, didn't even get a mention. And every single one of those athletes had help from their clubs members in achieving their goals. With or without a formal elite training program. With or without full time coaches. They helped a lot of dreams come true. And they deserve more than just their names being mentioned, or not being mentioned at all.
Just some of the faces referred to above. Rant over. Go on with your day.
