Copyright 2001 Times Publishing Company  
St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
June 12, 2001, Tuesday, 2 Late Tampa Edition
SECTION: TAMPA & STATE; Pg. 1B

DISTRIBUTION: TAMPA & STATE

LENGTH: 851 words

HEADLINE: Dreams behind oars

BYLINE: LINDA GIBSON

DATELINE: TAMPA

BODY:
 Those eight-person rowboats skimming the Hillsborough River have become a way for local high school girls to win college scholarships.

Stiffer enforcement  during the  past few years of Title IX, the federal equal opportunity law for student athletes,  has pushed colleges and universities to fund boathouses, equipment and rowing scholarships for female students, say rowing coaches.

Big schools with football programs are especially active in bolstering female crews, coaches say, because it's an easy way to bring the number of female students into line with the number of males participating in sports.

Before the NCAA organized championships for women's rowing in 1997, there were 74 varsity women's programs, said Brett Johnson, spokesman for the U.S. Rowing Association. Now there are 140.

"Colleges have really started spending a lot of money on rowing," said Bram Fowler of Longwood, president of the Florida Scholastic Rowing Association. "There's a lot more scholarships for girls than for guys."

The opportunities caught the eye of Dr. Gary Baines of Tampa, a member of the U.S. Rowing Association. He helped Plant High School start its rowing club  in 1999.

"It's always bothered me that we have one of the best rowing areas in the world and there's not been any real high school involvement here," he said. "College crew programs for women have just grown wildly. They're having trouble finding enough bodies. If you have to duck to get through the door, they'll grab you."

For those unfamiliar with rowing, an explanation: Longer arms and legs help achieve a better stroke.

But being tall, or even athletic, is not essential for a high school crew. That open-to-all aspect is part of its appeal.

"Everyone can join and feel involved," said Amy Stewart, a 17-year-old senior at Plant High who started rowing two years ago.

"It appeals to a lot of different kids, kids who have never had a sport and kids who are really athletic," said Patricia Eddy, whose 18-year-old daughter, Andrea, rows for Hillsborough High.

In the past two years, Hillsborough High School and Plant High School have formed rowing clubs, joining established crews at Tampa Preparatory and Tampa Catholic. Berkeley Prep boosted its crew program from club status to varsity sport this spring. In April, the five schools held the city's first rowing contest for high school students.

Two-thirds of the 169 students in the public-school crews are girls. Throughout Florida, said Fowler, more girls than boys join rowing crews.

"In Florida, guys play football and baseball," he said.

Crews consist of four or eight people, each pulling one oar. The boats they row, called shells, are long, narrow and lightweight, with hulls no more than one-quarter-inch thick.

In newer boats, a coxswain sits up front, handling the rudder and calling out the rate at which rowers stroke. In older boats, they sit in the rear.

Getting a high school rowing club going requires a lot of fundraising by parents and students, said Casey Baker, rowing coach for the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne and a member of the NCAA's committee on women's rowing. Most settle at first for used or donated equipment.

"New boats cost up to $ 20,000," said Eddy. "A new oar is $ 250."

Sean Stewart, Amy's father, said Plant parents formed a non-profit corporation to raise money for a rowing club. So far, it has spent $ 35,000 to buy three eight-person shells and two four-person shells, along with oars and other equipment.

Going from a club to a school sport would require funding from the Hillsborough School Board, something rowing Coach Bill Dunlap of the University of Tampa hopes will happen soon. Plant, Hillsborough and Tampa Prep all use the university's boathouse to store their equipment, which Dunlap said the school can't continue indefinitely.

There's also the matter of getting coaches. Plant and Hillsborough use University of Tampa crew members because there is no money in their budgets for crew coaches. The private schools have crew coaches on their staffs.

Still, the two public schools at least have boats in the water. Stewart said the work of fundraising was worth it. "One significant benefit is the confidence and self-esteem rowing builds," he said.

By next year, girls from Plant should be ready to compete for scholarships, said Margaret Gandy, vice president of student affairs.

Amy Stewart said she won't apply to colleges that don't have a rowing club or varsity program. She has been pleasantly surprised by the reaction of colleges who learn she has rowing experience.

"It's really opened up doors," she said. "Even if rowing's just on your list of extracurricular activities, they want to talk to you."

A summer rowing program started June 4, said Gandy. For a fee of $ 25, students can join practice at 6:30 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays or at 4 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Practices take place at the University of Tampa boathouse. For information, call Gandy at (813) 272-3033.

- Linda Gibson can be reached at (813) 226-3382.



GRAPHIC: PHOTO, TONI L. SANDYS, (2); Sarah Riggs, 17, waits for the cue for her and her Plant High School teammates to launch their shell during crew practice in Tampa.; Plant High School students Katie Meehan, 15, and Ashton Miller, 15, help carry their boat from the water after crew practice Tuesday.

LOAD-DATE: June 12, 2001