Oklahoma State Rowing is a nationally competitive, student run and funded organization that is committed to introducing the students of Oklahoma State University to the sport of rowing, as well as developing them as people on and off of the water. We as a club have been around since the 1970s, with our most recent reestablishment bringing rowing and its benefits back to campus in 2018. Back then, the club's reiteration began only with a handful of students with hardly any experience and even less equipment. Since then, we as a club have grown rapidly thanks in large part to support of our friends, family, and the community surrounding us. Today, we are comprised of over 35 highly dedicated athletes that train six days a week and travel across the country to represent Oklahoma State University. Since being brought back in 2018, the team has had an incredible amount of success in our competitions as we have had a national champion gold medal winner in 2022 as well as a 2nd place finish in 2023 for our women's novice four.
What we do:
We are dedicated to more than just rowing as a sport, as may be suggested in the previous paragraph. Our main goals as a club include focusing on self-growth and leading an active lifestyle. Additionally, due to rowing's reputation as an expensive and difficult sport to get into, the Oklahoma State rowing team makes sure that dues are as affordable as possible so everyone who is interested in the sport is able to participate. Therefore, another goal of the team is to keep the sport of rowing affordable to students across campus by keeping the cost of our biannual dues as low as possible.
We need your support!
All of the things we just mentioned are not free by any means. As a student organization, we receive a very small amount of funding from the university annually. This means that our funding as a club comes from member dues, fundraising activities, and most importantly: support from our friends, family, and community. Now, in 2023, we find ourselves to be limited competitively due to a lack of funds to buy boats that fit the weight class of our rowers, cover the costs of travel (room, board, and food), and the ever-rising cost of dues to compensate for these expenses. This means that community support (YOUR SUPPORT) is needed now more than it ever has been to achieve the many aforementioned goals of the our team.
Carrying the coaches, emergency equipment and lifejackets for everyone on the water, the safety launch boats are an integral part of every rowing practice. A $35 contribution covers the operating costs of these launches for two weeks of training on the water.
After learning the basics of the sport during their first "Novice" year on the team, sophomores and upper classmen return to train and compete as members of the "Varsity" squad.
In cases of cold weather, this insulated suit helps protect our coxwains from both the cold and the wet while we row. The suit also provides safety precautions in the event of an emergency that requires the coxwain to swim.
Measuring in at 12 feet and weighing a little over 5 lbs, the oars are fundamental to propelling the boat through the water. New oars will help our program stay competitive at a national level.
The Concept2 Rower is the bread and butter of our fitness regime. While working on our technique is important, improving our cardio and strength is essential to our success.
Contributions of $5000 or more help our program purchase the racing shells we need to stay competitive at a national level.