Recognizing 30th Anniversary of Penn State Crew Team

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 30th anniversary of the Pennsylvania State University crew team.

This past Saturday, the team celebrated 30 years of commitment to the sport of rowing, the Penn State community, and continued excellence in the classroom.

Chartered in December 1994 by Coaches Colin Upson and Mike Dugan, the Penn State crew team began with 28 members and a concerning absence of rowing equipment.

Due to its lack of equipment and support, the team mainly trained on land, completing dry-land practices with the hope of a serious program guiding their efforts and passion.

The program's first full year, starting in the fall of 1995, consisted of fundraising efforts to purchase equipment. From selling concessions at home football games and cleaning Beaver Stadium, an eight-person used wooden boat was purchased.

In April of 1996, the team attended their first competition in Indianapolis where they joined the remainder of the Big Ten rowing teams at their conference championship.

Throughout the following seasons, from 1996 to 1998, the team's membership increased to over 100 male and female members. Most of this group consisted of novice rowers with little experience in a boat or on the water.

Expanded membership meant increased fundraising demands to keep up with the equipment needs. The large team numbers enabled the program to move into a bigger concession stand at Beaver Stadium, selling more clothing and food at all seven home games that season.

Thanks to the team's tireless fundraising efforts, their boat was finally paid off. By 1999, the club's annual budget was nearly $35,000, with $30,000 coming directly from team members' service to the community and fundraising efforts.

Over the following years, the program has swept podiums at national competitions and continues to excel both on the water and in the classroom.

In the fall of 2006, the men's four-man boat's 4th place finish at Head Of The Charles and women's four-man boat's 2nd place finish highlighted a successful season in addition to a strong recruiting class for both the varsity and the novice teams.

Thirty years later, the team is still committed to its original mission, following in the steps of its founders, Colin Upson and Mike Dugan.

Today, the complete fleet of boats now rests on trailers behind Beaver Stadium, near the humble beginnings of service upon which this program was built.

On any given day, you can find current team members waking up at 5:15 to complete dry-land workouts like their founders did years ago.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of its original members, the Pennsylvania State University crew team successfully maintains male and female competitive programs for novices, lightweights, and heavyweights.

The team remains committed to creating boats capable of competing at the highest possible levels and strives to actively promote the sport of rowing within the Penn State and Pennsylvania communities.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize such an incredible program filled with so many passionate students and coaches. I congratulate them on 30 years and wish them the best of luck in their spring season as they continue representing the Pennsylvania State University, Penn State.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source