PA Rowing Camps           

     PA Rowing Camps was founded by Paul Coomes and Amy Giddings in May of 2000. Together they shared, and still do, a love of the sport of rowing. This love, coupled with the reality of the effects rowing can have on a person, is what inspired Paul and Amy to start an organization for community rowing in Philadelphia.

     Rowing is a very expensive activity because of the cost of equipment and the scarcity of space at local boathouses. Unless you learned how to row in high school or college, or are a part of a family with rowers in it, you would have little opportunity to learn the sport. In an effort to change this, many communities across the United States are building community boathouses where members of the community, regardless of economic status, may take part in the sport.

     PA Rowing Camps has successfully offered rowing programs for adults and high school students for five consecutive summers. We offer beginning courses for complete novices and more advanced classes and programs for competitive athletes.

     In the future, we hope to see a community boathouse built in the City of Philadelphia. The boathouse could be a source of community pride and accomplishment with a variety of programs for adults and youth in the area. Most importantly, PA Rowing Camps hopes to increase minority participation in the sport of rowing in an effort to achieve diversity and equality in rowing programs nationwide.