Thank you for visiting our FirstGiving webpage. From August 23rd through 30th, our boat will compete in Poznan, Poland, at the World Rowing Championships. Our goal is to raise $14,000 to send the Men's Coxed Pair to Poland and back – with a medal. We hope you can take a moment to read about our boat – who we are, how we got here, where we are going.
Olympic athlete Marcus McElhenney, the coxswain, first sat in a coxswain seat rowing for Monsignor Bonner High School. Last year at the Olympics Marcus took the Men’s Eight down the course in Beijing, and brought home a Bronze medal. This capped a series of six World Championship medals over the previous five years, including a gold medal in the Men’s Eight at the 2005 World Championships in Japan. Now a veteran, McElhenney got his start in Philadelphia and is a graduate from Temple University.
Florida native Troy Kepper began rowing at Leon High School and sits bow seat. He is returning to the World Championships for the second time. After rowing for the University of California at Berkeley, Kepper brought home a silver medal from Japan in 2005, and a gold medal at the 2007 Pan-Am Games in Rio Dejanero, Brazil.
Lastly, our youngest member of the crew, the stroke, Henrik Rummel. He began rowing on the Erie Canal, rowing for Pittsford Crew. This recent graduate from Harvard University will be competing on his first US Senior National team, though Rummel is no stranger to international competition. He was a member of the 2004 and 2005 Junior National teams, winning a gold medal at the 2005 Junior World Championships in Germany. Last year, in Brandenburg, Germany, he won a gold medal at the under-23 World Championships.
Transportation, food, housing and equipment rentals are expensive at the World Championships, and this year is no exception. Unfortunately, rowing is not a commercialized sport in the United States. Our boat has no contracts or sponsorships. Training six hours daily leaves only enough time to work each day to provide us with the necessities to survive while training.
Olympic medals are only won every four years, but are earned in between. We believe no country more than the USA appreciates a difficult process, and the struggles to triumph. There is no donation that will go unappreciated. Any contribution, no matter how small, is invaluable. We hope you’ll be watching us in London 2012, and we hope you remember the path we took.
Sincerely,
Marcus, Troy, and Henrik
Men’s Pair with Coxswain
United States National Rowing Team
(If you don't mind please e-mail Marcus McElhenney at marcusm@temple.edu such that we can keep you updated with our progress and our racing overseas.)
Thank you to Ed Hewitt and www.row2k.com for use of their picture.