Donate to VCU Crew Club: Fueling Our Passion

VCU CREW ROWS THE JAMES!

Join us and our team of passionate rowers as we row from Shockoe Bottom, Richmond, VA to the Atlantic Ocean, following the path of our beloved James River. We'll be erging for 12 straight hours to make the 185km trip, and your tax-deductible donation to our booster club Virginia Commonwealth Rowing Association (VACRA) would mean the world!

How did we get here? Well, here's how it started: Commonwealth Crew began with a passion for rowing and the enterprise between VCU faculty member and Olympic Rower; Donald Bowles, alongside a handful of students. Our club grew into a mighty force, and reveled in the beauty of the sport and our river. But in 1972, VCU’s Rowing fleet was destroyed by Hurricane Agnes and rowing at VCU was lost. For 30 years, no boats touched the James.

However, that wasn't the end for us. Based in Rocketts landing, the VCU Crew Club we know and love today was re-launched in 2002 and is currently under the guidance of VCU Crew alumni, spearheaded by our head coach and former captain, Yuriy Levitsky. Although we are smaller than some top teams, both in roster numbers and physical size, we are known for bridging that gap with our work ethic and dedication.

Our rowers are student athletes who study hard and train hard from 5:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m., five days a week. As the student body of VCU, we represent one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse college crews on the East Coast. We also encompass a broad academic spectrum, spanning engineering students, pre-health students, art students, and everyone in between. Uniting us is the unparalleled commitment and love for the sport.

Every year VCU Crew Club stays afloat by stretching each dollar from team dues and partial school funding, while also being supported by a coaching staff made up entirely of volunteers. We spend tens of thousands of dollars in race entries, travel costs, boathouse membership fees, and uniforms. With low funds, raising team dues are the only hopes of keeping the team active. Consequently, raising dues prevents us from being inclusive and economically accessible for everyone. In an attempt to help reduce the cost of rising student dues, we'll be "rowing" up the meters at this fundraising ergathon!

Whether you choose to sponsor a specific rower or donate to the team as a whole, everything counts.

Thank you so much for supporting our team, and helping us keep the sport accessible for everyone. Let's go RAMS!!