CSULB Heads the Collegiate Rowing Clubs Summit

All eyes were on Long Beach State last summer as they hosted the first annual Collegiate Rowing Culb Summit. This caught the attention of institutions from San Diego all the way out to Colorado and up to Washington State. Several universities within Beach Crew’s conference area, the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) and the PAC10, descended on the Walter Pyramid Annex to gather and exchange ideas, discuss the challenges, successes, failures, and hopes of what we want to achieve.

Beach Crew’s General Manager, Brandin Grams, defined the summit using Beach Crew as the model. “For a program like Beach Crew, much of our drive comes from the passion we have for the sport and the vision of achieving success with our programs. We’re living in a time, especially for the public institutions, where funding is being cut left and right. To make matters even worse, the higher reigns have put athletics on the chopping block, going all the way to cutting funds for rowing programs. Our survival depends on staying in the right direction, having dedicated leadership, and defining our specific needs and procedures. Each of our campuses have their own culture that may create roadblocks which may sometimes block our path to success. Sometimes the cycle changes and we must act accordingly.”

The summit was held August 7, 2010, at the Walter Pyramid Annex.