Who is Nashville Rowing Club and what should we know about you?
Nashville Rowing Club is an amateur club for the sport of rowing, housed on the premises of Hamilton Creek Sailboat Marina along the lovely shores of Percy Priest Lake. Our mission as an organization is to foster and conduct amateur rowing competition at both the national and international level, for student and adult athletes.
How that looks on a normal week-by-week basis is athletes showing up, putting in the work, and striving together in teamwork and individual effort to move a little more together, shave that extra half a second off their time.
Our community is disciplined, hard working, and competitive, no matter at what level each individual athlete is. We are all growing and pushing together, and we find that the journey is the ultimate prize, because it is what reshapes us and molds us into people who push to excel for others, not just for ourselves.
How do you manage and maintain a positive company culture?
We have found that our organization and the community that surrounds us thrives the most when we are supportive of each other. Open communication has been key: clearly verbalizing expectations, what is working, what is not working, visions and dreams for the future of the organization. Maintaining open dialogue between the board of directors, the coaches, the athletes, and the student athletes’ parents are all part of what maintains the health and vitality of the club.
Our board of directors is composed of members from our Masters squad and parents of Junior athletes, so our leadership is personally invested in seeing the health of the organization continue to thrive and grow. Our dedicated coaches set the tone for the culture athlete-to-athlete, and our members are united by a shared love of the sport and love for the people that it draws together.
Are there new markets or demographics you are targeting?
Over the past few years, we have been working to grow a para-rowing program and veteran rowing program, in addition to growing our Junior program. Our hope is that all of our programs will continue to grow, but these are the particular demographics we are seeking to increase in our club, because of the unique opportunities rowing offers for these groups.
Nashville Rowing is the proud recipient of a grant to support our veteran rowing program, and several of our members are veterans themselves and are passionate about sharing the sport with their community. Para rowing is growing quickly in the United States, and the city of Nashville is blessed that its club has among its members both differently-abled rowers and members who are trained to support such athletes. Rowing is a uniquely accessible sport to these communities, and our hope is that more members of these communities in the Nashville area will be enriched by the sport.
If a high school student athlete excels in the sport of rowing, a whole world of opportunity opens up to them with college scholarships through collegiate athletics. Rowing is still a growing sport in the United States, and as more schools have access to funding for their rowing programs, there are many scholarship opportunities available to aspiring athletes. As mentioned earlier, rowing is also a uniquely accessible sport where many different body types can excel, so the door of opportunity is open to any who wish to walk through it (or row through it…).
What is unique about your business that makes you stand out?
While we are a competitive club where each of our members constantly strives to improve their individual performance, we are uniquely open to athletes of all ability levels. We have members who are former Olympians, members who saw a rowing machine in the gym and were curious to try it on the water, members who are middle school students looking to get outside and try a new sport, and every person in between.
Our club fosters a culture that no matter your experience, there is a place for you with us. That generosity of spirit is rare in this world, and we treasure it. Through the years, it has meant that our members are some of the most dedicated and loyal people, willing to give of their time and efforts to help us continue to succeed, continue to exist. We exist still in 2026 because of our members, and what we receive we continue to pour back into them. That is what rowing is all about!
What differentiates your business from your competition?
Nashville Rowing is the only club team for the sport in Music City! That means that our competition is any other business or outlet that offers water sports and recreation. But we who row know that there is nothing like the sport of rowing. We are the only sport where you look backwards as you move forward (yes, rowers face the stern of the boat as they speed toward the finish line). It is a metaphor for life: in order to have the strength to strive ahead, it is important to look back and see where you have been before, remembering the growth it took to get from there to where you are now.
Rowing is poetic. Being a part of a crew boat is an experience of being more than yourself: you are part of a whole, and every part must work together to accomplish the goal successfully. It is equally a humbling and empowering thing to do, to push yourself past your perceived physical and mental limits for the sake of your teammates. This discipline of mind, body, and spirit is what we believe makes rowers the most amazing people in the world!