Club History

History

Founded in 1968, Orlando Rowing Club, Inc. (ORC) was originally known as the Florida Athletic Club (FAC). Dennis Kamrad helped build the original boathouse at the VFW property on Lake Fairview. The program officially launched in 1972. Early participants attended Winter Park HS, Edgewater HS, and Florida Tech (now UCF), with multiple levels and coaches. FAC members won medals at the Olympic Sports Festival, Canadian Henley Regatta, Miami International Regatta, multiple Head of the Charles medals, international races in Mexico and England as well as representation in the Olympic Trials.

FAC grew as more people became interested in competing in the sport of rowing after their college years. By 1987, club members decided to incorporate and did so as Orlando Rowing Club, Inc. Over time, the organization accumulated a fair amount of equipment-boats, oars and other related equipment and outgrew the VFW property.

In 1994, ORC entered into an Interlocal Agreement with the City of Orlando and Orange County, Florida. Through this Agreement, those public entities funded the building of a boathouse on Lake Fairview which ORC now operates under a long-term Leasing Agreement with the City of Orlando.

Members of ORC and several other rowing organizations provided the “sweat equity” necessary to build the boathouse. The building was completed and dedicated in 1996. The three-bay boathouse was named after the late Charles Kenneth Corkery, a great friend to local rowing who was active in the sport as a competitor, coach and national referee of USRowing, the national governing body. Ken was a strong alumnus of Temple University, where he rowed as a student. Sadly, Ken passed away just before the boathouse was completed. Now, it is dedicated in his memory and to his passion for the sport.

In 1996, ORC began regularly sponsoring, promoting and running regattas for local high schools, colleges, master rowers, and open-age rowers. The organization also began regularly offering a Summer Rowing Program designed to teach novices of all ages the sport of rowing and to provide high school rowers a place to row in the summer time. As the number of high school rowing clubs grew in Florida and the sport matured, it became evident that the role ORC played as a regatta sponsor/organizer at the high school level no longer fit its mission. Many of the regattas were being organized and run by the high schools themselves. As a result, ORC discontinued this activity in 2001 and focused exclusively on regattas for masters-level (adult) competition.

Organization

ORC is now is classified as a public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and contributions to it are deductible from Federal Income Tax to the extent permitted by law. The club is also registered as a charitable organization by the Florida Department of Consumer Services.

ORC is an organizational member of USRowing, the national governing body of the sport and a charter member of the Florida Masters Rowing Association. ORC members compete in over 10 USRowing-sponsored regattas annually. ORC members have won national championships and regional races, bringing recognition to the club and the local rowing community in general. The most recent National Championship was the Womens 8+ event won at the 2007 USRowing Masters National Championships held at Oakridge, TN. ORC earned the All Team Points Trophy at the 2008 Head of the Chattahoochee, the 2nd largest regatta in the US held each year in Chattanooga, TN. The 2008 event hosted well over 1,350 boats, 5,000 participants, and 10,000 spectators in 2008.

Consistent with its corporate charter, ORC is organized to operate a rowing club that supports and develops amateur athletes for local, national or international rowing competition, fosters amateur rowing through education and instruction, implements effective educational programs, sports training principles and strategies, hires qualified athletes or professionals to develop programs or to teach rowing, and conducts such other activities that are consistent with the organization's charitable purposes.

ORC is run by a volunteer Board of Directors elected by the membership annually and governed by its Bylaws. With an annual budget of approximately $85,000 and assets of approx. $153,000 (mostly equipment), Membership fees cover the costs of club-sponsored events, maintaining existing equipment, and purchasing new equipment so that the club may offer its programs to a greater number of potential rowers. As of August, 2009, ORC has approximately 100 dues-paying adult members (over age 18). These members represent a diverse group of rowing interests from recreational to competitive rowing, and all levels of experience. The club also offers limited memberships to college-age rowers who are home for the summer, as well as opportunities for rowers visiting from out of town to access club-owned equipment while in the area. A small portion of the boathouse space is subleased to a local youth rowing club with 40 participants.