Sports

Inaugural Indoor Rowing Championships Held Over the Weekend

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The Windsor School hosted the first Indoor Rowing Championships in The Bahamas over the past weekend.

Published

2 days ago

March 25, 2025

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The Windsor School hosted the first Indoor Rowing Championships in The Bahamas over the past weekend.

Competing side by side on Concept2 ergometers, there were impressive performances across the board and some very close-fought races.

The 40 competitors, aged 18 to 12, represented the Windsor School, King’s College School The Bahamas, Lyford Cay International School and Nassau Rowing Club.

Windsor topped the medal table with eight gold medals and dominated the events for olde students.

King’s College School performed strongly in the events for younger students, with seven gold medals.

Nassau Rowing Club’s team, which included members of their Opportunities & Access Rowing Squad (OARS), notched up four wins, a very strong result given that most of their training is on the water rather than on ergometers.

Lyford Cay International School’s new rowing programme claimed an impressive three gold medals.

“I was really pleased with the results,” three-time Olympian and Director of Rowing at the Windsor School Rob Gibson said.

“The hard work our rowers put in over the winter resulted in all of them posting new personal best times. The championships marks a big step forward for rowing in The Bahamas, and performing on the ergometer is a key to unlocking scholarships to the US. One of our boys has just accepted a scholarship to Stetson University, a Division I rowing programme, and more of our rowers are currently negotiating with other colleges in the States.”

In addition to the race day at Windsor, more than 200 students at government schools were able to take part in their own event by submitting individual results over the last two weeks through the OARS coaches taking ergometers into schools.

The Willie Mae Pratt Centre topped the government school medal table, claiming gold in the Under 15, Under 16, Under 17 and Under 19 Girls’ divisions. AF Adderley was a close second, with three gold medals, for Under 13 Girls and both the Under 13 and Under 17 Boys.

“I was really impressed with the enthusiasm displayed by the children, they seemed to really enjoy the experience of competing on the ergometers,” Head Coach and Programme Director at Nassau Rowing Club Nick Rowett said.

“Also, there is such a wealth of athletic talent in the schools I have visited. There are a number of students who, with the right training, will be able to get themselves a score on the ergometer which will attract scholarship opportunities from US colleges.”

OARS was established by Nassau Rowing Club to expand access to and awareness of rowing for underprivileged Bahamian high school students, leveraging sport as an avenue for empowerment through education.

The performance of government school competitors is a promising proof of concept for NRC’s pathway to collegiate rowing, and the inaugural Indoor Rowing Championships sets an exciting stage for future competitions.

Assisted by a donation of ergometers from Concept2’s Pulling Together Initiative, the NRC coaches have worked with principals and PE staff at CR Walker, CC Sweeting, DW Davis, AF Adderley and CV Bethel, and also in the Simpson Penn and Willie Mae Pratt Centres, through the OARS programme to offer indoor rowing in PE lessons.

Full results

Government Schools: 500-meter sprints

● Closest to Record: Willie Mae Pratt

● Boys U19: CV Bethel

● Girls U19: Willie Mae Pratt

● Boys U17: AF Adderley

● Girls U17: Willie Mae Pratt

● Boys U16: Simpson Penn

● Girls U16: Willie Mae Pratt

● Boys U15: DW Davis

● Girls U15: Willie Mae Pratt

● Boys U14: TA Thompson