Teen Rowing Athlete Sets Sights On Olympics

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Fourteen-year-old Isaiah Ellis is a Windsor High School rowing athlete with his sights set on the world stage. 

Isaiah began rowing just three years ago, but since then, he has competed at numerous international competitions and received multiple scholarship offers, affording him opportunities to study the sport abroad. 

He was recently able to train with Aquil Abdullah, the United States’ first-ever black male Olympic rower and the first African-American rower to win the diamond sculls race at the Henley Royal Regatta, a competition predating the Olympics. 

Chanelle Sands, public engagement officer at the U.S. Embassy in The Bahamas, says the training session was a part of the embassy’s ongoing efforts to enrich and support the Nassau Rowing Club and other local initiatives.

The sport of rowing has only emerged locally within the past 12 years, and the Nassau Rowing Club has been one of its champions from the start.

The organization operates from a 1-acre site on the northern shores of Lake Cunningham and meets six days a week – as early as 6:30 am. Its programs extend into the inner cities, targeting at-risk youth. 

Kyle Chea, Nassau Rowing Club founder and president, says he and his team want to expand their efforts and introduce more students like Isaiah to the sport. 

Chea says Isaiah’s situation isn’t rare, and there are many more scholarships available – especially for female athletes. 

There are over 150 American colleges with varsity rowing teams, including Duke, Harvard, and the University of Miami – some of them offering full scholarships.

With possibilities abound, Isaiah encourages other young people to give rowing a chance.