In 1872, the National Association of Amateur Oarsmen was formed to more clearly demarcate the boundary between professional and amateur oarsmen. The Minnesota Boat Club (MBC) prided itself on upholding the 'amateur ideal:' embracing the sport of rowing exclusively for its beauty, pleasure, and need for refined technique--not as a means to make money. As the club grew throughout the 1880s, it came to be associated as much with the social as the athletic status of its members and was ever vigilant that its members adhere to the tenets of amateurism. After a glorious winning streak in 1893 attri ..read more

In 1875, The Red Wing Boat Club challenged their upstream rivals in Stillwater to a two-mile, out and back, four-oared race for a $100 purse. It turned into one of the biggest days for betting and sport that Red Wing had seen and one of Minnesota's best stories. Hear the Boat Sing shared my article, Out-Foxed in Red Wing, as their 30 March 2018 blog post. Hear The Boat Sing 'covers all aspects of the rich history of rowing, as a sport, culture phenomena, a life style, and a necessary element to keep your wit and stay sane.' This engaging blog, found at heartheboatsing.com, is one well worth f ..read more

In the spring of 1894, Schlitz Brewing of Milwaukee donated a stunning three-foot, gold-lined, silver challenge cup to the University of Wisconsin’s fledgling varsity crew to shore up support for the team and spur on a rivalry. The trophy was to be given to the winner of three consecutive races between the Badgers and a team of their choosing. At that time, the American Midwest was a collegiate rowing desert leaving Wisconsin with no choice but to engage one of the regional amateur rowing clubs. The men of the Minnesota Boat Club (MBC) were the obvious choice. The Minnesotas were still baskin ..read more

Students at the University of Wisconsin initiated their first rowing club in 1874,[1] the same year the University hired John Bascom to serve as president, and this was an unfortunate coincidence.[2] Bascom arrived in Madison with an actively unsupportive stance toward college athletics, and while he tolerated the presence of a student-run rowing club, he offered nothing in the way of resources or encouragement to the athletically-inclined students. Competition with other clubs was out of the question; Bascom harbored concerns that if he opened Wisconsin’s storied doors to outside crews the v ..read more

Only once in the history of the North-Western International Rowing Association (NWIRA) has a ‘foreign,’ non-Association, club walked away with the treasured Sir Thomas Lipton Cup. In 1966, Chicago’s Lincoln Park Boat Club made off, some would say like bandits, with the prized trophy. The Duluth Boat Club hosted the regatta, and everyone was happy about it. A few years prior, the club had lost their boathouse and much of their equipment in a devastating one-two punch of fire and high winds. True to form, the citizens of Duluth had stepped up, generously giving their time and money to revive th ..read more

To say that Minnesota has a strong outdoor recreational culture that revolves around its lakes is probably stating the obvious. Known as the 'Land of Lakes,' Minnesota boasts well over 10,000, and many offer ideal conditions for rowing. Yet, despite the overabundance of available 'still water,' the state's first rowers chose the mighty Mississippi River for the site of their club. The Minnesota Boat Club (MBC), the oldest rowing and athletic club in the state, remains where it has always been - on Raspberry Island - and its members continue to negotiate the unpredictable currents and river tra ..read more

In early 1874, the men of the Minnesota Boat Club finally abandoned the floating boathouse that they had moored to the foot of the Robert Street Bridge and moved into a new boathouse on Raspberry Island[1], an exceptional location with many advantages. Raspberry Island was convenient to downtown St. Paul, accessible via a short walk over the Wabasha Street Bridge. It was undeveloped and natural, with plenty of mature shade trees, offering an escape from the dust and commotion of the city. It was seen as an oasis, one that could be further transformed into something magical, which it frequently ..read more

Dubbed ‘The Year of Triumph[1],’ 1893 was a banner year for MBC, one of unexpected and sustained victory. By the time the 1893 Minnesota and Winnipeg Association Regatta rolled around, the Men of MBC were well into their fourth year of training under former professional oarsman, John A. Kennedy. Kennedy had a reputation for coaching his athletes’ physical form while, at the same time, instilling a strong sense of courage and determination. He was finally beginning to see results. By mid-summer, Kennedy’s boys were in top form, trained to consistently perform at potential, and keen to compete ..read more

It took over twenty years for the men of the Minnesota Boat Club (MBC) to get around to buying an eight, and it was Winnipeg’s idea. It all started with a single. The first time St. Paul set eyes on a rowing shell it focused on John W. L. Corning’s delicate paper boat. John Corning was the vector that infected the city of St. Paul with a love of rowing, an affliction that slowly spread throughout the state, eventually becoming endemic. When Corning relocated to St. Paul from New York in 1868, he shipped his new rowing shell by the safest, if not the most direct, route. He sent it down the Atla ..read more

In 1872, the National Association of Amateur Oarsmen was formed to more clearly demarcate the boundary between professional and amateur oarsmen. The Minnesota Boat Club (MBC) prided itself on upholding the 'amateur ideal:' embracing the sport of rowing exclusively for its beauty, pleasure, and need for refined technique--not as a means to make money. As the club grew throughout the 1880s, it came to be associated as much with the social as the athletic status of its members and was ever vigilant that its members adhere to the tenets of amateurism. After a glorious winning streak in 1893 attri ..read more