USRowing has named Carnegie Lake Rowing Association as its 2007 Club of the Year, the organization announced on Wednesday. The award will be presented to the club at the USRowing Annual Awards Reception on December 7 in Miami, Fla.
Located in Princeton, N.J., Carnegie Lake Rowing Association was founded in 1985. CLRA is a community rowing association that has access to Lake Carnegie and Princeton University facilities and equipment by a special arrangement with the University. More than 200 members strong, the program operates year-round and includes a learn-to-row program, along with regular tank and lake workouts tailored for rowers of different levels of ability. Sweep oar rowing comprises the bulk of club activity, although the membership also includes scullers.
The club regularly races at regattas throughout the East Coast and hosts the Carnegie Lake Regatta each summer. At the 2007 USRowing Masters National Championships, CLRA won eight total medals including four gold medals. Carnegie Lake Rowing Association also provides all of the volunteer support to plan, manage and run two fall head races for Princeton University, provides volunteer support for Princeton University's spring regattas and provides volunteer support to USRowing's national team events held on Mercer Lake.
"We are thrilled to earn this recognition, which is a tribute to our club members, as well as our dedicated club leaders, past and present, and our club founders, who had the vision of starting a community-based rowing club in Princeton over 22 years ago," said Karen Ellis, President of Carnegie Lake Rowing Association. "Thanks to our unique relationship with Princeton University, our hosts on Lake Carnegie, CLRA is privileged to have access to a world-class rowing venue and facility. Being in Princeton, we have special opportunities to be part of the rowing world at virtually all levels - as rowers, competitors, volunteers, supporters and spectators. Fostering the sport both within our community and within the larger rowing community is what we're about. We thank USRowing for this recognition and are proud to be in the company of other outstanding clubs that have been named USRowing Club of the Year."
Now in its fifth year, USRowing's Club of the Year Award is based on a points system focusing on the following criteria: performance, community outreach, service to rowing, USRowing participation, technology and communications, and safety. More than 1,000 member organizations across the country were eligible for the award. Previous winners include Marin (Calif.) Rowing Association (2006), Oak Ridge (Tenn.) Rowing Association (2005), Boston's Community Rowing, Inc. (2004), San Diego Rowing Club (2003) and Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Rowing Association (2002). For more information on Carnegie Lake Rowing Association, please visit www.clra.com.