Mon Valley Rowing Club ready to get on the water
By TAYLOR BROWN
tbrown@yourmvi.com
It took more than a year of preparation to create Nathanael Stevens’ dream of a Mon Valley Rowing Club. Soon his vision will come to life when he sees a 60-foot rower floating along the Monongahela River underneath the I-70 bridge.
About one year ago, the club had its first informative meeting to gauge interest.
Through word of mouth, the initiative gained momentum. After several months of collaboration and generosity from the community, the group raised more than $50,000 to purchase equipment, put together a team and start training.
The Mon Valley Rowing Club became an official nonprofit organization in January 2019 and has since acquired six interested youth rowers who began training over the winter.
They were set to hit the water for the first time in March, but the world had other plans.
When school didn’t resume for in-person classes, the club was unable to gather. Students received at-home workouts through May.
The COVID-19 pandemic may have put a hold on the rowers’ plans, but soon they will be back on the water.
“We had a few kids working really hard over the winter, but quarantine hit the same week we were going to get in the water,” Stevens said.
To read the rest of this story, please see a copy of Saturday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at https://e.monvalleyindependent.com.