Small Boat Camp - Thanksgiving Week 2026

When: Sunday, November 22 - Tuesday, November 24 at Nathan Benderson Park
Arrive on Saturday, November 21 if you are coming from out of town.

Who: Rowers from high school programs who are looking to improve their technical ability. We are looking for a range of abilities and plan to serve all. Limit of 32 participants: 8 who are racing at a top level, 8 who are proficient with some racing experience, 8 with limited sculling experience and 8 who are much newer to small boat work but looking to gain invaluable experience in a short period of time. Coach to athlete ratio will be 4:1

Rowing exclusively in 1x's and 2-'s multiple times a day at the world class Nathan Benderson Park. You should bring a rowing partner if you want to do work in a 2-
Mobility & Lifting education sessions.
Video Review

Take Away: Leave knowing limiting factors in your rowing stroke and your strengths and weaknesses as a rower. You will receive a true evaluation that you will be able to take home with you knowing the standards.

Camp Staff:
We've had a very accomplished staff work this camp every year who are well known in the United States and have experience with racing at the International level.

Confirmed for 2026:

Rick Brown - Coach Brown led camps for the junior national team for 11 years before joining Sarasota Crew as the Director of Operations. He led junior clubs at Three Rivers Rowing (Pittsburgh, PA) and Rogue Rowing (Ashland, OR) with great success and several national medal boats in small boats. He coached boats at U19 World Championships at in 2013 and 2014. Many of the current Olympic Team rowed as juniors at camps Rick managed including all four of the Gold Medal winning USA 4- at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Matt Grau - Coach Grau is the Head Girls Coach at Mercer Juniors. He has served roles in the U19 USA Team for many summers. He coached at the U19 World Championships in the summers of 2024 and 2025. He has extensive experience coaching sculling in the junior national team system.

Cas Cunningham - Coach Cunningham has years of experience with coaching Girls boats to medal winning performances at U19 World Championships as well as coaching collegiately at Penn for many years. She brings a holistic approach and owns her own rowing consulting business with connections throughout the country.

Doug Welling - Coach Welling is the Head Coach at Bowdoin College in Maine. He has extensive experience with coaching fast boats in the junior national team system and at the collegiate level. He also runs his own business where he trains endurance athletes in many different sports--The Sustainable Athlete.

Megan Kuehm - Coach Kuehm has coached nationally competitve small boats at youth programs in several different regions in the US. She has a great ability to work with rowers of all levels.

Robin Brown - Robin coached medal winning teams at University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), Marin Rowing and Three Rivers Rowing before earning her Masters in Nutrition from the University of Pittsburgh. As a Registered Dietician she owns her own business and has worked with top rowers across the country to help them fuel properly. She currently is Dietitian working with the entire US Senior National Team rowers.

Cost: $1,950 includes lodging (Sat-Mon nights), meals, equipment, coaching.
$1,700 includes equipment and coaching and limited food. Please use the code "Thanks2026" at checkout if you will not be choosing the camp's housing/food option and have your own. This will provide you the $1,700 fee.

Hotel: Homewood Suites, 305 N. Cattleman Rd, Sarasota, FL 34235

Flights: We can help with pickups and drop offs. SRQ (Sarasota airport) is easiest and closest to camp. We will make TPA work also. 

Questions can be directed to rick@sarasotacrew.org