2009 Applicants
South Orlando Rowing Association
NikeRetail Location: 4977 International Dr. 3B-13, Orlando, FL
Website: www.BooneCrew.com
Kids Involved: 35
Our Mission
South Orlando Rowing Association (SORA) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that exists to develop teamwork, leadership, commitment, and love of rowing in students in Central Florida. Our athletes are not only learning to be great rowers, they are also learning life skills that will benefit them well beyond high school. SORA is committed to making the sport of scholastic rowing (Crew) available to every student who wishes to be part of the team.
SORA offers boys and girls in grades 6–12 an opportunity to be a part of a support network and to achieve fitness while learning self-discipline, teamwork and academic excellence. Every member of the team rows and competes in every regatta. Our new Middle School Program will introduce the sport to students in grades 6–8, preparing them for greater success in the sport once they enter high school. Rowing provides an avenue to college through scholarship opportunities that may otherwise be unavailable to some students, particularly women athletes.
We host every Crew team in the state of Florida at least once every season. In addition to logging over 5,000 community service hours last year, our coaches, rowers and their families volunteer their own time to maintain our facilities and the race venue to provide a place for the other teams to come and compete. The docks and facilities that we provide are also used by the community, as they are located in a public park.
In Orange County, schools do not fund the sport of rowing. Our athletes and their families have to finance it solely through fund-raisers and personal financial commitments. Boats, oars, dock maintenance, coaches, uniforms, regatta fees and travel for scholastic rowing programs are expensive. Unemployment, mortgage foreclosures and other economic woes have made it increasingly difficult for some of our families to financially support this activity.
Our facilities are in a state of disrepair. Our boathouse is dilapidating and one of our docks was recently destroyed in a storm. SORA does not have the funds to replace the dock or to make the needed repairs to our boathouse without further straining our families’ finances.
The majority of Nike’s investment would go towards improving our facilities. This investment would help SORA provide the equipment necessary for our rowers and others in the Central Florida rowing community.
Co-Ed,
Other,
High School,
Community-based,
Middle School,