There’s never been a time like now on the Narrow River.
Inspired by an unprecedented $1 million dollar pledge of support from URI Crew alumnus Steve Flagg in 2022, the Old and Ancient Rowers Society of Rhode Island is excited to announce Project Tailwind. Steve’s historic gift establishes a foundation from which OARS is launching a capital campaign - Project Tailwind - to complete the renovation of the boathouse facility that has served University of Rhode Island club rowing since 1971. We invite you to help us build on this momentum to sustain the future of the boathouse and, in so doing, change the face of URI Crew! Learn more.
Will you help propel URI Crew forward?
One of the most physically demanding endurance sports, rowing epitomizes teamwork and makes a lasting, positive impact on the student-athletes who participate. If you believe in the transformative power of rowing, please join this landmark campaign to ensure that the team has a beautiful, functional, state-of-the-art boathouse in perpetuity.
About OARS
The Old and Ancient Rowers Society of RI, familiarly known as OARS, is a non-profit alumni affiliate organization created to support club rowing at the University of Rhode Island. OARS owns and operates the boathouse on the Narrow River, out of which the team rows, and is responsible for the financial commitment to ensure that the facility remains an on-going concern available to the Club for year-round use.
URI Club Rowing
The Legacy
Club rowing at the University of Rhode Island has a storied history dating back to the fall of 1965 when a young URI mathematics professor - an MIT PhD - Ralph Kopperman, created the URI Crew Club. Outfitted with equipment donated and purchased inexpensively from the likes of Yale, Brown, Harvard, and Columbia, the first URI crew rowed out of Hanson’s Boat Yard on Upper Point Judith Pond. The grit and determination that defined those first pioneering crews continue to define today’s student-athletes. Program alumni include Olympians, world and national caliber elite rowers, and individuals who have gone on to become leaders in business, the military, and their communities.
“I believe in supporting programs that change lives, which is why I am supporting club rowing at URI through this donation to OARS.”
— Steve Flagg, Founder and CEO, Supplyframe
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