Northwestern University Club Crew

In 1981, Northwestern student Derrick Grava decided that the University needed a rowing team. In the early stages Grava, who had rowed in high school, served as both rower and coach, and the team had to borrow boats for both practice and competition. The team’s first home was the Lincoln Park lagoon that borders Lake Shore Drive. Northwestern Crew eventually relocated (the first of many moves) to a boat house at Navy Pier which served as the team’s home until the late 1990’s. Due to a change in ownership, the team was eventually forced to relocate to a parking lot on the south side of Chicago where they used truck bed storage containers to store their oars and other equipment. The distance between the location of the boats and the Evanston Campus was extremely difficult for the rowers who had to spend as much time traveling to practice as they did training. Fortunately, the team was able to relocate for the 2002-2003 season to a more convenient site at North Avenue managed by the Lincoln Park Boat Club. In the 2003-2004 season, Northwestern Crew successfully negotiated a move to the Dammrich Rowing Center (DRC) in Skokie, IL. The team currently shares this space with other area high school and college crews. The DRC is located only three miles from the Northwestern campus and allows the team to maximize their training time and row on a great stretch of sheltered water - the North Shore Channel.