Rowing is the oldest intercollegiate sport in America, dating back to the Harvard-Yale competition in 1852. Yet, women's rowing emerged as an NCAA sport only in 1997.

In a mere eight years of existence as an NCAA championship sport, women's rowing has seen rapid expansion in its membership participation from a combined division championship (NCAA Divisions I, II and III) to three separate divisions. Now, even the traditionalists within the sport recognize the NCAA Women's Rowing Championships as the premier event of the year for women's rowing.

The quality of this championship is a reflection of the NCAA's high ideals for serving student-athletes, and its vision for a championship that reaches far beyond what the sport previously offered.

There is no doubt this growth occurred largely because of the impetus of gender equity. What no one expected, though, was the rapid growth of a sport that did not have the high-school participation base or a familiarity with the sport among university decision-makers. In fact, the growth at the collegiate level for women's rowing also has resulted in a concomitant growth among high schools participating in women's rowing. Administrators found when they looked into the sport that many institutions were willing to share their success stories, and those shared stories further increased interest in the sport.

When asked, student-athletes give many reasons why they like rowing, but the one that is certain to resonate is their desire to practice and compete in a disciplined environment. In a demanding sport that appeals equally to both genders, rowers find that the rigors of practice makes them stronger, they reach a high level of fitness and they master the intricate techniques required in such a challenging sport. All of this contributes to their need to become the best student-athletes they can. What becomes almost secondary is the acceptance and respect for one another they get from taking part in a demanding team-oriented pursuit. Though, as in any sport, there are stronger, fitter and more skilled athletes, in rowing there is a degree of teamwork, a oneness, felt by each member in the boat. This teamwork makes it more difficult for any one team member to stand out -- instead, every member becomes synchronized in body and in mind.

You could say that rowing is more a participatory sport than a spectator sport. Though there is spectator appeal for rowing, it has not by any means met the spectator appeal evident in football and basketball. Indispensable components for its spectator appeal are a good announcer and a spectator-friendly area near the finish line.

What differentiates rowing from other sports, though, is the large number of walk-ons each year. There is a freshman-novice category to accommodate this interest. The category provides such rowers a chance to hone their skills so that in subsequent years they become a better fit within the varsity squad. Typically, there are two varsity eights (nine rowers and a coxswain), and a freshman-novice squad made up of two eights. Though there is a fairly high drop-out rate among the freshman-novice group, the opposite is true among the upper-class varsity that is composed of more experienced rowers.

Little doubt exists that the sport attracts athletes who have rowed in high school or prep school, but consideration for adding rowing to a school's sports roster should be given because of the retention aspects for a sport in which almost all of its participants compete in multi-event regattas and dual races. Though rowers aspire to row in the first varsity boat, I have never seen a student-athlete in the second varsity boat any less proud when they win a championship. It should also be pointed out that the overall graduation rate among women rowers is one of the highest in all sports.

In a time when alumni giving is an important factor in meeting budget requirements, rowing alumni always have shown to be one of the more generous alumni groups. It is a culture rowers come to appreciate and accordingly respond to when they have graduated. It is not uncommon to see a large turnout of rowing alumni during homecomings, and for a shell (rowing boat) to be christened, the cost of which is funded by donors.

NCAA Division II is the smallest field among the three divisions, and therefore affords its member institutions with the greatest opportunity for student-athletes to participate in the rowing championships. Nova Southeastern University, in only its first year of competition, was selected as a participant in last year's Division II Women's Rowing Championships. School President Ray Ferrero had this to say about the school's rowing program: "Rowing has been a great addition to our varsity sports program, and a sport that has instilled a sense of pride among our students, faculty and administration. These students-athletes perform well in both academics and athletics." Presently there are 86 Division I members, 15 Division II members and 42 Division III members.

If your institution is considering the sport of rowing, contact Tina Krah or Mark Bedics at the NCAA, and they will put you in touch with someone who will be glad to assist you.

Bill Jurgens, the athletics director at Florida Institute of Technology, chairs the Division II Women's Rowing Committee.