Orange Coast College Men's Crew
Coast Crew in a Nutshell
Full history of the program at the college's website.
The Orange Coast College crew program officially had its birth in 1953 and, though it began in obscurity, it has grown into one of the most successful programs in the nation.
Back in 1953 OCC's governing board leased land adjacent to Lido Channel in Newport Beach for the construction of a crew base. For two years OCC rowers had difficulty penetrating competitive circles, but in 1955 crew action began in earnest. The Pirates met the San Diego Rowing Club-and won!
From 1953 to 1963 OCC was the only two-year college in the nation that participated in crew. Since that time, several other two-year colleges have tried the sport for a season or two; however, today OCC remains the only two-year college with a complete rowing program, which is largely overlooked.
For the past several years the team has scheduled local regattas on a regular basis with the University of Southern California (USC), UC San Diego, UCLA, Long Beach State University, San Diego State University, UC Irvine, Washington, Cal Berkeley, Gonzaga University, and more.
The Pirates competed in the Henley Royal Regatta in Great Britain, the world's premier rowing event. The Pirates are the only two-year college crew to participate in this 150-year-old event. On 12 occasions OCC has competed in the National Intercollegiate Rowing Association Regatta at Syracuse, New York, the only two-year college in the country to do so as well. In 1985 the Orange Coast College crew was invited by the People’s Republic of China to be the first American crew to go to China.
The college now has a completely modern boathouse and is equipped with locker room with showers, 25 rowing ergometers, weight training equipment, 12 singles, 5 pairs, 5 fours, 11 eights, and 3 catamaran coaching launches.
Orange Coast College crews over the years have won more than 80 percent of their races.
How I got involved with rowing...
more to come!
"If you try, you might. If you don't, you won't."
more to come!
Moving Onward...
more to come!
Leaving a Legacy
more to come!