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We are super excited to announce that our video 'How Rowing Changed Schuyler's Life' has made the shortlist at The Charity Film Awards 2019!

In the leadup to this year's Boat Race, squad members visited FRBC, where they met some keen young athletes from Kensington Aldridge Academy. Through a Q&A and exciting ergo challenge, some of the best student-athelets in the country offered an awesome insight into rowing to the next generation. 

Germiston High School is a secondary school in Johannesburg, South Africa with a rowing club full of dedicated young athletes. Many of the children come from disadvantaged backgrounds and the club itself receives minimal support.  On the 17th January this year, they were hit by a devastating storm which destroyed the shed and all the equipment that it contains.  

It’s been a challenge within the rowing community for some time now to debunk the myth that the culture in the sport is of elitism and exclusivity. People who participate in rowing will tell you that the atmosphere is not of elitism at all.

We focus on the power of rowing, using Schuyler as an example of how the amazing charitable work by FRBC can lead to opportunities with the potential to change a young person's life. There wasn't a school that would support Schuyler, and whilst being homeschooled, his father came across a council ad by chance.  He found a welcoming community that stood by him at FRBC and this has enabled him to grow in many ways, both in the boat and beyond it. Picking up a few British ergo records along the way, Schuyler has shown us the rewards of hard work and will start this autumn at Eton College on a full scholarship.