Our History

The GPRF was created by people who were passionate about the sport of rowing and the benefits it can provide. There were initially three goals:

• Building a state of the art rowing center to serve as the home for a large community of Seattle athletes and rowing organizations;
• Supporting Elite athletes in training for international competition – including the Olympic games, and
• Creating an Olympic-class, competitive venue and high-performance training center in western Washington.

A fourth objective, Community Outreach and Advocacy, was added in 1994 to enable GPRF’s passionate volunteers help other groups start programs, build boathouses, provide scholarships, and expand the sport region-wide with a particular emphasis on participation in ‘non-traditional’ and economically disadvantaged communities.

Since 1984, the GPRF has played a part in the following projects:
• Developing the Mt. Baker Rowing and Sailing Center
• Building the George Pocock Memorial Rowing Center (PRC), and developing PRC programs
• Creating and supporting a team of high-performance international athletes at the PRC
• Events such as Ergomania! and Row for the Cure
• Assistance to developing programs – Lake Sammamish, Renton, Portland, and Vancouver

Since 1994, the GPRF has also played a major role in expanding rowing beyond its traditional base through outreach programs. GPRF supported programs include:
• Lakeside LEEP
• Girls Row
• Orion Center
• City of Seattle Special Populations program
• Rainier Valley Rowing program at Mt. Baker

The GPRF’s most recent program, Erg Ed, is a comprehensive physical education program in the Seattle Public Schools (SPS) that introduces 8th grade students to indoor rowing and its benefits. By 2013, all SPS 8th graders will be enjoying Erg Ed in their physical education classes.