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History

Established in 1988, St. Andrew Rowing Club is a program dedicated to developing, instructing, and training the best youth rowers in the metro Atlanta area. Our rowers excel both as athletes and as individuals. We regularly compete at major regional and national USRowing championships, which has enabled a number of our rowers to earn scholarships and positions on the premiere collegiate rowing teams throughout the United States. 

OUR BEGINNINGS

In 1986, Georgia Tech started a rowing team with used boats and oars purchased through the Student Foundation. The team grew and in 1988, John Hunter became involved in the team. John Hunter was an ardent Georgia Tech supporter and loved the rowing team. He agreed to sponsor the GT crew on St Andrew Catholic Church property and fund the construction and maintenance of a boathouse.  Mr. Hunter worked with Reverend E. Peter Ludden to gather support from the congregation to make the land available for lease for the rowing center.  In 1988, the Georgia Tech Rowing Club received permission to build its boathouse on the banks of the Chattahoochee River, behind St Andrew Catholic Church.  

However, there was one stipulation.  The Church required that Georgia Tech also start a youth-only rowing club to address the needs of the youth in the local community.  The youth team was started in the fall of 1988 with great success. In 1990, the youth team and Georgia Tech separated with the youth team taking the name of the property—St Andrew Rowing Club—while keeping the black and yellow colors of Georgia Tech.  In 1989, the clubs co-hosted the first Atlanta Rowing Festival, now known as the John Hunter Regatta in honor of the vision and generosity of Mr. Hunter.