There is a feeling when rowing alongside crew mates in a scull that can only truly be experienced to be appreciated. It’s the feeling that every crew aims for every time they take the water, a feeling not necessarily of weightlessness, but of perfect synchronization. It is most similar to that of a motorcycle in a slipstream or an engine slipping into gear, when water feels more like a frictionless surface to glide upon than something to cut through. “When everyone is synchronized and pressing at the same time, the boat just feels so good,” says Tyler Kumar, the two-seat of Sarasota Crew’s U17 quadruple scull. “It’s one of the best feelings that I’ve ever felt.” Kumar and his crewmates Ryan Begala, Nicholas Abellana and Domonic Barnes were just some of the dozens of athletes representing Sarasota Crew at the US Rowing Youth National Championships, held at Nathan Benderson Park from June 11-14. The event, held for the ninth year at Nathan Benderson Park, had over 4,000 more athletes from around the country fighting for glory. Fighting, tooth and nail, to get that same feeling on the smooth, flat water of the park’s 400-acre lake. Age classification was divided into three categories—U20, U17 and U16—with the U20 being the most elite. “This championship is the biggest youth rowing event in the country,” says Sarah McAuliffe, Chief Program Officer for USRowing. “This is the culmination of all of these athletes’ high school careers. They qualify for the National Championships through 12 different regional championships—the fastest youth rowers in the country are competing here.” For the athletes, Nathan Benderson Park provided an unparalleled venue to test their mettle. The lake itself is designed specifically for events just like this, with the water unperturbed by current or wake and visibility bountiful from the surrounding beach and watch tower. Vendors, by the dozen, packed in along the shoreline. For the athletes, the moment could not possibly have been any bigger. “Not only does Sarasota have the premier rowing venue in the country, Nathan Benderson Park is a top three destination in the world,” says McAuliffe. “Many of the athletes competing here will move on and row for collegiate teams as well as be on future high performance teams. We’ll see a lot of these athletes, maybe not at the 2028 Olympics, but the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.”  SRQ