I founded the High Point Rowing Club in 2012 to get people of all ages out on the water and to promote health, discipline and youth development through sport. I have been fortunate to watch our sport grow here ever since. When we began, only a handful of teams in North Carolina were rowing, and none could host visiting crews. If we wanted to race anyone, we had to leave the state.
The City of High Point changed that. Public officials told us that if we could bring people to High Point, we should host an event. Our first one drew two visiting teams, one from Raleigh and one from Charlotte. Our most recent event this spring drew 6,000 people, and Visit High Point measured $2.6 million in economic impact. Hotels sell out. Local restaurants jump in. About 70 percent of attendees come from outside North Carolina, so this is real hospitality business for the city.
This weekend, we’ll host 40 to 45 teams, about a thousand rowers, and many more spectators. A few years ago, I couldn’t have imagined a weekend like this. We got here because one organization believed in what we were building, and that’s the story of the Lenny Peters Foundation.
How the Foundation Came InI approached the Lenny Peters Foundation for a grant when we were just coming out of COVID. The pandemic affected so much of our lives, and our association was no exception. We lost nearly 90 percent of our members. Adults avoided group activities, and we couldn’t recruit for two years, so rowers kept graduating without anyone to replace them. I knew our events would have to keep us afloat until we could rebuild the team.
Within 24 hours, the Foundation called me back and said they wanted to help. There was no red tape, and there were no expectations beyond “keep doing what you’re doing.” They looked at what we were doing and saw people coming to the city and a healthy activity worth supporting. The University of Cambridge women’s crew, a world-renowned program, joined our next event. Dr. Peters attended, and I think seeing it in person made all the difference. He appreciated the economic impact and community benefit, and that the event brought kids and families outdoors to do something healthy, away from their phones and screens.
A Partner, Not Just a Donor
Since then, Dr. Peters has been proactive in a way I have rarely seen. I have never had to ask him for a grant or a contribution. The Foundation has made significant investments in the event, and that investment became the Lenny Peters Cup, which celebrates its fifth year this week.
Since then, Dr. Peters has been proactive in a way I have rarely seen. I have never had to ask him for a grant or a contribution. The Foundation has made significant investments in the event, and that investment became the Lenny Peters Cup, which celebrates its fifth year this week.
The results speak for themselves. We have grown about 40 percent since the Foundation got involved. That investment lets us do more, which attracts more competitive teams. We now see crews from Washington, D.C., Atlanta, and sometimes as far away as Florida, plus showcase teams from England, Scotland and the Netherlands.
Thanks to the Lenny Peters Foundation, we’ve developed a strong youth program with almost 70 young people ages 12 to 18, from very diverse backgrounds across the Triad. The Foundation’s contributions keep membership costs low so the club stays open to people from every walk of life. I believe that has helped us become one of the more diverse rowing programs in the country.
Opening the Day to Everyone
One thing I hear from High Point residents who come to our events is that they are amazed by how many people are there and how few of them they recognize. That is the nature of an event that draws so many visitors from out of state, but we wanted to make sure the local community stays involved, too.
One thing I hear from High Point residents who come to our events is that they are amazed by how many people are there and how few of them they recognize. That is the nature of an event that draws so many visitors from out of state, but we wanted to make sure the local community stays involved, too.
So this year, we are adding dragon boat racing. Anyone can hop in and start paddling, and the races will be short and fun. The High Point Fire Department is bringing a team, and eight more teams from North Carolina and South Carolina have registered. That alone will bring a couple hundred more people to Oak Hollow Lake. Making the day accessible to everyone is a goal Dr. Peters shares, and we are excited to move it forward together.
A Big Day for High Point
This year’s Lenny Peters Cup will be one of the biggest days in our history. The world champion Team USA women’s crew will race the reigning Olympic champions from the Netherlands, a matchup the rowing world is watching, and it’s happening on our lake. The University of Edinburgh and Oxford University will also take the water, along with Duke University and High Point University.
This year’s Lenny Peters Cup will be one of the biggest days in our history. The world champion Team USA women’s crew will race the reigning Olympic champions from the Netherlands, a matchup the rowing world is watching, and it’s happening on our lake. The University of Edinburgh and Oxford University will also take the water, along with Duke University and High Point University.
Races like these don’t happen at most rowing events anywhere in the country. They happen here because the Lenny Peters Foundation saw what we were building, believed in it, and kept investing. Thanks to that support, High Point has earned a place on the international rowing map.
But the real winners won’t be the champions on the podium. They’ll be the young people on our team, watching the best rowers in the world from the shore, whose boats, oars and opportunities are built from the proceeds of days like this.
–Gene Kininmonth, Founder and President, Triad United Rowing Association