Elk Rapids’ Waugh to row as a Badger

ELK RAPIDS — The oldest collegiate sport is not football or baseball but is actually rowing.

The first Harvard-Yale Regatta was in 1852, and has taken place every year since 1855, except for a few years during World War I and II. Rowing has been an Olympic sport since the 1900 Summer Olympics. Despite the longevity, rowing is not a sport offered by many high schools in Michigan and isn’t a sport sponsored by the Michigan High School Athletic Association. The Scholastic Rowing Association of Michigan is where high schools can compete, listing just 20 member teams on its web site.

The sport of rowing is expensive, a competition-level boat costing in the range of $25,000 to $50,000, making the sport too expensive for most high school athletic programs.

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