Moving Forward The Campaign for the McCallie-GPS Rowing Center
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McCALLIE
ROWING CENTER
GPS
Dear Friend of the McCallie Rowing Program, Think for a moment about the first time you saw a crew boat gliding across a river or lake. Maybe it was on television in an Olympic competition, or perhaps a lone sculler getting in an early morning workout in the fog of the Tennessee River. Rowing is a sport that captures the imagination and creates a lifelong passion in those who choose to pursue it. Nearly 30 years ago, dreamers at The McCallie School and Girls Preparatory School in Chattanooga envisioned bringing this global sport to these two exceptional institutions. As you’ll read in the pages ahead, success was no guarantee. In spite of the challenge of introducing a totally new sport to these schools, a city and students who were unfamiliar with it, the programs flourished. Leaping quickly to regional and national successes, crew brought more than just athletic accolades to McCallie and GPS. Rowing alumni have represented their schools at every level of the sport, from elite colleges to national teams. Today, the programs stand at the edge of a major step forward: the creation of a world-class rowing center to match what has become two world-class high school rowing programs. This center will reinforce a strong partnership between McCallie and GPS, supporting their teams for decades to come, with a far-reaching impact on the Chattanooga community and beyond. Our hope is that after reading this booklet, you will be inspired and committed to investing significantly in an established and proven athletic program that transforms the lives of our students. Sincerely,
S. Elliott Davenport ’78 Rowing Center Campaign Co-Chairman 1
The Campaign for the McCallie GPS Rowing Center
Glenn H. Morris, Jr. ’82 Rowing Center Campaign Co-Chairman
500 Dodds Avenue | Chattanooga, TN 37404 | 423.624.8300
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McCallie wins its first regatta: Midwest Scholastic Championship
1991
1993
McCallie Rowing team is formed
GPS Rowing team is formed
McCallie places sixth at its first National Youth Rowing Championship
1995
McCallie notches first win at Head of the Hooch
1996
1997
Katherine Giles ’96 is GPS’s first regatta medalist
1999 McCallie begins 19+ year streak of defeating Baylor head-to-head for the Raoul Cup
History of
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GPS alumna Susan BeVille ’01 rows for the National Team in the Junior World Championships
2001 The
2008
Dock
willin benefit from a McCallieRowers competes the Maegan Gossett ’08 takes full-sized, modern dock9th that Royal Henley Regatta for place nationally in the singles for GPS the first will time allow easy access to youth
McCallie Lightweight 4+ wins silver at US Rowing Youth Nationals
2012
2017 McCallie and GPS both medal at the Scholastic National Championships
water and plenty of space to maneuver boats – from single sculls to eights.
Excellence
Pull together with us for the future of McCallie-GPS rowing!
Voices of Achievement 5
The Campaign for the McCallie-GPS Rowing Center
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Rowing is a sport for those not interested in typical sports. It trains for physical strength but also for what it means to be a member of a team. A rower learns she can’t quit; she can’t let her teammates down.
Floy Wang First Head Coach, GPS Rowing
The best part about rowing is the team. Thirty years from now I may not remember much about the races or even the practices, but I will, without a doubt, be close the guys I did them with. Working hard together breeds camaraderie and fellowship, and those two aspects are the engine to a team’s success. We worked hard because we didn’t want to disappoint each other. We wanted what was best for the common good, not for ourselves. Not only does that selfless attitude bring out the best in people, but it also creates awesome friendships.
Duncan Moore, McCallie ’16 Currently rowing for Yale
The primary benefit of rowing is a mindset. All these years later, as a working mom with a hectic life, I still look at challenges like a rower. Break difficult tasks down into steps and attack one by one. Breathe, and focus. It works all the time! Anytime I see nice, calm water, I feel the pull... It’s hard to stay away!
Susan BeVille ’01 Standford ’05
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Rowing has given me a chance to go to a university away from home and let me try out my own wings. I’ve gotten to travel all over the country because of it, from New Jersey to California, and race against elite athletes such as teams from Stanford, Harvard, MIT, Wisconsin, and Georgetown.
Nicki Backus, GPS ’16 Currently rowing for The University of Tulsa
As coach of the US Women’s National Team, I enjoyed learning how to motivate boys and how to transfer my high Olympic expectations to the high school level without having boys run away! There is no star power in rowing. Coaching at GPS and McCallie, I was able to build an environment that people wanted to join.
Hartmut Buschbacher Former Assistant Coach, McCallie and GPS
Rowing is a sport that allows you to be an introvert and yet part of a team in synchronicity with others. It’s the ultimate team sport where there are no stars. Rowing gave me a healthy awareness of my body. It was a way to celebrate my body for what it was capable of. Feeling physically strong added to my confidence level and started a realization of the importance of exercise and strength training.
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The Campaign for the McCallie-GPS Rowing Center
Katherine Giles, GPS ’96 First Individual Medalist
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We saw the growth of rowing at GPS from a turnout of 25 to 75 within a few years. Rowing is a special sport in which everyone’s work is for one another. GPS had a strong enough program that even the third boat could place in a regatta. With a new facility, Chattanooga could be a spring training destination for colleges and universities in the Northeast and Midwest.
Rachel McCallie Former Assistant Coach, McCallie and GPS Rowing
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Forward
In the company of others, I experienced some powerful rowing moments. My Varsity 8+ boat beating a German boat by two seconds at the Hooch on Lake Lanier was one memorable race among many.
Rowing provided me the opportunity to do something really difficult that I could quantify. My belief in myself grew not just in athletics and in academics. Rowing appeals to people who believe in the value of hard work, appropriate effort, and strategy, in training and in races. The combination of personal exertion and effort with teammates who are trying with you to do one thing at an excellent level seems to explain what I see as a purity in the sport. I learned to ask myself, “Can you bring that same discipline over and over again?” I learned that I could.
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Prentice Stabler, McCallie ’02
Some of the most successful business leaders I have met were former rowers. Some of the greatest artists I have known were former rowers. By investing in a rowing program you are creating opportunities for people to be a part of something that ultimately builds so much character that they end up excelling in life. I believe this new rowing center will provide a facility that helps each team realize they are competing on a national level
Wyatt Nordstrom, McCallie ’94
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The Campaign for the McCallie-GPS Rowing Center
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[McCallie’s first coach “Doc” Swanson] put me in the McCallie pool in a two-man boat in 1990 and then on the river, knowing that I would feel the pull of the sport… Parents were eager to support the sport because of the confidence and strength their sons were gaining.”
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Spencer J. McCallie, III ’55 Former Headmaster, McCallie
Impact
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The Campaign for the McCallie-GPS Rowing Center
NATIONAL EXCELLENCE
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National Top-Ten Finishes
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National Medal Wins (Team and Individual)
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DOMINATING BAYLOR
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McCallie owns 19 straight Raoul Cup Victories, dating to 1999 GPS has 15 overall Carney Cup victories, including a seven-win streak
COLLEGE CAREERS
92
total rowers from McCallie and GPS went on to row in college
COLLEGES REPRESENTED
22
rowed in the Ivy League
2
rowed for Oxford or Cambridge
Moving Forward A Catalyst for Southeastern Rowing From their beginnings, McCallie and GPS have found success with limited facility space. With access to year-round training opportunities and a facility that will attract great rowers for years to come, the sky is truly the limit. Upon completion, the center will be unmatched in the Southeast by any other high school scholastic rowing program, becoming a powerful force to drive the programs forward. Addtionally, the facility will have a significant impact in the Chattanooga region, building a public/private partnership for youth development programs and providing access to the downtown community for midday workouts on and off the river. The use of this facility and the love of this sport will not be limited to the students of McCallie and GPS. The following pages illustrate a dynamic facility with specific features to highlight the skills and techniques nationally ranked programs include in their formula for success. Designed by Peterson Architects of Cambridge, Massachusetts, the McCallie-GPS Rowing Center will represent a new path forward; one that provides a world-class facility to match the premiere rowing programs both these schools have earned the right to claim. 13
The Campaign for the McCallie-GPS Rowing Center
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The Rowing Center A scholastic rowing facility unmatched in the Southeast
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The Campaign for the McCallie-GPS Rowing Center
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First Floor
We saw the growth of rowing at GPS from a turnout of 25 to 75 within a few years. Rowing is a special sport in which everyone’s work is for one another. GPS had a strong enough program that even the third boat could place in a regatta. With a new facility, Chattanooga could be a spring training destination for colleges and universities in the Northeast and Midwest.
Rachel McCallie Former Assistant Coach, McCallie and GPS Rowing
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Second Floor
The Erg Room
Achievement Seventy modern erg machines will provide a resource for all the members of the GPS and McCallie crews to develop strength and technique while also providing daytime opportunities for alumni and community members.
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The Campaign for the McCallie-GPS Rowing Center
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The Tank The rowing tank will be the only one of its kind for a high school in the Southeast, providing a real-water experience for rowers of all skill levels, even when varsity crews are using every available seat in boats during practice. In addition, the tanks will become a springboard for youth across the region to experience a sport that may transform their lives as it has done for our McCallie and GPS students.
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Club Room With a vista on the “home course� of the Tennessee River, the club room will provide a stunning location for team meetings as well as school events and receptions.
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The Campaign for the McCallie-GPS Rowing Center
of
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GPS alumna Susan BeVille ’01 rows for the National Team in the Junior World Championships
2001 The
2008
Dock
will from a McCallieRowers competes in benefit the Maegan Gossett ’08 takes full-sized, modern dock9ththat Royal Henley Regatta for place nationally in the singles for GPS the first will time allow easy access to youth
McCallie Lightweight 4+ wins silver at US Rowing Youth Nationals
2012
2017 McCallie and GPS both medal at the Scholastic National Championships
water and plenty of space to maneuver boats – from single sculls to eights.
Excellence
Pull together with us for the future of McCallie-GPS rowing!
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The Campaign for the McCallie-GPS Rowing Center
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Envision Your Legacy You are receiving this campaign document because you have been an integral part of the success of the McCallie rowing program. This new facility is a bold answer to moving both the McCallie and GPS rowing programs to the next level. We will set the standard for high school programs across the country, but more importantly, we will be able to train and prepare our young men and women for a sport that will be life changing for each of them at every turn. We are asking you to be one of those giants with a generous contribution to the campaign. Your commitment to this program will impact young men and women for years to come. While we do not take lightly the significant investment we are asking you to consider, we do understand the value you place on the foundation McCallie instilled in you as a student and athlete. Thank you for your commitment to making a difference in the lives of current and future young men of this great school and the young women of GPS.
In friendship,
S. Elliott Davenport ’78 Rowing Center Campaign Co-Chairman
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The Campaign for the McCallie GPS Rowing Center
Glenn H. Morris, Jr. ’82 Rowing Center Campaign Co-Chairman
The Campaign for the McCallie-GPS Rowing Center Contact Bess Steverson: 423.493.5837 | bsteverson@mccallie.org 500 Dodds Avenue | Chattanooga, TN 37404 | 423.624.8300