DALLAS — Something’s in the water at White Rock Lake.
At least, this weekend, something will be in the water.
“Yeah, there is really high-quality rowing in the middle of the country,” said White Rock Rowing coach Chris Leonard.
Saturday and Sunday, rowers from all over Texas will come to Dallas for the Texas State Rowing Championships.
It’s the first time the event has ever been held outside of Austin.
“Having an event that’s a state championship here, I think really brings attention to, ‘Hey, rowing in Texas is becoming a real thing,’” Leonard said.
Rowing has always been seen as an east coast thing. That’s where Leonard and his wife, Annie Couwenhoven, also one of the team’s coaches, grew up.
They’ve both been rowing for years, but even they had no idea how good it could be at White Rock Lake until they came for their interview.
“We walked in and were like, 'OK, this is pretty cool,’” Leonard said.
“We’re trying to get it more and more introduced here, to where White Rock is the place everyone wants to go and our boathouse is the powerhouse of the nation,” Couwenhoven said.
White Rock Lake may not have a reputation for rowing, but Leonard and Couwenhoven said it should.
The lake can accommodate a bigger course, it’s great for spectators and the boat house is one of the best in the America.
“In 20 years of rowing, I’ve never seen a boat house this big,” said Couwenhoven.
If this weekend’s state championships go well, Couwenhoven and Leonard think things will only get bigger.
“Why can’t we host a national championship down here?,” Leonard asked. “I think this gives us an opportunity to show everybody we can do that.”
For a lot of people, White Rock Lake is a great place to go and for others, an even better place to row.
For more information on White Rock Rowing and the state championships, visit https://www.whiterockrowing.org/.