A brief history of rowing on Lake Tahoe

Competitive rowing, one of the original sports in the first modern Olympics, is a uniquely demanding discipline requiring balance, precision, strength, and endurance—engaging nearly every muscle in the body. Rowing embodies the ultimate team sport in larger boats while also instilling relentless self-reliance in small boats. Moving at speeds fast enough to tow a small water skier, the graceful motions conceal the grueling power and continuous technical adjustments needed to propel the boat efficiently through the water. Often called the ultimate fitness sport, rowing remains a lifelong passion for many due to its low-impact nature.

Lake Tahoe has long been associated with high-performance, high-altitude training. In addition to its well-known connection to the 1960 Winter Olympics, the Summer Olympic team members frequently train in the Tahoe Basin. Leading up to the 1968 Summer Games, a high-altitude facility for the U.S. Track & Field Team was built at Echo Summit, and it was credited with helping the team secure 24 medals—12 of them gold—that year. Rowing teams trained at altitude at a facility on Fallen Leaf Lake as recently as the preparations for the 2004 Summer Olympics. This contributed to the U.S. team’s rise in the rowing medal count, moving from 12th place in the previous Olympics to an overall fifth place.

Bridging the location and the sport, records of rowing on Lake Tahoe date back to at least the early 1980s, when the highest-altitude race in the U.S. was established—the North Tahoe Rowing Regatta. Gordie Nash, a Sausalito boat builder and competitive open water rower, with rowing connections from the Bay Area to Los Angeles, was strongly encouraged by Tahoe acquaintances that he should organize a regatta at their superlative venue.

These early years were casual, with the venue moving to a few different spots around the Agate Bay shoreline. By the 1990s, the Tahoe regatta had settled into a steady location, Kings Beach, under the guidance of a local couple, Pam and Paul Lewis. By the next decade, the connection to Kings Beach State Recreation Area had strengthened as a perfect launching area for a fleet of boats, when Ferrari’s Crown Resort enthusiastically stepped forward as a hosting location. The contributions of Sunny Blende, Shirwin Smith, and Tahoe Yacht Club (TYC) member Sue Campbell, who dedicated over a decade to organizing the event, were invaluable. The club’s unwavering support ensured the regatta’s continued success. Over time, the event grew to attract not only regional and national rowers but also international competitors.

Summer turned to fall and then into winter, when Tahoe’s other sports, particularly alpine activities, took center stage due to their strong Olympic ties. Yet, as the seasons cycled back to summer, the Tahoe regatta persisted. Many rowers hold fond memories of gliding across Lake Tahoe’s deep blue waters, sometimes speckled with floating yellow pollen. The pre-race meetings and post-rowing dinners at the club were always a highlight. The regatta remained an ad hoc event, held at various locations along the North Shore, yet it continued like clockwork year after year. Its growing popularity was largely due to the steadfast support of TYC, which provided personnel, safety equipment, course markings, officiating, and safety boats. Several of TYC’s past Commodores—Rick Stout, Doug Ball, Hank Upton, and Ray Landgraf—were personally involved. This unwavering support played a crucial role in the development of rowing on Lake Tahoe. Given the regatta’s long-distance course across cold, open waters miles offshore, TYC’s contributions ensured a remarkable safety record, with no major accidents over the past 40 years.

With this rigorous high-altitude regatta acting as a beacon for aspiring athletes, various rowing clubs emerged along the lake to meet the growing interest in the sport. Initially, these clubs were often informal collectives of like-minded rowers. Over the years, clubs would form—often with members supplying their own equipment and little else—only to disband when members moved away or shifted their focus. From these loose groups, more structured community rowing clubs briefly took shape in Tahoe City, Tahoma, Kings Beach, and Incline Village.

As time went on, community-based rowing programs faced challenges in maintaining larger boats, teams, and consistent participation. The nature of Lake Tahoe itself posed difficulties: the short rowing season, the harsh winter storage requirements for fragile boats up to 60 feet long, and the high costs associated with maintaining a team environment made it difficult for rowing to achieve the necessary critical mass. Instead, the lake became more of a destination for visiting rowers. The regatta, with its focus on individual small boats and high-altitude training, continued to attract experienced rowers from outside the region.

Despite these challenges, Tahoe’s competitive spirit endured. As rowing’s popularity grew—from a niche pursuit to a widely recognized fitness activity, with rowing machines becoming standard in nearly every gym—many began to wonder: could rowing become Tahoe’s next Olympic sport? Area athletes and supporters believe so, backing a new wave of rowing programs, capitalizing on the growing interest in the sport across all age groups. USRowing has also begun supporting Tahoe-area rowers and clubs, fueling the sport’s rapid growth.

Emerging from an ad hoc club rowing program without a fixed location, the Tahoe Rowing Association was established in 2021–2022 to unite area rowers. In 2023, two local rowers – Wyatt Nordstrom and Michael Janis - launched Tahoe Crew, a program aimed at making rowing accessible to young athletes. This club was built on the foundation of the now-defunct Sierra Rowing Club in Nevada, repurposing its unused equipment.

In 2024 these nomadic rowing teams finally secured a permanent home. With approval by local governments to operate in Tahoe City at a permanent location, one shared with the TYC-supported Youth Sailing program, a non-profit multi-sport facility called the North Tahoe Aquatic Center (NTAC) was established to unify these water programs for the benefit of long-term accessibility by the community. Through collaboration with the TYC, TCPUD, the State of California, and USRowing, NTAC successfully raised enough funds in its first year to become self-sustaining—a rarity in the world of rowing and aquatic programs. The center attracted Olympic-caliber coaches and some of the nation’s fastest rising youth rowers, who benefited from high-altitude training.

Today, NTAC plays a pivotal role in connecting water sports that develop essential skills such as self-reliance, discipline, and teamwork. Bringing together rowing and sailing under one organization has been successful; in addition to sharing a deep Olympic history, these sports naturally complement each other: rowing thriver on calm water, while sailing depends on wind. Tahoe’s summer winds are convection-driven, meaning the lake offers ideal conditions for morning rowing and excellent sailing in the afternoon. Both sports benefit from shared safety resources and joint advocacy for lake access. Furthermore, rowing provides a strong pathway for student-athletes to earn scholarships to top universities. NTAC has been instrumental in facilitating the transition from single-sport to multi-sport access, creating opportunities for youth and the broader community.

As the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles approach, the U.S. national rowing teams are ramping up their preparations. With rowing’s recent expansion in Olympic events and courses that benefit from high-altitude training, Tahoe’s prominence in the sport is poised to grow. The connections between NTAC and USRowing set the stage for Lake Tahoe to emerge as both a premier high-altitude training destination and a development hub for the next generation of Olympic athletes. A long journey has led to this moment, and the future has never looked brighter.