NEWBURGH, NY, MAY 25, 2023: Three San Miguel Academy boats were invited to compete in the 2023 USRowing Youth National Championships in Sarasota, Florida in June, having qualified at the USRowing Youth Mid-Atlantic Championships in West Windsor, New Jersey. In the Mens U15 4x division, San Miguel Academy (SMA) took 2nd and 3rd place. In the Womens U15 4x division, SMA was the sole entry and showed excellent times and form on the race course. A total of 15 SMA rowers in grades 5 through 8 will compete in two events at the 2023 USRowing Youth National Championships.
The U15 division is relatively new for USRowing, currently with just one race each for boys and girls. As one of the largest middle school rowing programs in the country with 50 rowers training year-round, the depth of the San Miguel Academy Rowing program is helping to grow the U15 category. SMA rowers look forward to the addition of more races, including doubles, mixed doubles, and mixed 4x. As a scholastic program, SMA Rowing is distinctly different from the majority of programs, which are club-based. The mission of San Miguel Academy’s Rowing program is to increase educational opportunities for their student-athletes. SMA Rowing has proven to be significantly beneficial in helping students secure top-level educational opportunities in high school and college. SMA graduates are now competing at several New England boarding schools and on college teams. Two SMA 8th-graders were invited to participate in the 2023 US Rowing Olympic Development Youth Training Camp.
The mission of San Miguel Academy is to break the cycle of poverty through education. San Miguel Academy serves low-opportunity families who would never have access to rowing without the assistance of San Miguel Academy and sponsors which include the New York Giants Foundation, A Most Beautiful Thing Inclusion Fund, and the Head of the Charles/ Philadelphia Gold Cup Foundation. Typical of a low-opportunity program, San Miguel Academy does not have the trappings of most rowing programs, including a boathouse and docks. San Miguel Academy rowers gain a unique experience by being actively involved in the management, transportation, and upkeep of their equipment.
