GRADES 6–12 · OCTOBER 19–30

Learn to row. Two weeks, free.

Try the sport, learn alongside the team, and see if Winter Park Crew is right for your athlete. No experience needed.

October 19 - 30, 2026

HS Men’s Practice - Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 3:15 - 5:00 pm; Saturday 7:00-10:00 am
HS Women’s Practice - Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 3:15 - 5:00 pm; Saturday 7:00-10:00 am
MS Men’s Practice - Monday: 5:15 - 7:15 pm, Friday 5:15 - 7:15 pm; Saturday 9:30 am - 12:00 pm
MS Women’s Practice - Tuesday and Thursday: 5:00 - 7:00 pm, Saturday: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

When:

Where:

McAllister Boathouse on Lake Howell | 1050 Strongs Cv, Casselberry, 32707

Why Winter Park Crew?

Finding the right sport is about more than competition. Winter Park Crew gives middle and high school athletes a place to build strength, confidence and friendships while being challenged to achieve on and off the water.

Winter Park Crew offers Men’s and Women’s rowing for middle and high school athletes in grades 6–12, welcoming both first-time rowers and experienced competitors. For more than six decades, athletes have come here to learn, compete and grow.

Develop as an Athlete

Our coaches provide structured training, technical instruction and strength development to help athletes progress at every level.

Athletes start by learning the fundamentals and progress to competing at local, state, regional and national regattas. Along the way, they become stronger, more confident and more capable athletes.

Find Your Team

For many athletes, the team is what makes Winter Park Crew special.

Practices, regattas, travel and shared goals build strong friendships and a real sense of belonging. Athletes work hard together, compete together and learn what it means to be part of a team that depends on every person in the boat. There are no cuts and no bench - every athlete gets an opportunity to train and row.

Build Confidence, Discipline & Resilience

Rowing is physically and mentally demanding. Improvement comes from showing up, putting in the work and learning to work through challenges.

Athletes develop strength, confidence, discipline, perseverance, teamwork and leadership skills that carry well beyond the boathouse.

Strong Athletes. Strong Students.

At Winter Park Crew, academic achievement and athletic excellence go hand in hand.

Athletes learn to balance school, training and competition while surrounded by peers who are motivated to succeed in the classroom and on the water.

Our academic tradition includes USRowing Scholastic Honor Roll athletes, top-10 graduates and National Merit Scholar finalists.

Compete at a High Level

Winter Park Crew athletes have opportunities to compete at Florida state, regional and national championships and, for those interested in continuing the sport, pursue collegiate rowing opportunities.

Since 1962, Winter Park Crew has developed generations of rowers, earned repeat Florida state and national championships, competed at the highest levels of youth rowing and sent athletes on to row at colleges and universities across the country.

A Community Invested in Our Athletes

Winter Park Crew is an independent not-for-profit rowing organization supported by the families and community it serves.

Our coaches lead the athletic programs and athlete development. A volunteer Board, current athlete parents, alumni and families help lead and support the organization and its operations.

That shared investment creates a strong community around our athletes and helps ensure Winter Park Crew continues to thrive for the next generation.

Find your team. Challenge yourself. See how far you can go.

Save your athlete's spot

Complete this interest form and we’ll follow up with required paperwork including releases and swim test forms.

Meet Your Coaches

Coach Mike Vertullo

Mike Vertullo has led Winter Park Crew since 1998, and in that time the program has taken nearly 100 FSRA Scholastic Championships and more than ten SRAA titles, including five consecutive wins in the girls' varsity 8+ — a run that has carried the team to England's Royal Henley Regatta three times, reaching the final in 2022. A medal-winning high school rower in New York and a collegiate rower at Rutgers, where he earned a degree in statistics, he began coaching more than thirty years ago at Franklin D. Roosevelt High School in Hyde Park, rebuilding the women's program to national prominence and twice earning Coach of the Year. For the past decade he has also coached at USRowing's Youth Regional Challenge and Olympic Development Programs. The clearest measure of his legacy is where his athletes go next: this season alone, more than twenty Winter Park women are on Division I rosters, including at Yale, Penn, Cornell, Virginia, Tennessee and the U.S. Naval Academy.

Women’s Program Head Coach

Coach Hugh Tompkins

Hugh Tompkins learned to row at Winter Park High School in 1991, making varsity as a novice and winning three state championships as a Wildcat and taking silver in the championship 4+ at the Stotesbury Cup. At the University of Washington, he stroked the varsity 4+ on the 1997 national championship team. In 2011, he began coaching masters rowing at Seattle's Lake Union Crew, leading their women's team to multiple medals at local and national regattas, with back-to-back gold medals in the women's 8+ at San Diego Crew Classic; Row2k voted him runner-up for Masters Coach of the Year in 2014. He returned in 2023 as Men's Team Coach at WPC, bringing a data-driven, technical philosophy to coaching. This past spring his crews medaled at the FSRA Sweep Championships — silver in the men's pair, bronze in the lightweight 8+ and the second freshman 8+ — and took second in the men's youth 4+ at the USRowing Southeast Youth Championships, three-tenths of a second off the win.

Men's Program Head Coach

Frequently Asked Questions

Athletes will learn the basics of rowing starting with the indoor rowing (erg) machine and on-land techniques. They will then progress to the water.
Yes. Learn to Row is designed for new middle school and high school athletes. No previous rowing experience is required.
To get the full experience and to be able to progress along with the other attending athletes, we encourage attendance for as many days as possible.
There are three pathways to membership:
- Scholastic High School Membership: For Winter Park High School student-athletes, including eligibility to compete for FSRA and SRAA scholastic championships.
- Youth High School Membership: Eligible athletes who do not attend or plan to attend WPHS can train year-round with the team and compete in eligible non-scholastic events. Youth members cannot compete in FSRA or SRAA scholastic spring regattas/championships.
- Middle School Membership: Available to both scholastic-eligible and youth-eligible middle school athletes.
Winter Park Crew is an independent rowing organization and is not an official sport of Winter Park High School or Orange County Public Schools.
A member of the Winter Park Crew leadership team will follow up with registration information and next steps mid-way through the trial.
Yes. Many athletes participate in other sports and activities. Competitive High School rowing does require a significant commitment to practices and regattas, so potential scheduling conflicts should be discussed with the athlete’s coach.
Yes. Winter Park Crew has a long history of high-achieving student-athletes who successfully balance academics, training and competition.
For High School Rowing, registration is $600 for first-year athletes (including required team gear) and $500 for returning athletes, with the first month’s dues included. Monthly dues are $305 September–May. Regatta and travel costs are additional and vary by event; fundraising may offset some travel expenses for selected regattas.
For Middle School Rowing, registration is $290, including the first month’s dues. Girls Middle School is $190/month September–April. Boys Middle School is $190/month September–December and $240/month January–May. Additional regatta/team activity costs may apply.
Dues support coaching, equipment and boat maintenance, uniforms, team activities and other operating expenses.
Yes. The Winter Park Crew Angel Fund provides needs-based assistance for families experiencing financial hardship whose athletes demonstrate commitment to rowing and Winter Park Crew. Families submit an application, with awards based on financial need, athlete commitment, family partnership and available funding.
Winter Park Crew is an independent nonprofit rowing organization governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. Professional coaches lead athlete training, development and competition. The program follows USRowing safety/compliance standards and participates in USRowing, FSRA and SRAA-sanctioned competition.
Men’s Rowing: mensteam@winterparkcrew.org
Women’s Rowing: womensteam@winterparkcrew.org
General club operations: president@winterparkcrew.org