Inclusion, challenge and opportunity were just a few of the buzz words floating among the 100+ attendees at this year’s third-annual diversity conference. Hosted by USRowing and Georgetown University on February 14, the overall theme of the one-day event was “Changing the Tide: Rowing Outreach to Urban Youth.”

“We are delighted that we got the opportunity to come here to Georgetown University and Washington, D.C.,” said Robert Kidd, USRowing board member, chair of the Task Force on Access, Affordability and Diversity and interim executive director of Jack London Aquatic Center in Oakland, Calif.

In addition to hearing several high-profile speakers inside and outside the sport of rowing, conference attendees had the opportunity to participate in breakout sessions in order to brainstorm and get feedback on their programs and organizations.

“Really outreach isn’t enough,” said keynote speaker Jay Coakley, professor emeritus of sociology at the University of Colorado and author of Sports in Society. “It’s relatively easy to extend an arm to someone; it’s what happens next that is the crucial stuff. It’s about more than just inviting people in. We’re talking about changing the culture and the structure we’ve created in the sport of rowing.”

Coakley, whose research and insight on sport and society spans over 40 years, stressed the importance of perceiving inclusion as a process rather than a destination.

“Social inclusion is a never ending process; it’s never achieved once and for all time,” said Coakley. “Sustaining inclusion involves incremental goals and institutionalized organizational practices. Sports have become typed by factors like gender, race and social class. We’re facing that in rowing. Social class is a more influential access issue today than it was in the past. There is a greater wealth and income gap today, despite progressive events like electing an African-American president.”

Speaking to an audience of people ranging from rowing program directors to parks and recreation heads, Coakley further encouraged the audience to do the necessary background work to learn about the demographics of their respective communities.

“You have to be able to present rowing in ways that attract people,” he said. “Inclusion doesn’t occur automatically or without a planned set of strategies. The challenge of retention is to connect rowing to social contexts.”

Research conducted on the rowing population in Great Britain is one of the critical steps that guest speaker Simon Dickie of the Amateur Rowing Association (Great Britain’s national governing body) shared in his presentation. His group compiled useful statistics through surveys and questionnaires, an effort started in 1997 and funded by the Ministry of Sport.

“In terms of vision, if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always had,” said Dickie. “My sole job within the body of rowing is to study participation in the U.K. It has challenged us to think about rowing and public perception, as well as collaborate with other water sports to create awareness.”

Dickie spoke on “Project Oarsome,” an initiative designed to link state schools to rowing clubs in Great Britain. Coaches go into schools and deliver sessions with indoor rowing machines, agree to a long term commitment to participate in the program and provide regular feedback reports on progress.

“I’m hoping to get more ideas to help out my team in general,” said 17-year-old Jackie Ansell, one of the youngest conference participants and founder of Unity Crew Rowing Club in Mountain Lakes, N.J. “I want to learn how to expand and grow my club. We currently have nine members that come from different locations and different backgrounds. We put up flyers at schools and around town, but it’s difficult because most people don’t know the sport exists where we are.”

Conference participants also had the opportunity to be involved in panel discussions with Greg Roberts of the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Ky. and Glen O’Gilvie from the Center for Nonprofit Advancement in Washington, D.C. Both offered practical advice and strategies for fundraising and financial goal-setting.

“I feel like I have a lot to learn from many of the people here,” said 2008 Olympian David Banks at Friday evening’s reception. Banks spoke on his experience this past summer in Beijing, as well as his work with an outreach program in Trenton, N.J. “I’m even more motivated to really be involved and reach out,” he said.

Other speakers included Steve Stenersen, president and CEO of US Lacrosse, Uwe Brandes, Managing Director of Initiatives at the Urban Land Institute and representatives from the Motion Picture Association of America.

“Changing the tide is a very appropriate title for what we are trying to do here,” said USRowing board vice president Kristopher Grudt. “We are on the cusp of another tide coming in and we’re seeing interest in rowing grow. There have been a number of critical things behind this, but one of the factors is the work of people like Amanda Kraus, Montana Butsch, the Pizors, Bob Day and many people here who have been very influential in starting programs and reaching out to non-traditional rowing communities. USRowing applauds these people in their efforts. It’s important to bring people together to talk about what works, what doesn’t and to build on that synergy.”

Click here to watch a highlight video of this year's conference.

Click here to watch a video of David Banks reflecting on his experiences in Beijing and outreach work with the Trenton YMCA crew.