Our Mission
The purpose of OARA shall be to promote, foster and facilitate rowing opportunities for youth and adults of the Olympia area and surrounding regions.
This shall include the sponsoring and holding of competitive and recreational events, regattas, and membership gatherings. This shall also include the development and production of inclusive education and training classes for the sport, and provide equitable opportunities to all people interested in the sport of rowing.
Our Goal
OAR promotes and provides competitive and recreational rowing for adults and youth in the local community, fostering sportsmanship, teamwork, athleticism, and camaraderie. To promote, foster and facilitate the sports of rowing and paddling human-powered watercraft; to preserve the heritage and history of these sports; and to organize and operate a community facility that is devoted to these sports.
Olympia Area Rowing (OAR) is based in Olympia, Washington, USA. We row year-round on Budd Inlet on the southern end of Puget Sound. The club has organized adult programs with scheduled practice times, an active group of adult recreational rowers, and a robust youth program.
History
Olympia Area Rowing Association was originally organized in the 1980s and re-founded in 1998 by five local rowers. Now OAR has grown to over 80 adult members, more than 40 high school students, and around a dozen middle school students.
In the early days, OAR members kept their boats outside in what was called “The Compound” – an adjacent parking lot. The OAR boathouse, designed by club member Gretchen Van Dusen, was completed in 2005, and is located on property owned by the Port of Olympia. The 5,300-square-foot building is currently home to both OAR and the Olympia Parks, Arts, and Recreation Department water recreation programs.
The float docks are owned and maintained by Olympia Area Rowing for the use of our coached rowing programs and recreational rowers. When not in use by the rowing community, we welcome the public to use these docks as part of our non-profit mission to support human-powered craft of all kinds.