Gainesville Area Rowing Sprint Team ranks Top 10 in Florida at 2025 Sculling State Championship

Press release from Gainesville Area Rowing

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Gainesville Area Rowing (GAR) continues to make waves this spring, earning an impressive 9th-place overall ranking out of 46 programs at the 2025 Florida Scholastic Rowing Association (FSRA) Sculling State Championship held on April 13 at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota.

GAR’s Women’s Team placed 8th, while the Men’s Team secured 9th in a highly competitive field of athletes from across the state. The highlight of the weekend came in the Varsity Women’s Double, where Addy Matthews (Gainesville) and Sophie Goldstein (Ocala) took home the silver medal, placing second in a tight and exciting race.

“The athletes here continue to prove that consistent effort, trust in the process, and faith in one another pay off with results. This team is getting faster by the day, and we are nowhere near the ceiling. More to come from this season and aiming for even more in the future,” said Garrett Bauer, Head Coach of GAR.

The team now shifts its focus to the FSRA Sweep State Championship, returning to Nathan Benderson Park from April 25–27, where GAR will compete in sweep boat categories including 8s and 4s.

Looking ahead, GAR will travel to Gainesville, Georgia, to compete in the 2025 USRowing Southeast Youth Championships on May 10–11 at Lake Lanier. There, the stakes get even higher: the top four boats in each event will earn a spot at USRowing Youth Nationals, set for June 2025.

Gainesville Area Rowing, Inc. (GAR) is a non-profit Florida corporation created to promote rowing as a sport in the Gainesville/Alachua County area. GAR teaches physical fitness, nutrition, and psychological skills that lead rowers to heightened mental and physical self-awareness. Through the active participation of its members, GAR provides the equipment and professional coaching staff to compete on a national level. GAR includes a high school program, a middle school program, and a Masters (adult) program.

Middle and high school age youth are encouraged to give rowing a try, either by contacting Head Coach Garrett Bauer or by registering for one of our Learn to Row summer camps.