Last weekend, the Queen’s rowing team raised $2,600 at their third annual Row-A-Thon. The money
will go towards funding therapy for Jack, the three-year-old autistic son of an alumnus of Queen’s
rowing program.
Team brought five rowing machines into the JDUC Thursday afternoon and rowed in
hour-long shifts. The team rowed continuously from 6:30 p.m. Thursday until 6:30 p.m. Friday.
Chris Forstinger, member of the heavyweight men’s team and the event’s organizer, said the therapy
costs $65,000 annually and is not covered by the government. “[His family has been] raising money through a bunch of different ways,” he said. “[His father] was a former Queen’s rower, so we decided to have this for them this year.”
Women’s rowing captain Buzzy McCord said the main purpose of the event was to raise awareness for autism, although the rowers tried to add a Queen’s focus to it. “A lot of people have been just coming in, asking what are we doing, so it’s been good,” she said.
Two years ago, the team raised $600 for tsunami relief, and last year they raised $1,600 for Emily Hater, a Queen’s student who was paralyzed in a swimming accident. Forstinger said the team raised about $1,300 this year.
Head coach John Armitage said an anonymous rowing alumnus agreed to match the amount raised by the team, bringing their total to $2,600. “I am proud of our rowers,” Armitage said. “The interest they showed in Jack was beyond my expectations.”
All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s) in Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be ed, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to [email protected].