Overcrowding at the Potomac River boathouse where AU and Georgetown University teams practice will lessen soon.
The AU Crew teams are planning to move out of Thompson's Boathouse, currently used by AU, Georgetown, and other school teams and rowing clubs. AU's Crew teams will complete a move to the Anacostia Community Boathouse Association boathouse on the Anacostia River by the end of spring break, according to Graham Stubbs, captain of Men's Crew at AU.
"For what AU wanted to do, Thompson's was not the right place for us," he said.
Dylan Cors, president of the association, said he is pleased with AU's decision.
"We're very excited about bringing American University over," Cors said. "We're trying to grow the site and bring additional organizations here."
Liz Meltzer, AU Crew head coach, said that this move will mean a lot for both the boathouse and the AU Crew program. AU will be the first D.C. college at the Anacostia boathouse.
"We think it's great because at Thompson's it's pretty crowded and there isn't a lot of space to expand," Meltzer said.
AU rower Erin Weber said the team has grown a lot and needs more space. She said the team is working to become a varsity sport at AU, which would make it entitled to University funding.
Georgetown's plans to build a new boathouse on the Potomac, received final approval from the D.C. Zoning Commission in December.
The construction will likely begin in about a year, according to Georgetown Men's Crew coach Tony Johnson.
However, Georgetown's plans have inspired some controversy from environmental organizations, such as the Sierra Club who objects to the placement of the facility, projected to be 33,000 square feet in size. Bob Morris, conservation chair for the D.C. chapter of the Sierra Club, said the boathouse will be built on national park land that should remain undeveloped.
Georgetown is able to build on this land because of a land swap it negotiated with the National Park Service, trading a piece of its own land of similar size. Georgetown's plans for the boathouse were the motivation for an alliance of concerned groups, Defenders of the Potomac River Parkland, Morris said.
Sally Strain, an area resident and member of this alliance, feels this boathouse would provide no advantage to the public.
"There's nothing right with this proposal," Strain said. "The location and size are not good and there's a loss of opportunity to the community since nobody can share it."
The Zoning Commission's approval of the boathouse limits its use to Georgetown's crew teams, Johnson said.
"We had planned and hoped that our rowing tanks could be used by others when our own crews were not using them," he said.
The rowing tanks consist of large water-holding tank containing a rowing shell and oars, allowing athletes to simulate the rowing experience indoors. Tanks are an unusual possession for a college crew team, according to Stubbs.
"You just don't find them many places," he said. "Big programs like Harvard have them."
Stubbs said that this move will help Georgetown improve its crew program.
"From a crew person's standpoint, I'm jealous of Georgetown," Weber said.
Meltzer supports Georgetown's decision to build a new boathouse because of overcrowding at Thompson's Boathouse and a growing interest in crew in the D.C. area.
Stubbs also said he understands the decision.
"They're just like us," he said. "They want to find a new opportunity so they can grow and improve as well."
Georgetown would like to raise $15 million for the boathouse through an endowment. Most of the money has already been collected in donations from parents, alumni and others.
