Chicago Training Center
This project's parent organization is Chicago Training Center
It operates in United States
It uses Outdoor pursuits
Entered the Sport For Social Inclusion Award
More about Chicago Training Center
Rowing does not have an established tradition in the urban neighborhoods served by CTC, where basketball and football predominate and where success in such sports is seen as a means of dramatic social mobility. CTC harnesses rowing’s unique characteristics to help its teenage participants realize their athletic, academic, and personal potential in realistic and tangible ways and, specifically, to improve their chances of entering higher education. Crew requires the highest levels of commitment, discipline, teamwork, and the ability and desire to set and exceed performance goals.
CTC’s student-athletes are swift to respond to these demands, motivating each other in practice and competition and developing leadership skills. The demands of the sport are such that CTC runs practices six days per week, including weekends, thus providing a consistent, extracurricular structure for students who otherwise lack such opportunities because of the paucity of after-school programming in these neighborhoods.
CTC provides each student with a mentor who checks up on attendance and offers support with any home or school-related issues with frequent messages. Furthermore, rowing and its attendant benefits can open the path to further education either through strengthening admission applications or enabling scholarship recruitment. CTC board members and coaches showcase such opportunities through college fieldtrips or career days.