WINTER PARK, Fla. — For the second straight year, Winter Park Crew will be represented at the world's most prestigious event in the sport, the Henley Royal Regatta.  

What You Need To Know

  •  Winter Park Crew is made of girls from Winter Park High School

  • Last year, the team finished second in the world competition at the Henley Royal Regatta

  • An Australian boat at Henley-on-Thames beat them out

  • This year's team is coming off a first-place finish at Nationals, winning by a 7-second margin.

  • Henley Royal Regatta takes place June 27-July 3 in England

Just as the sun rises on a weekday morning, most high school students would likely be sleeping in during summer vacation. The girls from Winter Park High School's crew team are up because they have goals they are trying to reach.

“I think we’re all pretty confident," Winter Park Crew rower Kate Miller said. 

Their results definitely back up their confidence. However, this sport seemingly fell into most of these girls' laps. 

“I first started rowing because me and my best friend thought it was cool, got something in the mail that said ‘join row winter’ and we were like, ‘OK!,’" Miller said.

A lot of the rowers, like Miller, ended up with Winter Park Crew as they were looking for a sport to call their own. These girls, who have only been rowing for a couple of years, are preparing to return to the most prestigious event in world rowing: the Henley Royal Regatta just outside of London. The team leaves Friday before the event from June 27 through July 3. 

“We’ll start to turn it up these next two weeks and our first two weeks in England will be pretty intense training, and then as we get into the races, we’ll settle down a little bit," Winter Park Crew head coach Mike Vertullo said.

A few weeks ago, they showed why they deserve to represent the country overseas when they won Nationals by 7 seconds. 

“It’s always nice to win," Vertullo said. "The margin was excellent, and our time was good."

Races are few and far between, just a couple of races each year, while team members spend most of their time focused on training and building the foundation for success.

“The work they put in, I think they’re the hardest-working athletes in high school level,” Vertullo said. “This crew will go 11 months, six days a week, two to three hours. Right now, we’re four hours, so the amount of work they put in, any success they get, it’s on them.”

Miller said, “It taught me a lot about grit and to never give up. Especially winning so much is really empowering and uplifting."

In Henley-on-Thames, the best teams from around the world have been showing up since the 1800s. In 2021, the regatta welcomed a women's junior field for the first time.

Last year, Winter Park was put on the map when the girls’ varsity boat was one of 27 competing in the field, and one of only two from the United States. The girls made it to the final round, where they finished in second place, falling to an Australian boat.

“All year it's been pretty intense just so we keep it going from where we were last year — harder, so we know that we can win," Miller said.

Many of the nine rowers on this year's team were part of that second-place finish from last year and have grown from then to now. For graduating seniors like Miller, this will be her last time competing with this crew, but her rowing career will continue. She is committed to rowing at Clemson University, while just about every girl is locked into Division I collegiate rowing. 

“It teaches us commitment and how to work hard," Miller said. "I think it really sets you up in life because people who row don't really give up, so in your future life, you won't give up easy."