Hear Us Out: Rowing But Take Away The Rowers’ Trust Funds

We all know the rhyme: Row, row, row your boat / Gently down the stream / Merrily merrily, merrily, merrily / Life is but a scheme

But it doesn’t have to be. Consider a world where having a trust fund isn’t a prerequisite for a spot on the rowing team. Instead, the only type of trust the rowers have is in their teammates as they all row merrily down the stream. 

Rowers will no longer want to win because if they win, they get a big trophy and millions in tax-free assets. If they lose, they still get millions in tax-free assets. While no trophy will make rowing more competitive, removing the financial cushion provided from by blood relatives opens up rowing to endless possibilities.

It would ensure every child has equal access to rowing. It wouldn’t be long before kids go from having posters of Tom Brady to ones of 2019 World Rowing Championship M1x gold medalist, Oliver Zeidler. Imagine children no longer having to spend five summers mowing lawns to afford their first set of oars because their schools have done away with football and baseball in favor of funding nature’s sport.

Rowing must be a right for everyone, not just the wealthy. Think about how many kids missed out on the chance to pursue professional rowing and were instead relegated to playing in the NBA or NFL. We have lost countless professional rowing careers to trust funds. It’s time to toss them overboard, throw the kids a lifejacket, and let them row merrily down the stream for a change.