Polo Grill to host National Rowing Foundation Hall of Fame ceremony

Purposely coinciding with the U.S. rowing trials for the 2016 Olympics, the National Rowing Foundation will be hosting its Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Lakewood Ranch.

The trials will be held at Nathan Benderson Park from April 18-24; the induction ceremony will be held in the Fete Ballroom at Polo Grill Saturday, April 23. Tickets can be purchased at www.natrowing.org.

“We wanted to have it somewhere that was good for rowing,” said Mara Keggi Ford, spokeswoman for the foundation. “What better than to come to Sarasota, with so much happening for rowing and in conjunction with the Olympic trials?”

The foundation will induct six crews and two patrons into the Hall of Fame during the ceremony, and current athletes at the trials will be a part of the event, Ford said.

One inductee crew this year is the 1976 Women’s Eight, who won the bronze that year. The women in the team became trailblazers for women in sports, Ford said.

“I wanted the current rowers to look back and see the people who came before them,” she said.

In addition to the induction ceremony, the foundation will be working with SANCA (Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Associates) and Nathan Benderson Park to put up an exhibit at the park showcasing rowing history.

Being the keepers of history is the nonprofit’s second mission; the first is to raise funds for the U.S. Olympic rowing teams.

“You end up with a lot of memorabilia and history that you can share that is a amazing collection,” Ford said.

The foundation had a permanent home in Connecticut at the Mystic Seaport Museum until 2014; however, the museum was torn down and the foundation is seeking a new home.

“We’re still working out where our permanent home is, but SANCA will be working with us to have that (exhibit) on display,” she said.