Rows of volunteers wanted

For Lakewood Ranch’s Annie Wilson, rowing had been a bore.

Then she read the book “The Boys in the Boat,” which chronicled the effort of nine Americans in winning the gold medal in front of Adolph Hitler during the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. She thought it might be time to learn more about the sport.

“It was such an exciting book,” Wilson said. “So I thought it would be great to volunteer for the World Rowing Championship, seeing my newfound interest in rowing and some of the experiences I’ve had with athletes.”

Beginning on Sept. 24 and running through Oct. 1, the 2017 World Rowing Championships will be hosted at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota. It will be the second time the United States has hosted the event.

It creates a great opportunity for the Sarasota-Manatee counties area to showcase its best qualities.

With so much at stake, volunteers will play a critical role. The World Rowing Championships committee hopes to recruit 2,000 volunteers, and so far has signed up 900, according to World Rowing Championships Volunteer Coordinator Morgan Skillman.

Skillman expects her number of volunteers to rise significantly once the official registration site is launched next week.

“We are still looking for quite a few,” Skillman said. “We want to make sure that we get everyone involved who wants to get involved, and those who have already registered can start picking their shifts toward the end of next week.”

The only requirement for volunteering is that a person be at least 16 and sign up for a minimum of three shifts.

Volunteers do get perks. All volunteers will receive free admission throughout the event, and they will receive free apparel.

Wilson, however, is not volunteering to get a goodie bag.

The World Rowing Championships needs translators and she speaks Spanish. She sent Skillman a detailed message that included a list of her skills and experience volunteering.

Wilson said the most exciting aspect of volunteering at the World Rowing Championships is that it will be held in the area. She gets to talk to visitors about Lakewood Ranch, Sarasota and Bradenton.

“People in other countries think of Miami and Disney World when they hear Florida,” Wilson said. “I think it is amazing we have the opportunity to let people know what’s here. To host people in our country is a big deal, and I want them to leave with the best impression possible.”

Lakewood Ranch’s Charles Krips wants to dabble in unknown waters.

“Having been president of a swim team at the U.S. Embassy in Germany, I know how much volunteers are important to the success of an event,” Krips said.

He also hopes to learn a bit more about the sport while volunteering.

“I’ve always been fascinated,” Krips said. “The competition, moving across the water, racing on those little boats, and the fact that it’s international and, having spent a lot of my career overseas with the State Department, I’m kind of in intrigued.”

Wilson is intrigued as well.

“Events like this bring people together with a common passion,” Wilson said.