- December 9, 2025
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A small but loyal following defined the Sarasota Scullers a few years ago. Bernhard Stomporowski reckons they were only seven to 15 members strong when he entered the fray.
The youth rowing club had been around for over three decades by the time he became head coach in December 2022. And still, with all that time to grow, its numbers were low.
He likes it that way. He always has. To him, rowing has never seemed a numbers game.
“There are things which me, as an individual, can attack better than just a bigger machine,” Stomporowski said. “Bigger machines basically just come and replace things, but that's not the way I think this thing should work.”
The Scullers remain a humble group. Their membership spans 34 to 36 people now, paling in comparison to neighboring powerhouse Sarasota Crew, which serves over 350.
But that’s enough to pursue an ambitious goal — one million meters in one day.
On Dec. 13, the nonprofit organization will hold its annual Million Meter Day, with the goal of raising $50,000 to help build back from damages to equipment and facilities suffered during past hurricane seasons.
Athletes across its high school and middle school programs will team up for a triathlon of rowing, biking and erging. Beginning at 6:30 a.m., they plan to row from the Scullers’ boatyard at 800 Blackburn Point Rd. in Osprey to the Albee Road Bridge and back.
They then bike from their boatyard to the 1927 Historic Venice Train Depot and back. The final leg — done on stationary indoor rowing machines — will take place at the Scullers’ clubhouse at 153 North Tamiami Trail.
“Last year, we raised the money for a pair (two-person boat),” Stomporowski said. “At the end, we didn’t get a pair. We actually got two fours out of that money.”
Competitors are encouraged to ask relatives, friends and others in the community to donate for every meter they complete. If a penny-per-meter model was applied, an athlete who contributes 25,000 meters would raise $250 toward the cause.
One million meters in one day would have been a laughable notion for 10 or so young athletes. Approaching it with 20 would still be a considerable challenge.
But that feat can be accomplished with 35 of them. On average, each athlete would have to contribute 28,571 meters, though in reality, some will do more and some will do less. That’s about 17.75 miles per person — less than the 26.2 required in a marathon.
The funds from this year’s effort will largely be directed toward purchase of a high-quality double boat. Any money raised beyond that investment will be used for new oars, general maintenance costs and paying of assistant coaches.
Founded in 1991, the Scullers are the longest-running nonprofit youth rowing club in Sarasota County. Their focus on personalized, year-round development via middle school, high school and masters programs continues to attract rowers from outside county lines.
And the organization has been a major magnet for the Redman family.
Currently living in Lakewood Ranch, they spend their summers in Michigan. They’ll return to Florida occasionally in the sweltering-hot months for regattas.
Ashley Redman, a homeschooled senior, joined the Scullers about a year and a half ago. Despite coming from a polo family — far-removed from aquatic sports — she got hooked on rowing by watching it in action at Nathan Benderson Park.
Now, she practices six days a week. She just can’t get enough of it.
“It’s made me more self-confident, healthier physically and it’s taught me a lot of discipline,” Redman said. “Training that many hours and then getting homework done and everything else — it’s tough.”
Roger Redman, her father, currently serves as treasurer on the Scullers’ board of directors. Her mother, Amy Redman, is a boisterous advocate for the Osprey-based club.
She speaks highly about it because it’s taken student-athletes to great heights. Not only has the organization turned her shy daughter into a coxswain for the masters program, but it has, quite literally, spared others from failure.
“We have kids who were failing out of high school that are now A students on the honor roll since joining the Scullers,” said Amy Redman. “It is really transformative for these kids. It gives them a purpose.”
When they’re not making strides in the classroom, they’re lapping opponents on the water. The right equipment is necessary for them to do so.
That’s where a new two-person boat for the Scullers comes in. With a larger number of members than years past and a commitment to equitable opportunity, the club is in need.
High-quality boats aren’t hard to find in this country, per Stomporowski, but that doesn’t mean they’re cheap. There’s a price to pay.
By Ashley Redman’s account, a single can cost between $7,000 and $15,000 for a high-line model. Eights can range from $60,000 to $100,000 while fours average around $35,000.
Optimized for racing, these boats are made of fiberglass, a material that’s prone to damage if not protected properly. They require careful maintenance, so costs inevitably exceed the up-front investment.
Even Redman, a relatively-new rower, understands the value of a high-quality, race-ready vessel.
“It makes a big impact. I started out on the lower end, and when I moved to the higher end, I could definitely feel the difference,” Redman said. “It was a lot smoother, faster, lighter.”
The Scullers aren’t raising funds to buy a boat for the sake of buying a boat. As Stomporowski rightly pointed out, that would be “putting pearls in front of pigs,” as the old expression goes in his home country of Germany.
High-caliber athletes are worthy of high-caliber boats. The club now has enough of them to warrant such purchases. And they hope more will choose the Scullers in the years to come.
“I'm steering to the mark which I think is optimum for me and for the club, which is something between 45 to 60 people,” Stomporowski said. “And if it's getting bigger, I probably can't remember every first name anymore.”
That won’t change this tight-knit community of rowers.
Growth comes at a cost, but this club won’t pay by sacrificing what makes it unique.
