28 Philadelphia School District kids will row Head of the Schuylkill this weekend thanks to this free program

It takes Zayd Bryan an hour to get to crew practice via public transportation from his home in Germantown. At least five days a week, the 16-year-old spends 2½ hours warming up, getting boats on the water, then slicing oars through the Schuylkill.

He loves it, hard work and all.

“It’s really enjoyable — being on the water, seeing the view,” said Bryan, a junior at Central High. “It’s paid off for me.”

“It’s like a job, except it’s not,” joked Bryan’s teammate Ahmed Ahmed, a sophomore at the Academy at Palumbo.

On Sunday, Ahmed, Bryan and 26 teammates from nine schools will be the only Philadelphia School District students entered in the Head of the Schuylkill, one of the nation’s largest regattas.

They participate because of Philadelphia City Rowing, a nonprofit that exists to expand access to what has historically been a sport for the wealthy. PCR provides programs that encompass not just athletics, but also academic and wellness support — all at no cost to city families.

The program offers learn-to-row summer camps and programs for middle and high school students; it serves 300 young people in all with a budget of about $1 million that starts from scratch every year: PCR receives no support from the city, school district, or state.

Kids marvel at being out on the water, said Caitlin Mance, executive director of the organization, which began in 2009.

“The reactions run the whole gamut from ‘I’ve never seen a turtle before’ to ‘The skyline is such a different view from being out on the river’ to ‘My hands hurt from holding the oar,’” said Mance. “We’re just happy to open kids’ eyes to different opportunities and possibilities.”

George Rowley, PCR’s director of community programs and inclusion, put it another way:

“One of our missions is to help all our student athletes be the best versions of ourselves.”

Crew changed Myi Harte’s life.

When Harte was a freshman at Science Leadership Academy, a friend challenged him: I bet you can’t do crew. He was intrigued — and, eventually, hooked.

“PCR just held my hand as I first came through the door. I joined the team, and kept going throughout high school, and I realized that PCR was a second home for me, a safe space where you can get away from school life, from home life,” said Harte, who is now 24 and a PCR varsity men’s coach and boatyard assistant, as well as a student at Community College of Philadelphia.

But, honestly, if someone had told Harte as a kid growing up in Philadelphia that entering regattas would help shape his life, “I would have looked at them like they were crazy. I had no idea what rowing was; every time I would bike to school, I would see people out on the water, and think, ‘Those people are weird, what are they doing?’”

Bryan gets that. He had never really taken to sports before crew, he said, and now, rowing is a major part of his identity, something he hopes to continue in college.

For Ikea Neider, Bryan’s mother, PCR is a gift.

Crew is an expensive sport — it could cost as much as $10,000 a year for one student to participate. Bryan and his younger brother, a freshman at the Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush, both row for PCR, and if Neider had to shoulder the financial burden herself, neither boy could row.

“I’m beyond proud, extremely excited,” she said. “I see how hard both boys are working to get themselves in great shape, working hard at practice, at home. I’m always excited, I don’t care what place they come in. They have met so many great people, have made great friendships with children who are just so focused and motivated and driven.”

Lucia Raboteau is full of nerves and excitement for her first Head of the Schuylkill.

Raboteau, 15, a sophomore at W.B. Saul High School, factored PCR’s partnership with Saul into her high school decision, and she hasn’t regretted it for a minute.

There’s something so compelling about crew, she said.

“It’s not enough to just have one good rower in your boat. You all have to work together, and you all have to do the exact same thing,” said Raboteau.

Mance loves that, too.

“We are one of the very few places where students come from all over the city, all different schools, one team to work toward a common goal,” she said.

The school system is “thrilled” to partner with PCR, James Lynch, the district’s executive director of athletics, said in a statement. “Through our long-standing partnership with Philadelphia City Rowing, district students not only get to compete against the top high school rowers in the nation, they also have access to academic support, college prep resources, resilience building workshops, nature, and more.”

During the pandemic, Johnny Hiester would take walks along the Schuylkill; on one such walk, he saw a sign for a learn-to-row camp.

“My mom said, ‘You should try this out, it’s got such a deep history in Philadelphia,’” said Hiester, 15, a sophomore at the Academy at Palumbo. “My brother and sister never got into it, but I fell in love. The connection you can build with other people around you when you’re all working hard toward one goal together — the camaraderie, the team connections are really awesome. It’s so cool to be able to go out on this famous river, with Boathouse Row, and it’s beautiful.”