FALL RIVER — A unique rowing program is providing Randolph High School students with new opportunities and experiences through the sport of rowing, despite the district’s inland location and limited prior exposure to the activity.

Each week, a small group of Randolph students, accompanied by their school librarian and coach Susan Lane, travel about an hour to Watuppa Pond in Fall River to practice rowing. The team, now officially recognized as Randolph High’s first crew team, consists of five members from three different grade levels: a freshman, a sophomore, and three juniors. Though most of the students are new to rowing, they have embraced the physical and technical challenges it presents.

The initiative is supported by the A Most Beautiful Thing Inclusion Fund, a nonprofit founded in 2020 by rower and author Arshay Cooper. Cooper, who led the nation’s first all-black high school rowing team in Chicago and chronicled his experience in his memoir “A Most Beautiful Thing,” created the fund to expand access to rowing for underrepresented youth. He has contributed to the Randolph program by donating indoor rowing machines, funding a trip to the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta, and partnering with the Watuppa Rowing Center to provide free lessons to the students.

Susan Lane, who helped introduce the program, initially incorporated Cooper’s book into Randolph’s 2023 summer reading list after recognizing that students could relate to the themes of resilience and opportunity described in his story. Cooper later visited the school as a guest speaker and remained actively involved in fostering the program’s growth.

“I felt this was the right group—a lot of talent, but limited access and opportunity,” Cooper said in a recent interview. The students have responded by dedicating themselves to strength training, stretching, and learning rowing terminology in school before applying those skills on the water.

Freshman Antoine Mckoy, 13, joined the club this year after being encouraged by a friend. He described the sport as challenging but rewarding, emphasizing the importance of balance to prevent capsizing. Sophomore Ethan Cohen, 16, who switched to rowing from track and field, noted the intensity of the workouts and appreciated the social aspect of the team, saying he feels more confident engaging with others since joining.

Jeffrey Soares, director of the Watuppa Rowing Center, praised the effort to establish a rowing program in a community with no rowing tradition. He highlighted the unusual role of a librarian spearheading the initiative and the determination that allowed the club to flourish despite initial obstacles.

Jennifer Ceolinski, program manager at the Inclusion Fund, remarked that the group has developed a strong sense of camaraderie, creating “their own rowing family.” She noted the significance of providing students with representation in a sport where diversity is limited. The fund plans to expand its model by launching a similar program at a high school in New Jersey.

“We’ve brought rowing to Randolph,” Ceolinski said. “They knew nothing about rowing, but they believed in the dream of what it could be.”