The Miami Rowing and Watersports Center, Inc. was founded as the Miami Rowing Club in 1974 by a group of individuals who had the common bond of the sport of rowing among them. The original site was located on Blue Lagoon next to Miami International Airport.  During its early years, MRC (as it was known then), brought together Miami’s nascent rowing community and began competing locally and regionally. In 1979, MRC moved to an empty lot next to Miami Marine Stadium and MAST Academy (then known as the Planet Ocean museum).
 
1984 City of Miami was looking to enhance the property surrounding the Miami Marine Stadium, at the request of the City of Miami and with full support from the city officials, a permanent boathouse facility was constructed to house rowing shells, a meeting space, and a competitive-size pool.  By then, MRC had established a very successful youth rowing program, winning several State Championships and competing at the Junior National Championships.

The Rowing Programs at the Miami Rowing and Watersports Center, Inc.
Throughout the 1980s, the Miami Rowing Club’s Masters and Youth rowing programs had made a name for themselves nationally. The Masters rowing program began winning gold medals at the US Masters Nationals on a regular basis. This set the stage for the Board of Directors of MRC to lure the US Masters Nationals and FISA World Masters Championships to Miami in 1990 and 1991, respectively.  The FISA World Masters Championships are the pinnacle achievement of the Masters rowing community. Thousands of competitors from around the world attended what was hailed by the rowing community as the most successful FISA Masters World Championships to date.

The Youth Rowing Program won many State and National championships throughout the 1980s.  Through the diligence and hard work of the MRC Board of Directors and the City of Miami, MRC hosted the 1984 US Rowing Junior National Championships at the Miami Marine Stadium. First prize was a 4-man rowing shell whose name was “The City of Miami”.  The hard work paid off, as MRC’s youth program continued to grow and succeed because of the exposure and dedication. In 1995, the MRC Boy’s Varsity eight-man shell, the sport’s premier event, won the US Rowing Junior National Championship, the first Florida rowing program to do so. Several MRC Youth Rowing program alumni have gone on to represent the United States as part of the National team, bringing home Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals from Word Championship competition. Today, the MRC Youth Program has over 100 high school aged rowers participating in one of the most successful youth rowing programs in the country, as the program continues to excel in both state and national competitions. In addition, there are yearly scholarships offered through the Youth Rowing program, in the name of the City of Miami commissioners.

