INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – A group of central Indiana athletes is competing among the top rowers in the country this weekend.

The Indianapolis Rowing Center’s junior rowing team is competing at the U.S. Rowing Youth National Championship in Sarasota, Florida.

In total, 31 IRC rowers are competing on five boats. The competition started on Thursday and runs through Wednesday.

Dozens of Indy-area teens stream into the IRC for practice 6 days a week. They’re on the water from March to November.

One of those rowers, Colleen Carpenter, started rowing during the COVID-19 pandemic. IRC’s summer camp was one of the only camps being offered in the summer of 2020.

“I wasn’t a huge fan of it at first,” Carpenter said. “Once we got into the actual racing season when I started getting medals and making really good friends, I was having a lot of fun. Some of the best friends I have ever made row with me.”

Now the team is usually made up of high school students. IRC says 28 schools stream into their program.

The exception? 8th grader Francis Moreno, who joined the program two years ago.

Moreno will competing in the Men’s Under-17 8-person regatta.

He says becoming a rower has helped him with his confidence.

“I was terrible at basketball,” Moreno said. “One of my [best] memories is youth nationals 2023 … we went out there had a good race. It was honestly just amazing to be there in Sarasota.”

Last year, one of the boys’ quads (a sculling boat with four scullers) missed the podium, finishing in fourth place. This year they’re looking for redemption.

Coach Nich Holston says being a Midwestern program comes with challenges like not having a whole lot of space to practice and the need to use rowing machines in the winter.

“We compete against the big schools from the east and west coast,” Holston said. “[It] makes us a bit of an underdog but we go toe to toe with them. [We] really get a lot of thrill out of that.”

Both Carpenter and Moreno have made the trip to nationals in the past. However, for Sofia Suarez, this will be her first trip to Florida.

Originally her boat didn’t qualify, but rowers are only allowed one entry at Nationals. As a result of another teammate having two boats qualify, Suarez was asked to step in.

She will be riding in the same Women’s U17 8-person boat as Carpenter.

Suarez is glad to be on board for the ride.

“It feels like flying,” Suarez said. “When the boats going so fast, you’re all together. The reflection off the water, you’re looking at the person in front of you … it’s it’s amazing.”

Coach Holston says rowing is a life-long sport, that anyone can pick up at any age.

The IRC hosts month-long learn-to-row classes from May to September. To learn more, visit the center’s website.