WACO, Texas (FOX 44) – Today, the Waco Rowing Club put on its second annual Rowing Regatta on the Brazos River, with participants competing from all over the state.

The 5K head race was hosted along the banks of Brazos Park East with hundreds in attendance. Waco Rowing Club competed in the Regatta for the first time today with about 6 months of preparation.

“I think they had a combined five total practices, and this is from straight novices. So today was like, don’t hit a bridge, make sure you don’t hit another boat, don’t hit the shore and have fun and, you know, work hard,” says head coach Marqus Brown.

Looking ahead to the spring, Coach Brown hopes to focus more on training and expanding the team, “They’ve seen this town all their lives. Right. I don’t think they ever seen it in this capacity where all these people come from out of town just to race in this river. So it was one of those things like this is why you work hard to race hard and to have these opportunities and experiences.”

Waco Rowing hopes to continue introducing the sport to the high schools nearby, offering students an avenue to college scholarships. All proceeds from the Waco Rowing Regatta will benefit the Waco Rowing Club as it continues to build its program.