Swift International to provide boats for US para-rowers for Worlds

Swift International Ltd., have offered to be the official supplier to USRowing for four para-rowing crews set to represent the USA at the 2015 World Rowing Championships held 29 August to 6 September in Aiguebelette, France.

Swift – makers of water sports boats including rowing shells, kayaks and dragon boats – will supply boats to men’s and women’s arms and shoulders single scullers Blake Haxton and Jacqui Kapinowski. Haxton will be hoping to improve upon his fourth-place finish in last year’s World Rowing Championships.

“They are custom building one with a lowered deck, which should bring me down closer to an optimal level relative to the water line,” said Haxton, who does not yet have a Swift single because the company is designing one specifically for him.

“I will not get the chance to row it until we get to France, but Swift has been a great team to work with and I really appreciate all the work they are doing to help us be as quick as possible.”

Kapinowski has been training in a Swift single since March.

“I was so taken back by his [Gareth Gruenbaum, Director for Rowing Swift International] generosity to me personally, on how he sponsored me with an adaptive single racing shell back in March at the identification camp so I could continue to train to compete at trials,” Kapinowski said.

The company will supply boats to the legs, trunk and arms mixed double sculls team of Natalie McCarthy – who won bronze in the legs, trunk and arms mixed double sculls at the 2013 World Para-Rowing Championships – and 2008 Paralympic silver medallist Jesse Karmazin. Swift will also supply boats to the trunk and arms mixed double sculls team of Beijing 2008 Paralympian Scott Brown and Betsy Irwin Mitchell.

“What is especially pleasing is that it was a not a top-down decision,” Gareth said. “Each of these crews has been in touch with us and made their own decisions to use Swift.

Gruenbaum said Swift will not only supply the boats, but will have a support team on hand at Lake Aiguebelette “to help the crews and coaches get the best results they can, with a view to bringing back some medals from the Rio 2016 Paralympics.”

Said USRowing Director of Para-Rowing Tom Darling: “Gareth has been extremely helpful working with Jacqui Kapinoswki and Blake Haxton and supplying both with Swift singles during their training cycle. The 2015 US para-rowers are very excited about going fast in these well-made and designed Swift boats.”

For more information on Swift Racing and USRowing’s partnership, visit USRowing’s website.