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As psychology major Brian Davis ’05 watched the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics on television, he had the same reaction as so many other viewers.“I could do that,” he thought. Unlike most people, however, Davis is doing something about it.

A member of the Wittenberg crew team, a club sport organization on campus since 2001, Davis is training long hours, competing in national events and daring to dream of participating in the world’s biggest sports spectacle, held once every four years with representation from hundreds of nations.

Upon graduation, Davis plans to head east – possibly Philadelphia or Boston, where the sport of rowing is extremely popular – and join a crew club team focused on developing the skills of world-class rowers. Several U.S. national team members competing in rowing in Athens followed a similar path.

Originally, the Wadsworth, Ohio, native intended to pursue an intercollegiate football career after enjoying some success on the high school gridiron before discovering the Wittenberg crew team – and the sport that would become his passion.

Founded in 2001 by former students Kim Jackson ’04 and Jen Lykens Schnacke ’04, the crew club began competing in regattas during the 2001-02 school year. The women’s team was organized first, and the men’s team, including then-freshman Davis, started up in spring 2002.

“From the very first practice, I just kind of fell in love with it,” Davis said. “I get antsy when I’m sitting in class, thinking about going to row, getting out onto the water. It’s been a great opportunity for me personally, and it’s been a lot of fun being a part of the team.”

After a couple of years commuting to a training location on the Scioto River owned by the Greater Columbus Rowing Association (GCRA), the Wittenberg crew team found a home at Lake Lagonda in Buck Creek State Park in Springfield.

Davis trains two hours per day, six days per week, year-round, rowing for both the GCRA and Wittenberg, and this winter, he traveled to three indoor rowing competitions. In Cincinnati on Jan. 30, Davis finished 12th out of 30 rowers in the men’s open division in a competition for Ohio rowers only.

Then on Feb. 13, Davis posted his best time ever to finish 101st out of 248 competitors at the CRASH-B Sprints World Indoor Rowing Championships in Boston, Mass. CRASH-B stands for Charles River All-Star Has-Beens, an organization of former U.S. Olympic and World Team athletes.

The 2005 championship event drew competitors from around the world, including current and former world champions and Olympians. Although rowing is still in its infancy at Wittenberg, Brian Beckley ’98, assistant director of admission and crew club adviser, is proud of the 30-member team’s accomplishments to date.

“We’ve been extremely resourceful in being able to accomplish what we have in a short amount of time,” he said. “A lot of our success is because of a great collaborative effort by administrators, GCRA officials at Buck Creek and motivated students like Brian Davis.”