Lincoln Park Boat Club

Lincoln Park Boat Club has been rowing in Chicago since 1910, and describes itself as the city's premier rowing organisation.

Its mission is to make rowing and paddling accessible, affordable, safe and fun for the whole Chicago metropolitan community, and it runs teams, programmes and classes for people of all ages, skill levels and abilities.

Unusually, paddling sits alongside rowing as a full part of the club. Two boathouse locations, at Lathrop and Lincoln Park, give members both river and lake access.

The junior side runs year-round competitive high school and middle school teams. On the adult side, the club's High Performance Group and Competitive Team have consistently sent athletes to National Team selection regattas, reached the medal podium at USRowing's Club National Championships and the Head of the Charles, and ranked among the top teams at USRowing's Masters National Championship Regatta.

Under its current head coach the club's membership has grown by 30 per cent, its teams and class offerings have expanded, and it has opened a second location in Chicago's Bridgeport neighbourhood.

Many of the club's own directors came in through its Learn to Row programme, which is a fair signal of how the pathway works in practice.