Long Beach Junior Crew (LBJC) exists thanks to the vision and dedication of its founders, Steve and Debbie Nowinski. In 1967 the Marine Stadium, which was the venue for the 1932 Olympics, was modified and a new boathouse was built and dedicated as “The Pete Archer Rowing Center” in honor of his contributions to the sport of rowing in Long Beach.
After the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, Steve and Debbie Nowinski re-launched the Junior Rowing program in 1986 with the help of a $150,000 grant from the Amateur Athletic Foundation; LBJC is the only local club funded by the AAF still in existence. Ongoing support from junior parents and various foundations, corporations and private donors has sustained the club, which currently boasts over 100 young men and women coming from Southern Los Angeles and North Orange County schools.
LBJC provides participants with a positive after-school activity in a safe and productive environment. LBJC rowers include students who attend schools that are located in low-income areas with “at-risk” youth; providing adequate funding for scholarships to low-income families continues to be a fundraising priority. Summer rowing camps are also offered.
LBJC produces champions. The women’s varsity quadruple sculls captured the club’s first National Championship in 1998 and repeated in 1999 — the beginning of a winning tradition that continues to this day. Since then, LBJC crews have earned USRowing Youth National Championships across a wide range of boat classes — women’s and men’s, sweep and sculling, openweight and lightweight — with national titles as recently as 2023.
Team members have competed successfully in statewide, national and international regattas. Since 2008, LBJC has sent nine rowers to represent the United States in international competition, three of whom became world champions. These successes draw interest from college coaches, who offer academic preference, scholarships, or both to select rowers.
USRowing Youth National Championship titles, by boat class:
Silver and bronze finishes at the USRowing Youth National Championships:
* Earned at USRowing’s first Virtual National Championship (2020).
Rowing is the fastest growing NCAA sport and LBJC has seen a tremendous increase in the number of young rowers. Today LBJC is a thriving non-profit dedicated to continuing the great tradition of outstanding junior rowing in Long Beach.