Doug mcbeth

father of current athlete

The campaign to fund the acquisition of a training facility for the Michigan Men’s Rowing Team is very exciting to me because I believe it will be transformative for the program. My son Tommy joined the team as a walk-on in 2021. My wife Cristina and I have found it so rewarding and enjoyable to watch his development and experience competing at such a high level, and have learned a lot about rowing in the process. I think the Michigan Men’s Rowing Team presents a really valuable and unique opportunity for him during his college experience. The culture and traditions of the program, particularly how everyone works together to improve both as individuals and as a team, is really wonderful to see. Meeting alumni has further instilled what a unique and great experience he is a part of.

As I learned more about the team, I was impressed by how much Gregg has accomplished with the program with very limited resources. Halfway through my son’s first season, I read The Boys in The Boat. I believe the Michigan Men’s Rowing Team today epitomizes the team in the book much more than the current University of Washington team. Despite what they’ve accomplished, as a parent, the limited resources are a concern, both for the team currently as well as for its future.

When I first learned about the opportunity to purchase 1250 N. Main St. as a permanent training facility for the team, it was clear to me how transformative it could be. Everything I have learned since then has further reinforced what a great opportunity this is. I decided to join the Campaign Committee to help MRA capitalize on this opportunity. 

In hearing various alumni and Gregg talk about the impact of the past training facilities, it is clear that the new facility will help the team be more competitive. I expect it to be a large plus for recruiting as well. In addition to giving the team a much more solid long-term financial foundation, having a permanent facility controlled by MRA will remove a lot of future uncertainty. When the new facility was first unveiled at an event in the spring of 2023, Gregg talked about the different places the team has had to move around to over the years, as well as the lack of consistent support from the University. Hearing about all of the challenges the program has had to overcome was very motivating for me. The new facility is critical to assuring the team’s future and will raise the program to a new level, which makes me really excited about supporting the campaign.

Please join me in contributing to this unique opportunity today.

Row Blue,

Doug McBeth, father of Tommy McBeth '25