Freshwater breeze sweeps across the Grand River as Spartan student-athletes settle into their eight boats, lean forward and pull together in one motion, skimming across the water’s surface, rowing in tandem with each splash of their oars. They drive forward, to train, to win, to champion MSU at the next race. They may have different backgrounds, majors and goals in campus classrooms, but here on the water they are one team fueled by Spartan spirit.
This is the MSU Crew Club; a student-run organization of rowers who are dedicated to achieve success on and off the water. Clubs like this are crucial for student success and supported by Spartans on days like Giving Tuesday. For students like Maximus Sambucetti, the club has been an extraordinary part of his life and college experience at Michigan State.
It was his dad’s recommendation that encouraged Maximus, a senior in the College of Engineering, to explore his love for competition and boating by joining the Crew Club. “It's a great way to meet all different types of people who come from different fields of study that you probably wouldn't meet during your day-to-day classes,” says Maximus, who is now the club’s treasurer.
The club was founded in the fall of 1956 as the “Michigan State University Rowing Crew” with only 9 members. That small club has grown to 87 active team members today, and with each practice (once daily/six days a week) the team celebrates their legacy of perseverance.
The club experienced multiple challenges including a boathouse fire in 1993 and the cancellation of the 2020-2021 season due to Covid-19. Yet, the team has always persevered with uncommon Spartan will.
Club members pay dues, but in order to make rowing available to all students, membership fees are negotiable. And while these students have the initiative to compete and volunteer their time to the organization, the expense required for the sport presents yet another challenge.
From the costs of maintaining a fleet (smaller used boats cost upward of $2,000 while latest models of an eight costs $40k-$60k), to the upkeep of equipment (shoes regularly break and bulk orders cost up to $750), these expenses require Spartan support throughout the year.
On GivingTuesday 2025, Spartans came through with $10,220 of support for the MSU Crew Club. This allowed the student athletes to purchase the Erg Rowing machines they need to train indoors during the winter months when the river is layered in ice and snow.
That training pays off every time they compete in major competitions such as The Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, Massachusetts, The Head of the Hooch Regatta in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the ACRA National Championship Regatta in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
This Spartan-given opportunity is something that the student-athletes are grateful for every day. “It was a sense of relief knowing that we have support, that we have Spartans who care, who want to help us, who want to back us,” says Maximus.
In the meantime, the Crew Club has big plans for a brighter future, including more events that encourage community participation, such as a dragon racing event — a team paddling sport with a team that races in narrow boats decorated like dragons. “Preparing for some of those projects and bringing them to life is going to be crucial this year,” says Maximus.
When club members aren’t on the water training, you can often find them socializing together, or volunteering in one of their community projects, like the Grand River Cleanup which the team organizes in partnership with the Waterways Stewards of Michigan to pick up and dispose of trash along the river.
It is one way that the club likes to give back to the community, along with competing and representing MSU with pride. “It really boosts the team's overall morale to work hard, work for what we earned, and show results,” says Maximus. “Everyone's support truly means something to the club.”
LEARN MORE about support for the MSU Crew Club by contacting Senior Associate Director of Student Life and Engagement Danielle Matlick at matlickd@msu.edu or calling (517) 353-2116 or visit MSU Crowdpower.