Before 8 a.m. on a rainy April 4, members of the Grand Valley rowing team were huddled shoulder to shoulder under a tent in Riverside Park in Grand Rapids.
The team has traveled to Illinois, Indiana and Tennessee. In early April, the Laker Navy hosted eight teams on the flooded banks of the Grand River for the Lubbers Cup regatta.
The Lubbers Cup is now in its third decade. Grand Valley has hosted the event since 1996. It is named after GVSU President Emeritus Arend "Don" Lubbers, a longtime supporter of the rowing program. The Lubbers Cup began as a dual meet with Michigan State.
Over time, it has become a benchmark for many Midwest teams in early spring. In 2019, the regatta returned to Riverside Park in Grand Rapids after years of being held at Spring Lake.
This photo essay captures members of the rowing team at practices and at the Lubbers Cup, where they came away with four first-place finishes.
— Macayla Cramer is a student photographer for University Communications.
