Hello everyone,
On January 15, the rowing world and college athletics suffered a great and tragic loss; while on a training trip with the Holy Cross Women's Rowing Team in Florida, Grace Rett lost her life when the team van she was riding in collided with an oncoming car, just days after her 20th birthday. All those riding in the team vans suffered injuries, many serious and only recently have the last of the athletes and head coach been released from the hospital after weeks of treatment. The outpouring of support nationally and globally has been tremendous.
Our own student athletes have asked to help and show respect for this amazing person and support the Holy Cross team that will hurt from this for years to come by hosting a "day of and for Grace."
I have been approached by my athletes who have taken Grace's story to SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee; the student-athletes through SAAC are plotting a plan to cover the almost unreal distance of 383,000m, the distance rowed by Grace in her recent world record feat to bring even more awareness to this situation and pay respect to a true warrior.
The mission will commence at the ODU Women's Rowing Center on February 7 at approximately 11 a.m. and conclude around noon on February 8. The rowing team has opened the undertaking to any and all student athletes and athletics' staff of keeping a single rowing machine spinning to cover the distance on this "day of and for Grace" in order to continue the support of Holy Cross Women's Rowing.
For all ODU athletes and athletic staff members that wish to participate, please sign up through the Google document by clicking here. For anyone who wishes to donate to the Grace Rett gofundme page, click here.
A little bit about Grace Rett in order to understand the mission:
"She had a work ethic second to none and inspired others to 'love the fight'," her family wrote. Grace Rett immersed herself into the Holy Cross community. She was an active participant in campus ministry and attended Athlete Bible Study weekly. She also worked in the Office of Admissions where she loved to give tours of the "beautiful campus" and "share her love of the college" and worked in the sports media department where she operated the live stream camera. Selected to be a Monserrat leader, Rett mentored freshman, was a member of the Liturgical Choir, spent time as an RA and most recently joined the club basketball team.
She had recently set a new world record for the longest continual row in the individual heavyweight women 19 and younger category; She rowed the equivalent of almost 9 full marathons in just two and a half days.
"Grace made the very most of her 20 years on this earth and was beyond proud to go from being an OLV Angel to a Marianapolis Golden Knight to a Holy Cross Crusader," her obituary said. "She worked hard and took advantage of every opportunity afforded to her."
All ODU Monarch athletes and staff are encourages and welcome to come and support/participate.
A Message From Rowing Head Coach Daniel Garbutt
