Row for Westborough 2026 Recap: $32,684 Raised for Westborough Youth Sports
Row for Westborough 2026 Recap: $32,684 Raised for Westborough Youth Sports
Row for Westborough 2026 raised $32,684 for Westborough youth and high school sports, 27% more than 2025 and the most this event has ever raised. On Sunday, October 18, 171 rowers in 29 crews signed up, 152 rowed on race day, and 26 local businesses sponsored. Since 2019 this event has now raised $177,548 for causes in and around Westborough. Next year’s date is already set: Sunday, October 17, 2027.
Watch the day
If you only have a minute, start here. Our Instagram reel has the energy, and Westborough TV put together a full recap with drone footage of the parking lot packed with rowers, tents and families.
What is Row for Westborough?
Row for Westborough is a community rowathon hosted every October at Prototype Training Systems on East Main Street. It’s run by three groups together: Prototype, WASA(which supports town-level youth sports) and the Westborough Athletic Boosters Association(which supports Westborough High School athletics). Crews of adults and student-athletes raise money, then show up and row it out on Concept2 ergs in our parking lot, surrounded by food, music, vendors and a whole lot of noise.
We started in 2019 as Row for a Cause. In 2023 we turned the focus local, and in 2025 WASA and the Boosters joined forces for the first time. The goal hasn’t changed: give kids in this town a real path to keep playing, and give the coaches and families around them more support.
The student-athletes stole the show
This day is for them, and they showed up. 64 student-athletes registered and 55 rowed, up from about 35 in 2025. They formed 12 student crews and raised $3,701 on the leaderboard, and every dollar a team raised goes back to that team’s Boosters account.
- Top student fundraising team: WHS Cross Country ($916), with Westborough Hockey right behind at $855.
- Top student fundraiser: Maahi Srivastava.
- Biggest and most spirited crew: Westborough Field Hockey, with 13 rowers in pink and the loudest corner of the lot all morning.
- Also on the ergs: girls soccer, girls basketball, boys hockey, football, the WHS Student Council and a few crews with names we can’t stop saying (LTAD: Leaving The Adults in the Dust).
The adults rowed a 26,000m team relay
The Adult Division had one job: row 26,000 meters as a team, relay style, one rower at a time. Parents, coaches, teachers, police officers, local business owners and Prototype members filled 17 adult crews and raised $11,063 on the leaderboard.
- First to finish the 26K: Westborough Police.
- Second to finish: Grimes PortfoliRowers, captained by Ben Wallace (Grimes & Company was also an Elite sponsor).
- Top adult fundraising team: WLL ($1,575), followed by Erg-onomically Correct ($1,300) and Grimes PortfoliRowers ($1,100).
- Top adult fundraiser: Colin Lake.
What this day is about
One of my favorite moments wasn’t a record. John Gallinagh is a Prototype member who trains with Coach Tony. He’s a Navy veteran who has called Westborough home since the late ’70s and gives his time to the American Legion, the VFW and the town’s Veterans Advisory Board. John sat down on the VFW-sponsored Westborough Warfighters erg and took his strokes with the whole crowd behind him.
That’s the whole point: people doing hard things, together, so the kids in this town get to keep playing.
2026 vs. 2025: the numbers side by side
Every channel is reconciled: card payments, Venmo, checks and race-day cash. Here’s how this year compares to last year.
| 2025 | 2026 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total raised | $25,779 | $32,684 | +$6,905 (+27%) |
| Sponsorships | $10,400 · 22 businesses | $16,150 · 26 businesses | +$5,750 (+55%) |
| Donations | $12,679 | $12,809 | +$130 |
| Registrations ($25) | $2,700 | $3,725 | +$1,025 |
| Processing fees | $3,081 (12.0%) | $768 (2.3%) | −$2,313 |
| Rowers registered / rowed | 118 / 116 | 171 / 152 | +53 / +36 |
| Crews | 24 | 29 (17 adult, 12 student) | +5 |
| Student-athletes | ~35 | 64 registered / 55 rowed | ~+80% |
| T-shirt cost | $3,880 | $1,890 (150 shirts) | −$1,990 |
What we did differently this year
- Our own site and payments. rowforwestborough.prototypetraining.com replaced the old fundraising platform. Card and Venmo payments went straight to the Boosters, and fees fell from 12% of the money raised to 2.3%.
- Crews, not just rowers. A captain started a crew and teammates joined it. Every crew and rower got a fundraising page, and a live leaderboard kept the race going for weeks before race day.
- A new sponsor ladder. Title $3,000, Elite $1,250, Platinum $750 and Community $250. Title and Elite sold out.
- Everyone together. Student-athletes rowed first, so siblings could hit the pony rides and bounce house before the adult relay started.
- The Youth Combine (new). A free six-event fitness test for kids aged 7–13. 18 families came out, and kids who finished every event got a personal performance report.
- Phone check-in. Volunteers checked in rowers, handed out shirts and took payments on their phones, with paper rosters as backup.
Food, music, vendors and ponies
WASA ran the grill. DJ Gerry kept the energy up all day. Ridge Valley Stables brought the ponies, Busy Bee Jumpers brought the bounce house, and Smiles FOUR Balloons and Apple Tree Arts kept the younger kids busy. Edward’s Coffee poured all morning and donated $200 back to the cause, and Torres Family Barbershop sought us out to set up a booth. Rockland Trust, Stretch Zone and Central Mass Physical Therapy & Wellness had tables too, and Uhlman’s brought ice cream.
Thank you to our 2026 sponsors
Sponsors raised $16,150 this year, the biggest single reason we grew. Thank you to every one of these businesses.
Ball Financial Services
Grimes & Company · Healthspan Longevity · Lasting Environmental Solutions
Arturo’s · Mandarin Westborough · Mathieu Newton Sotheby’s International Realty · Rockland Trust · Stretch Zone Westborough · VFW · Wegmans · Westborough Civic Club
Avidia Bank · B2B CFO & B2B EXIT · Bookkeepers Ltd · Family Chiropractic of Westboro · Human Power Solutions · Kings Corner Barbershop · Knights of Columbus Council 85 · Mancuso-Nowak Insurance · Roche Bros. · Seoul Kitchen · The Central House · Tile & Texture · Trybe Fytness · Waymark Wealth Management
Big Y · Cha Cha N Beans · Chick-fil-A Westborough · Daily Dose Protein Parlor · Learning Express Toys & Gifts · Lindsay Taylor SPAtique · Release Well-Being Center · SoftWave of Westborough · Swanski’s Bakeshop · Thunder Monkey Provisions · Torres Family Barbershop · Yummy Mummy Bakery
What we learned for 2027
We sat down as a committee on October 23 and went through what worked and what didn’t. Here’s the short version, so next year’s crew starts ahead.
- Online sign-up with crews and a live leaderboard
- Student-athletes rowing first
- Weekly Friday committee check-ins in the final five weeks
- Steady social posts and the Homecoming sign-up booth
- Early, consistent sponsor outreach
- Quick thank-yous, photos and video after the event
- Give the Youth Combine one owner, plus clean check-in and scoring
- Actually walk the 50/50 raffle and show off the prize packs
- Plan power for the DJ, bounce house and Wi-Fi
- A meal-ticket process for walk-up guests
- Reach winter and spring coaches early (zero spring teams this year)
- More parent volunteers
Ideas on the table for 2027 include rowing for a set time so every crew finishes together, per-meter sponsor pledges, a live big-screen leaderboard from connected Concept2 ergs, and high school athletes leading youth clinics. We’re also working with the athletic director on the date so more teams are still in season.
In the news
The Community Advocate covered the day in “Giving back to the community: Row for Westborough blends cardio and community spirit”, and Westborough TV’s video recap has the drone shots.
Our coaches work with Westborough athletes all year, not just in October. If you have a student-athlete who wants to get faster, stronger and more durable, See our sports performance program →
Save the date: Sunday, October 17, 2027
Start thinking about your crew now. Businesses that want to lock in a 2027 sponsorship can reach out any time, and we’d love to see you at the gym before then.
Frequently asked questions
What is Row for Westborough?
Row for Westborough is an annual community rowathon at Prototype Training Systems in Westborough, MA, run with WASA and the Westborough Athletic Boosters Association. Adult and student-athlete crews raise money, then row it out on race day to support Westborough youth and high school sports.
How much did Row for Westborough 2026 raise?
Row for Westborough 2026 raised $32,684, 27% more than the $25,779 raised in 2025. Sponsorships brought in $16,150, donations $12,809 and registrations $3,725. Since 2019 the event has raised $177,548.
Where does the money go?
After event costs, proceeds go to WASA, which supports town-level youth sports, and the Westborough Athletic Boosters Association, which supports Westborough High School athletics. Money a student crew raises goes back to that team’s Boosters account.
When is Row for Westborough 2027?
Row for Westborough 2027 is Sunday, October 17, 2027, at Prototype Training Systems, 50 East Main Street in Westborough. That’s one week earlier than 2026, so more fall teams are still in season.
How can my team or business get involved?
Teams can enter an adult crew or a student-athlete crew when registration opens on the Row for Westborough site. Businesses can sponsor at the Title, Elite, Platinum or Community level, or donate a prize pack. Email [email protected] to get on the list early.
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