Dharma Voyage, Westport’s community rowing non-profit, is joining forces with Next Level Rowing, which has become one of the world’s top rowing programs on both the adult and junior levels during its year of existence.

Under the formal partnership, NLR athletes will train in Dharma Voyage’s coastal quad, and youth rowers in Westport’s program will have an opportunity to meet, learn from and train with world class athletes on Westport waters. Dharma Voyage will also assist NLR training camps via outreach to the community for camp support, such as housing athletes for a weekend, hosting team meals, and the like.

The partnership solidifies a relationship that began last year when Dharma Voyage rowers had the opportunity to train with the elite team and according to Dharma Voyage, “were literally speechless.”

Next Level Rowing (NLR) is a high performance coastal rowing team started last year. Since its founding, the team has become the top coastal rowing team in the United States and one of the leading teams on the world stage. Last year, Next Level Rowing athletes won a gold medal at the Beach Sprint Championships in the men's single, along with a bronze medal in the mixed quad. Their juniors also did well, with a silver medal won by the women's junior double. This year, they swept the US National Team trials, winning all categories in both the junior and elite divisions. The team is comprised of top athletes from around the country.