In early November, 17-year-old Myla Chance stood on the banks of the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, Tennessee, 700 miles from her home in Jupiter. On this stretch of the river, the Head of the Hooch—one of the world’s largest regattas—was about to take place.
A senior at Jupiter Community High School, Chance has been training at the North Palm Beach Rowing Club since 2020—prompted by her father. “My dad called one day and said he had signed me up for rowing and I was like, I don’t even know what that is,” recalls the teen. She showed up for her first day of practice and fell in love with the sport. Nearly five years later, she is setting records and has earned a scholarship to the University of Oklahoma, where she will begin her freshman year in the fall.
The North Palm Beach Rowing Club in Juno Beach was founded in 2007 and started out with adult programs, adding youth rowing in 2009. Today, the club offers a mix of youth and adult programs ranging from camps and classes for beginners to competitive rowing. Chance and other kids at the club compete in U19 events (under 19) across the country. At the 2024 Head of the Hooch in Tennessee, Chance and teammate Viktoria Ekstrand took home second and first place, respectively, in the Women’s U19 1x (individual) race. As a duo, the girls took first place in the Women’s U19 2x race. And the club’s four-person team of Chance, Ekstrand, Kaitlyn DeMaria, and Chloe Ryder won the Women’s U19 4x.
The young women at North Palm Beach Rowing Club aren’t the only forces to be reckoned with. On the men’s side, 14-year-old Jack Rachaner of Jupiter rowed his way to a third-place finish in the Men’s Youth Novice 1x.
This spring, the team will be headed to statewide, regional, and national competitions under the guidance of the club’s new head coach, Scott McKee. A member of the U.S. National Rowing Team in 1982, McKee spent more than 25 years as a college-level coach at Rutgers University and Columbia University. “Our goal is to bring every kid to their highest potential,” McKee says of coaching here at the club. “You can always get better, and it’s not just about winning or losing.”
Young rowers like Chance appreciate what their new coach is doing. “The whole vibe of the team has changed [under McKee],” she says. “All of us work so well together now, and the team is so upbeat and happy. We’ve really found our groove.”
Chance and Ekstrand have their sights set on earning a spot on the U19 National Team, which will compete in the World Rowing U19 Championships in Lithuania in August. Regardless of how this season ends, though, Chance says she will always be grateful for her father’s push back in 2020. “The people in the rowing community are some of the best people ever,” she says. “The friends and the connections you make are amazing.”
On the Horizon
A capital campaign is underway to raise money for a new facility just south of North Palm Beach Rowing Club’s current location. The world-class rowing center will span 14,000 square feet and house indoor training rooms and locker rooms, and provide boat storage as well as a soft-launch for water access.
One of the primary donors behind the project is the VoLo Foundation, a local philanthropic organization run by Jupiter residents David Vogel and Thais Lopez Vogel that supports science-based climate solutions. A competitive rower in his youth, David has a passion for the sport and the lessons it teaches today’s youth. “Our support for this project is motivated by the opportunity to strengthen community through the sport of rowing while also fostering youth engagement and promoting health and wellness,” he says. “This facility not only provides a space for fitness but also inspires a deeper connection to our environment.”
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