About UsPortage Lakes Rowing Association (PLRA), founded in 2005, is the only organized sweep rowing club in the Akron / Canton area.
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We offer amateur athletic programs for both competitive and recreational rowers of all skill levels. Rowing from April through November PLRA offers the opportunity to be on the water multiple days a week in the club's fleet of 8's and 4's.
PLRA rows out of Rex Lake with our boathouse located at Crasftsman Park. When the weather is nice we race around Rex, Mud and Turkeyfoot Lakes. If it's not, we train indoors.
We also aim to attract new people by introducing them to the sport of rowing in our Learn to Row class. These classes are held twice in April and twice in July and are designed to be a basic introduction to the techniques, equipment, and calls used during rowing. More information can be found by clicking here or following the Learn to Row link above.
We are a member ran club which means that we all pitch in and learn how to row, repair, maintain, and cox the boats. You can watch our "Learn to Coxswain" tutorials by clicking here.
If you're interested in joining, want to visit, or just have questions fill out the form on the Contact Us page.
PLRA rows out of Rex Lake with our boathouse located at Crasftsman Park. When the weather is nice we race around Rex, Mud and Turkeyfoot Lakes. If it's not, we train indoors.
We also aim to attract new people by introducing them to the sport of rowing in our Learn to Row class. These classes are held twice in April and twice in July and are designed to be a basic introduction to the techniques, equipment, and calls used during rowing. More information can be found by clicking here or following the Learn to Row link above.
We are a member ran club which means that we all pitch in and learn how to row, repair, maintain, and cox the boats. You can watch our "Learn to Coxswain" tutorials by clicking here.
If you're interested in joining, want to visit, or just have questions fill out the form on the Contact Us page.
Coaches
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Elizabeth MurphyHead Coach
Elizabeth Corbin Murphy was honored in Fall of 2022 as one of the Pioneering Women Athletes for the University of Notre Dame in celebration of the 50-year anniversary of Title IX (promoting equal treatment for women in education). Rowing is her sport. After competing at the collegiate level, Beth and her husband Charlie raised four sons and she continued to row for Notre Dame alumna group and Portage Lakes Rowing Association. Beth rowed in the Head of the Charles in 1974 and in 2014. She and her team placed in four of the last eight years at the Head of the Schuylkill. In 2018, Beth competed in the Women’s Masters Nationals in Oakland.
A certified Level 2 Rowing Coach, Beth is now coaching our crews at Portage Lakes. She will coach the Novice, Masters, and Performance levels of sweep rowing and intends to join the crew as a rower whenever possible. Coach Murphy is also a Fellow in the American Institute of Architects and has practiced, specializing in “used” and historic structures and taught Design and Preservation courses at Kent State University for over 20 years. |
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Meryl EnglerConsulting Coach
Meryl grew up in Huntington Beach, California, playing lots of sports. While attending Syracuse University, she discovered rowing, joined the team, and fell in love with the feeling of flying across the surface of the water. She competed for Syracuse University for four years, helping her team finish in the top 20 NCAA rankings for three years and medaling at the Big East championships. She also rowed for SoCal scullers out of Huntington Beach over the summers.
Meryl studied sculpture, printmaking, religious studies and history at Syracuse. She then attended University of Nebraska-Lincoln for an MFA in studio art with an emphasis in printmaking. While in graduate school, she coached the university crew club for three years. After graduating, Meryl coached the junior novice women and masters team for three years at Lake Oswego Community Rowing outside of Portland, Oregon. Meryl was Head Coach of Portage Lakes Rowing Association from 2019-2022. She is a certified Level 2 Rowing Coach, loves working with the teams, and exploring all of the beautiful Portage Lakes. |
David Klapp
Coxswain
I’m David Clapp, most of my rowing friends call me Dave. I had the pleasure to row for Seattle University’s Men's Rowing Team from 2012 to 2016 while studying Civil Engineering. I spent that time in lightweight fours as a rower and also as a coxswain for novice and varsity. We practiced on Salmon Bay, Lake Union, Portage Bay, and Union Bay. The Team and I raced at regattas along the west coast including Seattle WA, Tacoma WA, Portland OR, and Eugene OR. Our yearly championships were the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Championships in Rancho Cordova, California just outside of Sacramento and the American Collegiate Rowing Association (ACRA) Championships in Gainesville, Georgia. I went to both WIRAs and ACRAs twice in a lightweight 4 and once to WIRAs as a coxswain. I was also fortunate to serve as the club’s equipment manager/ officer for 2 years. This mostly involved managing loading the boat trailer, leading rigging parties, and other handy odd jobs.
Since graduating Seattle University in 2016, I returned to Ohio and worked as a scenic carpenter while looking for an engineering job. In 2017 I moved to Akron to start my career as a Civil Engineer for the City of Akron in the Design Division. Since October 2019 I have been involved with the Summit Cycling Center as a board member and am now the Operations Manager for the non-profit.
Since graduating Seattle University in 2016, I returned to Ohio and worked as a scenic carpenter while looking for an engineering job. In 2017 I moved to Akron to start my career as a Civil Engineer for the City of Akron in the Design Division. Since October 2019 I have been involved with the Summit Cycling Center as a board member and am now the Operations Manager for the non-profit.
