A new era in Tennessee Rowing dawned with the groundbreaking of a $2.5 million boathouse on the Knoxville waterfront on Sept. 30, 1999. The three-story building is the permanent home of the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteer Rowing Team.

The facility, which is located where the railroad tracks cross Neyland Drive, serves as the west end anchor of Knoxville's Volunteer Landing. The boathouse has a similar design to the Volunteer Landing pavilion, jettisons 40 feet out onto Fort Loudoun Lake, and has balconies overlooking the waterway. The structure stands beside the "Vol Navy" docks.

The ground floor of the 18,000-square-foot boathouse serves as the team boat bay, where rowing equipment is stored and maintained. The second floor is comprised of an ergometer training area, locker and shower rooms, a team meeting room and coaches office.

Approaching the facility from Neyland Drive brings the boathouse visitor past the coaches' parking area and to the west entrance of the building. A walk through the ground floor takes you past 24 one-, two-, five-, and nine-person boats, coaching equipment, tools, coxswains equipment, and 80 12-foot hanging oars. Between rows of neatly arranged equipment, the Tennessee River can be viewed through numerous windows spanning the entire south wall. When the team is ready to get "hands on," telescoping arms extend from boat racks and a racing shell is removed from its holding place.

The crew carries the boat out of the bay and proceeds down a concrete ramp to the floating dock. An east deck platform serves as a lay-down space for rowing shells, a meeting place for athletes, and a gathering spot for visiting teams. Balconies on the second and third floors of the facility overlook this platform. The 160-foot floating dock has enough space to launch three boats at once.

Staff members exit the building and access one of four coaching boats stored on a motorized ramp. After instructing their student-athletes, coaches Glenn, Loebaka and Daley drive their boats to the area directly under the lower level and onto the ramp. The ramp is then raised out of the water by remote control.

Retracing the athletes' and coaches' steps leads to two staircases, both of which go to the sterling residence of the Tennessee rowing team. The 6,000 square-foot second level begins with a walk down the SEC Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll hallway - lined with plaques earned by UT rowing student-athletes. The hallway leads to the athletes' workout room, which is comprised of wall-to-wall rowing ergometers neatly arranged in front of a four-foot high mirror that spans the entire side of the room. Windows located above the mirrors, which overlook the river, span the entire length of the building and provide motivation to the rowers as they train. Hanging on the walls are awards won by various rowers, ranging from academic accolades to hardest worker and athletic achievement awards, like the program's All-Americans.

Arranged around the perimeter of the workout area are the coaches' office, managers' office (complete with training and competition apparel and washers and dryers), athletic trainers' consultation room, team locker room, as well as showers and restrooms.

After working up a sweat while simulating the action on the water, rowers can walk behind the awards wall and have access to the locker room and shower area to prepare for the rest of the day. Many of the rowers will scurry down the stairs and head up the hill to class, while others will walk across the balcony to watch the end of the sunrise and head into the team room.

When entering the team meeting room, rowers can stop at the kitchen to get some refreshments. Like most of the other rooms in the boathouse, the team meeting room has wall-to-wall windows. The room contains 10 tables with chairs: five high and five low tables. For a more relaxed setting, the athletes can cross the room to one of several oscillating rocking chairs that encircle a coffee table with a glass top and serving tray. For some student-athletes, the primary purpose of relaxing in these chairs that mimic the motion on the water is to study, while for others it may be to set their gaze upon the 48-inch Philips Flat Screen television with surround sound, DirecTV connection and a VCR.

Often, Coach Glenn will rally the troops into the team room for dinner before they gather to review video from training or racing. As the session ends, those who watched the sun rise may also watch it set from the balcony on the west side of the building. The team room is not only for members of the rowing team, as an individual or group can rent out the room for private functions such as dinners and fundraisers. The facility also includes the River Club, open to those with private memberships. On the third floor, exceptional dining in the Tennessee Grill restaurant is available to the public.

Although the team had occupied the boathouse for four months, the facility was not christened officially until March 17, 2001, when Notre Dame came to town to race against Tennessee in a dual meet. The competition marked the first time UT hosted a race on its own water. The Orange and White had often traveled to Oak Ridge to compete in head-to-head races, but now with the boathouse located on the Fort Loudoun Lake, the team did not have to load the trailer and ride in a bus to the course. Instead, it ate a hot meal from the kitchen, changed in the locker room, jogged downstairs and got "hands on!"

This season, UT will host two events on Fort Loudoun Lake. Minnesota and Notre Dame open the spring season against the Lady Vols on March 18, while Louisville closes out the home schedule on March 25.

"The boathouse makes a tremendous difference for us," Glenn said. "The facility is our home and allows us to do what needs to be done in an efficient and appropriate manner. It is also important to have the ability to host rowing competitions at our home venue."

This is what Coach Glenn envisioned in September of 1999 when the first shovel was driven into the ground on the north side of the Tennessee River. Now seven years later, she and the team have a place marking the arrival of Lady Vol Rowing in Knoxville. It stands three stories high and is a beacon of the progress that the rowing program has made at Tennessee.