Beaver Creek Sculling, a local high school rowing team; the Dietz International Rowing Academy, an organization providing international rowing and cultural experiences for underprivileged youth; and the Virginia Rowing Association (UVA) will host Arshay Cooper, the team captain of the first all-black high school rowing team. Throughout the evening, Arshay will share his award-winning film, A Most Beautiful Thing. The film is based on Arshay’s memoir depicting life as teen during the 90’s in gang-laden Chicago’s West Side; Arshay and his teammates attribute their very survival amidst such violence to the moving forward attitude, the discipline and cooperation they learned as rowing teammates.
On October 27, at 6:30PM, at the Western Albemarle High School Auditorium, Arshay Cooper will be joined by Jim Dietz, 4-time Olympian, Frank Biller, UVA’s Director of Rowing, and Craig Redinger, Head Coach of Beaver Creek Sculling, and Western Albemarle High School Rowing Team for a discussion on his experiences leading the first all-black rowing team in the country. A viewing of the film will follow. The event is open to the public.