'An incredible human being.’ Connecticut Boat Club honors first Olympian in club’s history
The Princeton graduate, Kelsey Reelick, finished fifth in a tight race.
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One of the only all-female rowing clubs in the country honored its first-ever Olympic athlete in Norwalk Tuesday night.
“We’ve had a lot of national champions and NCAA champions,” says Liz Trond, executive director of the Connecticut Boat Club. “So very few people in the world ever become Olympians.”
Brookfield’s Kelsey Reelick returned to the place that helped launch her career weeks after competing for the United States in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“I would drive down here with my sister every day for practice in the afternoons,” says Reelick. “Connecticut Boat Club to me will always be about Liz Trond and her coaches, and her passion and her drive to uplift young women in this sport.”
Reelick’s former teammate Katherine Isaza says no one is more deserving of the recognition.
“I cannot believe it’s been 15 years since we were in a boat together rowing up and down this river,” says Isaza. “She’s an incredible human being and athlete."
State Sen. Bob Duff issued a proclamation on behalf of the city for Reelick’s accomplishments.
“Any one of them could be the next Olympian,” says Duff says. “You see the potential there and how proud they are of Kelsey, and how proud we all are of her.”
Reelick says she expects many more Olympians to come out of the Connecticut Boat Club.
