Marquette University rowing team faces up to $30,000 in flood damage
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A local rowing team faces tens of thousands of dollars in damages from recent flooding.
"The dock is kind of the lifeline for our team," said Lauren Leick, who is on the Marquette University rowing team.
Leick's passion is rowing, and she says getting on the water with her teammates has become an outlet for her.
"Without a dock, you can't practice," said Leick. "So, if you can't practice, you can't compete. So, there is not a lot you can do without the dock."
After four days of searching for their dock that was swept away from flooding, the Marquette University rowing team found it half a mile down the Menomonee River.
"We don’t know what situation it is in right now," said Leick. "We don’t know if its saveable, we don’t know if we can fix it."
The dock and two ramps cost the team upwards of $30,000. With one ramp still missing and repairs needed on the equipment found, it's not an easy cost for the student-funded organization.
"A lot of being on the water and a water sport is just being at the whim of nature, and unfortunately, this has just been a very big show of that -- of just being at the whim of things," said Jules Wilson, head coach of the Marquette University Rowing Club. "I mean, we could not have prepared for this."
The river is also presenting its own challenges, as it's still filled with piles of debris.
"Just the amount of time and effort that they’ve already put into preparing for this semester and the fact that we might not be able to start practicing right away, I know that’s like a huge detriment to them," said Wilson.
With their first competition in October, the team is determined to keep pushing forward.
"This team means a lot to me," said Leick. "When I found this team, it was my community. I found all my friends on it, and I know a lot of the people on the team think the same."
The team's dock and one ramp were pulled out of the river by a crane on Monday. Wilson says they will need some replaced parts and repairs in order to stabilize it on the water.
The second ramp is still missing, but the team says they will keep doing everything they can to be ready for the upcoming season.
There is a GoFundMe to support the team here.