The Alexandria City High School Rowing program christened its new shell, the Lisa Zickar.
The event, which featured a "row-by" from the Titan Rowing Boys Team, included community members and elected officials including school board members Michelle Rief and Chris Harris.
Harris, a former high school athlete, pictured, took a turn on the erg with the boys' team.
Lisa Zickar, a longtime volunteer for the Alexandria Crew Boosters, served as co-vice president of the Alexandria Crew Boosters in 2012. In 2013, she took over as co-president — a position she held for two years. As co-president, she defined the Crew Booster mission as being very simple. “Our mission is to fund, feed, and cheer our rowers on,” she said.
In 2014, Lisa became the director of the Mid-Atlantic Erg Sprints — an ambitious role that includes dozens of volunteers, countless moving parts, and more patience than is quantifiable.
In 2018, she helped manage the first World Rowing Indoor Championships in Alexandria. In the six years she headed the event, the Erg Sprints became known as the second largest indoor rowing competition in the world — and the largest event of its kind for juniors. During that time, it also brought in more than $200,000 for the program.
Lisa has since ceded her role managing the Sprints, but she created a high standard that the Crew Boosters hope to meet when the sprints resume in 2023.
Her children, Allie and Sam, (pictured with her husband, Lou, at the christening) were both Titan rowers, and Sam Zickar began coaching for the Titan Boys Team in 2022.
Lisa and Lou live in Alexandria and remain strong supporters of the program.