Housing the memory

Liberty crew holds dedication ceremony for boathouse on Smith Mtn. Lake

ON THE LAKE — The new boathouse was built next to Smith Mountain Lake. Photo Provided

ON THE LAKE — The new boathouse was built next to Smith Mountain Lake.
Photo Provided

Liberty University’s rowing team gathered April 7 to dedicate its new boathouse in memory of Navy Cmdr. Martin Bodrog, who was killed in a September 2013 shooting at the Washington D.C. Navy Yard.

Held inside the boathouse on Smith Mountain Lake, the dedication was led by the team’s head coach Debbie Prowse and her husband Jeff, who became good friends with Bodrog after they worked together at the Pentagon.

“(Bodrog) was very good friends with my husband,” Debbie Prowse told Club Sports News. “He was a family man, a wonderful leader, a Christian man, and we just wanted to name it after somebody who you would aspire to be.”

Club Sports Assistant Director Tatiana Payne spoke at the dedication, along with volunteer Assistant Coach Brian Davidson and Jeff Prowse.

The crew team sang the traditional Navy hymn “Eternal Father, Strong to Save” and received honorary uniform patches emblazoned with Bodrog’s name.

According to sophomore Savannah Perry, while the Prowses put the most effort into the ceremony, everyone on the team pitched in.

“It meant a lot (to be part of the dedication),” Perry said, who has been on the team since 2015.

“It’s been a family affair.”

The ceremony saw a turnout of nearly 100 people, including Bodrog’s wife Melanie and daughter Isabel, a Liberty alumnus, who said she hopes people are pointed to the Lord and challenged to live their lives to the fullest as they continue to hear her father’s story. 

IN HONOR — The crew team gathered for a dedication ceremony at their boathouse April 7. Photo Provided

IN HONOR — The crew team gathered for a dedication ceremony at their boathouse April 7.
Photo Provided

“The boathouse dedication in my father’s name was such a huge honor,” Isabel Bodrog said.

“I’m extremely thankful to Jeff and Debbie Prowse, Liberty and everyone else who made this possible. (It) is a beautiful facility.”

Construction began at the beginning of summer 2016 and was completed before the team began its fall season.

Perry said the team had been anticipating the opening of the boathouse, since the exodus from Ivy Creek Lake to the larger Smith Mountain Lake left them with no proper place to store their equipment.

“It’s something we’ve needed for a long time,” Perry said.

“We had to strap the boats to a trailer every day, and they were exposed to the elements.”

The boats capacity ranges from one to nine and can cost up to $40,000. Certain areas of the boats are fragile enough to be punctured by a pen.

“Every time there was a wind storm or anything, I was always stressed about it,” Debbie Prowse told Club Sports News.

Now, the two-garage facility holds the crew team’s 12 vessels and other rowing equipment safely. 

“We are proud of the way we take care of our boats,” Perry said.

“It’s great to have a beautiful place to store our stuff.”

In addition to providing shelter for the equipment, the boathouse will serve to demonstrate just how serious the crew team is about their sport. 

“Our boathouse provides another layer of legitimacy to the program, which will be great when we have possible recruits come out,” Perry said.

The Liberty crew team will continue competing in tournaments with other colleges until the end of May, departing and returning to the Cmdr.

Martin Bodrog, USN Memorial Boathouse every time.

“You know, it’s a special feeling to know we’re the first team to row out of the boathouse,” Perry said.

“And great to think of all the teams that will come after and remember (Bodrog’s) legacy.”

Vence is a news reporter.

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