Initial difficulties lay largely with funding as crew is can be an expensive start since a shell can cost over $10,000 and even an oar is often $200. To help offset these costs various fund raising activities were started. An early boost to the program came in the form of the a grant from the Davenport-Hatch Foundation. This allowed the fledgling team to hire a coach and purchase an eight.
Money was not the only challenge to be overcome, but also experience and help from the community, and Rochester rose to the challenge. Various community members helped the team with their experience with the sport and brought up ideas so that the team could raise the funds necessary to get off the ground.
George M. Angle, the then vice president for public affairs, is an avid rower who has contributed to the team in his experience as a rower, as a fund raiser, and a supporter of the team. He is still often found on the river rowing in a single in the early hours of the morning.
Richard U. and Elaine P. Wilson were two other community members who have greatly supported the University of Rochester crew team. They generously helped the team for years and the boat house that the team now rows out of has been named the Elaine P. Wilson boathouse in memory of Mrs. Wilson.
Alan Rosenburg, an attorney for the city of Rochester, was the Olympic Rowing Coach in 1964. Mr. Rosenburg's early assistance and helped greatly to get the team off the starting block.
Tom Welch was the first coach of the U of R crew team, a former coach and oarsman for the New Haven Boat Club in Connecticut and a rower for his undergraduate school, Marietta College in Ohio. Coach Welch helped get the program to a competative level getting to the grand finals at Dad Vails and winning races in the Metropolitan Cup regatta at New Rochelle. Speaking about why people row he said, "It's fun! When you really get it going right, it's such a gas!"
Since the early 80's the team has made strides in equipment while continuing a tradition of success beyond its size. The team now rows out of the Genesee Valley Waterway center roughly a mile from the River Campus. Owning multiple eights and fours the men's and women's teams now compete in the Head of the Charles and Schuylkill in the fall as well as hosting the Stonehurst Regatta on the Genesee river.