Dream Fulfilled

SARASOTA — Is it Saturday yet?

That was the question Sarasota resident Jacob Franks repeatedly asked himself every day while he was out on the water rowing.

The then eighth-grader was in the midst of his first summer rowing camp with the Sarasota Scullers and Franks couldn’t wait for it to end. It just wasn’t his thing.

Or so he thought.

Franks ultimately decided to stick it out and ended up joining the Scullers that fall with the understanding that if he didn’t like it after two weeks he could quit. Before long, Franks realized the sport he initially couldn’t stand was where he thrived.

“I absolutely hated rowing,” Franks says. “I couldn’t wait for Saturday to come when I could have a day off. Eventually it all just started coming together, and I stuck with it.”

Three years later, Franks, who switched over from the Scullers to the Sarasota Crew last year, is preparing for his biggest race to date.

On Aug. 6 through Aug. 10, the 16-year-old will compete in the 2014 World Rowing Junior Championships, in Hamburg, Germany, where he will compete in the Junior Men’s Quadruple Sculls.

“I’m excited to see how fast we can go and see where we end up,” Franks says. “I just want to see what we can do.”

Earlier this year, Franks participated in a camp where he completed a 2000-meter test and then hit the water. At that point, Franks was invited to participate in one of six U.S. Rowing Junior Men’s Sculling Selection Camps.

Franks was the only member of the Crew chosen to participate in the sculling side of the world championships.

“I was speechless,” Franks says. “It honestly didn’t hit me until about a week ago when I was actually in the boat and participating. It’s very surreal. It means a lot.”

Franks has wanted to make the world team at least once during his high school career ever since he first started rowing and heard about the competition.

Having made the team this summer, Franks is optimistic about his chances of making the team again next year.

“It took away a lot of stress,” Franks says. “I’m happy that I’m able to complete a goal that not a lot of people get to reach.

“It shows that you’re one of the best,” Franks says. “To make the boat you have to be almost an interchangeable part. You can’t just be a fast rower. You have to be a fast rower with other people. It shows you know what you’re doing.”

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].