Movie Night!

ARSHAY COOPER whose story of how rowing saved his and his teammates lives,  is captured in the award-winning film, A Most Beautiful Thing. Arshay will visit  Charlottesville on October 27 to share his experience and show the film. 

Beaver Creek Sculling, a local non-profit supporting community rowing, Dietz International Rowing  Academy, an organization providing international rowing and cultural experiences for underprivileged  youth just like Arshay and his teammates, and the Virginia Rowing Association (UVA) will host Arshay, the  team captain of the first all-black high school rowing team A Most Beautiful Thing is based on Arshay’s  memoir depicting life as teen during the 90’s in gang-laden Chicago’s West Side; Arshay and his teammates  attribute their very survival amidst such violence to the moving forward attitude, the discipline and  cooperation they learned as rowing teammates. His website is found here: arshaycooper.com 

On October 27, at 6:30PM, at the Western Albemarle Gymnasium, Arshay Cooper will be joined by Jim  Dietz, 6-time Olympian, Frank Biller, UVA’s Director of Rowing and Craig Redinger, Head Coach of Beaver  Creek Sculling and Western Albemarle High School Crew for a discussion on his experiences leading the  first all-black rowing team in the country. A viewing of the film will follow. The event is free and open to  the public though a contribution would be most appreciated. 

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ABOUT ARSHAY COOPER - A MOST BEAUTIFUL THING is based on Arshay Cooper’s award-winning self published memoir, Suga Water, now republished by Flatiron under the title, A Most Beautiful Thing.  Arshay has said, “As the first black high school rowing team, we thought we were going to change the  sport, just like Jackie Robinson changed baseball… but instead, the sport changed us. It saved my life...”  Seeking to share his experience with a new generation of young people, Arshay now travels the country  putting students from under-resourced neighborhoods in boats on any puddle of water he can find. His  teammates have become entrepreneurs and small business owners and carry their team’s message with  them wherever they go.