Carolyn Pope doesn’t have a story of a strong athletic background. Growing up girls were not encouraged to be too athletic. She did go to college at the University of Florida and majored in Physical Education. She then married, taught school and took up skydiving. “Oh, my goodness, talk about a rush,” she says. “You could do things. You could hook up with people and form stars, we called them, in the air.”
During this time she had two children and developed new interests. She began rowing in her 50’s and helped organize the Lemon Bay Crew Club. Carolyn who is now a 61-year-old insurance agent, is a member of a national champion rowing team. Next year her team will travel to Canada to compete for a world championship in Canada. “It’s thrilling,” she says. “Much more competitive. We’re taking it up a notch.”