In 1892, when San Diego was still a sleepy little town, four adventuresome young women spent hours rowing together on the bay. They decided to start a club just for women - at a time when a that was a completely novel idea. These four San Diego women—Zulette Lamb, and sisters Lena, Agnes, and Caroline Polhamus—used the initials of their first names to form the acronym “ZLAC.” In the early 1900s, many women’s rowing clubs and college teams were established on both coasts in an effort to improve physical fitness and to compete in a sport made popular by men. At that time, there were 22 women's rowing clubs in San Diego, and ZLAC is the only one that is still active. Today, ZLAC is the oldest women’s rowing club in continuous operation in the world.
The women initially rowed in wooden barges, from a boathouse at the western end of Market Street, on San Diego Bay. This boathouse was dedicated in 1895 and maintained for 37 years. In 1932, the club moved to its current location on Mission Bay, into a beautiful new clubhouse designed by noted architect Lilian Rice (ZLAC President 1915-1916), and landscaped by Kate Sessions (“Mother of Balboa Park”).
Patty Wyatt of Crew VIII had a vision to bring the best of collegiate rowers to San Diego. In 1973, she brought together rowing organizations that share Mission Bay to create the San Diego Crew Classic regatta. ZLACs were instrumental in running a successful event, and ZLAC has been an integral part of the Crew Classic from its inception.
The club currently maintains 25-30 boats, including 8-person, 4-person, 2-person, and single shells. An 8-person rowing shell is typically 60 feet long and weighs about 200 lbs. A single rowing shell weighs about 23 lbs, and can be as narrow as 10 inches across.
ZLAC counts around 400 members, ranging in age from teens to nineties. Over the years, ZLAC programs have produced U.S. National Team members, top college rowers, Olympians, and thousands of recreational rowers. Promoting rowing and social activities among our members has always been at the heart of our mission.
About ZLAC's history:
"ZLAC Rowing Club, 1892-2007," The Journal of San Diego History 53, no. 3 (2007): 89-116, by historian Dr. Molly McClain.
“LENA, a Determined Woman,” by Marjorie N. Breitenbach, 1967, about founder Lena Polhamus.
Women’s Museum of California: "ZLAC Rowing Club"
Women’s Museum of California: "It Must Have Been Something In The Water"
“Founding a Classic” - How ZLAC’s Patty Wyatt was instrumental in the founding of San Diego’s Crew Classic regatta, by Susan Rezner.
Press:
ZLAC Rowing Club Adjusts to the Pandemic - KUSI News (January 19, 2021)
ZLAC Rowing Club to celebrate recent renovations with garden party - San Diego Community Newspaper Group (March 2, 2019)
Row, Row, Row Your Boat, Gently on The Bay! The women of the ZLAC Club get a grip on fitness, friendship - PB Monthly Magazine (July 20, 2017)
ZLAC Rowing Club in Pacific Beach Honors Former Olympians - Beach and Bay Press (February 1, 2024)
Interview with Olympian Rowers Tracy Eisser and Megan Kalmoe - Susan Taylor, formerly of NBC7 (January 13, 2024)