About Sykes Racing North America    
       
  For those unfamiliar, it's probably best to start by saying that all Sykes boats are made in our factory in Geelong, Australia (about one hour's drive southwest of Melbourne). The North American operation handles all delivery, billing, and post-sales services for Sykes. North American customers do not need to contact the factory. And when we speak of the North American operation, we're pretty much talking about Tom Gallagher.

Tom Gallagher became the North American agent for Sykes with the first container of boats that arrived in 2003. A rower, coach, and boat man of 10 years at the time, Tom was disappointed with the quality of the craftsmanship of the boats his club had compared to those he had raced in Australia in the 1990s. When inquiring about getting Sykes for his club, he was confronted with challenges from his club's board that were very reasonable: what about product support? That began a conversation between Tom and Jeff Lawrence (who took over as managing director when Jeff Sykes sold the Sykes Racing in 2001) that resulted in Tom becoming the North American agent for Sykes.

    
     
     
 
 
 
 
         
   
   
Tom (left and facing camera) as a coach with the Rio Salado Rowing Club in 2003
    
         
    Recognising that the history of running overseas sales operations is spotty at best for all boatbuilders, Tom and Jeff Lawrence identified several key points of emphasis in the venture to establish a strong presence in the US and Canada:    
   
- timely delivery of custom-made boats at competitive prices
    
   
- a supply of parts in North America
    
   
- availability of repairs and sales services in North America
    
   
- an moderate inventory of boats in North America to allow for quick delivery whenever possible
    
         
    In 2006, Sykes Racing North America moved its warehouse and repair shop into Philadelphia. The purchase of the new location was a big move, and we hope that it displays our long-standing commitment to our customers in North America    
         
    North American Performance History    
 

With approximately 250 boats in North America by the end of 2007, there are many top achievements that our customers here have enjoyed. At the elite international level, American crews have raced in Sykes pairs, doubles, and fours; with world championship appearances in the LW2x, LM2-, W2-, M2x, and LW4-. The top achievement was the USA W2- rowing to a silver in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Few of our customers will ever race at that level, and so it may be more useful to consider the successess of our customers in national competitions. Unfortunately we've not done a very good job of keeping track of the numerous success our customers have enjoyed. We're working at putting together a comprehensive list of top finishes at events like the USRowing Championship events (Clubs, Elites, Youth, and Masters) as well as events like IRAs, NCAAs, Scholastic Nationals, Royal Canadian Henley, and the Dad Vail Regatta.In summary, though, athletes have won in every boat class from singles to eights in highly competitive events like the Head fo the Charles and the Royal Canadian Henley. The event at which our customers have enjoyed the highest percentage of victories is likely to be the junior and high school events where Sykes have been used regularly by championship crews.

   
   
   
   
Tom in the repair shop at the Sykes NA facility in Philadelphia.