CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WNCN) — Rebuilding efforts continue well over a month after Chantal hit parts of central North Carolina and the Triangle.
For the UNC rowing team, they’re starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel after their dock was swept away and destroyed and the coaches’ boats were bent in half.
“It’s actually better than it was before the storm happened,” UNC rowing head coach Austin Work said.
CBS17 caught up with Work a month after our original story to see the progress.
PREVIOUSLY: ‘Lift while we climb’: UNC men’s rowing team rebuilding after Chantal
The grass is growing again, the water path has been cleared and a new dock has been built.
“The guys, they want to race,” Work said. “Like that’s what they want to do, so we’re not going to get held back.”
Initially, repairs were going to cost the team about $35,000. As a club team, these athletes typically do not get money from the university, so they set their eyes to fundraising.
The team successfully raised about $30,000.
A day after CBS17’s story aired in July, UNC granted the team $21,000 in relief funds to fix the dock.
“This was like night and day,” Work said. “Totally excited because we thought we were going to have to raise 100% of it, and they came back and said, ‘Nah you guys, we got you don’t worry.’”
Now, they are using the overflow of funds to become durable against any storm.
“Things like a better anchoring system. So we’re going to put some much stronger anchors out on the sides with some cables that go towards the dock itself,” Work said. “We’re also going to have a little bit of a more substantial ramp here so it will rise and fall with the dock.”
The team is even in the works of building a new platform for extra training and conditioning.
“We drew up the plan, came out here, dug some holes, planted the posts,” Work said. “Yesterday we had guys out there for six hours in between classes.”
The manual labor is done by the team, testing their motto “Lift while we work.”
“The guys are ready, whether its because they were carrying lumber to get this done or because they’re ready to go,” said Work. “They’re ready.”
Their first meet is in October in High Point.
