Racing for Bill

Bill's friend and teammate Greg Ansolabehere

Oklahoma City National High Performance center athletes traveled to New Jersey last week to take part in the first selection regatta in the four-year cycle that will eventually lead to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. The race took on a greater meaning for OKC rowers who took the time to remember their teammate Bill Schnittman who passed away in December.

Schnittman, a former University of Michigan standout rower, who had aspirations of competing in the Olympics, was tragically gunned down and killed in a murder-suicide on December 21st, 2012. He was 25 years old.

Bill was a member of Michigan's national champion rowing squad from 2008 to 2010. Soon after that time, he made the move to Oklahoma City upon graduating in order to train at the OKC National High Performance Center.

OKC Rowers Grant James and Mike Gennaro

The rowers decided to dedicate this first race of the year to Bill by wearing a unisuit created by JL Design with Bill’s own signature on the chest.  Special thanks go to Dre Gutierrez at JL for helping us make this uni to honor Bill.


To learn more about the William A. “Bill” Schnittman Memorial Scholarship, including 
how to make a contribution, visit okc-nhpc.org, email okcbf@okcbf.org or call (405) 552-4040.