{"id":232705,"date":"2026-04-15T13:31:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T13:31:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/232705\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T13:31:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T13:31:29","slug":"miami-rower-captains-team-miami-in-national-ecoathletes-conservation-awareness-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/232705\/","title":{"rendered":"Miami rower captains \u2018Team Miami\u2019 in national EcoAthletes conservation awareness competition"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Photo Credit: Miami Athletics<\/p>\n

On the waterways of Miami Beach, where dolphins swim alongside boats and starfish rest idly beneath the surface, Miami rower Sophia Philipp trains.<\/p>\n

Her oars cut clean through the water as the junior pushes through another practice with the UM rowing team, the rhythm of each stroke as steady as the current beneath her.<\/p>\n

But this season \u2014 her third competing under Miami\u2019s banner \u2014 her focus hasn\u2019t just been on the water.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been on something bigger.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Philipp now captains \u201cTeam Miami\u201d alongside Miami teammate Maria Mastrando in the EcoAthletes Collegiate Cup. Transforming physical activity into environmental currency, it\u2019s an international competition that funds beach and ocean clean-ups.\u00a0<\/p>\n

EcoAthletes, a nonprofit founded in 2020, works with professional, Olympic and collegiate athletes to turn their platforms into tools for climate advocacy. Through mentorship, media training and networking opportunities, the organization helps athletes find their voice on an issue many have traditionally avoided.<\/p>\n

For Philipp, the mission isn\u2019t abstract. It\u2019s inseparable from the sport she spends hours immersed in each day.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy sport wouldn\u2019t be possible without clean oceans, without a clean environment,\u201d Philipp said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Before discovering EcoAthletes, she said her passion for rowing and sustainability existed in separate spaces. One was defined by discipline and competition, the other by personal interest and advocacy.<\/p>\n

\u201cAthletics and my sustainability work always felt like two separate lives,\u201d Philipp said. \u201cBeing able to [merge] those two has just been a surreal experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Founder and CEO of EcoAthletes, Lewis Blaustein, launched the organization with the goal of having athletes lead climate change activism.<\/p>\n

Blaustein believes athletes hold a unique cultural influence \u2014 one capable of shaping conversations far beyond the field, court or water.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAthletes are the most influential humans on the planet, [and] they have led on all manner of social issues,\u201d he said. \u201cMuhammad Ali, Billie Jean King, Colin Kaepernick, Megan Rapinoe \u2014 and yet we don\u2019t have the Megan Rapinoes or Muhammad Ali\u2019s of climate [change].\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Photo Credit: Sophia Phillip \/\/ Miami\u2019s Hurricanes rowers Sophia Phillip and Maria Mastrando pose ahead of a competition.<\/p>\n

Part of that absence, he said, stems from hesitation. Climate change can feel too political, too scientific or too polarizing for athletes to publicly engage with. EcoAthletes aims to change that by guiding athletes from being \u201cclimate curious\u201d to becoming leaders in the space.<\/p>\n

For Philipp, joining that movement meant finding a sense of belonging she didn\u2019t realize was missing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s almost like finding your perfect little niche,\u201d she beamed. \u201cLike a missing puzzle piece.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

That connection is especially tangible in Miami, where the environment isn\u2019t just a concept, but a daily reality.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone sees the University of Miami \u2014 beach, palm trees, dolphins,\u201d Philipp said. \u201cBut only if we\u2019re willing to sustain that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through the Collegiate Cup, that idea becomes action. Participants log their workouts through an app, and each step, stroke or mile contributes to environmental funding efforts supported by organizations like Ocean Conservancy. In its first year of competition, Team Miami has already climbed into the top tier among nearly 50 schools nationwide.<\/p>\n

\u201cSophia drives enthusiasm and curiosity for what EcoAthletes is doing and what the Collegiate Cup is about,\u201d Blaustein said. \u201cAnd Miami is in the top tier in its first year.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Blaustein, the goal extends beyond competition or visibility. It\u2019s about how the organization can harness the emotional pull of sports. Turning the intensity, loyalty and connection that makes sports today so compelling can drive real, equitable change.<\/p>\n

That idea often returns to the same waters where Philipp trains.<\/p>\n

Between early morning practices and long rows through Miami Beach\u2019s intercoastal, the environment is not just a backdrop. It is a constant presence. Something seen, felt and protected.<\/p>\n

Every time she cuts through the water, she moves through an ecosystem she has come to understand, depend on and now, actively fight to protect.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an honor to even be a part of it,\u201d Philipp smiled.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And in the water, that mission isn\u2019t distant or abstract \u2014 it\u2019s right beneath her, moving with every stroke.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Photo Credit: Miami Athletics<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Photo Credit: Miami Athletics On the waterways of Miami Beach, where dolphins swim alongside boats and starfish rest…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":232706,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[123,125,124],"class_list":["post-232705","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232705","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232705"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232705\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/232706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232705"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=232705"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232705"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}