Coastal Orthopedics, home to a team of musculoskeletal physicians specializing in joint replacement, hand and wrist, foot and ankle, shoulder and elbow, sports medicine, spine care, diagnostic imaging and physical therapy, recently announced Dr. Sara Simmons, board-certified and fellowship trained orthopedic surgeon specializing in hand and wrist surgery, will represent the practice as she heads to Banyoles, Spain, to compete in the World Rowing Masters Regatta taking place on Sept. 10-14, 2025.
The World Rowing Masters Regatta is an annual competition for rowers ages 27 and older. Events are organized by age categories, beginning with Category A for participants aged 27, and extending through Category M for crews with an average age of 89 or older.
Each race is contested as a standalone event, with medals awarded directly to the winners rather than through a progression system. The regatta takes place over four days, concluding with races featuring mixed crews.
“At this stage in my rowing journey, it’s really about having fun and enjoying the sport I love without the pressure of elite competition,” said Dr. Simmons. “The World Rowing Masters Regatta brings a unique challenge, with co-ed crews and boats that span wide age ranges, which makes the racing both competitive and refreshing. I’m excited for the chance to embrace that spirit in Spain and to celebrate how rowing continues to connect people at every stage of life.”
Dr. Simmons brings an accomplished rowing background to the international stage, with a career that includes a silver medal at the 1994 Pan American Games; a gold medal at the 1995 World Rowing Championships in Lake Kaukajärvi, Tampere, Finland (Women’s Lightweight Coxless Four); and a gold medal that same year at the U.S. Collegiate Nationals, while a senior at Harvard University. She also received a bronze medal at the 1996 World Rowing Championships in Strathclyde, Glasgow in Great Britain, again competing in the Women’s Lightweight Coxless Four. She went on to earn another bronze medal at the 1996 World Rowing Championships in Strathclyde, Glasgow in Scotland, again competing in the Women’s Lightweight Coxless Four.
“It’s a lot of hard work,” said Dr. Simmons. “The training camps, the hours of training and the cutting weight. Some people are better suited for that. One of my boatmates made it as a spare in the 2000 Olympics.”
Outside of the operating room, Dr. Simmons remains connected to rowing by volunteering her medical expertise on a regular basis at Nathan Benderson Park (NBP), a recreational destination offering a wide range of activities, including world-class rowing events.
Earlier this year, Dr. Simmons was invited to serve as the on-site physician for the B1G TEN Women’s Rowing Invitational Regatta at Nathan Benderson Park (NBP), where she served as deputy medical director. As one of the premier cross-conference rowing events in the country, now in its fifth year, it remains the nation’s leading NCAA regular-season regatta. In addition to her medical role, Dr. Simmons also returned to competing, helping lead her crew to victory at the Sarasota Invitational Regatta.
Dr. Simmons received her undergraduate degree in Biology from Harvard University and worked under the Massachusetts Arthritis Foundation in the Orthopedic gene therapy lab for the Harvard Center for Molecular Orthopaedics. She also completed an internship in general surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
About Coastal Orthopedics
Founded in 1973 and based in Bradenton, Fla., Coastal Orthopedics is home to 16 orthopedic specialists who maintain hospital affiliations with HCA Florida Blake Hospital, HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital, Lakewood Ranch Medical Center and Manatee Memorial Hospital. In addition to three offices and one ambulatory surgery center each servicing Florida’s West Coast, Coastal Orthopedics’ board-certified and fellowship-trained physicians and surgeons provide patients with the very latest in orthopedic treatment technology. The company strives to repair and heal injuries relating to the entire musculoskeletal system.
For more than 50 years, Coastal Orthopedics’ highly skilled staff of physicians and surgeons has treated patients in specialty care, including sports medicine, joint replacement and rehabilitation. Patients can experience restoration of function both surgically and non-surgically through the use of physician-guided strengthening, therapy, medications, injections and stretching. For more information, please visit CoastalOrthopedics.com or call 941-792-1404.
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[Photo 1 attached: Dr. Simmons and her team at the Sarasota Invitational] [Photo 2 attached: Dr. Simmons]For more information, please contact:
Kate De Michieli
Two recent media features highlighting Dr. Simmons and her participation in the World Rowing Masters Regatta in Banyoles, Spain:
