For the Townsman
It was a cool and blustery day in Vernon on Saturday, June 14, when the Vernon Rowing Regatta commenced. Among 30 crews from centres as far apart as Vancouver to the Cariboo and the East Kootenay were two crews representing Cranbrook's Rockies Rowing Club.
Four young ladies, members of the Rockies Rowing Club, learned to row and train on Jimsmith Lake this year in double scull racing boats owned by the club. They worked hard to gain their skills under dedicated organization and coaching by Roberta Rodgers.
They were out on the water at 6:30 or 7 a.m. most mornings and many evenings and eventually met with good success at Vernon as well as gaining invaluable experience.
The girls raced in double sculls over a distance of 3,500 metres and finished ahead of a number of entries.
This race was a major test of endurance for everyone with difficult wind conditions. The second race was a 500 metres sprint and our girls were in a four seat sculling boat called a quad. This was a difficult race for them, being in a different sort of boat and no time to become familiar with it.
Plans for the future include racing at the BC Summer Games in Nanaimo, July 17 to 20, as well as other regattas in the area.
On the second day of the regatta there were technical training sessions including one-on-one coaching which provided important experience. The whole exercise was orchestrated by the principal coach, Roberta Rodgers.
The Rockies Rowing club is supported by a small but dedicated group of local enthusiasts led by Rodgers. It have three doubles and two singles with the capability of providing adaptive rowing for handicapped oarsmen. Rowing is an exciting sport and an excellent way to use all the muscles in your body at a rate that suits each individual.
The program includes learn to row classes lasting approximately six hours on the water and then novices as well as experienced rowers can row together or singly for recreation or upgrading to racing standards.
All interested people are welcome to come and see the boats and talk about the sport by contacting Roberta at 250 489 0174 or Brian Passey at 250 489 2220 (numscull@shaw.ca). Lessons can also be arranged at that time.