Rowing Part 2 - Outdoor Rowing
By now, you’ve watched "The Boys in the Boat" movie and you’re ready to jump in a boat and win gold for USA, right? The reality is that rowing outdoors requires equipment (oars and a boat also called a shell), logistics (a calm body of water and cooperative weather) and lots of practice to learn the proper technique and balance. As opposed to rowing indoors on a machine, you cannot just watch some YouTube videos and be ready to row on the water!
Why bother with rowing on the water when you can get a perfectly good workout indoors? For starters, it is much more social than being alone on the Concept2 Erg. I’ve been with my rowing partner, Eric Atkins, for over 10 years, and there’s a bond that develops when you try to perfectly sync your movements with another person and work together to make a shell glide easily through water.
Because rowing together on the water requires a group of people to pull as one, there’s a special camaraderie among rowers. I got to witness this firsthand when I dropped by coach Martin Stacey’s house recently to meet some members of the Coeur d’Alene Rowing Club, a nonprofit organization that promotes our vibrant rowing community. They’re a fun group of rowing enthusiasts of all skill levels and we enjoyed socializing and bonding over outdoor rowing.
Another reason to choose outdoor rowing is improved mental health. Perhaps it’s the social aspect or being on water but a study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology found that rowing on the water in particular was associated with improved mood and decreased anxiety in adults.
Not only does rowing on the water increase strength and fitness, it’s also just plain beautiful. I got to witness this beauty on a recent Saturday morning on Wolf Lodge Bay when I watched Isaiah and his brother, Elijah Harrison, row together in a double scull. In Isaiah’s words, “Rowing is a sport of satisfaction. It’s a very beautiful, symmetrical, fluid sport. Whenever you watch it performed, especially at high levels, it just looks fluid and the motion is effortless and just easy even though somebody’s spending seven minutes with their heart rate at 200 and their lactic acid is building up enough to kill a small animal.”
As you recall from my last article, Isaiah is not only a world-record holder on the erg but is arguably the most under-recognized current athlete in our area. I caught up with him just after he returned from the Olympic trials, where he was the youngest competitor in the finals of the single scull and just missed a shot at going to the Olympics this summer in Paris. Mark my words, he will someday be the first American to win an Olympic gold medal in the single scull in over 100 years since Jack Kelly (who, interestingly, was also the father of Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco) won it in 1920.
For now, Isaiah plans to train on Lake Coeur d’Alene with his younger brother for the U.S. national team trials and U23 Worlds this summer before heading off to Dartmouth College in the fall.
According to Isaiah, he’s excited to train with his brother and “to tell an American story however it turns out. Idaho doesn’t have a lot of representation in the rowing scene. So let’s bring some medals back for the U.S. and let’s bring some medals back for Idaho.” So when you’re out on the lake this summer, you might catch a glimpse of Isaiah and Elijah doing some beautiful rowing. It’s OK to cheer them on, but don’t get too close — rowers hate boat wakes.
THE GOOD: As Isaiah says, rowing is “just this symphony of power and grace and it’s really impressive.” And we’re fortunate to not only live surrounded by bodies of water but to have the amazing CDA Rowing Club to help guide anyone who wants to experience rowing in its truest form.
THE BAD: In addition to oars and a shell, rowing on the water takes practice and dedication to hone the technique. And like any outdoor sport, the weather sometimes dictates when it’s possible to row.
THE NITTY GRITTY: Although rowing on the water requires much more skill than rowing on a machine indoors, it comes with added benefits and if you’re interested in outdoor rowing, now’s the perfect time to get started. Learn to Row classes are filling up fast and the Juniors program starts in June. Go to cdarowing.org for all the details.
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Dr. Emry is a family physician and partner at Ironwood Family Practice in Coeur d’Alene. Exercise Explorer MD will appear every other week in The Press and Dr. Emry can be contacted via email exercisexplorermd@gmail.com. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY-ND 4.0 license.
The Coeur d'Alene rowing crew. Back row from left, Eric Atkins, Sherry Wood, Elizabeth Comisac and Helga Brown. Front rpow from left, Josie Deuel, Coach Martin Stacey, Mary Leaff and Caden DiShanni.