THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, September 11, 1995 TAG: 9509090050
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SERIES: FITNESS QUEST
SOURCE: BY DICK BAYER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines
IT'S A WONDERFUL feeling, that first pull on the oars that sends the scull skimming across the water.
It's unlike anything I felt as an aging runner. I'll spare you those painful memories. And it certainly isn't anything like the mindless state of suspension I feel while pulling laps in a pool.
It's not a thrill. That would be hyping it a bit. Let's call it anticipation. That's it, anticipation - the first move away from the dock, riding just inches above the water. I'll be out there soon with the birds and the fish.
I'm a recreational sculler. I row an Alden Ocean Shell. It's a ``double,'' meaning two people could row at one time. But I always row alone, and don't plan to change anytime soon. If you like to do things alone, I recommend rowing.
My old Alden is a stable, lumbering scow, compared to the expensive, needle-like competition sculls rowed by other members of the Hampton Roads Rowing Club. But it's fast enough for me. Better yet, it gets me out on the water for a bit of soul renewal.
The club is at a bend in the Lafayette River near the Colley Avenue Bridge in Norfolk. If there is a strong northeast wind, it smacks you in the face, commanding respect before you get on the water. During a really good blow, the water splashes on the dock. I've gone back home disappointed many times.
But most days, the Lafayette is quiet - placid, if not pristine - and welcoming. And I get to feel that first pull on the oars.
I like going upstream. I row past a marker at the mouth of Knitting Mill Creek, along Mayflower Road in Colonial Place, past the old Lafayette Yacht Club, looking like the ruins of some long-abandoned civilization, under the Granby Street Bridge, past a house in Riverview with a yellow awning and toward the boat ramp at City Park.
I can work up a sweat pretty fast in the summer. I try to concentrate on rowing, but the distractions of the awakening world always intrude. There's a fat guy taking his morning run along Mayflower. Would I beat him in a race? He on land, me in the scull. My friend Mike has parked his car outside his house. It's 6:35 a.m. I wonder if he's awake. Nice dog that woman is walking.
The Canada geese that feed at the zoo come honking in a few feet above the water. They stay here all year, practicing to migrate, but never straying too far from a good meal.
Slim-necked cormorants are here during cool weather. They're great divers. I watch them go under and try and guess where they'll surface.
And brown pelicans occasionally range up the Lafayette, looking for food. They come in over the boat, and look down to check me out. They are big, curious birds given to spectacular nose dives into the river when they spot fish.
But enough of nature and back to rowing. Is it for you?
First the problems: The initial expense can be an impediment. Good racing sculls can cost almost $4,000. Recreational sculls are about about half that. But don't let that discourage you. I found mine about 10 years ago through the want ads and paid about $1,000, including a set of English wooden oars. It was a bargain.
Just getting there can be another problem. If you don't live near the water, belong to a rowing club or have a friend with waterfront property, you'll have to buy racks for your car. And you'll have to do some lifting.
But let's say you're lucky. You have some extra cash, find a good, secondhand boat and have easy access to the water.
Great. You're all set to go.
I've always thought rowing was a sport that came naturally, like swimming. That's because, as a kid, I spent a lot of time in rowboats. If you don't feel the same way, the good folks at the Hampton Roads Rowing Club will be glad to introduce you to the sport before you make an investment. They are very friendly, understanding and patient.
The key to the whole thing is the scull's sliding seat. It allows you to use coil up and to use the force of your entire body - your legs, back and arms - to make an easy sweep.
Back again with the seat sliding on tracks under you. Your knees are bent and your arms outstretched. Push with your legs and pull with your arms. Easy, now. No need to hurry when you're first learning the sport.
You can hurt yourself if you're not patient enough to learn your body's limitations as you work into a routine.
Rowing is a sport for all personalities. You may be like me. Let your mind wander and watch the birds. Look at the fat guy running along the shore. Or you may want to get serious. You're at Henley. The crowds are cheering, the voice of your inner coxswain is shouting, ``Pull, pull, pull.'' MEMO: For more information about instruction and competition, call James L.
Thomson of the Hampton Roads Rowing Club at 451-8488. The club has
locations in Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Portsmouth.
ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
BILL TIERNAN/Staff
Dick Bayer rows in an old Alden Ocean Shell in the early morning
hours on the Lafayette River.
by CNB