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Want to try your hand at rowing?

Boathouse classes attract a diverse crowd

From left, Michael Starkey of Fairfield, Christina Hawkley of Hanover Twp., Max Eck of Hamilton and staff writer Everdeen Mason take a beginner’s class at the Great Miami Rowing Center.

Staff photo by Samantha Grier From left, Michael Starkey of Fairfield, Christina Hawkley of Hanover Twp., Max Eck of Hamilton and staff writer Everdeen Mason take a beginner’s class at the Great Miami Rowing Center.

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By Everdeen Mason, Staff Writer 1:42 AM Saturday, September 19, 2009

HAMILTON — Since 2007, the Great Miami Rowing Center has been introducing the sport to people from all over southwest Ohio as a way to boost Hamilton’s image.

GMRC’s boathouse, located on B Street, is part of the Vision 2020 plan, which was “put together in the late 1990s to plan for the future,” said Nancy Wiley, chair of the Vision Commission.

“One of the plans was to have a boathouse and rowing team ... this is just another way to encourage people to come into town,” she said.

GMRC’s rowing programs include youth, college and adult teams that have already attracted nearly 100 people, said GMRC rowing coach Emilie Graham.

Executive director of GMRC Frances Mennone said it’s challenging to attract a community to a new sport.

“It’s a matter of educating the population on what rowing is about,” she said.

GMRC’s Learn to Row class is a tool to bait new rowers. In August, I rowed in the Learn to Row class for eight weeks to see if rowing is truly a sport that can appeal to a diverse community.

My teammates included a cyclist and mother of two, a physically fit company president and a quiet woman with two grown kids and a health condition that prevented her from most other workouts.

The first week had me skeptical. It required a lot of upper body strength, which none of us were prepared for, and a lot of setup and equipment. Once we got on the water, everyone became very positive, and all of the hard work was worth it. More exciting, we “ordinary” people were able to row.

“The point is to be able to provide services for everyone,” Mennone said. “We’re trying to capture interest ... and make (Hamilton) fun for people to live in.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2192 or emason@coxohio.com.

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