Posted on 27. Jun, 2007 | Posted in Miscellany | Posted by Courtney | 1 Comment

Learning to Scull

Vintage Sculling Photo from 1934

Vintage Sculling Photo from 1934

Last year, I talked my husband Cliff into joining me at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center’s Learn To Row Day. I had already rowed about 200,000 meters (or about 124 miles) on my Concept II erg, and was anxious to try out rowing on water. It was a chilly, drizzly spring day, but I had so much fun. I decided right then that I needed to take a rowing class and/or buy myself a shell. Cliff was very supportive, as we figured this would be a great way to (sort of) spend time together, as he would prefer to be under the water diving, I could be on the surface, rowing to my heart’s content.

Yesterday was the first day of my sculling class on the Connecticut River with Carin Reynolds of the Upper Valley Rowing Foundation. This time the weather was hazy, hot and humid. It was very tempting to tip the boat as an excuse to get into the water. (The Dartmouth students that were diving off the docks, weren’t helping matters.)

Despite the obvious distractions, Carin taught us the basics of the the perfect stroke, how to get the oars into the oarlocks, river etiquette, how to get into and out of the boat, as well as how to turn and row backwards.

The fluid motion that is synonymous with rowing and sculling is much harder than it looks.

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  1. Twisted Stitches · Rowing & River Etiquette - 11. Jul, 2007

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