After training indoors all winter, members of the South Cariboo Rowing Club were back on the water on April 23 at Watson Lake.
This season, they will be benefiting from the expertise of former Olympic rower Cheryl Howard who is currently living in Forest Grove, and has committed to coaching the Learn to Row program.
"She will be a great asset to what we're doing here," says club head coach Jack Jenkins.
The program will be offered on June 4-5 and those who are 12 years and older are eligible to sign up. Jenkins explains the two-day course is a pre-requisite for joining the rowing club activities and it teaches people the important basics of the sport.
"It's an introduction to rowing as a sport and a recreational activity. Rowing is a great fitness activity with a recreational and competitive side to it, depending on the person's choice."
Cost for the course is $180 for adults and $100 for youths.
Howard helped coach two teams that competed in March at a couple of head races in False Creek and Langley in the Lower Mainland.
In False Creak, the junior girls' boat, with Lauren Sortome, Jill Matlock, Jemma Van Osch and Lauren Runge, had a first-place finish in their event, while the men's double, with Jenkins and John Sortome, flipped their boat before finishing their race.
"It was cold," Jack says, adding a rescue boat reached them quickly.
Some of the junior members of the club are currently training for the Delta Deas Rowing Club High School Regatta, which takes place in May in Delta.
"This will put them up against some of the best rowers their age in B.C.," says Jenkins.
In general, the club is concentrating on a membership drive and for youths who would like to take up rowing as a summer activity. The club will offer four sessions for juniors per week when the program gets rolling.
For information about club programs, contact Jenkins at 250-791- 6463.
