San Diego Rowing Club will be holding monthly no-cost, one-day community learn-to-row events starting in early 2025.

The club also partners with youth groups such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, The Wave Football Club, and Promises2Kids to offer them rowing instruction.

Located at 1220 El Carmel Place on Mission Bay, SDRC’s mission is to provide opportunities for rowing at all levels fostering recreation, competition, fitness, camaraderie, and the growth of the sport.

The first rowing club in San Diego, named the Excelsior Rowing and Swim Club, formed in 1888 not long after California became a state in 1850, noted Marny Jaastad, SDRC’s board president.

SDRC started small originally, noted the club’s executive director, Chris Callaghan. “Back in the day we might have had the mayor and a couple of dozen members downtown,” he said. “Now we’re back up to about 500 members.”

Callahan noted rowing has grown much over the years, especially among youth and women. He added that SDRC presently has about 150 middle and high school kids in its rowing programs. “For middle schoolers, it’s very recreational,” he said of their experience.

“But for high school kids, it’s competitive with training six days a week and races eight to 10 times during the school year,” he added.

SDRC’s next learn-to-row event will be Saturday, Jan. 11, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. “We put them (pupils) in rowing machines on land to show them the basics,” Callaghan said. “Then we let them all go out on boats in the water and let them play out in the Cove.”

Callaghan said SDRC likes to get about 40 people out for the club’s learn-to-row events, which he added are “more about exposure and the sport opening up to the community getting people to try something new and different.”

Charging a monthly fee, SDRC offers junior rowing programs for ages seventh grade through high school. Callaghan added the club also offers mentor-mentee rowing programs with youth groups like Big Brothers Big Sisters, The Wave Football Club, and Promises2Kids.

“We teach them (students) how to be safe in the boat and to navigate the bay,” noted Callaghan. “We work on their techniques until they get efficient. Once they’re cleared by the coach to be safe on the water, they can row with the club or with other groups.”

Callaghan noted rowers benefit from developing strength exercising while rowing pointing out practicing the sport is “good for the body and soul.”

Jaastad concurred, that adding rowing is beneficial for numerous reasons. “Besides beautiful sunrises/sunsets on the water, it’s good for the camaraderie of teammates,” she said. “It’s also a complete cardiovascular workout providing flexibility and strength training all in one.” She added it doesn’t hurt for rowers to be early birds, as training and races often begin early mornings.

Of the club’s learn-to-row events, Jaastad said: “We ask community organizations who might be interested in working with us to come out to our one-day events. We’re looking to expose parts of the community that might never have had a chance to try this.”

If your organization is interested in rowing or San Diego Rowing Club’s learn-to-row events, contact Chris Callaghan at [email protected].

HISTORY OF ROWING

Rowing, sometimes called crew, is the sport of racing boats using oars. Rowing is divided into two disciplines: sculling and sweep rowing. There are several boat classes in which athletes may compete, ranging from one-person single sculls to shells with eight rowers and a coxswain. There is a wide variety of course types and formats of racing, but most elite and championship-level racing is conducted on calm water courses 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) long with several lanes.

Modern rowing as a competitive sport can be traced to the early 17th century when water professionals held races (regattas) on the River Thames in London, England. Often prizes were offered. Amateur rowing competition began towards the end of the 18th century with the arrival of “boat clubs” at British public schools. Clubs were formed at colleges within Oxford and Cambridge.

Male rowers have competed since the 1900 Summer Olympics. Women’s rowing was added to the Olympic program in 1976. Additionally, the sport’s governing body, the World Rowing Federation, holds the annual World Rowing Championships with 22 boat classes. Across six continents, 150 countries now have rowing federations that participate in the sport.