San Diego Rowing Club is hoping if it builds it, the wounded warriors will come. San Diego is home to a large concentration of wounded military personnel due to Naval Medical Center San Diego (widely known as Balboa Hospital). SDRC wants to help these men and women recover through rowing. “It’s a way for us to do some outreach and give back,” said club member Cathy Kemper. “It’s minor, but it’s something to help these guys and gals to recover. We believe firmly in our sport. The teamwork is something that really resonates with the military. They have been taught to work together and to depend on each other. And, rowing shares those values with the military. “It’s a natural transition. Plus, the repetitive and non-impact aspects of rowing, I think, are going to be very good for rehabilitation. I think that it’s something that is in the reach of many wounded warriors.” SDRC was granted funds to purchase special equipment to ensure the accessibility of rowing to wounded veterans, including those with amputations and other serious injuries. “We are really looking forward to that being funded and getting that equipment and getting more people in the water,” Kemper said. “It’s a learning process on both sides, but we are excited about it.” Recently, SDRC witnessed adaptive rowing in action. The group volunteered at Paralympic Military Sports Camps held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista. Sixty wounded warriors from across America, Britain and Israel were introduced to a variety of summer and winter sport opportunities, including rowing. “We put them on the ergometers [rowing machines] first and put them on the water,” Kemper said. “It was really a joy to see how some of them really took to it, particularly the more seriously wounded ones. They were able to get out on the water and glide around. And, it was hard to get them to come back. They took off in these little single boats. “You could see the tenacity out there. You could see that they were really getting a lot out of the effort and out of the reward for their efforts. You could see that it was really a good thing for them, so that was really inspirational.” Kemper said the event refocused the club’s determination to offer rowing to the wounded warriors community, and SDRC has set many goals. The club aims to have the wounded veterans as permanent members of the club. The SDRC also wants to organize eight people to row at the San Diego Crew Classic — in an adaptive event — in April 2011. “Another goal would be, in early February at San Diego Rowing Club, we will be having a satellite competition, which is a worldwide competition on ergometers,” Kemper said. “During December to March, the rowing communities, in most places, are off the water because the water is all frozen. So people train on these rowing machines. “Years ago, a group started this competition. It was kind of tongue-in-cheek, but it has grown. We have a satellite competition here. We are hoping to have a full team of adaptive rowers for that event.” SDRC’s collaboration with wounded warriors rowing is an ever-evolving effort. “We are so excited about it. And, we are working hard to connect with Balboa Hospital and their people there,” Kemper said. “As a club, I think we can do this and everyone has been humbled and inspired on so many levels because of what they’ve done and what they are doing for the country. This is a great opportunity for us to support them.” San Diego Rowing Club is located at 1220 El Carmel Place on Mission Bay. For more information, visit www.sandiegorowing.org.