Experience: Rowing for beginners? Sign us up. . .
POV: you’ve lived in Cambridge for eight years and have never rowed a stroke. . . until now. Signing her up for a beginner’s session with Cambridge Rowing Experience, based at the city’s Kimberley Road boathouse, Velvet throws writer Riadh Falvo in at the deep end
We were asked to meet at 10am on Sunday; I was rushing, but early, so as I got nearer the river and realised this, I slowed down and sat on a bench. Keen, curious. . . cautiously observing the commotion across the Cam.
I’ve lived in Cambridge for eight years, and for the first few months lived just off Chesterton Road in student housing near the boathouses, always curious, never quite committing.
While sitting on the bench, I recalled the words of Aleeyah Marrero: “There is no preparation for what you will experience through this sport. When I started my time at Row NY, I expected myself to show up to practice every day, to sit in a boat and move a paddle with the expectation of the boat moving fast.
“In reality, when you pick up your handle, your heart will race faster than you ever thought it ever could. Rowing will become your passion. That passion won’t diminish with time. It will grow every day. With every stroke. . .”
So, there I was, sitting on a bench across from the commotion, keen, curious, still cautious and about to commit to a day of rowing with Omar Terywall, founder of Cambridge Rowing Experience, and six strangers – knowing that it might just become a passion.
I stopped on the bridge and observed the boats sweeping past; the crews feeling the thrill of the swing that was palpable even from my point of view. This is something Omar would later tell me he used to do too. Observe from the bridge, from afar.
Arriving early meant that I had exclusive access to our Lower Boats Captain, so I asked him to tell me a little more about the Cambridge Rowing Experience and why he launched the venture nearly four years ago.
“I was captivated by the sight of boats gliding along the River Cam and would often stand on the footbridge, admiring them. I initially assumed rowing was a ‘university-only’ sport, but I eventually discovered that wasn’t the case.
“Even so, it took a lot of courage to take that first step and reach out — and it’s been an incredible journey ever since. My dream was to make rowing more widely accessible, and now, here we are!”
There we were indeed and, with the rest of the crew arriving, it was time to hit the gym. After introductions were made, we headed upstairs to begin our lessons. Any rower will describe the ergometer - or erg for short – as a torture device, but I did not find this to
be the case at all as Omar gently guided us through our strokes on the rowing machines, familiarising us with the motions and some of the commands he would be using on the river.
He also took this opportunity to assess our strengths, determining which positions we would take in the boat. Apparently, during this exercise I exhibited good rhythm, because I was chosen to be the stroke or person seated closest to the stern.
It was not until we were seated, feet firmly gripped in the attached sneakers (no escape then), that I was informed that as the stroke I would be responsible for setting the pace or stroke rate for the rest of the crew. Somewhat hilariously in hindsight, it became quickly evident once we got on the river that I had left that rhythm far, far behind at the boathouse!
Despite his misplaced belief in my tempo, Omar proved to be a brilliant coxswain that more than made up for me nearly missing my head with the handle of my oar several times. While I caught a crab - the name given to a misstroke, resulting in an oar either getting stuck in the water or missing it altogether - and held onto my hat, Omar thankfully did not miss a beat, calling out commands to the rest of the crew, beautifully orchestrating the positions of our blades in the water, and sometimes. . . it all came together.
Sometimes we were even ‘in swing’, as it is referred to, and for just that once, or twice, I think it safe to say, we all felt the magic of it simultaneously, the eight of us propelling the boat forward as one.
Join the Crew
Resolved to fill this year with new experiences? Your first Cambridge Rowing Experience can be booked on Saturdays and Sundays, 10am-1pm, priced £65 per person. After that, Omar operates a flexible ‘pay as you row’ model, so you can join as and when you want to. Cambridge Rowing Experience is based at the boathouse on Kimberley Road, Cambridge CB4 1HJ. To find out more or book an appointment, head to cambridgerowing.com or call 01223 665000.
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