About Rowing

There have been numerous studies which prove, without doubt, the exceptional physical and emotional benefits of rowing. This excerpt from Outside Magazine just about sums it up:

"Most Alden rowers are looking for daily exercise, an alternative to running perhaps. In addition to its aerobic benefit, rowing calls into play the muscles in the legs, the arms, the back, and the stomach, making it a far more complete exercise than any landlocked foot pounding. There is remarkable satisfaction in the pull of the oars against the water, the surge of the boat through the waves, the gliding recovery as the oars whisper back across the surface for the next stroke. Add a sunny day and a graceful shoreline, and the sport becomes idyllic. Consequently, rowing's popularity is growing steadily, and dozens of competitors to the Alden have materialized. Still number 1 in sales, however, the Alden stands proudly alongside its imitators."

A Life in The Slow Lane

Your interest in the Alden may change your life. If you rowed in an eight-oared shell in school or college, you can remember the feeling of exhilaration and well being which a vigorous workout in the water can bring. Now you can enjoy this same feeling wherever there is water, whenever you like. If you have never rowed, or only rowed a dinghy out to a mooring, you have a treat coming. If you are a runner or a bicyclist, welcome to the quiet world of water. Here you’ll be far from the noise, exhaust, and danger of our crowded roadways. If exercise has always held as much appeal for you as a daily dose of cod liver oil; if you equate fitness with the tedium of sets, reps, sweats, and calorie counts, keep reading. If you are a philosopher, and not in too much of a hurry to stop and dream a little, picture yourself as an oarsman, in the calm of early evening, when the glaring sun has receded in the West, and with it the wind; you are gliding along through the clear water, arms, legs, and back moving in perfect rhythm, the silence complete but for the regular click of the oars in the oarlocks, and the water rippling and swirling away from the shell and the blades. Above your own aerobic breathing, you can hear a fish in the distance, slapping the water with his tail after a leap for a hapless prey. You will see your wake in the dim light, bubbling away in a straight line from under the stern, rising to a crescendo at the end of each stroke, and fading away at the start of the next one, and in the darkening sky above you will see a lone seagull returning to shore. You will not be in a hurry, for you already are where you want to be. You will not be bored, for the challenge of the sea is eternal. You will not be worried, for there is no room in the boat for the heavy burdens of life ashore. You will not disturb marine ecology, for your silent passage discharges no poisons on the water, nor harms a living thing. You will feel humble in the grandeur of your surroundings, but you will be envious of no man. You will be completely alone, but not lonely. You will have an inner glow and peace that neither power nor alcohol nor drugs can duplicate. You will be living.

From the book A Life in the Slow Lane by Arthur E. Martin N.A.

Learning to Row

Recreational rowing boats are stable and easy to row without fear of capsizing. Normal initial awkwardness is quickly replaced by fun. An easy-to-learn rowing guide is included with each boat we sell. As your rowing enjoyment continues, you can determine your need for additional instruction. Consider the excellent The Sculler at Ease book or Comprehensive Sculling video.

The Sculler at Ease

This book, by veteran rowing coach Frank Cunningham, is about learning on your own, how to develop the relaxed, seemingly spontaneous, classical style of the master sculler. He tells us, "The world of the sculler is topsy-turvy; forward is backward, right is left, up is down." And because of this, "we must place more reliance on what we feel and hear rather then on what we see." It's divided into three major sections: Fundamentals, Beyond Fundamentals and Mastery. - $20

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Last changed 04/05/04