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The rowers who cruise up and down the Norwalk River make it look easy, with their long graceful strokes and unison effort. If you've ever thought about joining them, the Norwalk River Rowing Association's open house Saturday might be a good time to get your feet wet. (Figuratively!)
If you haven't done it before, that's the whole point. Masters rowers from the NRRA will teach rowing basics, one step at a time. "We try to break it down into bite size pieces,'' says Melanie Jacobi, the organization's outreach director and recreational team coach, and a Masters rower. "By the end, the whole boat is moving. They get the rhythm to it and there's a level where they all start to work together."
The open house starts at 9 a.m. with coffee, bagels and time to get acquainted with NRRA members. The work begins on rowing machines, and then NRAA members bring the guests to "barges" which seat either eight or 16 rowers. The guests then spend about 35-40 minutes on the water. Jacobi walks on a plank in the middle of the barge "I feel like I should be wearing a pirate hat,'' she says and offers instruction and encouragement. It's not as easy as it looks, but it can be done. "I've never had a person just give up,'' Jacobi says. The day ends at about 10:30.
NRRA offers open houses once a month from April through September. Essentially, they are "try before you buy" sessions, offering people a chance to experience rowing before they commit to a program. Jacobi says people who come through the open houses and wish to continue usually start in Learn to Row programs, which are eight sessions and can be done on weekends or weekdays.
The NRRA is a non-profit organization that offers rowing programs for youths and adults. It is Fairfield County's oldest community rowing center. Click here to find out more about the Open House.
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