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The Maritime Rowing Club is tucked away on Goldstein Place, behind a row of shops and next to a boatyard that was eerily still on this gray February day. You wouldn't have guessed it's a training ground for some of the best rowers in the United States.
At first, I couldn't even find the place. I asked a passer-by when I arrived in the parking lot where I might find the Maritime Rowing Club. He politely directed me out of the lot and around the corner--to the Maritime Aquarium.[breakhere]
I re-traced my steps to the parking lot and called Yan Vengerovskiy, who founded the club along with his wife, Olga. He assured me I was in the right spot and directed me beyond the front of the building. I walked past a boatyard and then saw several rowing shells, my first indication that I was in the right place.
Upstairs in the club, I immediately saw one of the reasons that MRC is a national rowing force. Rowing machines, free weights, treadmills, ergometers everything a rower would need for proper training. I was astounded by the vast and varied pieces of equipment Vengerovskiy and his staff had at their disposal to develop athletes.
There were trophies as well as pictures and clippings about some of the rowers who have trained under Vengerovskiy. Five MRC rowers made the Under-23 national team last year, and three teams won gold medals at last years Club National Championships.
There are a host of programs at MRC for all levels of rowers, from Masters athletes to middle school students. Spring is peak time for MRCs competitive teams. On Monday, they'll start training in earnest.
From the outside, it hardly looks like a place where champions are made. Looks can be deceiving--for sure.
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