Learn to Row
Urs makes it easy and fun!
Rowing is fairly easy to learn. Urs has always said "give me an hour
and I'll teach you to row".
If you stop by Virus on Longboat Key in the Gulf of Mexico, you'll be greeted
with a smile and a rowing lesson!
Anybody can learn the sport that you may have seen in action, performed
by able athletes. You might have thought"I would like to be able to do
that" when you saw trained rowers gliding quickly through the water in
their rowing shell. Well Urs is here to show you rowing is easy! Rowing for
exercise and pure pleasure is definitely possible for most all of us. Rowing
for recreation is not rocket science or olympic gymnastics.
It requires a practical boat and the patience to start in a wider boat which,
by the nature of things, is more stable and less intimidating because of "tippyness"
or length. Provided one has a proper start, the basics of rowing, or sculling,
can be learned in less than 2 hours of relaxed instruction. These first elements
will let anybody learn to row and then, mile by mile, improve their skills
becoming an accomplished sculler.
This page shows some of the basics. Though it's definitely not comprehensive
training or instruction, it does give you a feel for what it takes. Rowing
is a great recreational sport for everyone. Virus Boats, practical, stable
and easy to handle make it easy.
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Prisca and Benno, total novices check it out. On
Sarasota Bay, the Yole Club is the right boat to start with when learning
sculling style rowing. |
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Urs provides a little demonstrate of the stability
of Virus rowing sculls to comfort Benno, who still had doubts. The Yole
is so stable one would fall over board before the Yole would tip over,
if it would tip at all. |
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It is beneficial to start sculling single in the
boat. One by one the motions can be learned much easier without worrying
about synchronizing your rowing. Prisca has it right, hold the oars and
step in to the center of the cockpit |
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Each one did a few rounds rowing alone in the boat
first. Then they ventured in to double sculling. The Yole Club was converted
from single to double scull in a matter of minutes, without tools. |
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And they are ready to go! Benno rows bow and Prisca
stroke. Benno is stronger and can more easily adjust his stroke to Prisca’s.
It would be more difficult for Prisca to row up to Benno's speed. Being
in the bow allows Benno to see Prisca and match her stroke. |
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A few words of comfort and some fine tuning before
casting off… |
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Benno maneuvers the Yole off the dock. He is in
charge of the direction. Prisca clears her oars of the dock. |
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So far so good. It's now about 1 hour since Prisca
and Benno first stepped into a Yole and rowed single. |
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..oops, Benno adjusts the oars blades. Scoop up
not down. |
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Prisca is ready to begin the stroke, Benno still
has some confusion about the blades facing up or down. He will get it
eventually, people most always do. |
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OK, just a little more synchronization and things
should fall in place. |
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And there it is. Repeat this twenty times and you
will have it. This is also the moment when the batteries of the camera
failed. Benno and Prisca got back in great harmony. 2 hours in all, the
last half hour successfully rowing a double scull across the bay. Not
bad, for this very new experience. |
