To make a rowing boat tip over you need three things: four people rowing one way, three people rowing the other, and the perfect storm.
On a warm, spring day, these are the ideal conditions for knocking a rowing team into the lake, which is exactly what AP Government teacher and part-time oarswomen Amy Cooke did when she was first learning how to row.
In the spring of 2022, Cooke decided it was time for a new hobby and signed herself up for rowing lessons at the Kenmore Community Club.
“I thought, well I’m getting older and I’ve been doing the same thing for quite a while,” Cooke said. “I wanted to try something new and challenge myself.”
The community club is a small group, but they share a boat house with the North Shore school district and offer beginner to experienced rowing classes.
“I’m in the experienced group, but I feel like I might need a refresher,” Cooke said. “I had never done it before so I had no muscle memory for bad habits and I was able to develop mostly good habits.”
Currently, Cooke is in her off-season while she focuses on teaching her social studies classes, which occur at the same time as her rowing.
You all get in the way of me participating in that because I row from 6am to 8am in the morning,” Cooke said. “I might need an intermediate night in the springtime when it starts up again, because then I’ll actually be able to go.”
There aren’t defined times for the rowing team to assemble, but there are sessions people sign up for and people go when they can.
“It’s always kind of a different group, but it’s kind of fun,” Cooke said.
Once they get together, the team participates in races against other local teams in the area. A rowing race involves different teams manning the long rowing boats towards the finish line. For reference, one row boat is longer than a whole Portable.
“There’s [a race] up in Everett, and it’s everybody’s favorite because you don’t have to carry the boat yourself,” Cooke said. “There’s teenage valets from the local rowing teams that carry the boat, which is nice because they’re heavy.”
Other than the strength needed to haul boats, one of the most important aspects of rowing is form and timing.
“Form is probably the most significant, because everybody behind you bases what they do off what you’re doing,” Cooke said.
“The best rower is usually put in the Stroke position and they set the pattern and timing of the rowing,” Cooke said. “The Coxon is the one who turns the boat, which nobody really likes to do because you just get to sit there the whole time.”
“On a scale of one to ten, where one is a total rookie and ten is Olympic caliber, I would say I’m like a four-plus. I’m not bad, but I very rarely find myself in the Stroke position,” Cooke said.
Ultimately, Cooke does the sport for fun, fitness, and for the birds.
“There’s all sorts of birds. Now that I’m old, I’m turning into a nerdy bird person,” Cooke said. “I like them more now, and there’s eagles and herons and all sorts of wildlife. The otters are out often, which is fun.”
“The calm that comes with just being out in the quiet and the water is something you don’t get too much.”
