Testimonials from (former) junior rowers:
“I started my rowing career as many young islanders have: on a cold, dark morning at 6 am on Cascade Lake. As a bright eyed and determined 13 year old I spent 4 days a week heading to the crew practice first thing in the morning. I joined crew because I wanted to make friends. As a teen I had watched my classmates grow closer as they went to practice together, traveled for games and had team dinners. Sports seemed like a meaningful place to build friendships, and crew did just that. Few tasks require as much teamwork as rowing a boat together. It taught me confidence in myself and my rowing partners, resilience in the uncomfortable as I was challenged physically and mentally, and most of all how to listen to myself, my team, and the boat.
In crew the boat is made of 4 things: you, your team, your boat, and the water. All of these elements play a role in how you move and how you feel. As a young adult, rowing has become a place I go to reconnect with myself. Being the only thing out on the lake is deeply grounding. Rowing provided both exercise and rejuvenation for me. Being out in a boat I feel present and engaged with all parts of my body.
OIRA is the only place I have rowed and I am deeply grateful for all the opportunities they have given me as a rower and a leader. During the summer of 2023 and 2024 I worked as an assistant coach for the masters rowing program. This group of adults is supportive and inclusive for rowers of all levels. As someone new to the coaching role, they have given me opportunities to grow into this new position and engage with rowing from a different perspective. OIRA is a wonderful, inclusive atmosphere to learn to row. For those who already have some experience, Cascade lake is a gorgeous space to get back in a boat and meet some nice folks while you’re doing it.”
-S.F.
“Getting to row for Orcas Island Rowing Association is a life experience that I am so grateful to have been able to have. I knew very little about rowing when I joined in middle school and there was no way that at the time I could have ever predicted how large of a role the sport would come to play in my life. I certainly could not have predicted I would still be competing in the sport nine years after I put an oar in an oar lock for the first time. This would definitely not be the case if I had not had such an amazing experience as a part of OIRA. I loved launching out onto Cascade Lake on hazy mornings and getting to be stuck in a boat with close friends for an hour or so. I loved racing and getting stronger and the feeling of sending the boat across the water. I loved having such amazing role models as coaches and being bonded to a team that was so welcoming.
Rowing is a hard sport, but it is also a magical one. I don’t think there are many feelings better than sending a boat across the water in unison with people that you want to pull hard for. Rowing in the morning, especially in such a beautiful place as Cascade Lake, is one of the best ways to start the day. I always have a clearer head and more energy when I get back to the dock. Rowing has taught me how to push past what I thought possible of myself and do so repeatedly because of how empowered and fulfilled doing so leaves me feeling afterwards. It taught me how strong I am and how strong the people around me are. Best of all it has given me the opportunity to be present in nature with people I enjoy. After I graduated high school, I went on to row for Washington State University which has been an experience that has made me even more grateful that I had the opportunity to hop into a boat almost nine years ago thanks to OIRA.
– I.J.