Sculling on the Ottawa River
“The perfect blend of elegance and strength”
BY SHEILA ASCROFT
While the canoe may be a Canadian icon, it’s still hard to beat the grace and beauty of perfectly synchronized oars silently sweeping through the twilight on the river beneath the Parliament Buildings. From May to October, scullers and rowers in singles, twos, fours or eights impress locals and tourists with their quiet power and speed. “For me, it’s a Zen thing, the
perfect blend of elegance and strength,” says John Boyd, rowing coach at the Ottawa New Edinburgh Club (ONEC). He has been rowing and sculling for 45 years and describes it like flying. “You’re barely touching the water, leaving two swirling holes in the water where the blades had been. You really have to experience it – it’s my daily awakening.” And you can experience it. The
Ottawa River is such a great place for boating that our nation’s capital boasts two historic boat clubs: the Ottawa Rowing Club (ORC) and the Ottawa New Edinburgh Club. You don’t need any previous experience – as long as you can swim and are over 12 – you can take a “learn to row/scull” course at either club. While the rowing season runs from May to late October, the courses run until the end of August.
OTTAWA ROWING CLUB The ORC, founded in 1867, is Canada’s oldest rowing club and has more than a thousand rowing members from beginners to national team athletes. Besides its learn- to-row, youth summer camps, adult rowing league, recreational and competitive rowing, this year the ORC also has RowSpin classes and private instruction. The club offers coaching support at practices, sculling, coxing and boat maintenance clinics, weekly mentoring to improve your skills, friendly racing events and many social activities.
OTTAWA NEW EDINBURGH CLUB The ONEC was established in
1883 and originally called the Ottawa Canoe Club on the Ottawa River. Its historic Queen Anne-style boathouse is one of only four still in existence in Canada. It’s a non- profit, volunteer club with about 400 members offering adult lessons, day camps and club memberships in rowing, sailing and tennis. Its ambition is to become “the foremost distance sculling specialists in Canada and to be a friendly recreational, touring, and distance sculling club offering excellent training,”
SCULL? ROW? Before too much confusion sets in, some definitions. “Sculling” means rowing with two oars, one in each hand. “Rowing,” on the other hand (uh, sorry), involves only one oar. Each rower uses both hands on one oar.
John Boyd says it is not necessarily better to learn to scull before learning to row, but “ sculling is definitely a kinder, gentler way to learn.” He says ONEC teaches proper sculling technique until the newbie’s version “is adequate,” at which point the student can work to their fitness level without injury. “Also, it’s much more fun, and more efficient when the technique is elegant,” says the man who was also head coach at the ORC in the 1980s.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51