Oak Ridge - America's Best Rowing Course?
0
comments
Posted by
DPH2002
,
20 July 2009
·
736 views
Been here all week while hosting the GLRF booth. The water is amazing - it goes on for miles and it is so smooth.
The Oak Ridge Rowing Association (ORRA) is one major club that that seems to make a business out of hosting regattas. One woman I spoke with said they host upwards of 8 - 10 regattas a year. Amazing! With my guilty conscience eating away at my deteriorating Outgames readiness, I jumped on the erg for the two nights while I have been here after the booth was packed away, and last night took out a Wintech Explorer 24. That was an 'interesting' experience. My Mom would say 'interesting as a coconut crisp.' Adjusting the footstretchers took forever. The problem was that as I moved the stretcher forward, it came out of the guide rails and getting the three guide plates back in the guide rails took upwards of 15 minutes, and a sore back because I was bent over the dock at the water. The boat is quite heavy - 18.5 kg and I just about melted putting the boat away at the end of my row. I could use one word to describe my Wintech experience: plastic!
Needless to say, rowing on Melton Lake Dam is nothing short of heaven. The 2k course is fully buoyed but you can row up river or downriver (call it up or down dam really) for 20 + miles. I probably rowed 5 miles down dam and other than a couple of bass fishing boats that seemed intent on scaring all the fish in the dam by operating at full throttle at what I estimated to be 45 knots, the water was as calm as any rower could want.
Loved all the dogs walking back and forth in front of the booth. I had to sit down on the asphalt to say hi to one of my favs, a pug. It promptly jumped in my lap and climbed up my arms. Another dog, a Vizla is my new fav. This dog also tried to climb in my lap. There were two of them. Apparently Joline (of JL Racing) had one for a long time. I learned alot about the dogs from Laura Sweitzer (of JL Racing) who is now my new best friend.
Both last year and this year, our respective booths were directly across from each other so we would have some time to chat and gossip during the down times. [this year had a lot more time for chat, unfortunately]. Anyway, Laura is a major dog lover so we talked breeds and compared stories. Laura lost her 4-year old Rhodesian Ridgeback very suddenly due to an unexplained illness so she and her family are now looking for a new family member. Loved looking at some of the new pups they were considering online.
Two Border Collies sauntered by and I was totally enamoured as they were with me. Speaking of being in love, the Yale freshman coach walked around the aisle at Walmart on Friday night. I almost passed out. The guy is blond, v-shaped, long hair, totally buff, and oh so ooo ooooo beautiful. Oh my god! I am in love!! At least, I think he's from Yale. Hmm, maybe I should check...
On to Philly where Ray B. has promised me two days of rowing in a double on the Schukyill. Nice. My first time.
The Oak Ridge Rowing Association (ORRA) is one major club that that seems to make a business out of hosting regattas. One woman I spoke with said they host upwards of 8 - 10 regattas a year. Amazing! With my guilty conscience eating away at my deteriorating Outgames readiness, I jumped on the erg for the two nights while I have been here after the booth was packed away, and last night took out a Wintech Explorer 24. That was an 'interesting' experience. My Mom would say 'interesting as a coconut crisp.' Adjusting the footstretchers took forever. The problem was that as I moved the stretcher forward, it came out of the guide rails and getting the three guide plates back in the guide rails took upwards of 15 minutes, and a sore back because I was bent over the dock at the water. The boat is quite heavy - 18.5 kg and I just about melted putting the boat away at the end of my row. I could use one word to describe my Wintech experience: plastic!
Needless to say, rowing on Melton Lake Dam is nothing short of heaven. The 2k course is fully buoyed but you can row up river or downriver (call it up or down dam really) for 20 + miles. I probably rowed 5 miles down dam and other than a couple of bass fishing boats that seemed intent on scaring all the fish in the dam by operating at full throttle at what I estimated to be 45 knots, the water was as calm as any rower could want.
Loved all the dogs walking back and forth in front of the booth. I had to sit down on the asphalt to say hi to one of my favs, a pug. It promptly jumped in my lap and climbed up my arms. Another dog, a Vizla is my new fav. This dog also tried to climb in my lap. There were two of them. Apparently Joline (of JL Racing) had one for a long time. I learned alot about the dogs from Laura Sweitzer (of JL Racing) who is now my new best friend.
Both last year and this year, our respective booths were directly across from each other so we would have some time to chat and gossip during the down times. [this year had a lot more time for chat, unfortunately]. Anyway, Laura is a major dog lover so we talked breeds and compared stories. Laura lost her 4-year old Rhodesian Ridgeback very suddenly due to an unexplained illness so she and her family are now looking for a new family member. Loved looking at some of the new pups they were considering online.Two Border Collies sauntered by and I was totally enamoured as they were with me. Speaking of being in love, the Yale freshman coach walked around the aisle at Walmart on Friday night. I almost passed out. The guy is blond, v-shaped, long hair, totally buff, and oh so ooo ooooo beautiful. Oh my god! I am in love!! At least, I think he's from Yale. Hmm, maybe I should check...
On to Philly where Ray B. has promised me two days of rowing in a double on the Schukyill. Nice. My first time.
-
0
