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Meghan Winkler
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Meghan Winkler
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Meghan Winkler
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Meghan Winkler
When Diane Grove-Ackerman first sat in a boat and began rowing about a decade ago, she felt incredible.
“Your oar hits the water, and all of a sudden you are one with the team and one with the water,” says the now master rower and club president of the Portage Lakes Rowing Association, which has a boathouse on Rex Lake in Portage Lakes.
Now the Kent resident is getting certified as a level two coach and fills the bow seat on a sweep rowing team where eight rowers each control a 12-foot oar on a 60-foot boat. Portage Lakes Rowing offers a National Learn to Row Day program June 3 and an open house June 17. There’s also a 10-week novice program, with the next one starting July 23, in which students are first trained on land to learn how to control oars, understand commands and use a rowing machine to learn correct technique and posture.
“When you understand what to do with your hands and your legs, the timing of it becomes very natural, like riding a bike,” Grove-Ackerman says.
There’s no room for egos — each rower must be synchronized and follow the stroke rate set by the coxswain, who commands the boat instead of rowing. The better rowers match their movements, the faster the boat will go. Nervous newbies often struggle to relax and get into the flow, but she says once you learn the rhythm, the payoff is significant.
“When you hear all the oars catch the water at the same time, you feel that release,” Grove-Ackerman says. “That is a high that you strive for.”
Rowing helps her appreciate the beauty of Portage Lakes, getting up close to sunsets, morning fog coming off the water and ospreys catching fish. She also says it’s a tremendous high-intensity low-impact workout that’s easy on your legs and hips and is accessible. The most fun aspect is competing in regattas. She was coxswain for a women’s four-plus team that won the Head of the Cuyahoga regatta in Cleveland. It’s thrilling when she rows with her team and passes boats.
“The last 200 meters, you kick it into gear — you reach down to your toes for every bit of energy, and you are gasping for air,” Grove-Ackerman says. “We’re passing other boats, and you get such an adrenaline rush — it makes you work harder.”
Tip: Avoid jerky movements that can cause the boat to rock. //KP
4450 Rex Lake Drive, Akron, plra.club
