Boathouse Finder names Farmington Valley Rowing Association as the Most Competitive Boathouse
In North Central Connecticut, Farmington Valley Rowing Association offers programs to men and women eighteen and up who wish to try out the sport. Launching from the Paine Boathouse on the Farmington River, the facility accommodates the club’s boats which range from singles to eights.
The club has been standing strong since 1982, and with the help of its members has flourished. In December of 2007, a competitive team was added that is committed for the year to rowing for the prestige of the club. With a strong emphasis upon teamwork and community-building, the association promotes both the competitive team and those who take a more recreational interest in rowing. Even in the depths of winter, the club uses indoor rowing tanks to stay in fighting shape and keep their bonds strong so that in the spring, they will be prepared to head straight back on the water. It is for this reason that the competitive team has won several medals at the many regattas they attend.
FVRA Rowing Events – 2011 Summer Ramps Up – May 2011 Rowers
After hosting a successful fundraiser on last month at the Flatbread Company Restaurant in Canton, the Farmington Valley Rowing Association is now readying their fleet for the start of the summer’s community rowing season in early June.
The fundraiser brought in over $400 for boat maintenance. Replacing and repairing worn boat parts, like shoes, seats and wheels are all important to make the rowing experience pleasurable. Granby resident and FVRA president Renee Jones says: “We want everyone who participates in this year’s community rowing program to have a good seat in a good boat. The Flatbread fundraiser allowed us to purchase the little things that make a big difference in the rowing experience.”
The community rowing program offers the public a menu of rowing options without having to become a full club member. Jones explains: “This is the first year that we are offering such an array of options. It really is an exciting change, and we want as many people from the Farmington Valley to participate as possible. Rowing is a phenomenal sport and we’re here to celebrate it!”
This season beginners and intermediate rowers new to the Farmington Valley Rowing Association will be able to choose from either sweep rowing or sculling classes. Sweep rowing is done in a large shell steered by a coxswain, typically accommodating either four or eight rowers who each use one oar. Sculling is done in small boats. The “scullers” use two oars and steer themselves. Jones says, “We have some great coaches lined up. These classes are going to be a lot of fun for folks. It’s a great way to try something new and enjoy the summer on the Farmington River!
Carol Clark-Flanagan, a Simsbury resident, started rowing in the community rowing program and found her way to the women’s racing team. Clark-Flanagan says, “My only regret is that I didn’t find the sport a long time ago.”
This season the women’s racing team is getting ready to compete in several regattas in the Northeast, including the Diamond State Masters Regatta in Delaware this July. “I’m not sure how many more racing seasons I have left in me as I turn 60, but I know I will always row no matter how old I am.”
Clark-Flanagan muses, “When we carry the dripping shell back up from the dock into the rack in the boathouse, obeying the clipped commands of the coxswain, I feel tired and happy.”
FVRA draws its members from throughout the Farmington Valley including Avon, Canton, Farmington, Granby, Simsbury and Suffield.
Finding Post-Holiday Equilibrium May Mean Rowing Indoors! – December 2010
Indoor Rowers
When we’re in the throes of the holiday season, cooking, shopping and eating too much, it can be challenging to see beyond the many gatherings of family and friends to post-holiday equilibrium. But that’s just what the Farmington Valley Rowing Association (FVRA) is doing.
Every year, after a break for holiday celebrations, FVRA rowers begin their spring season early, in January! With coaches and indoor rowing tanks, the group keeps their skills fresh to prepare for the first days of spring, when the sunny skies will lure the rowers back to the boathouse, carrying boats overhead to the dock, to push off into the Farmington River and reclaim that cadence of balance with their fellow oarsmen.
This year, FVRA has included in their usual winter training schedule a special coached indoor tank session for adults new to rowing. Eric Truntz, a North Granby resident who took a chance on one of the FVRA rowing clinics last season explains, “When I couldn’t bare another step on the treadmill at the local gym, I discovered one of the best kept secrets in the Valley…After participating in that first clinic, and subsequently four others, I can tell you that rowing is a blast! I loved the idea of learning a new sport with a rich history and being outside on the water while getting a challenging total-body workout.”
Simsbury resident Julie Sears, will also be rowing in January. After rowing for three years with her college team, Sears became a college graduate without a rowing club. When she moved to CT, she found FVRA. Starting as a recreational rower, she then moved on to the racing team. She took a break to run for a season, competing in several 5Ks, 10Ks, and a half-marathon, but she ended up with foot injuries. Sears has returned to rowing. “It’s a low-impact sport,” Sears explains. “The women’s racing team is a great group of women. We range in age from our twenties to well into our sixties. We keep each other motivated, maintaining our fitness levels and at the same time honoring our family and career commitments. We have a lot of fun.”
FVRA President Renee Jones explains, “We have members from all towns in the Farmington Valley including Canton, Avon, Farmington, Suffield, Granby and Simsbury. Training in the indoor rowing tanks is a great way to learn to row. By the time the spring comes, novices will have the basics down and can really start to have some fun on the water.” Jones laughs, “I would suggest that if you’re still looking for a unique gift for your favorite family member, a seat in one of the winter rowing sessions might just be perfect!”
Hartford Courant Newspaper Article
November 8, 2010
The FVRA Rowing Relay, held this past Saturday November 6, was a full day of celebration marking both the unofficial close of the 2010 rowing season for the Farmington Valley Rowing Association (FVRA) and the beginning of its 2011 season.
The Rowing Relay, the first of what all participants hope will be an annual celebration, was a fundraiser for the association. Participants obtained pledges for the number of miles they were to row. All funds raised go into the organizations equipment fund. The equipment fund allows the group to purchase new boats and boat-related gear, or to repair equipment that has been damaged. The funds raised in this year’s rowing relay will allow the organization to add a double rowing scull to its fleet.
FVRA president, Renee Jones commented, “This was an exciting event. We were all able to get out on the water, enjoy the beauty of the Farmington River and raise some money to improve our fleet. The weather was perfect and we’d definitely like to do this again next year.”
The festivities began with the dedication and naming of the two new boats that FVRA added to its fleet during the 2010 season. One of the boats, a Kaschper racing shell for four rowers and a coxswain, was named after the coach of the women’s racing team, Steve Galett.
A full day of rowing and intermittent socializing over a pot luck lunch followed the dedication of the new boats. The Rowing Relay involved a series of 4 and 5-mile rows in several different boats, by all participants, with the goal of reaching a total distance of at least a marathon (26.2 miles rowed) at the close of the day. The total mileage for this first Rowing Relay was 28 miles rowed.
FVRA provides access to the sport of rowing to men and women of all ages and all abilities in North Central Connecticut. The group offers sculling and sweep rowing sessions to its members, enabling members to enjoy the beauty of the Farmington River, while benefiting from a full-body, low-impact workout. The organization also has a racing team that offers a year round training program and travels to compete at the highest level of competition in New England.
FVRA has already begun plans for winter training. Jones said, “The best way to start the 2011 season is now. Sign up for our winter training. We train on ergometers known as rowing machines and spend time in tanks at Trinity College to perfect the rowing stroke. We have coaches teaching new rowers proper technique and experienced rowers can keep their muscle memory fresh. This really gives us a head start for spring rowing on the water.
Anyone interested in rowing in the spring is encouraged to register for one of the winter training sessions. For more information about the Farmington Valley Rowing Association, or to register for winter training, please visit the organization’s website www.fvra.org. To speak with FVRA president Renee Jones, email chrisandrenees@cox.net or call 860-944-6196.
