Rowing is a new experience for Franklin Military Academy students Omari Whiting (left) and Koye Jones. (Photo by Jay Paul)
Franklin Military Academy freshman Omari Whiting had never been out on the James River before getting involved in the school’s first rowing team last fall.
“I was nervous,” Whiting says, “but my mother was encouraging me to try it.”
Fellow student Koye Jones has spent time on the river tubing, freestyle canoeing and paddle boating, but he says sculling with Richmond Community Rowing was a completely different experience. After getting oriented to the sport and training on rowing machines, Whiting, Jones and 23 other FMA students — most of whom had never been on the river and a few of whom could not swim — positioned themselves in sculls and learned how to manage the oars in unison.
“You do one motion,” explains Jones, also a freshman. “We barely used our arms in the boat because the seat moves. You basically use your whole legs. That’s how you get your power.”
The military focus of the combined middle and high school made FMA a natural place to pilot such a program, says Tim Nesselrodt, executive director of Richmond Community Rowing. “In rowing there is no superstar,” he says. “You’re successful when you blend in well.”
The group trained last fall with rowing team members from Virginia Commonwealth University, where Nesselrodt rowed as an undergraduate, and the University of Richmond, where he coaches. With a donated scull from the United States Military Academy at West Point in New York, Nesselrodt led the FMA team in two scrimmages against college teams.
Col. Carlton Day, who teaches at the school and is one of the team sponsors, says that he and Nesselrodt, along with other community leaders, are attempting to raise $15,000 to continue the program this spring.
Jones welcomes the chance to hone his rowing skills and relieve stress.
“There’s a freshness, and you’re able to relax,” he says. “It can be fun just being out on the water and hearing the waves and the wind and the birds.”
River Happenings
Beginners Whitewater Weekend, June 15-16
This two-day course teaches techniques of whitewater kayaking.
Run Bike Relay, June 21-22
Participants in this 125-mile overnight relay from Richmond to Jamestown and back will explore the James River Park System, Virginia Capital Trail and more.
Richmond International Dragon Boat Festival, Aug. 3
From Rocketts Landing, teams of 20 synchronized paddlers, a drummer and a steersperson race 500 meters up the river in 40-foot canoes with decorative Chinese dragon heads and tails.
