A guest article by Karen Jewell
It was a long time in the making, but several years ago the marriage of rowing and SUP finally happened, at least in my neck of the watery woods.
At the time, I was involved with both sports, and had a strong affection for each individually. Having connections with fellow athletes on all sides, I was saddened to learn that, at that point, they did not seem to get along very well.
There were some reasons that were understandable, I suppose, like the fact that each sport thought they owned the particular river that they were sharing. Granted, the rowers had been there first, and when the SUP crew claimed a spot and set up shop just a few doors down from the established boathouse, they were not too pleased, to say the least. Do you remember the old tale of the Hatfield’s and McCoy's? Well, it was something similar to that.
As time went on, and the summer season was in full swing, it was clear that the prestigious rowing club wanted nothing to do with the newcomer SUPers. Steeped in tradition, the rowing club had more of a feel like the respectable tea parties in London, and they liked the formality of that. When it came to the SUP crew, they were a bit more like the fraternity at the local university, with a much more casual air about them. (Nothing negative about either, by the way. Just totally different personalities.) Unfortunately, as you can imagine, the two did not mix well. You know the science project of mixing oil and water? Yeah, that’s it.
Well, just as you might expect, the perception of the river seemed to get smaller and smaller each day, until it appeared that it was just not going to be big enough for the two of them. Something had to give, and neither side was ready to surrender their stake. I will spare you the messy details, but suffice it to say that on one particular day there was a bit of a clash - literally (no injuries, thankfully). Neither side was necessarily at fault, but at the same time, neither side was necessarily not at fault.
But then something amazing happened.
Little by little, the rowers started to open up to their new neighbors. Instead of keeping their heads forward and focused when rowing, here and there the staff on the SUP dock would receive a subtle nod or even a slight smile from one of the crew members passing by.
Then, during mid-day hours when the rowing club was typically quiet between the early morning and late afternoon training sessions, a few of the rowers would start to come and try out the paddle boards. Incognito, of course.
Hoping to keep that ball rolling, some of the SUP staff decided that they would like to try their hand at crew, so they signed up for a few of the introductory beginner lessons at the reputable rowing club.
Well, guess what? It turns out that the tea party group actually likes to kick their shoes off and loosen their ties every now and then, and the fraternity members apparently like to add a little class to their daily routines every once in a while.
The road was a bit rocky there for a bit, but suffice it to say, they ultimately came to terms and the marriage is now official.
And can I just say what a relief that is for yours truly? It really was getting challenging sneaking under the fence between the Hatfield property and the McCoy estate.
Karen Jewell is a freelance writer currently living in Fairfield County, CT. Karen has received three Certificates of Merit for Outstanding Submissions in the Sailing Columns Category for the John Southam Awards, one in 2005 and two in 2006.
