Mon Valley Rowing Club seeking new participants
By Taylor Brown
tbrown@yourmvi.com
The Mon Valley Rowing Club is looking for new recruits.
The club was brought to the Mon Valley by Nathanael Stevens nearly three years ago, but it took awhile to get on the water.
Now, area residents fishing along the banks of the Mon or relaxing on their boats at marinas can spot members rowing up and down the river at least three times a week.
The MVRC, a local non-profit organization based in Belle Vernon, operates a Junior Rowing Program for students in grades 8 through 12 and also an adult team, which currently has four active members.
A successful youth program took a break for the summer as area students enjoyed their summer vacation and other extracurricular activities.
President and Co-coach Rachel Willson said the club is excited to get more people on the water.
“It has been slow for us right now, just because we could not hold the recruiting events we had planned because of COVID, but we are excited to start back up,” Willson said.
The club will host an open house in the boat house located near the Belle Vernon Wharf 10 a.m. Aug. 21, where residents of all ages can stop by, try out the indoor rowing machines known as ergometers (often called ergs), and learn about the sport.
“We will be letting people try out the ergs, teach them a bit about proper form, tell them all about the boats, and hopefully get them interested to come back for our learn to row camp in September,” Willson said.
Fall camps set
This fall, the club will host a three day learn-to-row camp for both youth and adults.
The camp will take place Sept. 13 to 15 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. for youth, and 6 to 8 p.m. for adults.
The first day of the camp will be spent in the boat house, practicing on the ergs and learning how to handle equipment safely.
The second and third days, if participants are comfortable, will take them onto the Monongahela River where their lessons and teamwork will come in handy. Willson has nearly a year of rowing under her belt and is now passing along her knowledge to interested rowers alongside her co-coach Tim Wolfgang.
“I have learned a lot on the last year, working with our former coach Brandon,” Willson said. “I love it, I love being on the water. The team work that goes into it, the endurance, the challenge, the competition working on the ergs and lifting each other up. It’s all very addicting.”
Willson said she hopes others in the Mon Valley find a love for the sport so the team can grow.
“Our goal is to let as many people know we are here and still active,” she said. “We made it through the pandemic and want more people to come in and join the team and be regular members and help us grow.”
The Mon Valley Alliance Foundation recently awarded The Mon Valley Rowing Club a $500 grant to assist with outreach initiatives to encourage rowing as an extra-curricular activity for students in the Mon Valley Region.
“We are making it by financially, but as we grow, we will need more equipment,” she said. “We are grateful to the Mon Valley Alliance for helping us get the word out, and anytime someone wants to stop by to check us out or support what we are trying to do either monetarily or by helping with our equipment, it is appreciated. We have a great thing going here, and are excited to get more people on board.”
On Aug. 29, members will participate in the Belle Vernon Rotary’s Regatta on the Yough.
The club currently meets from 5 to 7 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and will resume Saturday workouts this fall.
For information on the club call 724-880-7628 or find the club on Facebook. Additional information is also available at www.monvalleyrowingclub.org.
