So, much to the hilarity of my friends, I’ve recently taken up a hobb-ay. I’ve started rowing. Yep, just like Ratty, the water vole, in Wind in the Willows. Er.. or something. And it’s not just any rowing: it’s gay rowing.

Anyhoo, what led me down this particular path was when I happened upon a notice for a Rowing for Beginners Open Day on the Out In Ireland website.

Out In Ireland is an LGBT sports network, which extends across Ireland. Founded by Frank Kelly (who you may remember from this year’s Team Ireland at OutGames 2009), Out In Ireland seeks to bring LGBT people together through sporty – and social – events. And it’s not only for the fitness freaks:

OUTINIRELAND was conceived as a network to bring together GLBT people together around a particular sporting interest or activity.

The idea was conceived by Frank Kelly who set up OUT4TENNIS, a network of GLBT tennis players from around Ireland that come together on a regular basis for tournaments and ‘meets’. From OUT4TENNIS, it became apparent that there were many tennis players with other sports and interests. [...]

One of the Out In Ireland groups is OutRowers, which was holding the open day. (There are also Out4Tennis, In4Badminton and In4Squash. Groups for other can always be formed if there are enough people to get on board – just drop them a line!) OutRowers allows its members to take up rowing in a leisurely way which, we have been told, is fairly unusual since rowing is a highly competitive sport. It seems that for those who sign up to your typical rowing club, you’ll find yourself training at nigh-on every opportunity. Like Rocky, but with boats.

But back to me. Along I toddled to the Dublin City Council Municipal Rowing Centre (catchy), which is on the left bank of the river Liffey, out past Parkgate Street, and then a bit further beyond Islandbridge. When I showed up, there was quite a sizeable group there. In between cups of tea and chats, we were taken around the club to have a nosey around, test our super-strength on the rowing machines and even hop out on the water to have a go in one of the báidíní.

So, having been sufficiently impressed by all of this, I thought I’d sign up to the beginners’ course proper. For a mere 65 yo-yos, we’re provided with a six-week course, full club facilities, and two experienced coaches to shape us from unco-ordinated flailing land-lubbers, into sleek athletes. (ahem) After the course has ended, you can then join the more experienced OutRowers in the regular rowing sessions.

Of those who signed up, we were divvied up into crews of four, with the same four attending our bloc of one class-per-Sunday. Along I headed on day one, and the four of us were inserted into a boat for four – a quad, in the lingo. Of course, that required our sea legs to come into effect, which is not something that happened right away. Still, though, we all managed to wobble our way into the boat without falling into the Liffey or dragging the coach in with us.

There are basically two types of rowing, sculling and sweep-rowing. We started off with the sculling, which is quite fortunate because it’s fairly symmetrical and it’s probably all that both sides of my brain can cope with of an early Sunday afternoon.

The sculler boat is laid out thusly: Rowers sit “backwards” (your back faces the direction you’ll be travelling), and feet are tied in to a foot plate. The seat slides backwards and forwards on a roughly metre-long slide, as the power in rowing comes from the legs, rather than the arms. Then you’ve got yer oars, see. They propel the boat. Right, okay, perhaps this is all a bit obvious, but just you say that when you start your rowing!

We were shown the basics, focussing firstly on what to be doing with those oars. As it turns out, it’s not as obvious as it seems! Unlike a regular paddle boat, the oars are mounted upon oarlocks and slot into a wee “gate”. The oars are square in shape where they sit in the gate, and this allows the oar to click into place, depending on whether you want the blade of the oar to be vertical (or “square”) to catch the water and propel you further, or if the oar’s blade needs to be horizontal (or “feathered”) after it has been lifted out of the water when a stroke has been taken.

So there, so now. Not all as simple as it looks, people!

Then there’s getting all four of us novices to carry out all the steps in a stroke at the same time. Hilarity ensues..

Rowing factoid: Did you know? Rowing is one of the most successful sports in Ireland in terms of competition wins. There y’are.

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