The Tribune

By Fay Knowles

NASSAU Rowing Club’s twelve-hour Ergathon at Club One Fitness Centre, Sandyport, on Saturday attracted a continual stream of persons interested in this comparatively new sport for the Bahamas. DJ Benjavarae Tynes (“DJ Tynez”) motivated the rowers all day with background music.

An “Ergathon” is like a Walkathon, except rowing machines (“ergometers”) are used in shifts for a specified period. Most of the participants at Saturday’s event rowed for at least two half-hour shifts.

Interim President of the Nassau Rowing Club (NRC) and former Vassar College Men’s Rowing Captain (2009-10), Kyle Chea, said: “Peter Tynes and Tevin Creary-Roberts stepped up to fill in where other rowers were unable to get to Club One for various reasons.”

Kyle Chea and Nicholas Mindorff are two of the younger, more seasoned rowers.

“We pushed through pain from 6am,” said Kyle.

Nicholas Mindorff rowed 26.13km over two hours and Kyle, taking on a challenge from his old club mates at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club’s Rowing section, rowed 47.581km over four hours.

Kyle said he felt one of the great elements of the Ergathon was the opportunity for people of all ages, backgrounds and fitness levels to try rowing the way it is supposed to be done.

He said, “People who had used the ‘ergs’ in the gym before said they had never gotten such an intense workout as when they were instructed how to position their back, strengthen their core and apply pressure with their legs.”

Participants walked away with a new appreciation for the fitness potential that rowing has to offer. Bodybuilders, fitness instructors, students, parents and even a United States Coast Guard officer tried their hand at it.

Kyle said: “With everyone’s help, exactly 207.816km was rowed on Saturday, leaving us all very tired but very satisfied.”

The Nassau Rowing Club, a non-profit organization, was formally established on August 10, 2012, by Kyle Chea and six other rowing enthusiasts, with the aim of developing the premier competitive rowing programme in the Bahamas for rowers of all experience, ages and fitness levels.

Rowers adhere to a rigorous training on the rowing machines (ergometers) and train in a single or double scull on Lake Cunningham every weekend to develop their fitness and hone their rowing technique.

Participant in Saturday’s Ergathon Sara Appleton, a new member of the NRC, said: “Rowing on the lake is very good for your mind. I rowed at boarding school, so when I saw the Nassau Rowing Club on Facebook I was very interested. I rowed half an hour easily at the Ergathon. It was wonderful!”

Sara said she arrived at Club One for the 6am start. “The team were here all day and did a fantastic job.”

Fellow participant Cyril Saunders said: “The event was a huge success.”

The NRC takes members from high school level and has partnered with the Lyford Cay International School (LCIS) to establish a pilot junior rowing programme.

Kyle said:

“We had a great amount of support from the Lyford Cay International School community, particularly from students and parents who came out on Saturday to try ‘erging’.”

The Ergathon raised funds towards shipping costs from Virginia of two boats, a coxed four and a double scull, to expand their programme and get more people in New Providence onto the water, as well as to help defray the travel costs for two crews to compete in the 40th Miami International Regatta on April 6, 2013.

Lead sponsor for Saturday’s event was Holowesko Pyfrom Fletcher, Counsel and Attorneys-at-Law. The other corporate sponsors were Bank of The Bahamas Ltd, Club One Fitness Centre, Lyford Cay International School, Elite Pools and Sun Tee. Shirts displaying the sponsors’ logos were sold at the Ergathon.

Kyle Chea said: “A lot of people showed interest in rowing and we have their contact information. People passing by saw us at the Ergathon with our equipment outside Club One and wanted to give it a try. Some didn’t even know we had a Rowing Club in Nassau.”

Interested persons and supporters can donate or pledge towards equipment and the growth of the Nassau Rowing Club by emailing nassaurowingclub@gmail.com or messaging through the Club’s Facebook page at facebook.com/NassauRowingClub.

A video of the highlights from the Ergathon can be found on the Nassau Rowing Club’s You Tube channel.

As NRC member Sara Appleton said: “If we can get more people involved we can get more support.”

Also, a sign on the wall at the event indicated that rowing burns 459-513 calories per hour, which will surely entice many new members.