School Indoor Rowing Event Planned
Longtails Rowing Club founder Zoe Oduntan is spearheading plans to launch an Inter-School Indoor Rowing Championships in Bermuda.
Oduntan, 13, said she first presented the idea to representatives from the Department of Sport and Recreation before reaching out to schools to gauge interest in the initiative.
Nine of the 13 schools she contacted expressed an interest in taking part, although many did not have access to rowing machines for training.
“Indoor rowing is actually what got me into rowing on the water in the first place, so I thought every student in Bermuda should not only have the chance to try it but to have access to it on a regular basis,” Oduntan told Bernews.
“I also thought we should find a way to make indoor rowing a regular school sport in Bermuda, so schools can compete against each other just like they do in other sports. Rowing on the erg is one of the safest sports anyone can do.”
Oduntan said the schools committed to participating are expected to receive two rowing machines each by September.
The nine schools are CedarBridge Academy, Sandys Secondary Middle School, Warwick Academy, Somersfield Academy, Saltus Grammar School, Mount Saint Agnes Academy, Chatmore British International School, Bermuda High School and Bermuda Centre for Creative Learning.
The plan is for a semi-annual competition in October, followed by a final event in January next year.
“My hope is that the top winners from the January event will go to a big indoor rowing tournament in the US. called the C.R.A.S.H-B Sprints,” Oduntan said.
Under the proposed format, Year 7 students will race 250 metres, Year 8 students 500 metres, Year 9 students 750 metres, Years 10 and 11 will race 1,000 metres and Years 12 and 13 will race 1,500 metres. Boys and girls will compete separately in each year group.
“We are still finalising the details, but the goal is to have students from Years 7 to 13 representing their schools and helping their schools shine,” Oduntan said.
Oduntan said coach Henry Adderley, owner of LifeThyme Fitness on Dundonald Street, has offered the use of his gym and their Concept2 RowErgs for the event.
The Saltus Grammar School student said Longtails were also finalising plans for a possible after-school rowing programmein September.
“I’m really excited about that because I want rowing to become more mainstream in Bermuda,” she added.
“For many students, it may start with indoor rowing, and then some of them will eventually get on the water, it’s a matter of having more volunteer coaches and equipment to work with.”
Longtails Rowing Club is an independent youth rowing initiative created to build opportunities for youngsters by working with volunteer coaches to provide regular training, introduce more students to the sport, and support pathways for local and international competition.
