Local Rowing Club Flourishes in Poughkeepsie
by Chris Rechen
Hundreds of youth and masters rowers alike converge daily on the Hudson River Rowing Association (HRRA) boathouse. Located at the North end of Water Street in Poughkeepsie, New York, the club offers a wide array of programs for rowers of all ages and skill levels. Learn-to-row lessons are held every week, and the boathouse also serves as housing for numerous privately owned rowing shells for those who like to take them out on the beautiful Hudson River at their own leisure.
The pride and joy of the boathouse, though, is the junior program. The boathouse serves as a home to seven different high school rowing teams in the spring, but one combined team in the fall. Newly hired coach Jake Jordan has worked tirelessly to unify the athletes from Spackenkill, Our Lady of Lourdes, Wappingers, Arlington, Poughkeepsie, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Rhinebeck High Schools to create the fastest and most competitive boats possible for the fall racing season.
The men’s and women’s junior racing teams are already reaping the benefits of Jordan’s presence, as participation numbers are up significantly since last fall. The men’s team has increased in size from three varsity eight boats to four, and the women’s team from two to three. More internal competition has fostered better speed, as shown by the team’s impressive results from their first race a couple of weeks ago.
The squad traveled to Saratoga to compete in the Tail of the Fish regatta, where the best finishers were second place in the women’s second varsity 8, with a time of 13:27 over an approximately two-mile course, and second place in the men’s varsity 8 and second varsity 8 categories as well, with times of 12:12 and 12:54, respectively.
Jordan, an HRRA junior racing team alumnus, says he was inspired to see such competitive times coming from his former boathouse. “I just remember having so much fun racing here when I was in school, and so I’m excited that these kids can feel the same in their race performances,” he commented.
The junior team isn’t the only one making HRRA proud, as men’s and women’s master’s quads both took home wins in their events at the Tail of the Fish. The master’s boats were filled with men and women between the ages of 37 and 54. Joshua Stratton, the President of the club and a masters rower himself, is thrilled with the success of all the programs- “It’s awesome to see that we can succeed at all levels, because the Hudson is such a cool and historic place to row.”
The club welcomes everyone, whether you want to race or are just looking for a new way to improve fitness. For more information on how to get involved, visit www.hudsonriverrowing.org.
