Rowers Begin Fourth Week of Summer Crew; Registration Up Almost 50 Percent from Last Year

The 2012 Alexandria Summer Crew Program entered its fourth week of classes and training sessions this past Monday with nearly 130 rowers taking to the water at the Dee Campbell Boathouse in Old Town. Classes and sessions begin each morning just after sunrise and are between 90 minutes and two hours in length. Rowers are learning basic technique and building on the skills they have acquired in past seasons. According to Summer Crew Program Director Lexye Hearding, they are also having fun.

"That's really the whole point of it," she said. "We clearly want to make sure our rowers become familiar with the sport if they've never done it before and improve their skills if they have a season or two under their belts. But we also want to make sure our rowers are enjoying themselves. After all, it's summer. We want them to learn. But we also want them to have a good time."

Hearding noted that both youth rowers and adults are taking part in the Summer Crew program. She added that registration in the program is up almost 50 percent from last year, reflecting, she said, not just the growing popularity of the sport, but the fact that rowing on the Potomac is a great way to get some exercise and start the day.

The program concludes on Friday, Aug. 3, with the Blue Plains Sprints, an annual regatta that pits the summer rowers against each other in a series of races and marks the official end of the summer rowing season.

The program is sponsored by the Alexandria Crew Boosters. For more information on rowing in Alexandria, please visit www.tcwcrew.org or www.rowalexandria.com.

A group of rowers participating in the 2012 Alexandria Summer Crew program hoist their racing shell above their heads on the dock of the Dee Campbell Boathouse in Old Town. The six-week instructional program began on June 25 and concludes with the Blue Plains Sprints on Aug. 3.

Rowers participating in the 2012 Alexandria Summer Crew program make their way up the Potomac as a jet comes in for a landing at National Airport overhead.

A coach instructs four rowers on proper technique during a break in rowing on the Potomac.

Additional photos from the 2012 Alexandria Summer Crew Program can be found on facebook.