Be in the Best Shape of Your Life

This year there were 21 satellite indoor rowing races in the U.S. and Canada. Participants at these races had the opportunity to qualify for a trip to the C.R.A.S.H.-B. World Indoor Rowing Championships in Boston. The following qualifiers, along with others, earned trips by pulling impressively fast times. You will see that some of them have been rowing for years, while others picked up the sport more recently, but all have used rowing to help keep themselves in terrific condition—quite possibly the best shape of their lives.

Dave Bauer

Stats

73, Retired, after a fabulous 45-year career in Aerospace

Qualifying Race

Mile High Sprints, Denver, CO

What inspired you to start rowing?

I was a competitive runner until the pounding started to pinch my left sciatic nerve. The doctors said that I had to strengthen my back muscles to straighten my spine. Rowing is great for that and I don’t have any sciatic problem as long as I keep rowing.

“If I could no longer row, I would… have to find another exercise to keep my back strong.”

Robert Lakin

Stats

59, Physician

Qualifying Race

SWEAT, Dallas, TX

What inspired you to start rowing?

In the late 1990s, I was working too hard, exercising too little, and getting too big. I started working out at our hospital’s cardiac rehab center. They had several C2 ergs, and I found that I enjoyed the rowing motion and the total body workout. Then I found the C2 website and bought my own erg. Being goal driven, I started logging meters and entering times on the rankings. That led to indoor racing. I joined a rowing club mainly to learn proper form on the erg, but I do row some on the water. My wife now rows, too. I have raced bicycles and done triathlons in the past, but the erg has me in the best shape of my life at age 59.

“If I could no longer row, I would… find a type of exercise that I could do; exercise and fitness are central to my emotional and spiritual well-being.”

Debby Jackson

Stats

56, Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator

Qualifying Race

Ergomania, Seattle, WA

What inspired you to start rowing?

I rowed at the University of Washington during my junior and senior years (1972/1973) when crew was a club sport. I had never done sports in high school (there weren’t any for girls). I saw a flyer on campus announcing a crew informational meeting. The funny thing is, I thought I might be too big—I think I was thinking about coxswains! Almost 18 years ago, I read a small article in our local paper looking for women interested in crew. Initially called Vashon Women’s Rowing Club (VWRC), the club let men join after a couple years, and I have been rowing with Vashon Island Rowing Club (VIRC) ever since.

“If I could no longer row, I would… I’ve never thought about it. Maybe cox or volunteer at regattas and maybe run more.”

Sue Morgan Hooten

Stats

55, Pediatrician for 23 years

Qualifying Race

Golden State Indoor Rowing Championship, Sacramento, CA

What inspired you to start rowing?

I started at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1973. Migrated East to seek my rowing fortune in 1975 with a one-way plane ticket, a bike, my backpack and only a week of guaranteed housing. I made the 1976 Olympic Rowing team in a pair with Laura Staines, coached by Ted Nash. My husband, John, likes to point out that I went East with what I could carry and left 10 years later with an 18-wheeler full of stuff and a family!

“If I could no longer row, I would… be fine, because I enjoy so many different activities. But if I couldn’t be physically active outside…well, that would take some getting used to.”

Lowell Caylor

Stats

66, Founded Greenville Indoor Rowing, LLC, to bring his passion for the benefits of indoor rowing to the Upstate region of South Carolina

Qualifying Race

Tennessee Indoor Rowing Championships, Chattanooga, TN

What inspired you to start rowing?

Twenty years ago, while living in Denver, I saw a young woman working out hard on one of two indoor rowers at a health club. I asked her about the machine and what it did for her. Found out she was on the U.S. Rowing team and that they used the ergs for training. She asked me to try it and I instantly became hooked. It has basically been my only form of regular exercise over the last 20 years.

“If I could no longer row, I would… most likely have to deal with some serious health issues that indoor rowing has helped me to combat in recent years.”

More About Lowell Caylor

Lowell Caylor didn’t mention that he was a defensive back for the Cleveland Browns, who played on the 1964 World Championship Team. A recent article in Go! Magazine, continues:

“I have been using an indoor rowing machine, or ergometer, as my primary source of physical fitness exercise for the last 18 years. In May of 2006, I suffered a heart attack that was caused by a 100% blockage of the right coronary artery. My cardiologist felt that because I was in such good physical condition it helped me survive. My heart muscle was so strong that no permanent damage was done. When they discovered the total blockage during the heart cath procedure, the doctor said, ‘You are an interesting case study. Most people wouldn’t be lying here talking to me with something like this.’ They did balloon angioplasty to open up the blockage and restore proper blood flow to the heart muscle and then inserted a stent.

…I must say that I think this piece of equipment is the best there is for overall conditioning. The machine works every major muscle group, plus cardio-vascular, all in one workout. It is also low impact so your knees and ankles don’t take the pounding you get from running or jogging. It’s truly an exercise for all ages and all fitness levels.”