Row, row, row, a dinghy

To teach a kid to row, a typical dinghy type boat, you start first start on land. You face the kid, holding out both hands in front (standing about a foot apart); you extend your arms, while the child keeps her body straight, and leans backward. You then pull the kid back towards you. Repeat.

Or, you could just toss the

kid and dog in the dinghy, and let her figure it out.

Somehow, sometimes, a small spark of passion, is lit in a child. The learning process is all part of the fun.

Today, what worked was a whole lot more fun for kid and dog too. But, instead of learning to row, my oars girl decides on her own that playing fetch with Lucy, the chocolate Labrador retriever was more fun.

Soon though, with each time that Lucy boarded the “Flyer”, with each shaking of her body, proceeded to leave her salt water soaking wet.

Short term fun, long term gain.

From my vantage point I suddenly see the paddles. Took a little effort but, soon Clover girl realized, just how hard she needed to paddle on each side, to row in a straight line.

Finally, a small success in the fine art of rowing is achieved. A suitable future oars woman in the making.

Rowing 101.

Rowing is perhaps the toughest of sports. Once the race starts, there are no timeouts, no substitutions. It calls upon the limits of human endurance. The coach must therefore impart the secrets of the special kind of endurance that comes from the mind, heart, and body.

– George Pocock