In Whatcom County, there are many ways to exercise and stay in shape. You could run along Lake Whatcom, mountain bike up Galbraith (aka Lookout Mountain), or take a hike into the Chuckanuts. However, one sport that is under appreciated is rowing. Since the publishing of the book “Boys in the Boat” by Daniel James Brown in 2013, the sport has had a resurgence in popularity. It was once the sport of the Ivy Leagues and large universities like UW, but now rowing in Whatcom County has a new appeal to all sorts of athletes.
A growing sport amongst kids and adults alike, rowing is about endurance, hard work and teamwork. Rowing isn’t about having a couple star players. It is a sport where everyone must function as one. This is the most difficult aspect of the sport. Rowers tend to be excellent athletes but they must give up their ego, let go of their achievements and be part of a team. Otherwise, the boat doesn’t function and nobody likes it when one person ruins something for everyone else.
Shelly Bull-Bunnet, the manager of the Whatcom Rowing Association, started rowing as a Freshman in high school in Seattle. At first, it was a way to keep in shape but it turned out to be something more. Shelly continued to row in high school and through college. She went on to the Junior Olympics and moved up to Bellingham.
A couple of years ago, Shelly heard from some of her friends that people were trying to put together a rowing team. She volunteered to manage it and coached the WRA for two years. When the team wanted to get more competitive, they hired new coaches. Currently, it is coached by Andrew Lapidus, a teacher at Squalicum High School. Coach Lapidus is working hard to bring this new club sport to the next level of competition by teaching and showing the rowers his passion for the sport.
Most rowers do not like the sport, they love it. Even though it seems repetitious, most describe the rowing experience as meditative and relaxing. One would think that they would complain about being bored, tired and cold but most rowers talk about rowing as transformative. More than anything, rowers seem to love the sport because of the sense of community it builds. Thomas Newman can vouch for that. “My sister’s boyfriend actually introduced me to rowing,” said Thomas, “He and I were pretty tight, so I trusted him when he said it was fun. Turns out he was right.”
“My friends were really into rowing, so I already felt at home when I first started rowing,” said Cameron Odegaard. “Everyone gets to be really good friends because, well, we have to be.” Cameron explained to me that rowing is not an individual sport. “Sure, everyone has a set of skills but in order to row you need to be one with the team. You can’t be special.”
Recently two olympian rowers from the US team came to Bellingham and spent time with the junior WRA rowers in order to inspire them to keep rowing. The olympians also spoke at the Yacht Club to the WRA members about what it has meant to them to be world class rowers and how they rose through the ranks. They talked about how important it was to be a good teammate and how rowing helped them to be a better person by being able to overcome adversity, like being cut from the team.
Rowing is not just a sport, it is a community of people who love what they do. They love being part of a team that is fighting for a common goal, one stroke a time.
If you are interested in finding out more about rowing in Whatcom County, check out the WRA website and contact Shelly.
