Many people applaud the clubs and individuals who are supporting adaptive rowing for their generous altruism, but in reality, adaptive rowing provides many self-serving benefits to the club and its members.
- Support Rowing – Support Rowing is where a non-adaptive rower sits in the boat to provide guidance, stability or assistance. It is a popular way for a segment of able-bodied rowers to enjoy the sport not just to contribute to other rowers, but also for their own enjoyment and enhancement of rowing. Steve Pickin, alternative option
- “Rowing one-handed with Kirsty has been one of the most educational things I have done rowing and has benefited my regular rowing hugely. You have to disregard all the conventional wisdom you have been taught about rowing over the years and really re-examine what makes the boat move from the ground up.” – Steve Pickin, Vets E Rower, Marlow RC
- More Financial Support–Rowing suffers from an (increasingly false and dated) image of being an elitist sport so many funders are apprehensive about providing support, but many funders are keen to help those who more transparently warrant a bit of a helping hand like disabled athletes. Check out my UK grant funding catalogue. For some clubs that run as a charity, an adaptive programme can be a powerful validation to the club’s social benefit.
- Adaptive Equipment for All – Many of adaptive boats and equipment get used more by the rest of the club than by the adaptive squad itself especially for Learn To Row groups and novices.
- Duke of Edinburgh – The Duke of Edinburgh Award is one of the highest profile honours a school child can attain recognizing a breadth of achievement across domains of academics, sport and community service. Meaningful community service can often be a particular challenge for young people who have limited skill sets. But for the rowing community, support rowing is a proven high value area for service.
- Can-do ethos – A number of clubmates have commented to me how the inclusion of the adaptive athletes has a palpably positive impact on the spirit of the club and the attitude of the members toward the sport (see video above at minute 5:00). One coach commented to me that typically juniors a have a bit of a moan about how hard their training session was at the end of it. But when they are getting off the water right when the adaptives are boating, it’s a bit of an attitude-adjusting reality check to them when some person who can’t walk or is missing an arm is gleefully getting into their boat and you are complaining about being a bit wet or tired.