LAKE STEVENS — A small rowing club that started in Lake Stevens 12 years ago with just a few people has become a major player in the rowing scene in the Northwest, and even the nation:
Three members of the Lake Stevens Rowing Club have won national championships in the past three years. Ursula Grobler (now James) won a singles championship last year, and Erik Farrar and Mark Jelsing won a doubles championship in 2005. Several others in the club also have made it to the nationals competitions.
Lake Stevens is one of only two lakes in Washington with a buoyed, Olympic-size sprint course, according to Jon Brady, the club’s first vice president. Not even Lake Washington, where the vaunted University of Washington crew trains, has one. The other lake with a buoyed, 2,000-meter course is Vancouver Lake near Vancouver, Wash., Brady said.
Of about 30 referees who officiate regattas in the Northwest division of U.S. Rowing-sanctioned events, seven belong to the Lake Stevens Rowing Club.
Lake Stevens has four regattas per year, out of about 20 around the Northwest, Brady said.
The club started in 1996 as the Northwest Legends Rowing Club, Brady said, and in 2003 changed its name to the Lake Stevens Rowing Club. It now has more than 70 members, most of whom take part in local and regional races, or regattas.
Rowers 18 or under, called “juniors,” all race, Brady said. Those over 26, known as “masters,” have a choice. There’s no classification for those in between — rowers between 19 and 25 tend to be serious competitive rowers, such as for a college team, or don’t do it at all, Brady said.
The club offers opportunities both for competitive and recreational rowing for all ages. Classes include a “learn to row” group.
No matter your skill level, Brady said, there’s nothing like getting out on the lake.
“It’s glass smooth and you’re looking up at Mount Pilchuck covered in snow and it’s a warm morning, it can’t be beat.”
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