To the best of my knowledge, there is still no medal for couch sitting, although I suppose it really should be a winter sport. But for those who have been inspired by the Paris Olympics to get their butts in gear, there are some opportunities nearby for getting started. The ProJo ran a piece on this very topic with suggestions for fencing, sailing, surfing, breaking, and rowing. Seen here is the Narragansett Boat Club — America’s oldest rowing club — down on River Road along the Seekonk River. From the ProJo:
. . . members of the Narragansett Boat Club in Providence will be watching the Olympic rowing competition with interest since Olympic rower Emily Kallfelz of Jamestown rowed with the club before heading off to Princeton University.
Three other club members have also competed in the Olympics, according to Eric Watne, adult programs manager of the Narragansett Boat Club, which is the oldest boat club in the country, founded in 1838.
Hence that phone number: 401.272.1838. Info on membership here . . . recommended for early risers. But you don’t have to join the club to take lessons (that’s how they get you). And they have a scholarship program.
Consider one of our tuition-based programs which range from entry level classes to advanced technique and competitive training.
We have written about the club before. From the club’s history:
In 1838, George C. Nightingale, William A. Greene, Rufus Waterman, Henry Lippitt, Sullivan Dorr, Jr., William C. Allen, and Charles Arnold were among the influential men of Providence who founded the Narragansett Boat Club. Following the Civil War, the Club constructed an impressive boathouse on the banks of the Seekonk, almost at the junction of what are now Angel Street and River Road. This impressive two-story structure not only sheltered a large flotilla of boats, it also contained a large meeting room and changing rooms. For many years this boathouse served as a gathering spot for the social elite of Providence.
Those names should all ring a bell. There’s more to the story — women were finally welcomed in the ’70s — and I will note that the history always refers to River “Road” which is what it had always been called forever until . . . what? Someone wanted to make it fancy?
Narragansett Boat Club, 2 River Drive, (directions)