With the generous $15,000 matching grant from Crestron, the Rockland Rowing Association raised over $30,000 in its annual “Pull With Purpose” fundraising erg-a-thon. Held in the east court of the Palisades Center, there was great energy as the adult and youth teams combined to compete first in a 1000m erg race, and then a 1-hour relay race for teams of 4. We attracted many passing shoppers, and even a local cable station’s (FioS1 News) camera team and reporter that were onsite.

A typical 4-person relay team consisted of a rower from our Adult Team, a Competitive Youth Team rower, a Development Team youth rower and a new rower just trying out the sport. Our Adaptive Team had its own team that generated lots of power as they all “pulled with purpose.” Thanks to all the donors who help make it possible for the RRA to fulfill its mission to “improve people’s lives through the sport of rowing.” This year’s donations are going toward several projects, including new racing shells for the youth teams and a new engine for our safety/coaching launches. The safety of all our rowers, particularly our adaptive team that is already challenged physically, requires us to have reliable launches to provide assistance in an emergency. At the same time, to be ecologically sensitive, we are trying to avoid the use of gasoline engines. Our fleet of propane engines is temperamental, so we are looking into some new electric engines that can propel our launches at the needed speed (close to 20mph to keep up with the fastest rowing shells, and to quickly reach any rower facing some sort of emergency) while producing no emissions.