Cape Coral rowing lifts off

City gaining growing reputation as great place to participate in sport

LINDSAY DOWNEY • SPECIAL TO THE NEWS-PRESS • MAY 20, 2010

Nine teenagers hoisted a big yellow boat over their heads and carried it down to the dock. They flipped off their sandals, grabbed red-yellow-and-blue oars and took their positions in the vessel.
"Give me a stroke!" a young lady - serving as the crew's coxswain, or leader - yelled into her microphone headset.

After a few more instructions, the crew took off down the waterway at Cape Harbour in Cape Coral. As members of the Cape Coral Rowing Club, the young athletes are helping to further the Cape's budding reputation as a top destination for rowing.

RowingAndSkulling.com recently named the city No. 3 in the country - after Sarasota and Austin, Texas - on its list of Best Places to Retire and Row. The Cape Coral club, which is the only rowing club in Lee County, is slowly making a name for itself at regional regattas.

Its female scholastic crew team placed 11th and its men's team came in ninth out of approximately 40 teams during the Florida Scholastic Rowing Association's state championship regatta in Sarasota earlier this month.

"We were definitely the underdogs, and we didn't win, but we really rowed to the best of our potential and put out a name for ourselves," said rower Cameron Gunter, 18, a senior at Ida S. Baker High School who hopes to row for the University of Central Florida next year.

With all the attention, rowing is poised to become a major sport and pastime in the Cape. Already, prominent and international rowers are attracted to the city's scenic waterways.

"We've had people from all over the world come and row with us - people from Switzerland, people from Germany and national team rowers," said Alis Jordan, who founded the Cape Coral Rowing Club with her husband, John, in 2007. "We had Jamie Koven here - a two-time (U.S.) Olympic rower. People just love it here."

The Cape Coral club started three years ago with five student rowers in its scholastic program. Today, it boasts 30 young crew members as well as an active master's rowing program, for people older than 18. The master's program is open to anyone, regardless of skill level.

Rowing works nearly every muscle in the body and many participants see their physiques become strong and lean through the sport. Rowing boosted Gunter's motivation and energy level tremendously.

"(Before rowing), I would just lay around and not really want to do anything when I was at home," he said.