Imagine a program where any student who attends Ann Arbor Public Schools (AAPS) has free access to rowing, regardless of their country club status, income bracket or degree of athleticism. Imagine a program where students don’t have to worry about the time commitment crew demands or the pressure of not being good enough once they hit the water. Seven years ago, ERG ED and AAPS partnered to turn this idea into reality.
For many, rowing is considered a country club sport, a sport of status. The Traveling Erg Program set out to try and change that by making rowing a more accessible sport. Although the logistics of incorporating on-water rowing in standard physical education classes is nearly impossible, there is a way to develop the same skills in the classroom.
This is through ergometers (ergs), long machines that mimic the feel of on-water rowing that are transferred from school to school every two to four weeks. AAPS offered a grant in 2018 to purchase several ergs to kick off the program’s start. Later on, the program purchased a large red trailer to make transportation of the machines easier.
From Dec. 4 through Dec. 20, the Traveling Erg program is visiting Community High. During this time period, any of the students or staff are allowed to use the ergs free of charge. CHS already owns two erg machines, and the program brought in 15 additional ergs, so Kevin Starkey, Phys Ed teacher of CHS, has enough to teach a full classroom of students at once.
“My goal in personal fitness is to introduce kids to as many different exercise methods and styles as possible,” Starkey said. ”There’s a couple hundred kids that are going to have access to Ergs that may not have been able to without [the Traveling Ergs Program].”
Ergs offer a workout that exercises the full body. Pushing back strengthens the quads and hamstrings, while pulling with the upper body grows the back and arm muscles. It’s also a cardio exercise with continuous movement, which will benefit heart health now and in the future.
This program not only encourages students to explore a sport that builds strength and endurance, it also pushes students towards a path to earn scholarships. Crew is a sport that often receives large scholarships from universities. Because crew is a sport that’s not widely available or diverse, minority students have less of an opportunity to receive the financial aid that crew can provide. ERG ED works to make crew available to all students.
“Sometimes kids don’t get to choose the spaces they’re in and the opportunities they’re given,” said Kit Bennit, Director of Washtenaw Rowing Center and Head Coach of the Skyline Crew team. “We have the power to change that.”
While the program can offer a plethora of benefits, some students are not so keen on the new curriculum. They argue “erging” is draining and repetitive. They prefer other forms of working out that provide more mental stimulation, which helps them stay engaged.
“I don’t like it; there are better ways to workout,” Thomas Radesky said , one of the students participating in the program. “It’s mind-numbing and it just makes my back hurt.”
Other students, like Fiona Ziegler, another student in the program, argue that the change was needed, and it made them excited to come to class. They feel that erging teaches consistency and helps you grow muscles.
“I think it’s a really cool thing,” Ziegler said. “It’s fun to be able to row, even if it’s not actually on the water.”
While rowing may not be everyone’s passion, the partnership between AAPS and ERG ED is introducing hundreds of students to a sport, which they likely would have never tried in the first place.
