East Bay Rowing, established by Barrington residents Deb and Pat Sullivan, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

To kick-off the year-long celebration, East Bay Rowing is throwing a virtual “10K for 10 Years” party on Saturday, March 20 and hopes to raise $10,000. Participants can walk 10,000 steps, go up 10 sets of stairs or even row 10,000 meters to celebrate the club’s anniversary.

Ms. Sullivan said the creation of the East Bay Rowing club can be traced back to her trips up Route 114 to row for another club years ago.

“Driving up the Wampanoag Trail at 4:30 one morning, I looked over at Hundred Acre Cove. The water was flat and calm and simply calling for rowers to take advantage of the ideal conditions,” she said. “My husband and I both rowed in college and we thought we could start a rowing program here.”

Their idea took off — East Bay Rowing began in 2011 with daily trips to Walker Farm for summer rowing camp. Now, 10 years later, almost 4,000 youths and adults have learned to row – some erging (indoor rowing) at their Cutler Mill facility and on the water. Some of the teens have continued their careers and rowed on college teams.

“I fell in love with rowing for many reasons but to have a group of people push themselves to their physical limits by getting in a boat together and making it move, is just incredible,” said Jake Lentz, Barrington resident and sophomore at Ithaca College. Jake started rowing with the program in the beginning years and now rows for Ithaca, coaches youth and adults at EBR in the summer and has his sights set on coaching in the future.

Margie Reed is relatively new to the sport. She said she would pass by the boats and always have the urge to try it.

“Finally, last spring, even in the midst of Covid, I took the plunge,” she said. “Rowing with EBR was thrilling, humbling, a complete sensory overload and quite empowering at the same time.”

The pandemic brought challenges to East Bay Rowing, like other group activities. But, EBR officials created a successful zoom program for home training. During the water months (April through early October), members were able to get out on the water in singles. “Singles are phenomenal for training,” Ms. Sullivan said. “The only downfall was that we do not have enough singles which posed scheduling puzzles. But we made it work and everyone who wanted to get out on the water did.”

The situation actually brought club members closer together.

“I rowed in college,” said Barrington resident Arnold Robinson. “EBR has allowed me to return to the sport that I love but it means so much more than that – it’s like family to me.” In fact, Robinson’s wife Molly, who also rowed in college, serves as a coxswain for EBR.

On March 20, the EBR family will come together virtually and socially distanced at their indoor training facility in Warren to celebrate their time together. They hope to raise $10,000 to help propel the club forward. As the club is a non-profit 501c3, anyone can donate and participate.

If you would like to help, contact East Bay Rowing at deb@eastbayrowing.com. You can guarantee registration and an EBR 10 Year Anniversary shirt by signing up today at https://ebrow.wufoo.com/forms/z1dxrteo1xmqszi/