by Bess Alshvang
Our Queens middle school girls have had an incredibly exciting and event-filled summer with Row New York! From rowing on Meadow Lake each day, to learning new and cool things about math, science, and NYC, to exploring the city all the way from Governor’s Island to Harlem, our girls have been having an amazing summer camp experience.
I had the wonderful opportunity to talk to three of our awesome girls – Odalys, Naya, and Lucy – about how their summer has been going. They couldn’t wait to chime in about how the last few weeks have been “really fun!”
Lucy, a rising 9th grader, is getting ready to enter her novice year at Row New York. She’s had a great time going out in a “tub,” an unmistakable boat – well, tub! – used for introducing rowers to singles sculling.
Naya, a rising 8th grader, loves the fact that tubs give her “full control” and a chance to “not rely on anybody else.” She loves seeing her strength come out in each stroke as she guides the boat across the water.
Without any hesitation, they were ready to say what they think of when they hear “Row New York.” Odalys, another rising 8th grader, went straight for “STRONG”; Naya smiled and automatically replied “POWER”; and Lucy fiercely answered with what she loves most: “EIGHTS and TUBS.”
Most of all, they all agreed that their favorite part of the summer thus far has been – wait for it – “rowing!”
And – if you’re still not convinced that our Queens girls are having a great time, they have a few more reasons why Row New York is ridiculously fun!
“When you take a really big stroke and the wind is blowing against you…You get to go out on the water and have fun!” – Odalys
“It’s fun…you get to interact with people and you get to learn new things. You get to learn about people and how to row. And you make new friends!”-Naya
“You get to meet a lot of new people and you can have a really great experience. It looks really good on your record that you’re on a team. And you get to have a good experience, especially when you’re at a race, and you’re in the boat with your teammates! You get to have fun!” –Lucy
