ORRA hosts Learn to Row class for visually impaired, blind

The Oak Ridge Rowing Association boathouse at Melton Lake Park on the Clinch River.

The Oak Ridge Rowing Association will host a special Learn to Row class for the visually impaired and blind on Sunday, September 14.

ORRA is partnering with Visually Impaired/Blind Enhanced Services, or Club VIBES, to offer the class, which starts at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Club VIBES is a nonprofit organization with a mission to assist blind and visually impaired young people in the Knoxville area to live independent and productive lives by identifying their unique capacities and developing their individual strengths, a press release said. Club VIBES provides a free mentoring service for visually impaired or blind youth and their parents/guardians residing in or around the Knoxville area.

Twelve to 13 participants will launch on Sunday afternoon to engage in a new activity for those who have always wanted to try the sport but have not had the opportunity.

Volunteers from ORRA will walk through a brief Learn to Row class, beginning with the basics and ending in a two-hour row on Melton Hill Lake, home of ORRA.

According to Executive Director and Co-Founder Sue Buckley, Club VIBES members have cycled in tandem, experienced hiking, and indoor rock climbing, but rowing? Not until Sunday.

She said the group joining ORRA members and volunteers is excited and that a couple of the young people have dreams of rowing when they reach high school.

“To some this may seem to be a long stretch for adventure and outdoor activities, but ask any rower and you will soon learn that rowing with one’s eyes closed is a skill practiced often to enable the senses to quiet the body, focus on the movement of the boat, the sound of the oar, and the ability to synchronize movement in the boat with one’s teammates,” the press release said.

Oak Ridge Rowing Association is a public nonprofit organization founded in 1978 with a mission to promote the sport of rowing in Oak Ridge and East Tennessee. The organization offers Learn to Row classes, coached rowing, competitive racing, hosts regattas and camps, and welcomes spring training teams from around the United States. For more information contact Terry Holley, president and executive director, at [email protected] or at (865) 482-6538.