So, it's not surprising that kids from suburban communities like Avon and Simsbury would vie for a spot in the high school rowing program Riverfront Recaptured runs from the boathouse at Riverside Park. Or, that they shell out $350 per year to reserve their bench in one of the boats. What is really interesting, however, is what East Hartford students pay for the same privilege: Nothing!

"Riverfront Recapture is non-profit organization that tries to get people back on the river," explained during a practice session last Wednesday the group's coach Brian Wendry. "So, they provide a grant that pays for all the expenses for students in the program from Hartford and East Hartford, and that includes even transportation costs."

It's a great opportunity for the kids, the coach pointed out. The sport offers a nice way to get some vigorous exercise, while at the same time teaching the students team work, responsibility, and an appreciation for nature.

More than 70 kids from 15 different school systems take part in the Riverfront Recapture program that exploits one of the best rowing resources in New England: the scenic stretch of water between Windsor and East Hartford. Last week, the young rowers and their families enjoyed the river in its entire splendor, with the Hartford skyline framing the south horizon, and the trees on the banks clad in their golden fall foliage.

The afternoon's program started with the athletes getting first a work out, to stretch their muscles, before they carried their 8-seat boats to the water, and took their positions at their oars. The boats moved then up the river, to the starting line at the Windsor Bridge, and then started paddling downstream towards Riverside Park.

The boat with the best time in the distance would win.
It took about an hour for the boats to appear from the Windsor bent of the river, and when they did it was obvious that this was a real race. The kids rowed furiously, trying to pass the boat in front of them, and spectators cheered enthusiastically, as "Pride of Hartford" crossed the line ahead of one of its competitors.

And they oohed with disappointment when another boat stopped dead in the water as one of the rowers "caught a crab" as they say in the sport: An oar caught water and was pulled downward resulting in an urgent need to halt the boat.

But even that was part of the lesson, pointed out CIBA student Maria Cuadros, one of about 40 East Hartford kids that take advantage of the program. "It's a good sport, because it's not just strength that you need," she said. "We learn to work together with other people."

The program is offered during summer and fall, for about 5 months every year, Wendry said. During winter and spring the water is both, too cold for rowers to fall in, and too fast for the frail boats, which are built for speed, not for endurance.

And safety is something Riverfront Recapture is very focused on, the coach stressed. Kids must always wear their vests, and engine-powered boats are always ready to intervene in case of emergency.

So, how good are these youthful high school rowers?
During a Charles River regatta, last month in Boston, the boat manned with the best male rowers of the group placed about 50th in a 75-boat field said Wendry. That's good considering the numbers of prep school crews which competed. And the girls' team is also getting better every year he said.

But even more important, the coach said, is what the kids really learn.

"They learn teamwork, discipline, and to just value hard work," he pointed out. "And they spend some great time on the river and get to see how beautiful it really is."