Thursday, October 17, 2013

Mother/Daughter Share Passion for Rowing

Lynn Biery, Pittsburgh Land Supervisor, and daughter, Elyn, share a passion for rowing.  For the past three years, Lynn has been that “rowing (soccer) mom” helping her daughter, Elyn, rise to Coxswain for her Steel City Rowing team.  (In most boats, the Cox sits facing the rowers in the stern so she/he can steer the boat and coordinate the power and rhythm of the rowers.) Lynn’s passion developed quite by accident but was spawned by early ABARTA health initiatives.  As part of Lynn’s exercise routine, she tried an IndoRowing machine at a local gym and liked it so much that she decided to become a certified instructor.  She quickly fell in love with the motion that eventually developed her power and strength and took her to the water in March 2013.   
Lynn Biery is the 2nd rower from the top, daughter Elyn is at the bottom in purple.
Lynn spends approximately four hours each week rowing, both indoor and out.  After training for only six months, she had the confidence to compete for the first time in the Head of the Ohio in Pittsburgh on the Allegheny River.  One of the largest one-day events in the country, this event attracts competitors of all skill levels.  Lynn’s team placed third, and she received a bronze medal for her efforts in a Masters Mixed 8+ race on Saturday, October 5th.  She worked with seven other rowers in a sweep boat pulling only one oar (see photo), while her daughter, Elyn, sat in front commanding the team to victory.  What surprised Lynn about this victory is that the team had only practiced twice together in the sweep boat.  Typically the rowers practiced in a sculling boat where each rower pulls two oars instead of one.  This team of 4 women and 4 men of varying ages and skill finished the 2.6 mile course in 18:13 and crossed the finish ahead of 5 other boats.  It is never too late to try something new, and we applaud you.



You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.                                                                 C.S. Lewis