When not in suit and tie, chances are good you”™ll find attorney Peter Klose rollin”™ down the river. No, not the Mississippi; Klose”™s river of choice is another waterway, the Hudson, where he meets up with 25 or more rowing regulars at Nyack”™s public pier six mornings a week, rowing under the shadow of the Tappan Zee Bridge and out into the waters that separate Westchester and Rockland counties. ?Klose got into rowing in college, where he excelled. But once he got his lawyer”™s shingle, he turned his attention to growing his practice. By 2003, however, all work and no play was making Klose feel he needed more in his life than just a pile of legal papers.
He re-discovered his rowing roots and in the process, discovered the River Rowing Association in Nyack.
Klose quickly got close to the action, making sure he is at the club”™s regular meeting spot at the pier at 5:30 a.m. “I really needed to find something that not just engaged me physically but kept my spirits up,” said Klose. “When you are rowing with your team, you focus on what you are doing and enjoying the scenery. It really does soothe the soul and for a little while, you are really able to disconnect from the 24/7 world we live in.” ?Klose and members of the River Rowers would like to bring the art of rowing back to the prominence it once held in the late 19th century when Nyack was home to a magnificent boathouse and rowing was a sport that both rich and famous and the guy next door could enjoy.
Today, the boats and equipment Klose and other rowers use is stored outside without a “home” to call their own. Their goal is not just to raise awareness, but to raise enough funds to put up a storage facility for the boats and the gear. The village has already agreed to give River Rowers a piece of property to build on. “Now, we just need to raise the money to do it,” said Klose.?Through the local YMCA in the village of Nyack, the River Rowing Association offers several programs for rowers, going from middle-schoolers to 55 and over. This year, the association introduced an eight-week course for rowers with disabilities.
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“No one should be left out of the sport,” said Klose. “There are ways to make it possible for people who have limitations to be able to row or kayak and enjoy it.” Klose”™s goal mirrors that of the group”™s: Get people off the sofa and into something that will keep them physically fit and mentally challenged while enjoying the beauty of the Hudson River. ?Programs run all year, even into the winter months, with River Rowing using facilities at West Point that enable enthusiasts to work out on rowing machines to keep biceps and backs in shape. For the most part, however, when the sun is coming up (or clouds are on the horizon), the rowing regulars meet on Nyack”™s village dock for their six-day-a-week workout.?This year, the River Rowing Association will host what members hope will become a yearly event: a rowboat race scheduled for Saturday, September 12.
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“What better time to start a tradition than by having it coincide with the 400th anniversary of the discovery of the Hudson?” said Klose. The rowboat challenge, which will begin at the George Washington Bridge and end at the village of Nyack”™s pier at the foot of the Tappan Zee Bridge, is open to experienced rowboaters.
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Klose says dozens of rowboat enthusiasts are already signed up for the 25 kilometer challenge. When they reach their destination at Nyack”™s shoreline, there will be a barbecue for participants at Memorial Park, where all are invited free of charge. Crews from as small as a duo up to eight people can participate, but RRA requires all be experienced crews due to potentially difficult conditions. “Chase boats will accompany the race, but for the most part, crews are on their own,” said Klose. “They need to have the correct gear: life jackets, bailing equipment and a waterproof cell phone.”
For Klose, the race is something he”™s not only actively involved in organizing, but hopes will bring attention to what he considers a great sport that”™s gone by the wayside, lost to a new generation of people glued to their plasma TVs. “We have the Hudson River right on our doorstep,” said Klose. “What better way to enjoy where we live than by enjoying its natural beauty and get physically and mentally fit in the process?”
Klose hopes the race will encourage donors to step forward and help build the boat house. While it will be nowhere as grand as the 19th century structure that once graced Nyack”™s shores, it will serve a practical purpose and give the River Rowing Association a place to store gear and meet and grow its membership in the process. ?Visit riverowing.org for information on the rowing 25K.
