Letter to the Editor: Added Years

I enjoyed “The Magic of Rowing” (December) so much I feel the need to put my own oar in that water.

At age 78, I purchased a 1981 Alden ocean shell and, after learning how to get in and out of the shell without capsizing, embarked on what has become a 13-1/2-year rowing odyssey.

During those years, I have rowed a minimum of 2-1/2 miles a day, an average of 260 days a year, for a total of well over 8,000 miles.

Now in my 92nd year, I still go out every morning between 6 and 7, year-round, except for those few weeks in January and February when our lake is frozen over.

I believe daily rowing has added years to my life, and has certainly enriched my active life, which includes golfing two to three times a week, year-round.

Rowing has become such an essential part of my life that any day that doesn’t begin on the water just hasn’t started off quite right.

Don O’Neal

Springfield, Ill.

The post Letter to the Editor: Added Years appeared first on Rowing News.