Beginning next school year, five District 65 middle schools will soon offer indoor rowing, thanks to a grant called Erg Ed awarded by the George Pocock Rowing Foundation and Concept2, Inc.
The grant, which was only awarded to two sites nationally, was initiated by North Channel Community Rowing (NCCR), a local nonprofit aiming to increase access to the sport of rowing with free rowing camps at the Dammrich Rowing Center in Skokie.
North Channel Community Rowing will facilitate the launch of the ErgEd program, which will be included in the core curriculum of physical education classes at each middle school. Kids will learn the basics of the rowing stroke, engage in age-appropriate workouts and games, and “race” in inter-school competitions.
“The Erg Ed program represents a large-scale, systemic change in how young people of all backgrounds access and experience the sport of rowing,” said Jon Campaña, Director of Rowing Programs at the George Pocock Rowing Foundation.
Twenty Concept2 rowing machines were distributed at the end of May between King Arts, Bessie Rhodes, Haven, Nichols and Chute middle schools. Programming will start this fall and is meant to increase accessibility to rowing and provide opportunities for students to try out the sport before reaching high school.
In addition to the rowing machines, District 65 will receive educator training, nationally recognized Erg Ed curriculum, in-class teaching materials and remote support from Pocock Foundation staff throughout the academic year. North Channel Community Rowing will work closely with District 65 to ensure the successful rollout of the program.
“This initiative represents a systemic change in how students from diverse backgrounds can engage with rowing. We are grateful for the opportunity to increase access for all D65 students and it is an especially great opportunity for students from our most marginalized communities,” said Terrance Little, assistant superintendent of safety, operations, and athletics at District 65. “The program uses rowing as a tool to teach essential life skills such as fitness, goal setting and teamwork. Additionally, the Erg Ed Community provides exciting and enriching opportunities, including field trips to local boathouses and nationwide competition.”
Little and Chute Middle School Principal Jim McHolland (who is also the District 65 middle school athletics director) worked with North Channel Community Rowing to apply for the grant.
“Rowing is so great for fitness because it uses every muscle in the body, and kids of all sizes can do it,” said Sandy Culver, co-executive director of North Channel Community Rowing. “We’re excited that D65 schools have an opportunity to offer more kids exposure to rowing, which they can then potentially continue to do on the water with NCCR, ETHS, in college, and beyond.”
Originally launched in 2010 by the George Pocock Rowing Foundation, the Erg Ed program currently operates in 18 cities in nine different states. Evanston/Skokie District 65 schools and the Cherokee County School District (in Cherokee County, GA) are the newest sites to be added, increasing the program to 10 states and 20 cities, with an estimated reach of 60,000 students annually.
D65 schools receive grant for indoor rowing program, expanding access to rowing is from Evanston RoundTable, Evanston's most trusted source for unbiased, in-depth journalism.