If you think rowing is an elitist sport, only for those who attend Oxford or Cambridge, then it’s time to think again.
That is the message from Lee Garratt, the larger-than-life captain of Aberdeen Boat Club who is on a mission to prove that the exhilarating sport is for everyone to enjoy.
Based on the edge of the glorious River Dee in Torry, it’s clear that the club is deeply rooted in the community, with members aged from 18 to 80, from all walks of life and backgrounds.
This strong sense of community spirit was never more evident than during the dark days of the Coronavirus pandemic when the club proved to be a buoyancy aid and a safe harbour for many.
“I discovered during Covid in particular that the biggest thing I needed to do was to turn it into a mental health space because we all struggled,” said Lee, 51.
“So we were able to keep rowing open to single sculling, making sure people stayed within the rules while providing people with an escape because we’re a community club.
“People were ringing each other to check they were OK and at one stage we had young families come down so the dads would walk the children along the river bank while the mums got the chance to go out and row so they would get that escape.”
Video
Bodybuilder to rower
As a 6ft 3, 18-stone former bodybuilder, who took up the sport to impress a French girl, Lee knows better than anyone that there isn’t a certain mould you have to fit in order to become a rower.
“I got involved in my late twenties after becoming enamoured with a French girl who happened to row for France,” laughed Lee.
“She happened to come to Loughborough University where I was studying and I thought I’m not going to get anywhere near this girl unless I took up the sport.
“So of course I turned up to the rowing club and quickly realised that I didn’t like her, but I discovered I adored rowing – although I wasn’t very good at it.”
Rowing is accessible
But in the space of just nine months, thanks to the belief and encouragement of a brilliant coach, Lee was participating in 500m rowing races.
In sharing his own remarkable journey from bodybuilder to rower, Lee hopes to prove that rowing is far from a one size fits all sport.
“It’s not about being a super athlete, it’s about accommodating everybody and helping them to achieve their goals, and that tends to fit in with the whole club,” said Lee.
Moving up from England to Aberdeen to work as a children’s doctor, Lee was only expecting to stay for a few years.
But seven years on and Lee is still in the Granite City after falling in love with Aberdeen Boat Club and the feeling he gets when he’s out on the River Dee.
“Putting the blade in the water and driving it through is zen like,” says Lee.
“It’s spiritual and sometimes you’re just sat there on the water and all your worries disappear.
“I’ve never gone out on the water worried and come back in with the same worries, it puts everything in perspective.
“Rowing has changed my life.”
24-hour gym
With a warm and welcoming boathouse complete with a bar and a 24-hour gym, it’s not only on the water where members can relax and socialise.
“The people here are just fantastic, it’s like being part of an extended family,” said Lee.
“Through the club, Aberdeen feels like my home and I have no intention of moving.
“My partner Jenna, who is from Finland, feels the same, as although she’s not directly involved in the rowing, she still feels part of the club and enjoys helping out behind the bar.”
Women’s rowing
Women’s rowing is also proving to be popular at the boat club.
Susie Fay, the club’s press officer, said: “We’ve got women of all ages and places.
“There’s women from Columbia, Nigeria, there’s people from all over the world, which is fantastic.”
The club also has strong ties with the Aberdeen Schools Rowing Association (ASRA) – an unofficial feeder club – which goes into schools across the area.
“We have a unique set-up in Aberdeen with ASRA which takes children from an early age and teaches them the ethos of connecting with other people and how to treat your fellow human being and they teach the children how to be the best person they can possibly be,” said Lee.
“They draw from not just the public schools but from all of the schools.
“We’re part of Torry here and we have a large representation here, a lot of our senior members are Torry born and bred but it shows you that irrespective of your background, that rowing is for absolutely everybody.”
For more information about Aberdeen Boat Club check out their website, Facebook or Instagram page.