GDRA has been rowing safely in singles and household doubles since April. Rowing a single shell in the middle of a river is perhaps the ultimate socially distanced sport.

Our GDRA COVID19 Protocols follow all CDC, Ohio, Dayton and USRowing guidelines. We added new facilities for hand and boat washing and a new online reservation system to prevent crowding. Masks are required inside the boathouse and all our members are being very conscientious about social distancing.

We are fortunate that our club has a lot of single shells (24 club owned singles and 17 privately owned). As a result, our members have been able to row as much as they want. Participation is actually higher than it was last year! Our big team boats are gathering dust on the racks, but it is just not worth the risk. USRowing Guidelines still discourage rowing in team boats because of the risk of transmission of the disease through respiratory signature.

We look forward, of course, to the end of the pandemic. We look forward to rowing in team boats again and traveling to regattas. But in the meantime, we can row safely. And once you shove off from the dock, all those tensions and worries are replaced by that simple sound of the blades dropping into the water