Despite the rain, there was a bustle of activity and excitement Wednesday morning at the James Madison Park boathouse. It was the last day of a four-week adaptive rowing course and participants and volunteers were too busy setting up the boat shells to let a little rain slow them down.
The adaptive rowing group consists of 10 participants and approximately twenty volunteers. The participants have varying physical disabilities, including spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis and spina bifida, and most are in wheelchairs.
The course is a joint effort between the Mendota Rowing Club and the UW Adapted Fitness Program under the department of kinesiology. The collaboration is unique, Mendota Rowing Club coordinator Cayte Anderson said, because it allows UW-Madison students and faculty to assist the participants while other volunteers assist with rowing instruction. “We really couldnâ??t do it without each other,” Anderson said.