Martha’s Moms Rowing Team
Masters Women’s Rowing Seattle
What’s one of the fastest growing sports for masters women athletes in the U.S. today?
Rowing.
How many masters age women (27+) are U.S. Rowing members from the Northwest Region in 2011?
More than 630.
Not so 27 years ago.
“What about a masters women’s rowing team in Seattle?” mused Gretchen Hull, Penny Lewis and Dinny Polson.
Their children were learning to row with Martha Beattie, who coached Seattle’s Lakeside School girls crew to three national high school championships in four years and in 1983 and 1984 was the women’s junior national team head coach.
Martha enthusiastically agreed to be the mothers’ coach and Dan Ayrault (then head of Lakeside School and a champion of lifelong learning) graciously allowed the new group to share the school’s boathouse and equipment in return for contributions to Lakeside’s rowing program.
In 2000 Martha’s Moms moved to Lake Washington Rowing Club and subsequently built its own fleet of two eights, two fours and one pair/double shells. The rest is history.