As the sun rises, the oars dig into the dark water, the scull and its rower gliding easily over the surface in a combination of physical activity and meditation.
"It's kind of like a Zen-like thing with you and the water," explains Anthony Jacuzzi, avid rower and a founding board member of the Arkansas Boathouse Club. "In the early morning, it's a really beautiful thing."
Hundreds of people will share the experience when the Arkansas Boathouse Club presents its third Six Bridges Regatta on Oct. 15.
Jacuzzi started rowing when he was a student at Washington University in St. Louis. When he graduated in 2002, he came back to Little Rock, a town with no rowing clubs. His solution?
"I bought a rowing machine."
Then, an email circulated about the possibility of starting a rowing club. In 2005, the Arkansas Boathouse Club was formed. Or re-formed. The club actually existed from 1878-1945 so the current club is something of a reincarnation.
It's also part of a growing trend in this part of the country. For years, the East and West coasts dominated the rowing world.
"We're seeing big growth in the South and the middle of the country," Jacuzzi says. "We're excited to be a part of that growth."
In the beginning, the Arkansas Boathouse Club was a group with memberships and ran its own programming. Now, however, it's a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization affiliated with RowAmerica, which provides the programming, coaching and some equipment. Through the club, RowAmerica offers classes, particularly in youth rowing, which is one of its main targets.
It's a sport that's a particularly good fit for women, according to Jacuzzi, who says that women's rowing scholarships are much easier to find.
"Collegiate rowing for women is in great shape right now. I encourage [it for] anyone with a daughter who wants to go to college. It's a great way to get involved and maybe pay for school."
This is a good time for rowing, so soon after the Rio Olympics and with the forthcoming Six Bridges Regatta, with races taking place all day along the Arkansas River.
The regatta's purpose is two-fold. Money raised goes to RowAmerica to fund its training and scholarship programs. And it follows the club's mission statement, "to help encourage and promote rowing in Arkansas."
Spectators are welcome to watch from the shore, but the best sites for sights will probably be the Clinton Presidential Park Bridge and the finish line at the Junction Bridge.
"Anywhere along the banks you'll be able to see," Jacuzzi says. "But if you want to get that sort of aerial view, which is kind of fun in a rowing show," the bridges are prime spots.
"The Junction Bridge may be your best if you want to watch people giving it their very all at the end."
Head races will take place in the morning. Jacuzzi explains that those are typically 5K races and are designed for training and conditioning for the big races in the spring. Starts are staggered and winners are determined by who crosses the finish line fastest, not first. So, for people watching, it's not obvious who's winning.
Afternoon, though, will include sprint racing, a new addition this year with more obvious spectator appeal.
"We think it'll be really fun for people to watch, and we think it'll be a bigger draw for our regatta. No one else is doing it so we said, 'Why not?'"
Another change this year is the route, thanks to Broadway Bridge construction. The boats will start at the club on the North Little Rock side of the river and row/flow down to the airport, then turn around and row back up to the Junction Bridge.
Jacuzzi competed last year, his first time to do a regatta as a single rower. In the past, he has been part of a team. There are, he explains, various classes of racing: singles, four-man, eight-man, eight-person mixed (men and women), and so on. Each class has certain rules.
But regattas don't generally have a lot of classes and people don't participate in more than two or three races in a day.
He explains, "When you row 5,000 meters, you've got to row 10,000 meters. You've got to go to the start, then you've got to row the whole race."
For spectators, things will be a bit easier and more laid-back.
There will be food trucks and T-shirt vendors and as the regatta grows, they hope to add music and other entertainment. But for now, it's mostly about the rowing.
"We don't expect people to come out and spend eight hours watching it," Jacuzzi says.
They do hope, though, that people will check it out and watch for a while and perhaps get "the bug." It's a sport that requires teamwork, balance and strength but that can also provide something beyond the physical benefits.
"When you have eight people all rowing at the same time with the exact same rhythm, cadence, technique and balance, it's just a really beautiful thing. That's how I fell in love with it. There's a lot of things in my life that it provides."
The Six Bridges Regatta will be held from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 15 on the Arkansas River from near the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field to the Junction Bridge. Call (501) 960-0850 or visit rownorthlittlerock.com or 6br.org.
High Profile on 09/25/2016