Sunshine and calm water: the perfect combination for rowing on the Black Rock Canal.

“I’ve been rowing for 8 years. I started as a way to get in shape,” said Stephen Rupp, Rower.

Stephen has been hooked ever since, like a lot of other rowers.

In fact, the West Side Rowing Club has been getting people hooked since 1912.

“We’re the oldest rowing club in Western New York and we have produced many national team members and Olympians out of our high school and middle school programs,” said Mike Cute, Director of Rowing.

But you don’t have to be a pro to learn this sport, instructors will train you.

“Our main focus here are the big team boats which is the 8’s and 4’s and we try to be as competitive in them as possible,” said Cute.

People of all ages can learn how to row and some people who row with the West Side Rowing Club are out on the water 6 days a week.

“We come down every morning and train so hard because we race almost every weekend over the summer,” said Julian Green, rower.

The club also promotes youth rowing through a summer camp.

“I tried the Crew Camp here when I was younger and then I fell in love with it so I switched from running into rowing when I got into high school. I was at West Side for all 4 years and got recruited to Boston University,” said Sophia Castillo, rower.

It’s a full body workout that’s easy on your joints.

“There’s no other sport like it. I’ve played football, basketball, baseball, everything and there’s nothing that hooked me like rowing,” said Cute.

For more information on the rowing programs go to https://www.wsrc.org/