From veterans and CEOs to cancer survivors, middle schoolers and future Olympians, the Lake Leelanau Rowing Club (LLRC) is training and inspiring people of all ages.

Launched in 2010 at the historic Fountain Point Resort on the east side of the lake, the club continues to expand its scope.

“We’re focused on being a positive role model and contributor to the community,” says Founder Erik Zehender, a fourth-generation innkeeper of Fountain Point who has a rowing background. “Our members range from age 12 through their mid-80’s. Through our partnership with the Traverse City Area Public Schools and Learning Enrichment & Activities Program (LEAP) we’re excited to bring competitive rowing to northern Michigan high school students and middle schoolers.”

The program also opens its boats to boy scouts looking to earn merit badges, Vietnam veterans, visually impaired rowers, corporate squads and others. The rowing season begins in March and runs into November, depending on weather conditions.
“It’s the ultimate team experience,” says Zehender. “We have 300 rowers, with about 180 of them being high school and middle school students. Based out of Fountain Point, we have the ability to row over 17,000 meters south or over 12,000 meters north. That’s over 10 miles in one direction and over 7 miles the other! Very few other lakes in the state can compare to the distance and protection from wind offered by Lake Leelanau.”

Rowing with LLRC has helped Monica Hessler land an athletic scholarship to Michigan State University, where she rows on the varsity team.

“I started rowing here as a senior at Traverse City West in 2012,” says Hessler, who is studying biomedical science at MSU. “I had been on the ski and tennis teams. I came out here and tried it and I was hooked right away.”

LLRC also hosts workshops to improve team building and leadership for adults and corporate groups. On a recent Thursday, Traverse City restaurant owner Brigitte Barbas was rowing with a group of women, many who were taking a seat in a rowing boat for the first time. “It’s just a wonderful experience,” says Barbas, who with husband Paul owns Opa! Coney and Grill in TC.

One of LLRC’s most inspiring teams is a Monday night group of women who have survived cancer and found support together on the waters of Lake Leelanau. Dr. Nancy Reye and Susanne Edson formed a breast cancer survivors rowing team last year, after Dr. Reye had met several survivors through her practice.

Not a cancer survivor herself but wanting to help, Edson sponsored the squad last year and hosted a gathering for the team this spring. Then she got a call that changed her life: She had been diagnosed with breast cancer. “Stunned, disbelief and sadness flooded my being,” she recalls. “All those women were right there. They shared their stories of hope and inspiration…we started rowing again in April. The camaraderie we have is simply amazing. I am thankful and grateful for Eric letting us use his facility and provide all the boats there for us.”

Rowing, also known as crew, requires balance, strength, flexibility and cardiovascular endurance. In sweep rowing, each rower has one oar held with both hands; it is generally done in pairs, fours, and eights. In sculling, each rower has two oars, one in each hand; it is generally done in singles, doubles and quads. Racing boats, or shells, are long and narrow in order to reduce drag.

LLRC’s 60-foot 8-seaters weigh up to 350 pounds. With more than 30 boats ranging from single trainers to eights, LLRC has the largest fleet in northern Michigan and one of the largest in the state.