Angus Brodie – A Giant Fan of Olympia Area Rowing

olympia area rowing
Angus' wife, Leslie, encourage him to try the Learn to Scull class at Olympia Area Rowing. Now the couple races together.
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By Gail Wood

Rock FitnessIt had been on Angus Brodie’s honey-do-list for some time.

For almost eight years, Brodie’s wife, Leslie, had asked (not nagged) him to try rowing on the Puget Sound in a single shell crew boat. But because of a busy schedule – two young children, his participation with other sports (soccer and running), and his job with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources – Brodie never got around to it.

“My wife kept bugging me about it,” said Brodie, his British accent flavoring every word.

olympia area rowing
Angus Brodie heads to the docks after an early morning row on Budd Inlet. Photo credit: Jo Arlow Photography

Finally, Brodie followed his wife’s suggestion. Through Olympia Area Rowing (OAR), Brodie got into a single shell, picked up the oars and rowed. And to say it was a life-changing experience wouldn’t be an exaggeration. He’s hooked – on the workout, the setting, and the scenery. And hooked on the friendships.

During the rowing season, he’ll be out on Budd Inlet three, four and sometimes five days a week by 5:30 a.m.

“Really, I got drawn to it because my wife,” Brodie said. “Leslie started rowing about eight or nine years ago. She had never rowed or done anything in competitive sports at all. She was looking for something new.”

And she wanted her husband to share in the experience.

Three years ago, with his kids a little older and a little more independent, Brodie took a Learn to Scull class through OAR. He was very impressed.

“I just went, ‘Oh yeah, this is pretty good,’” Brodie said with a laugh.

After that four-day sculling class, Brodie knew this was the exercise for him. It was an adventure and workout all rolled into one.

“I just started rowing with some other club members in a single scull on my own,” Brodie said.

He got confident enough to carry the boat down on his own and began going out on his own.

“I rowed all that summer,” Brodie said. “I slowly got more and more into it. Not only is it great exercise, but it’s just a wonder to be out on the water.”

olympia area rowing
Angus’ wife, Leslie, encouraged him to try the Learn to Scull class at Olympia Area Rowing. Now the couple races together. Photo credit: Michelle Lampi

At first Brodie admits his experience of rowing wasn’t much of a workout, not a cardio push at least. The only heartbeat rush he got was from the anxiety associated with the fear of turning the boat over and splashing into the cold bay.

“The first year you spend a lot of time going from moments of brilliance to moments of absolute fear because you think you’re going to go into the water,” Brodie said with a chuckle. “It’s all about trying to balance that boat.”

So, Brodie said early on he spent a lot of time just trying to figure out his own technique and how to balance in the boat.

“Once you get confident with that you really start pushing yourself,” Brodie said.

One day, at the end of that summer, Brodie was rowing on a morning when the team boats were headed out.  One boat was short one rower and asked Brodie to jump in and row with them. “And that was exhilarating,” said Brodie.

Brodie commented that rowing in a bigger boat adds just another dimension to the sport. It added speed and a new cooperative precision.

“It was also terrifying because I had to follow the person in front of me,” Brodie said. “I had to stay in time with them. The boat was going so fast in comparison to when I was just paddling on my own. Now we were moving.”

The anxiety of catching an oar and staying in time with the other rowers eventually disappeared. Anxiety was replaced with excitement.

“That was it,” Brodie said. “There was no going back.”

As he’s going through the stroke as he rows, Brodie tries not to hold the boat back, or slow it down. Being in the right rhythm and gliding is the goal. That’s what he’s concentrating on. Then, when everything is going smoothly, Brodie gets the “Wright Brothers” feeling.

olympia area rowing
Angus rows with friends during an Olympia Area Rowing team practice. From left is Bob Maki, Erin Pratt, Scott Rowley and Angus Brodie. Photo credit: Jo Arlow Photography

“You’ve got this exhilaration that you’re, it’s corny to say, but flying on the water,” Brodie said. “It’s very exciting.”

Brodie has participated in lots of different team and individual sports.

“But I’ve never been in a situation where you’re sitting and you’re actually having to work together as this machine,” Brodie said. “It’s fun. It’s exciting.”

A year after Brodie started rowing, he got involved with racing. Again, he was encouraged by his wife to take that next step and race. So, he signed up for a 1,000-meter single novice race. Eventually, he and his wife raced in a mixed quad boat, which had two men and two women. He and Leslie have also raced in doubles.

“I like the races. I enjoy the competition,” Brodie said. “My wife is not a morning person, but she gets up to go rowing.”

Now, Brodie is like a walking, talking billboard for rowing.

“I think everyone should try rowing at least once in their life and they’ll either fall in love with it or say this is not for me,” Brodie said. “But try it least once.”

In June every year, OAR has a weekend where they let people try rowing, often for the first time. They also have classes on how to row. For more information go to olympiaarearowing.org.

Brodie’s advice is to just give rowing a try.

“It’s a little bit wobbly at first, but once you get it moving it’s like riding a bike really,” Brodie said. “You get your balance when you get going.”

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