More Than a Workout: How ERG ED® is Growing Rowing in Bellingham

When Sarah Jones loads twelve rowing machines into a trailer and drives them from school to school around Bellingham, she's doing more than delivering PE equipment.

She's delivering opportunity.

For many students, ERG ED® is the very first time they've ever seen a rowing machine - let alone imagined themselves as a rower.

"Most kids don't even know rowing exists," Sarah says. "ERG ED® gives us the chance to walk into a school and simply say, 'Here's another sport you can try.'"

That simple introduction has become one of the most powerful recruitment and community-building tools for the Whatcom Rowing Association. 

ERG ED® - the George Pocock Rowing Foundation's nationally recognized, SHAPE-aligned physical education curriculum - was created to make rowing accessible inside the school day. Built around a train-the-trainer model, it gives teachers everything they need to confidently teach rowing while introducing thousands of students to a sport they otherwise might never experience.

With just twenty rowing machines, a school district can introduce thousands of students to rowing each year.

For Whatcom Rowing Association, however, the program started much more humbly.

Several years ago, former coordinator Courtney Moeller gathered donated rowing machines from Western Washington University and began visiting local middle schools. The equipment was old, mismatched, and increasingly unreliable - but it worked.

More importantly, it opened doors.

Today, Sarah continues that work, coordinating the program largely through volunteer time while transporting equipment, training teachers, and building relationships with schools throughout Bellingham.

"It's a lot of work," she admits. "The schools aren't doing this on their own. The club is making it happen because we believe our community deserves the opportunity." 

In 2024, the George Pocock Rowing Foundation awarded Whatcom Rowing Association a $7,400 ERG ED® Equipment Grant to replace aging equipment and improve the classroom experience.

The investment came at exactly the right time.

Years of use had left many of the rowing machines worn out, and with only twelve ergs available, Sarah often found herself trying to teach classes of more than thirty students.

"We want twenty rowing machines," she says. "Most classes have around thirty-four students, so twelve just isn't enough."

Even after spending countless hours repairing and replacing parts herself, Sarah knew the equipment no longer reflected the quality of the experience she wanted students to have.

The new equipment allows Whatcom Rowing to continue delivering a professional, engaging introduction to rowing while creating capacity for future growth. 

The impact extends far beyond physical education.

One student first discovered rowing during an ERG ED® lesson in middle school before attending a Learn to Row program with Whatcom Rowing Association.

Today, he's a junior on the varsity team.

His parents are now among the club's most dedicated volunteers. His father serves as the club president.

"ERG ED® transformed their whole family," Sarah says. "Without that first exposure at school, none of those relationships would have happened."

That story has repeated itself again and again.

This past year, Whatcom Rowing brought ERG ED® to six schools throughout the community. Four middle school students enrolled in Learn to Row after participating in the classroom program. Today, roughly 20% of the club's high school varsity athletes first discovered rowing through ERG ED®.

For a community rowing club with limited marketing resources, those numbers matter.

But Sarah believes the greatest impact can't be measured in registrations alone.

Teachers consistently tell her they love how easy the curriculum is to implement and how engaged students become.

Some students discover a new sport.

Others discover confidence.

Some simply discover that they belong.

ERG ED® is about much more than learning how to use a rowing machine.

It's about creating pathways - from the classroom to the boathouse, from curiosity to confidence, and from trying something new to finding a lifelong community.

For Whatcom Rowing Association, those pathways are helping strengthen relationships with local schools while introducing more young people to the opportunities waiting on the water.

Looking ahead, Sarah hopes to continue building consistency rather than rapid expansion.

"My hope is simply that we can keep delivering a great experience," she says. "Fresh equipment, quality curriculum, and strong community partnerships - that's what makes the program sustainable."

Sometimes systemic change doesn't begin with a massive investment.

Sometimes it begins with twelve rowing machines, a trailer, a dedicated volunteer, and a simple invitation:

"Come give rowing a try."

Jim Bertolini of Olympia Area Rowing shows students in Olympia how to row on the indoor rowing machine