It’s not your average summer camp.
Many Cleveland kids are spending the day rowing down the Cuyahoga River, learning about more than just the sport.
William Rickman, one of the rowing coaches at Cleveland Rowing Foundation, said the program has been around for a few years in different iterations.
“It’s open to any kid in the Cleveland Metropolitan area,” Rickman said. “We tend to go from sixth grade up until seniors in high school.”
The summer camp gives kids the opportunity to experience Cleveland in a new way, even for those who weren’t sold on the idea in the first place.
"I actually didn't want to sign up for this camp because I'm scared of water," Isaiah Taylor, 11, said.
The camp is designed to help with those fears and give kids a new outlook, maybe even help them discover a new interest.
"If they continue to row or not, I think they can take a little of that teamwork and leadership that some of them get and bring it back to either school or home,” Rickman said.
For Taylor, it’s helped him communication with the people around him. "It actually helped me connect more with my friends,” Taylor said.
Another benefit of the program is the increase in confidence for kids to finish a task in and out of the water.
"It started off kind of hectic on day one, now they're up to being pretty solid on the water,” Rickman said.
The summer camp is free for all participants.
For more information on dates and times, click this link.