Catonsville moms ‘Row Like A Mother’ at Charm City Sprints
For four years in high school, and a brief stint in college (until I got tired of being tired all the time), I was a rower. I spent three months every fall and another three every spring on the water, but never gave much thought to how majestic the sport can be when photographed.
The president of the Baltimore Rowing Club, Jeff Ditter, let me hitch a ride in the motor boat – often called a launch – on Friday, June 28, the day before the Row Like A Mother crew raced in the Charm City Sprints.
From there, I was able to shoot the team’s warm-ups, race starts, technique drills and an odd moment involving crab traps slung over the side of a bridge. At the Sprints the next day, I arrived to the race site at Middle Branch Park just as the team began to show up. The women – seven from Catonsville, two from Baltimore and all nine mothers – raced another women’s novice eight from Capital Rowing Club.
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- Coxswain Erica Mah, in shadow, leads her crew and the Federal Hill into the boathouse after practice. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- Rower Julie Baldi shows her two sons, Dario, 3, in her arms, and Giacomo Baldi, 5, the inside of the boat after their race on Saturday. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- Kathleen Cummings, of the Row Like A Mother crew, carries a pair of oars up the docks after the race against Capital Rowing Club. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- The Row Like A Mother crew falls behind the crew from Capital Rowing Club as the two novice women’s eights approach the finish line, Saturday, June 29, 2013. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- The Row Like A Mother crew races a women’s novice 8 from Capital Rowing Club, based out of Washington, D.C., on Saturday, June 29, 2013. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- Paige Ritter, 17, the daugher of Row Like A Mother rowing Barbara Schuessler, holds up a supportive sign at the finish line of the race. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- The Row Like A Mother crew warms up before their race at the Charm City Sprints. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- The Row Like A Mother crew pushes off the dock before their race at the Charm City Sprints on Saturday, June 29, 2013. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- The Row Like A Mother crew takes their boat, Federal Hill, out of the Baltimore Rowing Club boathouse before their race on Saturday, June 29, 2013. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- Jeff Ditter, one of the coaches for the Row Like A Mother group and president of the Baltimore Rowing Club, gives the crew some final tips and advice before going out for their race on Saturday, June 29, 2013. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- Maureen Rosenbloom, left, Kelly Fox and the rest of the women rowing with the Row Like a Mother group at the Baltimore Rowing Club, heft their eight-person shell named Federal Hill to the water to practice on Friday, June 28, 2013. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- The Baltimore skyline can be seen in the background as the Row Like A Mother crew practices their race starts on Friday, June 28, 2013. Race starts typically involve several fast, short strokes to get the boat moving and then longer strokes to settle into the race. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- People hanging crab traps from a bridge lift them from the water so the Row Like A Mother crew can pass through safely without getting tangled. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- An oar from a rower with the Row Like A Mother crew is lifted out of the water during a practice drill. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- The Row Like A Mother crew practices on the Patapsco River. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- Kathleen Cummings, who sits in the seven seat, or right behind the stroke seat, takes a stroke during a practice drill. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- Jeff Ditter, one of the coaches for the Row Like A Mother group and president of the Baltimore Rowing Club, looks ahead down the sliver of the Patapsco River that he’ll lead the crew into for their practice. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- The Row Like A Mother crew sets out on its final practice the day before the regatta, held on Saturday, June 29, at the Baltimore Rowing Club. Coxswain Erica Mah, far left, leads the crew in drills to get them warmed up. Trish Miller, second from the left, is the boat’s stroke, who helps set the pace for the rest of the boat. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- The choreographed placement of the 200-pound shell into the water is directed by team coxswain Erica Mah, left, who calls out directions to ensure it goes safely into the water. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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