Catonsville moms ‘Row Like A Mother’ at Charm City Sprints

19 photos, 1 video

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.

Watch the video: