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I enjoyed “The Magic of Rowing” (December) so much I feel the need to put my own oar in that water.
At age 78, I purchased a 1981 Alden ocean shell and, after learning how to get in and out of the shell without capsizing, embarked on what has become a 13-1/2-year rowing odyssey.
During those years, I have rowed a minimum of 2-1/2 miles a day, an average of 260 days a year, for a total of well over 8,000 miles.
Now in my 92nd year, I still go out every morning between 6 and 7, year-round, except for those few weeks in January and February when our lake is frozen over.
I believe daily rowing has added years to my life, and has certainly enriched my active life, which includes golfing two to three times a week, year-round.
Rowing has become such an essential part of my life that any day that doesn’t begin on the water just hasn’t started off quite right.
Don O’Neal
Springfield, Ill.
