Adaptive Rowing 

Many adaptive rowing programs use rear-facing equipment because it is required by the rules of competitive rowing.  This limits the types of disabilities that can be overcome.

The user-friendly FrontRower™ rowing system makes the benefits of rowing available to a broader range of people with disabilities.  see adaptive rowing video  The forward facing position makes everything easier, because it eliminates the need to twist around to see where you are going.  The FrontRower is designed for use in ordinary canoes.  These are more stable than most shells or sculling boats and are easier to board because there are no outriggers to get in the way.

Adaptive rowing with a FrontRower™ can accommodate more disabilities than most other adaptive sports.  For example:

• For leg disabilities (paraplegia), the rower uses the arms.

• For leg and partial arm disability (quadriplegia), the rower uses the arms (with modified handles, if necessary).

• For total arm disabilities, the rower uses the legs.

• For paralysis on one side of the body (hemiplegia) the rower uses one arm and one leg.  The good arm operates the oar on the good side of the body, while the good leg operates the oar on the opposite side.  (This requires the simple adaptation of rerouting the leg power rope to the opposite oar.)       see adaptive rowing video

Bob (a hemiplegic) taking his girl friend out for a row. His right leg operates the left oar.

The FrontRower is operated by pulling with the hands or pushing with the feet on the power stroke.  It can be rowed and steered with any two limbs. The oars dip into the water, lift, feather, and return to the front automatically.  No twisting of the wrists is required.

You don’t need perfect motor control to row the Frontrower.  All you need to do is apply an equal amount of power on both sides to go straight ahead.  To turn, you just apply more power on one side or the other.

You can even row it without any limb function at all, as long as you have trunk muscles and are able to rock back and forth.  In this case, short ropes are clipped to the rower's shirt at shoulder level and are attached to the oars.  The rower applies power by rocking back and forth and steers by twisting so that one shoulder travels farther than the other.

An exciting new area in adaptive sports is FES rowing.  Most paraplegics cannot voluntarily exercise their legs.  This can impair blood circulation in the lower body and can inhibit cardiovascular fitness.  Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) is the technique of applying electrical pulses through skin electrodes to make the muscles contract.  FES has been used successfully to enable paraplegics to produce full body rowing motion on indoor rowing machines.  The leg muscles are triggered by switches located on the handles.  This allows the paraplegic to exercise at levels comparable to able bodies rowers.  Once this technique becomes more commonplace, the logical extension will be on-the-water rowing.  The user-friendly forward facing FrontRower™ system is the logical choice for experimenting in this field, especially since it can be operated by legs only.

Two step riser with transfer board

For boarding, the Two Step Riser with Transfer Board shown here enables many wheelchair bound rowers to board and exit under their own power.  In the photo, the rower is about to lower herself down into the rowing seat.  The transfer board is attached to the riser and extends out over the gunwales of the boat, stabilizing it during the boarding process.

Training in the use of the FrontRower is available.  Contact Ron Rantilla for more information.