Ken Lyons, who started rowing at 74, is pictured here on a recent Lago Maggiore trip with Rowing the World at the age of 77. Surprisingly, Ken rowed as the novice on the trip, having only rowed three years. “Doing something you love with someone you love in scenic Lago Maggiore, where my non-rowing wife could join me, was ideal,” says Ken. We agree.
Ken Lyons, now 77, has been interested in rowing since watching the Inspector Morse TV series in Australia. The series often included an elegant shot of a single sculler that proved intriguing enough for Ken to think he should give it a go at some point. He kept the idea of rowing in his back pocket for decades.
When asked “Why rowing now?” Ken says “I was always interested but never felt I had the time to learn and get competent. Work got in the way and I travelled frequently and extensively. In my early 70’s I started to throttle back, travel less, and made time for other things. “
He started with a month-long twice-a-week learn-to-row course, then a six-week transition to rowing in singles and quad with the Sunshine Coast Rowing Club on the Maroochy River, which is a coastal tidal river in sub-tropical Australia.
“I realized I had to get the kilometres on the water in to master the technique so I started with a single that was a bit wider and just rowed and rowed for about one year until I was reasonably comfortable, then I moved to a normal single scull, a regular double and a quad.”
Ken had years competing in gymnastics as a young man, so understood technique, breathing, co-ordinated power and timing, not to mention fitness.
Ken who says Sunshine Coast Rowing Club has many silver hairs, feels that rowing is neat, elegant, and great exercise, but is a challenge to do correctly with grace. Still, when he is out in a scull, a double, or 4 on a quiet river with no traffic in a beautiful setting, he loves the feeling of tranquility and serenity. Serenity is the name of his single scull.
“I hope to continue rowing for many years to come.”
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[…] Australian Ken Lyons Roars: Novice Oars at 77 […]
Ken was a great rowing companion. He rowed well, didn’t talk much, but when he did, he said something poignant and funny. He became the rowers’ union steward in the quad and when the Texans, Frenchman, and Brit had to make a “collective decision,” he settled it with a wry quip. Row on, Ken