The Albany Rowing Center is celebrating National Learn to Row Day on June 7, and is also signing up young rowers for summer camp.

The not-for-profit center is located on the Hudson River and provides recreational and competitive rowing opportunities for young and old.

The public is invited to join club members on June 7 for a free event is organized by USRowing to bring attention to the sport of rowing and the lifelong benefits it can provide. People can drop in at the Albany Corning Preserve Boat Launch on Water Street in Albany any time between 8:30 a.m. and noon.

Participants should wear comfortable clothes suitable for the weather and bring drinking water.  To register, go online to www.albanyrowingcenter.org. More information is available at learn2row@albanyrowingcenter.org

Albany Rowing Center volunteers will walk participants through different stations. The whole process will take about 45 minutes, depending on how many people arrive at a given time. 

Participants will get a tour of the boathouse and boatyard, learn about different boats and rowing terminology, practice the rowing stroke on a stationary rowing machine, and get in a boat and go out on the river.

Rowing camp

The Albany Rowing Center is hosting summer camp sessions for boys and girls who have completed seventh grade. Organizers say that participants will learn basic rowing movement, develop healthy exercise habits, make friends from other schools, and experience a unique connection to the Albany waterfront and Hudson River. 

While the majority of time will be spent on the water, the camp includes fitness training on land and education about boats and equipment. Those who would like to continue rowing may join the fall competitive rowing program.

The five-day sessions, all on weekday mornings from 9 a.m. till noon, run throughout July and most of August; the last session runs from Aug. 18 to 22. The cost for a camper’s first session is $150; additional sessions are $100 each.

For more information, e-mail Head Coach Mike MacMinn at mike.macminn@gmail.com.