Dallas Rowing Club

Dallas Rowing Club was founded in 1983 and has focused since then on sharing and teaching amateur oarsmanship to Dallas-area residents, with a particular emphasis on youth.

The club rows from the John Mullen Boathouse on Bachman Lake, a 205-acre freshwater lake in north-west Dallas next to Dallas Love Field airport. The lake was originally constructed in 1903. A five-kilometre hike and bike trail circles it, taking in an exercise circuit with sixteen stations, and the shoreline also carries picnic areas, a pavilion, a recreation centre and an indoor aquatic centre.

Rowers on Bachman Lake can expect geese and ducks, a grove of bald cypress trees, and the occasional aircraft landing or taking off from Love Field.

The club offers three main routes in. The juniors team is a competitive sculling squad for high school athletes. Adult Learn to Row is for complete beginners. Masters memberships are open to adults over 18 and come with 24/7 access to the club's facilities, so members can row on their own schedule. Guest passes are also available.

That combination - a coached junior squad alongside self-directed masters with round-the-clock boathouse access - puts real weight on knowing who is on the water, in which boat, and when.