As a fleet of rowing shells glided around the waters of Alta Lake recently, the Whistler Adaptive Sports Program (WASP) baptized a new member of its family of athletic offerings.

With the help of a donation from Walsh Restoration and a partnership with the Whistler Rowing Club, WASP can now offer adaptive rowing opportunities for local and visiting athletes looking for something new to try or an interesting training activity.

WASP’s new rowing shell joined the crafts out on the lake, where athletes from the University of B.C., the Whistler Rowing Club and adaptive rowing programs were working on their skills.

Whistler sit-skier Sam Danniels, who finished fourth at the World Cup finals at Creekside this past winter, took the WASP boat for a spin on Saturday, while kayaker Anya McCrea tried out the shell and the sport during the recent training session.

Purchased with money Walsh Restoration and other grants, the new boat and the accessories needed to adapt to meet a wide variety of athlete needs — such as pontoons and an adjustable seat — just arrived in Whistler and hit the water for the first time last weekend.

“We’ve already had two athletes out in it, so it’s very exciting. It’s working out really well to have an integrated camp where we have adaptive athletes, athletes that are rowing at an elite level with UBC, and recreational and competitive athletes from here in Whistler who row,” WASP Executive Director Chelsey Walker said.

She said WASP will host a club-level program for individuals interested in taking up or trying rowing, where participants can buy a season’s pass and head out on the water with WASP representatives or guest coaches from adaptive rowing programs such as the oe run by the Vancouver Rowing Club.

For athletes like Danniels, Walker said, the new program will offer a good cross-training opportunity and a chance to balance out muscle groups.

“Sam was looking for a new cross-training opportunity, as a national-level athlete, because when you’re a seated athlete especially, you are constantly pushing, rather than doing a pulling exercise,” Walker said.

Some coach-accompanied outings for athletes such as McCrea, who want to give rowing a try for the first time, could also be available, she added.

Walker said the Whistler Rowing Club approached WASP to express interest in helping to start an adaptive rowing program, and guest coaches such as Kristina Molloy of the Vancouver Rowing Club will share their expertise.

Four other athletes have already expressed interest in getting out on the water, Walker said, and organizers will constantly be working on adapting the shell to suit each athlete appropriately.

Molloy said quite a few adjustments can be made to the craft and its accessories to suit each athlete, and the coaches try to set up each participant based on their abilities. She said she thinks the sport could easily catch on in Whistler.

“You can really participate at different levels, whether you want to do it recreationally or whether you’re more interested in getting competitive, there’s that opportunity too,” she said.

The Vancouver Rowing Club’s adaptive program has been running on the water since about 2005, and right now four athletes are training with the program, Molloy said. She said the limiting factor on participation is simply the amount of equipment and coaching, as her Vancouver program has a waiting list right now.

“It’s a great sport. It really works well as adaptive rowing,” she said.

Adaptive rowing events were first added to the World Rowing Championships in 2002, and Beijing hosted the first Paralympic regatta in 2008.

Jeff Standfield, a past member of the national adaptive rowing team, was out on Alta Lake with the group camp. A competitor at the 2006 world championships, he said he has come to feel that adaptive rowing is essentially the same as the basic sport, but with different challenges.

At the 2006 world championships, “we were really surprised to see the reaction of world-class able-bodied rowers that were looking at us going, ‘Holy cow, to do a full length arms only, a full race,’ they were really impressed with that. So we felt good about that. It’s different, but it’s the same kind of discipline and commitment to training,” he said.

For program contact details, visit www.whistleradaptive.com.