A MessAge FroM representAtive Kenneth sheets

Dear Neighbor,

Growing up in a military family and serving in the United States Marine Corps, I was taught to work hard, stand up for what you believe, and always try to do more with less. This is the same approach I take as your State Representative.

We need to grow our economy and create good-paying jobs here in Texas. We can do this by getting government out of the way of small business owners and entrepreneurs. Texas families need to keep more of what they earn so they can save and invest for their future. We need to keep taxes low and reduce government spending because the bigger government grows, the more our freedoms are eroded.

Most importantly, we must improve education for our children and grandchildren, our children deserve a quality education so they can be prepared for the future.

It is an honor to serve as your state representative, and I will never forget that I work for you.

Sincerely,

Voted #1 Realtor

(by my staff:)

Johnathan Ling 214.504.8896

In the late ’90s, the Southern Methodist University women’s crew began rowing on White Rock, from the Bath House Cultural Center.

With the opening of the Big Boathouse, programs such as the WRB Juniors, a rowing program for students from a variety of Dallas high schools, and the WRB Masters, open to anyone over age 18, emerged.

SMU crew teams, along with Jesuit High and Highland Park Crew, moved into the new boathouse.

Rowing is an excellent exercise for adults, Tom Carr says. He says he started rowing to complement his running, but now rowing is his primary passion. Not only is it easier on your body, because it is no-impact, but it also works your arms, core and legs — your whole body, really, he says.

It also can be mesmerizing: “I know it’s goofy, but some mornings the seagulls group up and fly up behind me, right over me, and you can almost look them in the eyes. Pelicans sometimes do close flybys. You don’t know exactly when these moments are going to happen, but when they do, it’s really neat.”

White Rock Boathouse has taught more than 500 adults to row.

Boathouse members can reserve clubowned boats online after passing an initial skills test and have open access to facilities. Learn more about membership at whiterockboathouse.com.

As for the juniors, rowing is the ultimate team sport, coach Mark Wilson tells us. “It’s not a sport where you have one superstar,” he says. “They have to really work together. You are only as good as your weakest link. For kids, this is an important lesson to learn.”

About 35 percent of students in the juniors rowing program receive financial assistance.

The juniors rowing team is open to any high school student in the Dallas area.

So far, 19 Dallas-area schools are represented.

Among participants, 25 percent are ethnic minoroties.

The boathouse also offers opportunities for middle-schoolers, summer camps for beginners and elites, and college recruiting seminars.

In 2011 Woodrow Wilson High School’s Eli Brown represented the USA on the U.S. Rowing’s Junior Development Team. He now rows for the University of Washington.

Bishop Lynch High School graduates Hallie Chambers, Morgan Henry and Kevin Cadell are rowing on their college teams this season.

The U.S. Paralympics office of Dallas recently has selected White Rock Boathouse as the site for adaptive rowing programs in Dallas. Adaptive rowing is a special category of racing for people with physical disabilities. As of summer 2012, there is an active group of 10 adaptive rowers training twice a week.

This year, the Highland Park Crew team changed its name to the United Crew and announced plans to build a new, bigger boathouse on the opposite end of the lake from the Big Boathouse.

Carr says that the separation of White Rock and United rowing clubs was necessary because both groups are growing exponentially. “Our masters program, just for example, went from 20 rowers to 252 altogether. Juniors in camp last summer went from 16 the previous year to 117 this past summer. Rowing is growing.” For that reason, he says, “another facility that supports rowing is a good thing.”

—Christina Hughes Babb

FOR NEWS ON THE NEW BOATHOUSE, visit lakewood.advocatemag.com and search “Dallas United Crew.”