Sweating it out in Mexico
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If you view the rowing machine, the ergo, as a less than favoured alternative to rowing, then Mexico used to be the place to be. That is up until a year ago before Santiago Fuentes got the indoor rowing bug. A competitive rower, coach and FISA umpire Fuentes decided to develop another side to the sport of rowing and in May last year the first indoor rowing gym opened in Guadalajara, Mexico.

In a short space of time not only has indoor rowing taken off in Mexico, it has become popular. “It’s fashionable,” says Fuentes, “and therefore it has grown the most in bigger cities.” The gyms are crowded throughout the day and in Guadalajara one of the gyms boasts 24 ergos. 

The first indoor rowing gym opened last year in Guadalajara. Dedicated solely to rowing the “Rowingym” already attracts an average of 160 athletes per day. Since then indoor rowing facilities have been popping up throughout Mexico. “Remos-Leon” opened in Leon City earlier this year and a cycling and rowing gym has recently opened in Oaxaca. 

Fuentes began by targeting the indoor cycling, spinning, business and initially focused solely on non-rowers. He says they range in age from 20 to 60 years old and attract an even split of men and women. “Fitness and high performance is a major factor, whether they are training for rowing or cross-training for other sports,” says Fuentes.

Fuentes has numerous stories of the people who have chosen indoor rowing including a friend with hemiplegia, where some of the body is paralysed, who uses indoor rowing as part of his rehabilitation. “His 30 minute row has become the most important part of his day,” says Fuentes. Another friend who has summited Mount Everest twice used indoor rowing in preparation for the Hawaiian Ironman last week and for next week’s Florida Ironman. 

The momentum for Indoor rowing in Mexico continues to grow with the first national indoor rowing championships being held this weekend in Guadalajara. This is part of Fuentes’ goal to get people involved in the sport of rowing by different means and he believes indoor rowing is a very important way to help the sport to grow. Fuentes believes that different branches of the sport can help in the overall growth of the sport and he cites the rise in the sport of volleyball as coming partly from interest through beach volleyball.

“I think indoor rowing will help recruit more rowers for on-the-water rowing,” says Fuentes. Already 30 percent of the non-rowers that joined Fuentes original class have tried rowing on the water and, says Fuentes one has recently purchased a boat. “I am very happy to have developed another way to learn rowing in my country,” says Fuentes.