Our organization offers para-races in several boat classes at the HotDM regatta that takes place every year on the last Saturday in September on the Des Moines River. These races allow challenged athletes to race parallel or alongside able bodied athletes in the same regattas.
Para-rowing is rowing or sculling open to both male and female rowers with a disability who meet the criteria set out in the Para-rowing Classification Regulations and Bye-Laws. Para-rowing was formerly called adaptive rowing and was first raced at the 2002 World Rowing Championships in Seville.
Para-rowing is currently divided into nine boat classes:
- PR3 – full bodies: mixed coxed four, mixed double sculls, men’s pair, women’s pair
- PR2 – trunk and arms only : mixed double sculls, men’s single sculls, women’s single sculls
- PR1 – arms and shoulders only : men’s single sculls, women’s single sculls