Some will be introduced to the sport, while others might even be swimming for the first time. The Jack London Aquatic Center High School Women's Crew was created for girls in Oakland public high schools. The program begins team training on January 26. It requires a 2-hour after-school commitment 5 days a week, with an intensive school study session on Wednesdays. The team will train for the state championships at Lake Natoma, near Sacramento, in mid-May.

The center is hoping to introduce girls to the sport by emphasizing health benefits, team camaraderie and the availability of college scholarships.

Richard Griffoul, a board member at the center, said many of the people who play on team sports at the estuary come from other cities or from private schools.

"We wanted to have more kids in Oakland involved (with the center)," Griffoul said. "It's a way that Oakland kids can get in the water ... they should feel some sort of ownership for the Bay."

Knowing how to swim is not a must; there will be a water-proofing program during the first weeks of training.

DeDe Birch, Jack London Aquatic Center's executive director, said she often has to dispel myths and phobias about the estuary during presentations at high schools.

She said some of her own great life experiences have come from playing the sport. "It gave me access to people from such different backgrounds that I'd never been exposed to," said Birch, a Bay Area native. "My first trip out of the state occurred because I came to be kind of good at (crew)."

Griffoul said the cost of participating in a crew program is about $1,000 per person, but grants from Team-Up For Youth, a youth sports assistance organization, and the Lake Merritt Rowing Club have cut costs in half.

"We didn't want anyone left out of the program for reasons of financial need," Griffoul said. The $500 fee will be waived at anyone's request.

To participate, students must be enrolled in an Oakland public high school and have a current GPA above 2.0. The center is hoping for about 24 students the first season.

The availability of scholarships implemented by colleges and universities adhering to Title IX requirements -- the educational amendment protecting people from sexual discrimination in federally funded school programs -- is one reason the center kick-started the program.

Teamwork is also a major factor in the sport of rowing.

"Pulling even a boat in one direction is a metaphor for even a larger concept," said Linda Ricketts, an independent education and training consultant who is recruiting for the center.

"Coming across cultures in nontraditional ways is paramount to developing some concept of global understanding."

The team will be coached by Jenny Hale, a champion rower who just completed a seven-year tenure at Kansas State's varsity women's rowing program.

For more information about the Jack London High School Women's Crew, contact DeDe Birch at (510) 208-6060.

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