A recreational rower, a Rowing4Fun ASD volunteer, and now a ROWACT ambassador — Angela has been on the water for years. We sat down with her to talk about Porto, community, and what rowing really gives you when you stop counting the kilometres.
There are rowers who chase records, and then there are rowers like Angela. For her, the water has never been about times or trophies — it has been about something quieter, and perhaps more lasting: the rhythm of the oar, the company of fellow rowers, and the simple pleasure of being part of something bigger than yourself.
Angela has been rowing recreationally for several years, and is an active member and volunteer of Rowing4Fun ASD — the community at the heart of Row Act’s local activities. When the opportunity came to attend the Row Act coaches and volunteers meeting in Porto, she didn’t hesitate. What she brought back has been hard to put into words — though she’s been trying, through conversations, community events, and now this interview.
The Interview
🔵 Angela, you’ve been rowing for several years now. How did it start for you?
“It started almost by chance, the way the best things often do. I wasn’t looking for a sport — I was looking for a bit of time for myself. Someone suggested trying rowing, and from the first session I understood that this was something different. It wasn’t just exercise. There was a quality to it — the movement, the water, the people around you — that I hadn’t found anywhere else.”
🔵 You’re also a volunteer with Rowing4Fun ASD. What does that role mean to you?
“Being a volunteer is really an extension of what I love about rowing itself — being part of a community, contributing to something that matters. Rowing4Fun is not just a club. It’s a group of people who believe that sport should be accessible, joyful, and inclusive. When you volunteer, you’re not just helping organise events — you’re helping create the conditions for other women to discover what rowing can give them.”
🔵 Tell us about Porto. What was the coaches and volunteers meeting like?
“Porto was extraordinary — in every sense. The city itself is beautiful, but what stayed with me was the energy of the people in that room. Coaches, volunteers, researchers, project partners from different countries, all gathered around the same idea: that rowing can change women’s lives. There was a real exchange of knowledge, of experiences, of passion. I came back feeling genuinely inspired — and also more aware of what we are building together with Row Act.”
🔵 What was the most important thing you took away from the experience?
“That we are not alone. That across Europe, there are women and communities who share the same belief — that movement, community, and mutual support are not luxuries. They are necessities. And that rowing, in its simplicity, can be a vehicle for all of this. I also came back with a stronger sense of responsibility: as an ambassador, I want to make sure that more women in my community get to experience what I have.”
🔵 You mention conversations that “don’t happen often enough.” What do you mean?
“The honest ones. The ones about how you’re really feeling — about your body, about getting older, about what you need and what you’ve been ignoring. Rowing somehow makes those conversations easier. Maybe it’s the rhythm, maybe it’s the fact that you’re side by side rather than face to face. But on the water, or even just after a session, women talk differently. More openly. And in Porto, that happened across languages and cultures. That’s something I’ll never forget.”
🔵 What would you say to a woman who is thinking about trying rowing but isn’t sure?
“Come. Just come once. Don’t worry about being fit enough, or young enough, or experienced enough. None of that matters. What matters is showing up. The rest — the technique, the strength, the confidence — comes with time and with the people around you. Rowing has given me so much more than I expected. I want that for every woman who is curious enough to try.”
“The best strokes are the ones you take together. Rowing taught me that — and Porto reminded me why it matters.”
An Ambassador in Action
Since returning from Porto, Angela has been an active presence in Row Act’s community outreach — taking part in local events, sharing her story, and encouraging other women in her network to engage with the project. Her approach is characteristically warm and unpretentious: she doesn’t preach the benefits of sport, she simply lives them, and invites others along.
Her upcoming participation in Fiume in Rosa — the community wellness event on 18 April at the Centro Remiero di Pusiano — is a natural extension of everything she experienced in Porto: bringing movement, connection, and a little joy to women who might not yet know what’s waiting for them on the water.
Want to hear Angela’s story in her own words? Watch her video interview on our https://www.youtube.com/@ROWACTLeagueTV