OAR Northwest: The Beginning

In May of 2005, I was on an Alaska Airline flight bound for Newark, New Jersey. Always curious as to what friendly passenger may occupy the seat next to me, I waited patiently in hopes that some young, attractive gentleman would sit down for a 5 hour conversation. A handsome, tall man who looked to be in his early to mid twenties, entered the galley carrying a weekend bag and a six-pack of fine northwestern brew with one missing. The flight attendant immediately took interest in the potential danger of encouraging a BYOB policy aboard her plane and made the gentleman promise not to drink any. He assured her that he was using the beer for trade and gifts for rides to and from the airport. He placed the 5-pack in the overhead bin to avoid further confrontation. He sat down and offered his handshake, "Hi, I'm Greg," his gregarious nature indicating a type of salesmanship. I asked him about the beer and then about the whys and wheres of his destination. He told me the story of his friend, Jordan, who he had coached at the University of Puget Sound, and the race he had agreed to do after much hesitation.

The race was beyond anything I could fathom. I had taken part in relay running races spanning 197 miles from Mt. Hood to Westport, OR, but never had I considered the idea of running thousands of miles across the country. These four men, Greg, Jordan, Dylan, and Brad were about to row 3100 nautical miles across the Atlantic! Greg informed me this was the first race attempted on this course and the first time that an American team had agreed to participate. As I've always been a fan of such insane adventures and projects that surpassed the confines of normal and mundane every day life, I immediately offered my services as a documentary photographer and handed Greg my card.

About five months went by full of photo adventures and the opportunity to freelance on my own. I received a phone call from an unfamiliar voice, "Hi Erinn, it's Greg Spooner, the rower you met on the plane to New York." As there haven't been too many of those, I immediately pictured his face and remembered the beer. He informed me that they were in the process of attempting to raise $350,000 for travel purposes and for the American Lung Association. He hoped that I could document the process. He ensured me that although there wasn't any money in it for me, there were other rewards. Wishing to vicariously live out my own dreams through the adventures of these four men, I signed up for an amazing adventure of my own.

The first assignment was photographing the men as they rowed on rowing machines for the entire duration of the Seattle Boat Show. People called them crazy and many times approached the booth completely fascinated by such an idea. Through the day and night they rowed, taking turns with each other so the others could rest, eat, and re-energize. I had the opportunity to meet their families, their girlfriends, and their fellow UPS rowers and friends. I couldn't believe how beautiful the support was for these triumphant four. There was a sense of denial regarding how truly dangerous this adventure could be. The focus was on helping them get to the starting line. I realized how incredible the opportunity was to be apart of this project. I wanted to do everything in my power to help them achieve optimum exposure. It just felt so good to be included in this process. I was taken in as family and treated with so much respect. Good things began happening for me and I owed it all to OAR Northwest and the amazing energy that seems to flow from their collective forces.