On the rowing machine. Photo W.S.R. Argo [Update]
In total, the four young rowers raised 1072 euros for charity. ‘More than we had thought beforehand,’ Nander Jasperse (18) says. ‘We are very grateful to all the people who donated. I am proud of my fellow aspirants and myself for completing this task.’
[Original post of February 13]
The rowers aim to join Argo’s ‘de Heeren van de Dodona’. To achieve this, they must complete several assignments, including this rowing machine challenge. With the challenge, they raise funds for the Sports Fund for the Disabled. The four prospective members are live-streaming their efforts on Instagram.
Nander Jasperse (18), a first-year WUR student and Argonaut, is one of the four aspiring members. ‘We started this challenge on Monday at 9 p.m.. Since there are four of us, each of us must row for a total of six hours. We have divided the times into one-and-a-half-hour timeslots, which allow you to rest and nap for four-and-a-half hours before you are up again. We will finish at nine p.m. this evening.’
The assignment is an annual event for the aspiring members of de Heeren van Dodona. Live streaming the entire event on Instagram is a new feature, Jasperse says. ‘We even made a dedicated account: HeerenvandeDodonatie.’ The profile page provides a link to the website for donations. Almost four hundred euros have been donated so far. Jasperse has agreed to shave his head if anyone makes a single donation of 250 euros.
The value of exercise
The aspiring members were permitted to choose a charity they would like to row for, Jasperse says. ‘As a rowing association, we value sports and exercise. That is why we chose the Sports Fund for the Disabled.
How fare the aspiring members now that two-thirds of the challenge is completed? ‘It is tough and uncomfortable’, Jasperse says. ‘But charity requires sacrifice. And doing this together as a foursome is nice.’
