Dottie Stewart on the rowing machine at the Greater Beverly YMCA.Photo: Brooke McCarthy/ WBZ NewsRadio
BEVERLY, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Dottie Stewart has been rowing a long, long time. The 101-year-old began coming to the Greater Beverly YMCA with her late husband Frank about 70 years ago, and fell into rowing.
She's still at it today. Dottie drives herself to the gym and rows three days a week.
"Who would have thought that at my age, I would have been doing something so exciting?" Stewart said.
Dottie has been a source of inspiration for relative "youngsters," like Dave:
"It gives us young'uns something to aspire to. I'm 71," he said.
She attended the CRASH-B World Indoor Rowing Championships in March, and set a world record time for her age group. Stewart completed the 2000 meter row in 16 minutes and 34 seconds.
"People would just surround me, and the people in the stands were screaming my name," she said. Dottie's daughter Donna called her mother a great inspiration. "She gives me courage, and she gives me strength," Donna said.
Dottie Stewart has no plans of slowing down. She expects to compete at CRASH-B next year, too.
WBZ's Brooke McCarthy (@BrookeWBZ) has more:
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