Rowing isn't just for the Ivy League.

A group of kids from the Boys and Girls Club of Wareham is in New Bedford this week, participating in a clinic to learn the fundamentals of rowing. Run by New Bedford Community Rowing for kids aged 11 to 18, the clinic also teaches that the sport belongs to everybody.

"A lot of people around here, even though they live around the water - a lot of them don't get on a boat," said Miranda Prevost, a 16-year-old volunteer from New Bedford who also participates in Community Rowing's youth programs.

"But water is [more than] just going to the beach."

Kids started off Thursday morning with breakfast and warm-up exercises before they boarded a sleek craft capable of holding eight rowers and a coxswain (the steerer and more).

Head Coach Cheyenne Bayse shouted out advice and encouragement from a nearby boat as the kids learned how to row in unison.

Eleven-year-old Evan Kyle from the Boys and Girls Club is a little too short to row with the rest of his teammates.

That's OK, however, because Kyle enjoys being the coxswain. He sits in the stern of the boat equipped with a microphone and directs teammates when and how fast to row.

"I like talking into the microphone, and I like to steer the back of the boat," Kyle said. "I've never rowed before, and I thought it would be fun. I tried it, and I really liked it, so I'm doing it."

Jack Damiano signed up for the program to try something different.

"I just thought it would be fun to try something new," said the 12-year-old Damiano. "It's pretty fun. I like it."

Exposing kids to something new is exactly the point of the program, said Assistant Coach Sam Barrington Jr., a soon to be Harvard sophomore and a graduate of Tabor Academy in Marion.

"We want them to get out on the water so they can see how much fun it is," said Barrington. "Even if they don't end up liking it, at least they gave it a shot."

On Thursday, the group team spent about 1-1/2 hours circling New Bedford Harbor before heading back to the launch site on Pope's Island, sandwiched between New Bedford and Fairhaven.

After pulling up to the dock, the rowers carefully got out of the boat and onto the dock before heaving it above their heads in unison to put it into storage.

"This is heavy!" exclaimed New Bedford participant Trin Kiefer.

The teamwork that it takes, not only to lift a boat, but also to row and to steer is also the attraction of a sport like rowing, said Barrington.

"It's good to have them all come out as a group, because rowing is a team sport," said Barrington. "The fact that they all know each other as a group and are friends - that helps too," he added.

The week-long program costs $50, runs from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and includes breakfast and lunch. Scholarships are also available for those who qualify.

The next similar session will be held July 30 to August 3.

The last summer session is a full-day program costing $100 and running from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. the week of August 13.

For more information and to fill out an application for the program, visit http://www.newbedfordcommunityrowing.org.