By David Benoit
Special to the Reporter

A group of women rowing up and down the Charles River this summer probably don't fit the typical profile for crew team members. This team is not funded by a waterfront university, and they store their boat in a melted-out DCR ice rink. And like Dorchester natives Felicia Eliot and Rina Ambrose, each is a teenager, and each one of them is a mother.

They are part of a program funded by Children's Hospital that provides young mothers a chance to get out of their houses and meet people in similar situations with similar backgrounds. The Proud Mama's Rowing Team, which practices twice a week, is currently preparing for a regatta on Saturday against three other crew teams with similar missions. Eliot and Ambrose were two of the seven rowers at Tuesday's penultimate team practice, each of which has been an opportunity to building relationships through a collective experience.

The team is organized by Children's Young Parent's Program, which gives medical care, training and therapy to mothers in need. "I got involved through our clinic, and I thought it would be fun an interesting," Ambrose explained. "I usually don't get to do things without my son, and they provide childcare, so that's why I was able to do it."

The women are picked up twice a week and brought out to the MDC Community Boating House on Nonantum Road on the Allston Brighton line. They are given money to cover the cost of childcare for the few hours they are gone, in hopes that all their worries can be put behind them while they row.

"We were finding a lot of depression among our patients. They don't go to therapy a lot, and we were looking for an alternative means for combating depression and preventing depression," said Jennifer Valenzuela, a social worker at Children's and a founder of the program. "This is a great opportunity for these girls. It lets them meet other mothers in the same situation, and of course the exercise. Exercise is a great anti-depressive."

The program starts with a series of volunteer gym practices and indoor training sessions during the winter. When spring rolls around, organizers ask for some dedication and commitment, but it's always a challenge to keep attendance consistent, especially because of childcare.

"Probably our biggest challenge is childcare," said Ambrose. "At first I had a lot of trouble with childcare so I wasn't able to go all the time but now I do it twice a week."

Ambrose is a 19-year-old and has a 14 month-old son named Kyre. She is a student at Simmons College, where she is studying to be a nurse, and wants to eventually work with disabled children. She joined the crew team because she needed some sort of activity for herself, despite her fear of water.

"I like trying new things for the most part, and I wanted a way to continue to be involved and I need extracurriculars for my major, and this was the only one that fit my schedule so I had to suck it up and get out there," she laughed. But she quickly added that "sometimes, when the boat gets rocky I get a little nervous."

For Eliot, her ventures onto the boat are about having fun and experiencing something out of the ordinary. The mother of a two-year-old girl, Lanasya, at 17 years of age, the Florida Street resident could use some time to be with people her own age.

"I didn't really know what it was but now that I know I like it, it's been fun," said the soft-spoken, shy young lady. "I would tell anybody that wants to know how fun it is and that they should try it."

On Tuesday the women got to the water a little after 4 p.m. and after bringing all the oars to the shore, stood in a circle and stretched. Each one listed a goal they had for that practice and a team goal for Saturday's big race. Their coach, Liza Hirsch, who rowed while attending University of Wisconsin Madison, pressed them all to stick together and row well in one of their final tune-ups.

After a brief delay when a team member showed up a little bit late, the Proud Mama's had their skull going at eight strong, putting all their energy into their strokes. It was one of their first practices with a full boat and going full power. Their only delay on the water was caused by an apparent bee attack in the stern of the boat.

This Saturday, however, they say it will take a lot more than bees to stop them. They are looking to make good on their proud name.

"We are going to win," said Ambrose.