Rowing is a water sport competed in various national and international competitions, taking place in seas, lakes, and rivers. Originally an extension of water transportation such as boats or canoes, rowing is a team sport in which a team consists of seven or more athletes. Traditionally crafted from wood, rowing equipment has been known since ancient times as a means of water transportation rather than a competitive sport.

Rowing was officially introduced as a competitive sport in the 16th century by King Henry of England, who granted special permits to rowers to navigate the Thames River. Following this, rowing competitions emerged to determine the best rower in each contest. Over time, the sport gained popularity and is now widely practiced in various bodies of water across different countries, including Indonesia.

Given its vast water resources, North Sumatra has excellent potential for excelling in rowing. Many talented young rowers also reside in water-based communities near the sea, lakes, or rivers.

Recognizing this potential, Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU), through its team of lecturers, conducted a community service activity in a coastal area, Kampung Nelayan Seberang, Medan Belawan District. The program, coordinated by Ir. Syahrizal, M.T., and supported by team members Ir. Rahmi Karolina, S.T., M.T., and Ir. M. Agung Putra Handana, S.T., M.T., focused on establishing the Youth Rowing Athletes' Training Center (Pondok Karang Taruna Atlet Dayung) for training young rowers from Kampung Nelayan Seberang. USU's 2020 Non-PNBP budget funded the six-month project as part of the university's Community Development Program.

Kampung Nelayan Seberang, located in Belawan I Urban Village, Medan, North Sumatra, is accessible within two trips from the USU campus in Medan City. This village has a history of producing outstanding rowing athletes. Many rowers from this community achieved remarkable success on the international stage between the 1970s and 1990s.

As a village built over the sea, its residents have been accustomed to the marine environment since childhood. It is common for four-year-old children in this area to be proficient swimmers in the open sea. Besides being skilled in swimming, both men and women in the community can navigate traditional wooden boats. Their daily reliance on sampan (small ships) as a primary mode of transportation has laid the foundation for many young individuals to pursue rowing as a professional sport.

However, the village's legacy of rowing achievements faded as time passed. The community's distance from urban centers led to its marginalization, with limited access to proper sports facilities and infrastructure. This lack of sustained athlete development programs and insufficient support and appreciation from various stakeholders have contributed to a decline in rowing performance. Furthermore, socio-economic challenges compel residents to prioritize family livelihoods over sports, leaving young rowing talents without structured training opportunities. The primary issue in Kampung Nelayan Seberang, a partner in this community service program, is the absence of facilities to nurture and develop future rowing athletes.

The community service program led by Ir. Syahrizal, M.T., and his team aimed to address this gap by providing a facility dedicated to the training and development of rowing athletes. The Youth Rowing Athletes' Training Center serves as a gathering space where experienced rowers can mentor young talents while supervising training activities to cultivate the next generation of professional rowers.

Kampung Nelayan Belawan is a home for people whose majority of livelihoods are fishermen. Local fishermen form small groups and live along the coastline, utilizing the shoreline as their primary residential area. In addition to fishing, some community members are also involved in fish farming. Their way of life differs from urban communities in aspects such as gender roles, resource exploitation patterns, and social leadership structures, which are shaped by environmental and cultural factors. The residents of Kampung Nelayan tend to form occupational-based groups aligned with their livelihoods.

As a coastal settlement, the village requires a different infrastructure than urban housing, including uniquely structured homes, pavilions, and open spaces for children to play. The locals live in houses built on stilts, with only a hut connecting one house to another. The huts are often made into rowing centers for children under the age of five.

Given that most residents are fishermen, boats are essential for their livelihoods. Some own personal fishing boats, while others rely on shared vessels. Since most daily activities occur on the water, children in Kampung Nelayan naturally spend much time swimming or playing near stilt houses. Mastering the art of rowing and maneuvering small boats is a common skill among them, forming the foundation for the emergence of new rowing talents.

The USU Community Service Program built the athlete training center through activities involving the construction of the foundation and concrete slab. Before implementing the construction of the athlete training center, several analytical stages were carried out to determine the dimensions of the hut to be built. The implementation steps, from analysis to fieldwork, consisted of a literature study to determine the correct and appropriate methods and procedures for the site conditions. This was followed by an analysis stage to plan the dimensions of the athlete training center, which included concrete foundation piles and a concrete floor slab. Then, preparations were made for tools and materials, foundation construction, formwork installation, concrete casting, formwork removal, and the installation of the training center equipment.

The technical stages of constructing the athlete training center can be broadly outlined as follows: preparing the necessary materials for fieldwork according to the planned athlete training center design. Then, the bow plank is installed to determine the foundation pile points, followed by installing piles (PVC pipes as casing) at the designated points. This was followed by installing reinforcement in the piles, preparing concrete mix materials, site-mixing the concrete using a concrete mixer, casting all the piles, and installing formwork/molds using plywood on the edges of the floor slab to be concreted.

The process then continued with assembling and installing reinforcement for the floor slab of the athlete training center, connecting the reinforcement of the piles to the floor slab reinforcement, and preparing the concrete mix materials. This was followed by site-mixing the concrete using a concrete mixer and casting the entire floor slab of the athlete training center. Then, 14 days after casting, the formwork/molds were removed, and the training center was ready for use.

The community service activity in constructing the athlete training center used concrete as the primary material. The concrete used consisted of Portland cement, which acts as a hydraulic adhesive material that hardens when mixed with water, forming a solid, insoluble mass. Sand (fine aggregate) was also used as a mixing material, along with gravel (coarse aggregate), water, reinforcing steel, plywood and nails, a concrete mixer machine, formwork or concrete molds, and PVC pipes. The PVC pipe was used as a concrete mold for the hut's foundation piles. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a plastic pipe combined with various vinyl materials that is durable and resistant to damage. PVC pipes do not rust or rot, making them commonly used as concrete molds. This project used PVC pipes with a diameter of 6 inches were used. Meanwhile, the reinforcing steel used had 10 mm and 8 mm diameters.

This Community Service Program activity was carried out following the implementation methodology. The community service team completed all stages at the community service location, involving students in the activity and being supported by the local community during the construction process of the athlete training center.

The Rowing Athlete Training Center that was built has a concrete foundation with a diameter of 20 cm. The community service team hopes that in the future, the athlete training center for the community's benefit can be used as intended and provide maximum benefits for the people of Kampung Nelayan Belawan in improving the economy and tourism.