Land, Ho!

A rowing event in Boston in February?

Is there a body of water nearby--discounting the Atlantic--that’s in liquid form?

James Martinez, a member of the U.S. national rowing team for the last five years who has the lightweight division’s fastest time going into Sunday’s race, does most of his training in balmy weather on Newport Bay. And Sunday he’ll be competing again in a T-shirt.

That’s because the World Indoor Rowing Championships aren’t contested on water. The winner will be crowned in the gym at MIT and there won’t be a scull in sight, only rowing machines and a big video board that resembles dot-racing at the ballpark.

“The machine has a very specific gauging device,” said Martinez, a 34-year-old elementary school teacher at Our Lady Queen of Angels in Newport Beach. “They set it on 2,000 meters and you pull away. It’s sort of like a bunch of people hooked up to a big video game. The harder you pull, the faster your little boat goes up on the screen.”

The event features Olympians from all over the globe who like the idea of a little competition to spice up their winter training schedule. It also includes a few competitors who, according to Martinez, “can’t row a boat to save their lives but can pull on this totally stable machine like there’s no tomorrow.”

On the water, Martinez and Costa Mesa’s Cooper Wessells, also 34, are the defending double sculls national champions and hope to represent the U.S. in the World Championships this year and again in the Olympics in 2000. In the gym Sunday, chances are good they’ll be going video-boat-to-video-boat down the stretch in the lightweight division (165 pounds and under).

Wessells set the world record in this indoor event (6 minutes 16.7 seconds) last year; Martinez has this year’s best qualifying time (6:17.8), recorded while winning a satellite event at Long Beach. Last year, Wessells won the Long Beach tournament.

“The winner of the satellite tournaments get a free plane ticket [to Boston],” Martinez said. “So this year we split up. I won Long Beach and he went down and won in San Diego. Now, we’re both flying free.

“It’s really a very good test of fitness and strength. It’s also gives you some bragging rights with the national team. Plus, it’s a nice break in the winter season. After all, this sport is all about how well you can relax when your body is being put through an immense amount of pain.”

Gee, sounds like fun.