The Catch

Solstice Row Beyond The Indian

2010-06-21T23:08:00.000-07:00

"...and the tranquil waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth...seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness." - Conrad

June 21st, 2010. The Summer Solstice. On this longest day of the year, something motivated me to break my planned afternoon workout and venture beyond "The Indian", that native American visage painted on a large boulder that we normally take as the upstream terminus of rowable water. And on this particular afternoon, I happened to have my cell phone on board. So I thought I'd take a few photos of this beautiful, but infrequently traveled, portion of the Housatonic, and publish them in The Catch.

Now, here's a little something of a disclaimer: I am not advising any one who hasn't done so already to follow my lead and row beyond The Indian. There's a lot of hazards up there. It's certainly no place for a novice or some one just getting used to our river. I've been up this way many times, often during conditions of low water, and know where most of the major hazards are, as well as the main channel. Recently, the river has been high, and on this particular day, there was a significant flow and a lot of disturbed water. So my advice to most is just to enjoy this travelogue for now, at least until upstream conditions calm down a bit.

That said, here are some of the photos I managed to take....

The above photo shows the view looking back as you enter the somewhat wider expanse of the river just upstream of the relatively narrow channel that begins at The Indian. Here, the water was flowing fairly swiftly and required some firm rowing to make good progress upstream. Generally, the Shelton/Monroe side of the river is safer, initially, as there is a deep channel cutting right along the shore. But with the higher water level, I was able to row nearly right up the middle.

A little farther up are several beautifully situated homes overlooking the river. But don't get too close! There's quite a few rocks on the Oxford side, along with some visible swells forming over them. Just upstream of the homes is a pretty impressive, steep rock wall. As you're nearing the rock wall, the deep channel begins to shift toward the center of the river, and you need to do likewise.

This photo shows the middle portion of the large rock wall, just a bit beyond the homes.

The upstream end of the rock wall, on the Oxford shore. You can see from the photo that the water was getting a bit tumultuous at this point...

Finally, the upper boundary of rowable water more or less occurs just a tad upstream of this rope swing and climbing ladder on the Oxford side. It was near this structure some years ago that I had a chance encounter with Marlon Brando, who was unintelligibly reciting some weird poetry at the time....(just kidding, folks!)

And this is the end, my friend.....the view just upstream of the rope swing. Just about 50 yards farther up, water is boiling over large boulders. Between the separation in the trees on either side of the river, almost in the center of the photo, is a large grey structure, which is the Stevenson dam. The water at this point was strongly forcing me back downstream, so I heeded the river's advice and gingerly turned the shell around to head back home.

On much calmer days, I've been able to row about another 75-100 feet beyond this point, in the center channel, with large, submerged boulders on either side. "Turning around" in that case means back-paddling until the channel is once again wide enough to spin the shell. The above photo was taken on a different day, under relatively calm, low-water conditions. You can plainly see the large rocks ahead, which are hidden in the previous photo. You can also make out the outline of the center channel.

The ride downstream was a bit exhilarating in places. Initially, I stayed in the center of the river, but then steered toward the Shelton/Monroe side to stay in the channel. In the above photo, there's a large, submerged sandbar just off the Shelton shore. This bar is plainly visible when the river is low, but it was completely submerged on this particular day. The bar was causing a column of water about 4-5' wide, right alongside the shoreline, to flow much more quickly than the water where I was (essentially a Bernoulli effect), forming its own fast moving stream.

A view of the last few rocks on the Shelton shore, and then finally...

...The Indian! Unfortunately, the light shining through the trees blurred part of this photo. I continued heading downstream, and resumed my normal rowing regimen in the more tranquil waters. You know...with the water skiers and personal water craft guys! :-)

~~FIN~~

Club Update, May 6 2010

2010-05-06T11:13:00.000-07:00

Hopkins Redux: We are pleased to say that the Hopkins School has reconsidered, and will be rowing this year after all! Apparently a warm response from parents of the young athletes caused Hopkins to make rowing a priority for the fall once again: the board was informed at the end of April. We will be pleased to welcome them in the fall.

Sunshine Committee: Nancy Brackett reports that Sandy Blanchard and John Sword are recovering nicely; Sandy is home from the hospital. Both are probably impatient to get up and at 'em! We are sad to report that Norm Thetford's mother passed last week at age 96: please see the full report in the post immediately below.

Derby Sweeps and Sculls: Save June 5 on your calendar now!! We need our usual enthusiastic volunteer turnout for this smaller, but mighty, regatta. If you are new to the club, please know that we raise a major portion of our budget through this and the Head of the Housatonic in the fall, making it possible for us to have a membership cost that actually does not represent what it costs to run the club. It's also a fun way to hang out together and remember that even though we have many differences we are all NHRCs!

From Susan Schofield:

I know it's hard to believe, but the DSS regatta is now less than a month away (June 5). I need some assistance attaching medals to the ribbons. By Saturday, I will leave bags of medals/ribbons on the upstairs window seat near the office. The best tool to use for this task is a pair of needlenose plyers.

Thanks in advance for your help. As you all know, our regattas are run completely with volunteer help, so please mark June 5 on your calendar and volunteer to help out. Volunteers will also be needed before and after the actual regatta date. Let's have another outstanding regatta!

Sunshine Committee: Meda E. Thetford, June 3 1913-April 26 2010

2010-05-06T11:07:00.000-07:00

We are sorry to report that Norm Thetford's mother, Meda E. Thetford, passed away on April 26, her children by her side. Thanks to Nancy Brackett, we have the obituary from the Asbury Park Press:

Meda E. (Young) Thetford, 96, of Eatontown, passed peacefully from this life on Monday, April 26, 2010, at her home. Meda was born June 3, 1913 in Palmyra, N.Y., the second daughter of Sanford and Genevieve Young. She graduated valedictorian from Palmyra Classical High School in 1931. She won a New York State Regents' Scholarship to attend Cornell University, where she majored in psychology and earned a Phi Beta Kappa in 1935. She completed her Masters in Social Work at the New York School of Social Work, now part of Columbia University, while living at International House in upper Manhattan. She met her husband, Norman D. Thetford, M.D. while they were students at Cornell. On July 17, 1939, they were married at the Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims, Brooklyn, N.Y. They lived for seven years on Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, where Norman served in the U.S. Public Health Service, and then moved to Eatontown in 1947. They had been married for 69 years at the time of Norman's death in 2008. With a great desire to beautify her community, Meda was the founder and charter member of the Eatontown Shade Tree Commission and a leader in creating the Pride in Eatontown Committee. In these and many other civic affairs, she was active for over 40 years. In 1983, she received a Special Recognition Award from the Borough of Eatontown for her public service.

She is the mother of four children, Virginia and her husband, Professor Ivan Valiela of Falmouth, Mass., Dr. Norman A. Thetford and his wife, Dr. Mary Lou (Williams) Thetford of Hamden, Conn., Lois Thetford, PA-C and her partner, the Honorable Jean Rietschel of Seattle, Wash., and Dr. Constance and her husband, Dr. Clair Hixson of Kingsport, Tenn. Her descendants include nine grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

Meda will always be remembered by her family and her many beloved associates as a woman of great kindness, intellect, courage, and determination to fight for the right. She had a warm smile and a generous spirit that brought joy to those who spent time with her. She was a wise counselor to her husband and her children, and to many other family members and friends.
A gathering of family and friends to memorialize Meda Thetford's life will be announced when arrangements are complete. In lieu of flowers or donations, the family asks that the donor plant a tree or flowering bush in Meda's memory in a location of his or her choice.

Next Board of Directors Meeting: May 19, 6:30 P.M.

2010-05-03T05:36:00.000-07:00

The New Haven Rowing Club will be honoring the 1848 ratification of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo by inviting you to a Board of Directors Meeting at 6:30 P.M. at the boat house. In exchange for only 15 million USD, the treaty ended the Mexican-American War. More importantly, it added California to the union, where rowing subsequently flourished. Without the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, for example, there would be no San Diego Crew Classic.

Just kidding! We never need a special reason to invite you to participate in club governance! We always have Board Meetings on the third Wednesday of the month, and members are always invited (although sometimes we meet at an alternate location, so it is wise to check ahead of time if you want to attend.) If there is anything that you want the Board to discuss, please get it to us the previous week.

The Coaching Committee, 2010

2010-05-03T05:30:00.001-07:00

The Coaching Committee for 2010 consists of:

Mitz Carr: Chair, Member of the Board of Directors

Audrey Novak: Women's sweep representative

Dean Poniros: Men's sweep representative

Steve Burt: Sculling representative, men and women

The coaching committee's mandate is to deliver the coaching program to the membership in an equitable way. If you have questions about coaching, please direct them to the appropriate committee member who represents your constituency.

Update To The Membership: The Communications Committee

2010-04-16T07:09:00.001-07:00

As most of you know, the Communications Committee has, in the past, taken responsibility for producing The Catch and the NHRC listserve. At the recent Board meeting it was decided that to improve cohesion in all club communications, the committee would be restructured and expanded.

Claire Potter will continue as the Board member chairing the committee, in partnership with John Poole. Nancy Brackett has agreed to serve on the Sunshine Committee, which will now be a sub-committee of Communications. Sam Gambrell, the webmaster, will also be part of the committee.

Here is a brief review of our procedures and platforms, so that you may direct any news to the correct people. Please copy Claire and John on any communications with a committee member so that they can double-check that your message is going to the right place and/or speak to you about the appropriateness of the platform you have chosen.

The Sunshine Committee: This committee is primarily tasked with circulating news of life events that club members wish to be generally known within our community: births, deaths, adoptions, illnesses, graduations, a new home, marriages and new jobs are all good examples of news that you might wish to have shared. Nancy will also make arrangements on behalf of the club, paid for from money raised by our Saturday breakfasts (thank you, Dianne Kelley for agreeing to coordinate these for another year!), in the event that flowers or a donation in lieu of flowers is appropriate for a given occasion.

Sunshine Committee news will be sent out via the list serve, unless you indicate a desire for your news to go on The Catch as well. Please remember, however, that The Catch is not restricted to club members, and that any news put up there is accessible to anyone in a routine Google search. The list serve is semi-private: only registered users (specifically, people with registered email addresses) can submit and receive email, and the communications committee controls who these registered users are. Non-registered email addresses cannot send to, or receive mail from, the list serve. Being on it does not make you vulnerable to unwanted email from spammers or non-members.

That said, please be aware that news sent out via the list serve ends up on the desktops of around a hundred people: all active members from the roster, and a few selected coaches and friends. Any messages that you wish to send only to closest friends or boat mates within the club should go out via your own email lists: you will periodically receive an updated membership roll from Dianne Kelly so that you can create them yourself.

The Catch: What you are reading now is a blog (short for "web log") that, several years ago, replaced the digital newsletter ably produced for many years by Baxter Walsh. Primarily written by John and Claire, contributors to The Catch include other members of the club as well. If you would like to be one of them, let us know! You may also send us things you have written, reports on events, links to other sites, and issues you would like covered. We vet all posts for good taste, including our own, but we have a broad editorial policy.

Our view is that The Catch should contain items that are of interest to the club. It might be a link to a good article, regatta photos, or posts like this one that notify the membership at large about an organizational matter. As we said above, please remember that anyone in the world can access The Catch. It is not an appropriate place for information that you would consider too personal for anyone other than a friend -- an employer, a landlord, an estranged family member -- to know.

The NHRC website: This is the most public face of the club; it is the site to which we direct prospective members and participants in our regattas (several thousand people a year fall into this second category, hence its importance.) Its use is highly restricted. We are happy to accept any suggestions about improvements that can be made. Please make those suggestions directly to Sam, and copy to Claire Potter and the president of the club, Wayne Huskes.

A Final (But Important) Note: Any member of the club can send an email to the membership via the listserve, either by initiating an email with the correct group address (contact John Poole if you don't have it) or by hitting "reply all" to an email you have received from the listserve. In the past, club members have complained about being deluged with emails from the club that were unwanted, irrelevant and/or in bad taste. Please remember that when you hit "reply all," you reply to the whole club, cluttering their inboxes and perhaps broadcasting a message you intended for only one person. By hitting only "reply" you can respond directly to the person who wrote the email without involving the rest of us.

In addition, we ask you to restrict any use of the listserve to club business only. When in doubt, view this narrowly and ask for the opinion of a member of the communications committee before you send the email. Please do not use the listserve to:

*Air personal disputes, grievances or misunderstandings;
*Advertise business or commercial opportunities;
*Sell personal goods that are not rowing-related;
*Recruit for a charity (these items may be sent to The Catch for publication, however);
*Forward amusing or any other type of spam you have received;
*Participate in club-wide banter about a message received via the listserve.

The committee will be meeting soon as a group to discuss our agenda for the coming year: please send any suggestions and/or concerns about the committee' work to Claire at tenured DOT radical AT gmail DOT com. Click here if you are in any doubt that we wish to communicate with you!

Update To The Membership: The Hopkins Program

2010-04-16T06:44:00.000-07:00

Tom Parr has recently informed the Board that Hopkins has reviewed its commitment to rowing and has decided not to continue the program in 2010. Parr informed Hopkins parents of the decision yesterday, citing the relatively few students involved and the logistical hurdles to mounting a truly competitive program off-site. Money does not seem to have been a factor, but the need for the school to devote its athletic budget in a way that spoke best to student interests, transportation issues and scheduling needs were critical issues in the discussion.

Parr thanks the club sincerely for its efforts on behalf of the school, and notes in his letter to the Hopkins community that the school will continue to support students who wish to row as one of their athletic commitments. We at The Catch, speaking on behalf of the Board, thank all of you who made the program possible. Past president Audrey Novak guided our discussions with skill; Mitz Carr helped to solidify the arrangements between NHRC and Hopkins; and Lisa Brailey chaired the committee that surveyed the membership as to its views, allowing others to negotiate a contract that was satisfactory to the club. Too many of you to name were advocates for Hopkins, allowing the club to think about its future involvement with junior rowing in a way that is sure to continue, and made good on your commitment by making the practical arrangements that allowed Hopkins to practice safely at our boathouse.

Thank you to everyone, and our discussions about future junior programming are sure to continue.

Committee Report, 2009

2010-02-10T18:55:00.000-08:00

Our committees were very active this year, and we benefited from their efforts in very significant ways that include new and repaired boats, new ramps, lots of coaching hours, increased membership, regular communications especially about safety, a busy regatta schedule and wonderful social occasions.

Individual reports from our committees and other activities of interest follow.

Boat and Equipment Maintenance, Mike Weiner
After a long history of only minor repairs and no accidents, we had a year of significant damage. Both of our newest doubles – the Hudson and Fluid Design – suffered damage at the start of the season. Mid-Summer the Genever 8+ was also sent out for repair after a collision with a launch. At the end of the year the heavily used Dirigo 1X was sent to Vespoli to be spruced up. New grips for club sculling oars, replacement shoes and skegs account for most of the minor maintenance activity.

Boat and Equipment Purchases, Carroll Brooke
Three used boats in good to excellent condition and suitably competitive were purchased:
• HW Empacher 4+, 5 years old and in near new condition from Colgate University for $15,000 (current cost for new 4+ is $24,000)
• MW Van Dusen 2X, recently reconditioned by Van Dusen, from Helma Chartier for $5,500 (current cost for new 2X is approximately $12,000)
• HW Kaschper men’s 1X (180-220lbs), 1992 and fully restored in 2006 @ Kaschper for $2,500 with oars and car rack.

In addition we sold a 20-year 4X, the Endeavor, for $1,200.

And finally, we want to again thank Linda Gilliam for the continued use in 2009 of the women’s lw 4+, the Donald Gilliam.

Buildings and Grounds, Stu Lathers and Mark Schofield
Members: All of us

It was a year of beam lifts and cranes at NHRC with the bulk of the Buildings and Grounds activity taking place in the early Spring and late Fall when we aren’t as busy rowing. With the new parking lot surface in place to keep sand out of the boathouse (2008), the inside stairs were refinished back to their original beauty. Then in May with the help of a 40’ beam lift and a handful of brave members the highest parts of the boathouse exterior were re-stained for the first time since 1995. The year ended with our new ramps being lifted up over the boathouse roof and lowered into place following a month of weekends prepping the docks, deck and ramps. One winter rower reports that the new ramps are “amazingly non-slippery even when it is 20 degrees.” If you missed the ramp workdays you missed an engineering wonder, some heavy lifting, a few really good jokes and will fail the pop quiz question, “Who fell through the dock?”

But you needn’t feel left out for long. Because the new ramps are both wider and longer than the old, and support greater loads, we also have to upgrade the deck supporting structure at the top of the ramps. This work will be done Spring 2010 funded by the $9000 that remains from the $30,000 that was approved for the entire ramp project.

Coaching, Mitz Carr
The Coaching Committee is co-chaired by Frank Castiglione and Mitz Carr and includes committee members Steve Burt and Karyn Gallagher. Our mission is to deliver coaching to the membership equitably, and to utilize the budget efficiently and completely. 2009 has been our most successful year in delivering an organized coaching program to the membership and more coaching per member.

Nich Lee, back for a 2nd year, was extremely effective as an organizer and was instrumental in bringing in our sculling coach Brad Hemmerly. Nich had an opportunity to coach the Jr. National Development camp and helped line-up substitute sweep coaches (even providing free housing at his apartment) for the summer during his absence including: Pat Tynan, Mary Shofner, David MacIntosh, Mark Davis, and Tom Guncik. The total amount spent on coaching was $16,850, which represents approximately 270 hours of coaching time. Additionally, the coaches went to Master Nationals where they worked long days helping the large contingent of NHRC rowers.

Unfortunately for us, Nich moved to New York and is working with Columbia's Lightweight Crew. The 2010 committee will need to launch a search. We will advertise on Row2K and are reaching out to area programs. We already contacted all of the Yale coaching staff and have some interest in the summer coaching but not for the spring. Certainly we will contact those coaches who worked at NHRC last summer, and any other coaches who will be coming to coach at the Yale Bulldog Camp as those are all likely candidates. Free housing at Nich’s made coaching at NHRC attractive last summer, and we’d like to be able to offer it again this year. Please let the coaching committee know if you have a room that you can provide to a coach for a week or even a month this year.

Nich was really a great match for NHRC, and it is unlikely that we will find anyone as dedicated and organized who will take us on with the same level of enthusiasm and commitment. A goodbye party for Nich wasn't really possible around the Holiday with his and our busy schedule, but we will have a gathering for him on Tuesday, March 9th at 6pm at BAR in New Haven. Come enjoy great pizza and beer, good company, re-connect with Nich and wish him well.

Please reach out to any of the committee members if you have comments or thoughts regarding the program, we look forward to providing a good program in 2010.

Hopkins, Audrey Novak
With Mitz Carr and Wayne Huskes

Hopkins Jr program started at NHRC immediately after Masters Nationals on Aug 17th. Nate Case returned as head coach and was joined by Kate Weber. Hopkins students rowed primarily quads and an 8 this year using: the 88 or Genever 8+; Yofra 4+; and three quads, Oxford, Freedom and Baltic Blue. Their rowing schedule during the school year, Sep 1- Oct 31st, was 3-6pm. In August, however, the schedule was different. From Aug 17-21, one group of students rowed in the morning from approximately 9am-11:00am, and a second group rowed from approximately 3pm to 5pm. The following week the two groups had shorter afternoon sessions. Hopkins raced twice: at the Head of the Housatonic and the Head of the Fish. They concluded their year with a scrimmage with Choate at NHRC followed by a brunch hosted by the Hopkins parents.

The Hopkins Jr program was viewed positively by an overwhelming number of members who responded to the Nov survey. Some comments expressed a need for increased supervision.

Membership, Jen Brackett Chair
Members: Laurie Duncan, Dean Poniros, Ian Duthie

At the 2009 annual meeting the membership passed changes to the bylaws to create a new membership category for Junior Masters. Additional bylaws changes increased the age at which initiate fees are due. These changes were adopted in order to make membership more affordable and attractive to masters rowers under 40.

In 2009 we had a total of 86 regular members (master and junior master) compared to 79 in 2008. 37% are women (32) and 63% are men (54). Our 12 student members were equally divided men/women.

We welcomed 14 new regular members, two more than last year. 57% of our new members are women (8) and half came from our 2007 LTR program. Five of our students were new this year.

Safety, Paul Roy and Susan Schofield
The Safety Committee is responsible for compliance with the safety rules established by NHRC and the Board of Directors. To accomplish this goal, the committee took the following actions in 2009:

• Updated and revised the NHRC Safety manual and distributed it to the membership via email and The Catch blog
• Monitored water temperatures and water levels and announced rowing restrictions and hazardous rowing conditions to membership by email
• Posted safety ratings in the boat bay for all club members
• Posted email reminders regarding the need for PFDs
• Provided bow lights for boats and maintained this equipment
• Re-instated the winter rowing safety rules
• Worked with State of CT regarding the need for PFDs on our river that is federally regulated (Joh Georgia)

One safety incident, a near-collision of a single by a power boater, was brought to the attention of the Housatonic Lake Authority through member Sandy Blanchard. Without a boat license number, there was nothing more that could be done.

The Safety Committee recommends that next year we integrate safety ratings more tightly to the membership approval process.

Saturday Breakfasts and Other Festivities, Nancy Brackett and Dianne Kelly
Members: Volunteer pancake flippers throughout the club

The Saturday breakfasts continue to be a very popular social gathering at the club. Our first breakfast was the beginning of April - Opening Day of the Docks -- and the last was November 7 - Last Day of the Docks. We had a few cancellations due to rain, holidays and away regattas but not many. More members stepped up to volunteer bringing with them some great new recipes. Breakfasts are also small profit center, and this year they generated $775 dollars of income.

The club ended calendar year 2009 joined by spouses and friends with a very well attended potluck holiday celebration. The boathouse looked beautiful decorated with lights, wreaths, garland and a tree.

The New Year’ Day row followed a few weeks later. We had over 51 for breakfast and 35 hungry rowers who claim bragging rights for the next 12 months. Hardy NHRCs outnumbered our NRRA guests. Everyone enjoyed great food, catching up with old friends and meeting new ones.

Not committees, but we are grateful to you for:

Alarms, Wade Caszatt
Each year our smoke detectors, extinguishers and alarm system require inspection in order to meet Fire Marshall requirements. This annual inspection and certification was completed Jan 13th.

All members should review alarm instructions annually and be prepared to call the security company if they arrive and discover the alarm is on.

Special thanks to Norm for giving up most of a day this summer when the alarm would not turn off and needed repair.

Away Regattas and the Trailer, Brad Martin
The NHRC trailer, driven by Brad, Joh or Nich, traveled to regattas at:
Carnegie Lake, Princeton, NJ
Narragansett Sweeps and Sculls, Providence, RI
Masters Nationals, Camden, NJ
Coastweeks, Mystic Seaport, CT
Riverfront Recapture, Hartford, CT
Row for the Cure (a.k.a. Let the wind push you out to sea), Norwalk, CT

NHRC shells hitched a ride to the Head of the Charles and the Head of the Fish.

More trained trailer drivers are needed.

Communication
• The Catch Blog, John Poole and Claire Potter, The Catch (http://nhrccatch.blogspot.com/) is NHRCs online blog newsletter. There you will find rowing articles of general interest, announcements, regatta results, committee assignments, pictures and even poetry. In 2009 thirty-one postings were made to the blog. All members are encouraged to share news, stories and pictures on The Catch.
• Sunshine, Nancy Brackett, Cards, flowers and other gifts are sent to members on behalf of NHRC when we hear about major events such as weddings and births, or when members are going through difficult times due to events such as surgeries, illness or a death in the family.
• Yahoo Mail Group, John Poole and Claire Potter, Hundreds of announcements were broadcast to all members using the Yahoo Group this year.

Da Dumpster, Susan Schofield, Commissar
Take da dumpster quiz:

Who gets up in the dark, drives to their destination, and does overhead lifts?
(Rowers and garbage truck operators)

What is the difference between rowers and garbage truck operators?
(Rowers lift with their arms and garbage truck operators get help.)

What do rowers and garbage truck operators have in common?
(They need to use the parking lot at the same time.)

Thanks to everyone for putting up with the parking ban on dumpster days – we had 100% cooperation in 2009!

Sweep Program
In 2009 organization of the men’s, women’s and sport sweep programs was shared with Coach Lee by boat captains Frank Castiglione, Lisa Brailey and Vicki Rushworth and cosxswain Sharon Lin. Kathleen Flynn managed the coxswain’s budget for all programs.

Websites (Sam Grambrell, webmaster)
We owe the new look and organization of our club’s website, http://www.newhavenrowingclub.org/ to Sam. Please take a look at it if you have not already. Sam is also working on a separate site for NHRC’s premier regatta, the Head of the Housatonic. Now the largest, single-day headrace in the country, the Head of the Houstonic is overdue for a regatta-specific site. Send comments and suggestions to Sam about our websites.

The Ramps Are Here!!

2009-10-24T10:10:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have yet to visit the boathouse this weekend the new ramps are here! Stu's been working most of the Summer on this project creating specifications, researching options, getting bids, negotiating the construction, purchase and delivery. Thank you Stu!

They are finally here and soon we will have longer, wider (closing the gap by several feet), very high-tech ramps.

Stay tuned and be ready when Stu asks us for help during installation.

Fall Rowing Fun: A Few Tips For NHRCS, New And Old

2009-09-17T10:48:00.000-07:00

As I was launching in the dark this morning, I thought about the beauties of fall rowing (launching in the dark and the fog is not one of them, I must say.) On the other hand, when you make it up to Gilder Boat House and are turning around, the sky already a light grey and, if you are lucky, the pink of a new sunrise in streaks across the sky, it feels pretty darn good. You start your trip back to the club and -- if it is October -- there may be brightly colored leaves scattered across the water that you skim through.

Of course, you also might be turning around, the rain is just starting, and all you have gotten for your troubles is a long, cold, wet slog back. Oh well.

But here are a few things the fall rower needs to think about. First off, as it gets colder, it becomes more important to follow the law we are all supposed to be following anyway: every rower unaccompanied by a launch needs to be wearing a personal floatation device. The water is warm now, but as the air and the water get chillier, the possibility of a routine accident becoming dangerous grows. Here is the Stearns model that you will see most people at the boat house wearing.

And we who already own a PFD? Probably time to replace that CO2 canister that is supposed to inflate the darn thing.

While it is unlikely that you will run into our friendly neighborhood river police at the hour most of us row, scullers have been ticketed on the water at the Housie. It's not enough to have the PFD in the boat -- you must be wearing the darn thing.

Lights mist be used in the dark and in the fog. Convention at the club is a bow light and a red blinker worn on the shirt or cap of the stroke seat. Scullers should also be aware that the club only provides lights for club boats: private boats are asked to supply their own lights. You can tape a little flashlight to a bowmarker and buy a red bicycle flasher at any sporting goods store, or here's a set of inexpensive, good quality bike lights from Amazon.com. For some years I used an LED headlamp from Home Depot, which has the added advantage of allowing you to make adjustments on the dock in the dark. Optics Planet has a nice selection of head lamps here, and this one is the cheapest.

But if you want to be really snazzy, and actually legal, you might want to do what the cool kids do: buy a set of three LED silicon body rowing lights for only $40 + $8.50 shipping from Durham Boat Works. They come in a couple days -- which is nice, because I just lost one and had to replace it (anybody see a green LED lying around?) Starboard rigger gets a red one; port rigger the green one; and the white light wraps around the bow ball. My sense is that the coxswains appreciate being able to spot us and know which direction we are going (not always apparent when there is fog, the boats are separated by a substantial distance, or you have drifted into the center of the river.)

And did you know that you get a musical bonus when the lights are properly affixed? The first day I used mine, Paul Roy led his group in a lusty rendition of "Oh, Christmas Tree."

OK: here's a couple other things. I don't know if people are just trying to get away from me, but in the last two weeks I have seen three different crews of two to four rowers, rowing upstream on the wrong side of the river. This a a bad idea under normal conditions, because it is unsafe and against club rules, but it is a particularly bad idea in the fall because some people don't like to row in the dark, and are launching as late as 7:00 or 7:30. Everyone in the boat is responsible for the accident and damages, not just the person steering, so let your bow know if you are concerned. Although I have no forensic evidence to back up this statement, I would say it is significantly more likely that you will slam into someone who is not looking for you at this time of year.

Of course, we are all responsible for looking, aren't we? Yes we are. Keep your eyes peeled around the beach in particular: people doing head pieces are not supposed to cut over at the beach, but they sometimes they do all the same. Here are some other tips that will help rowers new to sculling, or new to the club, avoid accidents and dirty looks.

Don't stop for your water break and just assume that people bearing down on you will steer around you. Do clear out of the path of a faster boat approaching you, whether you are stopped or whether you are rowing, and always give that rower his or her chosen path (on our river, that usually means pulling out to port.) Well-intentioned as it might be, yelling to someone who is doing a serious workout "Watch out! Watch out!" while you are sitting dead in the water is impolite; you need to watch out for them and let that the other rower continue working out uninterrupted. And if etiquette doesn't persuade you, the brutal truth is that many of us over fifty don't hear very well, so getting out of the way is the sane as well as the polite move.

Do get off the dock as quickly as you can, both when launching and returning. Launching quickly is particularly important on head racing days when lots of people are trying to downriver for the same start time This is a good rule of thumb anyway, but those people practicing head pieces will still be rowing hard as they enter the docking area, and having people piled up waiting to dock has its hazards. As the weather cools, we all simply have more stuff to get out of the boat, but being a little dazed from your workout and chatting about what a terrific row you just had is the usual culprit.

Comments? Be nice now -- but if anyone wants to weigh in with other useful tips, now's the time.

Let's row!

NHRC Boat Damage Reimbursement Policy

2009-09-13T06:01:00.000-07:00

Members will be required to reimburse the club in the amount equal to the insurance deductible if major damage (defined as the cost of repair requiring NHRC to make a claim on our insurance policy) is caused through gross negligence (defined as colliding with another boat) or in violation of established NHRC rules and regulations. The amount will be shared among all who were involved in the accident.

The above policy was approved by the NHRC Board of Directors on August 5, 2009.

NHRC at Masters Nationals

2009-08-30T13:33:00.000-07:00

US Rowing Masters National Championships, Camden, NJ, August 13-16, 2009.

Many thanks to Sharon Lin and Steve Guerney for preparing this report about NHRC's awards at Nationals. Congratulations to everyone!

Gold medals:

Mens 1x I, lwt : Steve Guney
Mens 2x I, hwt: Steve Gurney & Baxter Walsh

Silver medals:

Mens 1x I, hwt: Steve Gurney
Mens 4x H, hwt: Steve Gurney, Baxter Walsh, Ian Duthie, Rick Dyer
Mens 4+ G, club: Brad Martin, Dick Thackaberry, Norm Thetford, Rick Dyer, Sharon Lin
Women's 1x D, Anne Boucher

Bronze medals:

Mens 2- G, hwt: Ian Duthie, Rick Dyer
Mens 4- E, hwt: Carroll Brook, Dick Thackaberry, Ben Atkins, Rick Dyer
Mens 4- F, hwt: Ian Duthie, Frank Castiglione, Marc Nemeth, Mark Schofield
Mens 4- G, hwt: Brad Martin, Dick Thackaberry, Norm Thetford, Carroll Brooke
Mens 8+ F, club: Baxter Walsh, Carroll Brooke, Marc Nemeth, Frank Castiglione, Norm Thetford, Rick Dyer, Ian Duthie, Mark Schofield, Sharon Lin
Women's 8+ A, open: Lisa Brailey, Karyn Gallagher, Kaity Farrell, Choron Ryan, Margo Angelopoulos, Sarah Skelcher, Claire O'Donnell, Jen Brackett, Emma McBurney
Women's 8+ B, club: Lisa Brailey, Karyn Gallagher, Amy Jean Porter, Sarah Skelcher, Margo Angelopoulos, Claire O'Donnell, Audrey Novak, Jen Brackett, JJ Hubert

Regatta team trophy points: women 39, tied for 22^nd; men 96, tied for 11^th.

Composite boats:

Gold medals:

Women's 4x E, Anne Boucher
Women's 8+ E, Anne Boucher

Silver medals:

Mens 2x G, lwt: Steve Gurney, John Saxelby
Mixed 4x F: Bob Wetmore
Women's 8+ F: Anne Boucher

Bronze medals:

Mens 8+ F: Bob Wetmore, Brian Colandro

Special thanks towards the success of the regatta are owed to: Nich Lee, Brad Hemmerly and Tom Guncik for their expert, imaginative and inspiring coaching including many punishing workouts throughout the season which made the difference; and their loyalty and continued coaching during the regatta. And Mary Shofner for her short but effective coaching tenure which helped add speed to women’s sweep boats.

Coxswains Sharon Lin for her season-long organizing and coxing through cold, heat, rain, darkness, fog and sun, and her leadership at Nationals. JJ Hubert for his willingness to jump into any boat all season long and his drive to succeed. And Emma McBurney who on short notice joined us at NHRC and with whom we would not have had such a strong showing.

Dave Erdman and Kevin Glick for their rigging and launching help throughout the regatta.

Susan Schofield, The Huberts and Mary Lou Thetford for their patient support, cheerleading and help all weekend long.

Rowing News

2009-07-06T08:08:00.000-07:00

NHRC in Europe

New Haven rower Jonathan Winter writes:

"US Rowing recently approved me to go race in the final leg of the World Cup series. It takes place in Lucerne, Switzerland July 10-12. The real surprise is that I will race in the Lm2x, one of the two Lightweight Men's Olympic boat classes. I race with Brian Tryon. Brian and I raced together in the US Rowing selection event back in May, where we came in 2nd. The 1st place boat
will also go to Lucerne."

Go Jon! For those of you with a massive cable TV package, keep your eyes open: I (Claire Potter) was able to pick up some races from World Cup I on an obscure Comcast channel. Go into your program guide, click on "Miscellaneous sports," and if rowing pops up, you are all set for a long afternoon of top quality oarsmen and women.

In addition, our neighbors have some news: the Yale Men's 4+ battled its way through to the final in the Prince Albert Cup, but then lost to a powerful Oxford Brooks crew yesterday. See all results here.

BOD Meeting Moved

In addition, the monthly Board of Directors meeting will be on Wednesday, July 15 at 6:30. Meetings are held in the great room of the boat house, and all members are invited to attend to see how the club *really* works!!! But be warned: show up too often and act too competent, and you might actually get elected to the Board.

New Schedule for Sculling Coaching

2009-07-06T07:45:00.000-07:00

Brad has reorganized the sculling groups to better reflect the needs of the scullers and where we are at in our work. A group meets at 5:50 heading upstream; B group meets at 6:30 at the bottom of the beach. The new groups are:

Monday

A: Shaw, Poniros, Fiske, Donnery
B: Wackers, Walsh, Roy, Dyer, Gurney

Tuesday

A: Gallagher, Beddow, Duncan, Potter, Kelly & W4x
B: Swanson, Rosell, Schofield, Georgia

Wednesday

A: Boucher, Carr, Calandro, Weiner, Wackers
B: Walsh, Roy, Dyer, Rosell, Swanson, Nemeth

Thursday

A: Shaw, Poniros, Fiske, Donnery
B: Schofield, Georgia, Beddow, Duncan, Potter & W4x

Friday

A: Boucher, Carr, Calandro, Weiner, Gallagher

2009 Coaching For Scullers Begins, 6/15

2009-06-14T06:49:00.000-07:00

If you are like me, its easy to misplace a valuable document like the 2009 coaching schedule for scullers, circulated by Steve Burt this morning.

Monday

Group A: S. Schofield, Kelly, Potter, Mike Weiner
Group B: Nemeth, Dyer, Duthie, Gurney

Tuesday

Group A: Quad (Flynn, Brackett, Miller, Manning), Double (Poniros,Milnamow), Gallagher, Georgia
Group B: Swanson, Beddow, Fiske, Wackers

Wednesday

Group A: Calandro, Boucher, Potter, Weiner
Group B: Walsh, Burt, Duthie, Gurney

Thursday

Group A: Quad (Flynn, Brackett, Miller, Manning), Georgia, Rosell
Group B: Swanson, Beddow, Fiske, Wackers

Friday

Group A Schofield, Rosell, Calandro, Boucher
Group B: Nemeth, Walsh, Burt, Dyer

Steve reminds us: "Remember that Session A meets the coach directly across from the boathouse heading downstream at 5:50am and are then coached until 6:30am, Session B meets the coach heading upstream directly across from the bath house at Indian Well State Park and is coached until 7:10am. Please be on the water in position ready to row at your designated time so everyone gets a full session."

Thank Steve, and the rest of the coaching committee, for making these arrangements!

Staining The Boathouse

2009-06-08T06:42:00.001-07:00

Paul Roy getting ready to work on the chimney assisted by Sharon Lin

Mark Schofield reports: A small number of dedicated members spent some time the weekend of May 30-31 applying stain to the highest parts of the boathouse. These areas, including the third floor facing the road, and the areas just below the roof line on both long sides, had not been stained since the boathouse was completed in 1995. Back then the work was done using long ladders, but as Rick Dyer said “We’re older and wiser now!” This time the club rented a beam lift with a height capacity of 40 feet. The lift has an extremely heavy base but it proved surprisingly easy to maneuver even in the tight spaces between the outside boat racks. The machine can be driven and the boom operated from the “cage” at the end of the arm, and it only took the different operators five minutes or so to learn how to position it precisely where needed. Most credit should go to Paul Roy who spent over four hours on a hot roof staining and repairing the chimney, and the only thing that fell off the roof was a hammer! Thanks also to Sandy Blanchard, Lisa Brailey, Joh Georgia, Sharon Lin, Todd Ritchie and Susan Schofield.

Mark Schofield and Lisa Brailey staining the downstream fascia and crown molding.

Your Boat Committee At Work: Two New Boats, and the Reduction of Over-Crowding in the Sculling Oar Rack

2009-06-04T14:15:00.000-07:00

Reporting for the Boat Committee, Mark Schofield writes:

The club has recently purchased two boats; a heavy-weight coxed four and a mid-weight double. The former is a German-made Empacher, generally considered the world’s premier boat builder, with 60% of boats at the Beijing Olympics made by this company. Our boat was previously owned by Colgate University. Although it is four years old, it is in excellent condition as they only used it for a few races each year. Although the boat is designed to be rowed by a crew whose average weight is at least 185 lbs, the hull is so light that it has metal weights in the center to bring it up to FISA’s minimum weight requirement. The boat is in the restricted category meaning that novice rowers are not eligible and only one intermediate rower can be in the crew.

The double is made by Van Dusen and was previously owned by club member, Helma Chartier and her late husband Don. Although the boat is a 1998, it has been rowed very little and is still stiff and in great condition. To bring the boat up to current safety standards the lace-up shoes will be replaced with Velcro quick-release ones, and to eliminate the problem of the front of the rails digging into the calves, new rails and seats will be installed in the next couple of weeks. The boat is designed for an average crew weight of between 135 and 180 lbs, with no more than about a 40 lb difference in the individuals’ weights. In other words, no one weighing more than 200 lbs should use this boat. The boat is restricted meaning that a senior sculler must steer and no novice rowers can be in the crew.

The boat reservation sheet has been amended to include both boats.

One last announcement: To reduce the over crowding in the rack for sculling oars, a section of the rack in the upstream bay has been designated for private oars. Club oars will continue to be stored in the area to the left of the yellow tape, while the right-hand side is designated for private oars with both sides labeled as such.

The Boat Committee

NHRC Policy For Car-Topping Club Boats

2009-05-07T10:27:00.000-07:00

In general, NHRC does not encourage transporting NHRC-owned shells on member's cars and vans. Shells owned by NHRC should be transported on the NHRC trailer or on a trailer of another rowing club. On occasion, however, members may reserve and transport NHRC shells to regattas to which the trailer is not traveling. NHRC shells may not be car-topped for any reason other than transport to a regatta.

Any member who car-tops a NHRC shell must have prior car-topping experience, must meet the reservation requirements for the shell being transported, and must:

Ensure the shell is available and not reserved by another member.

Sign a liability agreement. Members transporting NHRC shells by car-top are responsible for any shell damage that occurs during the period the equipment is away from the boathouse. NHRC will make arrangements for repairs and bill the member for all costs.

Have vehicle property and liability insurance coverage to at least the minimum levels required by CT state law.

Follow safe car-topping guidelines:

A suitable, appropriately sized shell cradle must always be used.
Use a vehicle of appropriate length. Doubles may not be transported on cars because they far exceed the legal 4-foot overhang. They may be transported on vans and large SUVs.
The cradle must be securely affixed to the vehicle through some standard roof-racking system in good serviceable condition.
Standard shell tie-down straps are to be used to fasten the shell to the trailer.
Oars may be fastened securely to the cradle, or stored inside the vehicle if possible.
A legal red flag must be affixed to the stern of the shell.
If possible, the shell should be transported in a bag.
The shell must be de-rigged and the riggers carried inside the vehicle. (The only exception is "Patches").
The bow and stern should have tie-down lines fastened to the vehicle to provide additional stability and prevent the bow or stern from flexing upward excessively.

The above policy was approved by the NHRC Board of Directors on May 6, 2009.

iPhone SpeedCoach

2009-05-07T05:06:00.000-07:00

If you've been looking for an excuse to buy an iPhone, here it is -- SpeedCoach Mobile -- an app that turns your iPhone into a SpeedCoach. "With a waterproof case and the SpeedCoach Mobile application, your iPhone 3G is transformed into a SpeedCoach that works in any rowing shell, canoe, kayak or dragonboat - with no wiring!" How cool is that?

NHRC Committees, 2009

2009-05-04T19:36:00.000-07:00

The work of running the New Haven Rowing Club is managed by our committees. Members devote considerable time to ensuring that our club functions smoothly. Contact the committee chair to help out, suggest improvements and share comments. The 2009 committees and chairs are:

Boat and Equipment Maintenance, Mike Weiner & John Sword
Boat and Equipment Purchases, Carroll Brooke
Buildings and Grounds, Stu Lathers and Mark Schofield
Coaching, Mitz Carr & Frank Castiglione
Communications (The Catch and Yahoo Group), John Poole and Claire Potter
Membership, Jen Brackett
Regatta and Trailer, John Poole & Brad Martin
Safety, Paul Roy and Susan Schofield
Sunshine, Nancy Brackett

Other useful contact names are:

Boathouse Cleaning Contact, Wayne Huskes
Da Dumpster, Susan Schofield
Derby Sweeps & Head of the Housatonic Directors: Audrey Novak, Carroll Brooke, Mitz Carr and Norm Thetford
Saturday Breakfast Coordinators, Dianne Kelly and Nancy Brackett
Roster Maintenance, Dianne Kelly

Sunday Scrimmage at Yale

2009-05-02T18:17:00.000-07:00

Yale's School of Management Graduate Crew hosted a scrimmage last Sunday (April 26), with invitees consisting of boats from both the MIT Graduate Crew and the New Haven Rowing Club. Organized by Chris Chrisman and Dean Poniros, and with Yale and NHRC boats set-up by Coach Nicholas Lee, the 1000m sprints were held on Yale's race course, ending at the Gilder Boathouse finish line.

Both NHRC entries in the scrimmage, consisting of men's and women's eights, respectively, won their events in what proved to be very close racing on a beautiful spring afternoon! Racing was followed by the dispensation of medals and a picnic at the Gilder boathouse.

Much thanks to Yale SOM for hosting this fun, informal event and inviting us to participate. The following photos were taken and supplied to me by Mark and Susan Schofield. Wherever names are incorrect or missing, please let me know, and I'll revise this posting.

New Haven womens eight, coxed by Justin, and consisting of Dianne (stroke), Alice, Rebecca, Margo, Susan, Karen, Ann, and sorry, but just not sure who is in the bow(?)

NHRC and Yale womens eights at the finish line.

NHRC mens eight, comprised of Yale coxswain (?), Justin (stroke), Ryan, Wade, Todd, Mark, Brad, Leonti, and Ian.

NHRC and Yale mens eights nearing the finish.

Read To Succeed: SVA Tutoring Program

2009-04-23T23:29:00.000-07:00

New Haven Rowing Club's own Baxter Walsh has been volunteering his time as a reading mentor in the School Volunteer Association's Pilot Tutoring Program. Founded in 1967, the SVA's mission is to provide various volunteer-oriented educational programs that benefit Bridgeport, CT school children.

In response to our current national emphasis on the importance of literacy , the SVA recently launched a pilot tutoring program at the Geraldine W. Johnson School in Bridgeport. Baxter, who serves as one of several trained literacy volunteers in this program, devotes his time to tutoring several students, with the objectives of building their reading skills and ensuring that they are reading at their grade levels, over a two-year period.

NHRC's Baxter Walsh, helping Breyona, Gloria, and Zaira develop their reading skills, at the Geraldine W. Johnson school in Bridgeport, CT

According to Baxter, there are numerous opportunities for new volunteers to get involved in this excellent program, and provide considerable benefit to our local youth. If you are interested in volunteering, or would like to learn more, please feel free to discuss further with Baxter, or to phone program coordinator Anne Gribbon, at 203-576-7808.

Many thanks, Baxter, for volunteering your time to such an excellent community service program!

First Day of the Docks this Saturday (4/18)

2009-04-13T18:45:00.000-07:00

Lisa reports that to launch the spring season aggressively and festively, we are planning a "First Day of the Docks" race this coming Saturday (April 18th). All rowing levels are welcome!

Carroll will be the launch driver, safety assurer, and regatta official. Lisa will "organize" the boats, predominantly eights and quads. Dianne, ably assisted by Susan, will be serving a magnificent breakfast.

We will gather by 7:15 AM, launch by 7:30, race at 8 AM from the wire to the dock, and eat starting around 8:30 (unless the cooking crew wants to change the schedule?).

Please let Lisa know if you might be willing to cox on Saturday.

Bring in the spring!! Let's row!!!

NHRC Wins GOLD and SILVER in Long Beach Spring Regatta

2009-04-06T22:16:00.000-07:00

NHRC's own Steve Gurney won gold in men’s masters single sculls in both 2000m and 1000m events, this past March 15th, at the Long Beach Rowing Association's Spring Regatta. Steve also took silver with Jaime Bea, a NHRC affiliate member, in both 2x and 4x 1000m races, as well, while Jaime took silver medals in the masters 1x 2000m and 1000m events. Congratulations to both Steve and Jaime on a job well done!

The Long Beach Rowing Association Spring Regatta draws mostly Southern California rowers and scullers from San Diego, Newport Beach, Los Angeles, and Long Beach. As many of you are aware, our Steve is a wintertime sojourner of San Luis Obispo, California ("NHRC West"), and he frequently competes in West Coast racing while the rest of us are either in the tanks or chopping ice off our riggers.

For this particular regatta, Steve raced at the Long Beach Marine Stadium, which has hosted rowing events ever since the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. Since then, many of the nation’s top rowers have competed there in Olympic and national masters trials and championships, as well as in countless collegiate and junior competitions. Long Beach has an abundance of everything rowing.

According to Steve, conditions were flat calm for the early morning 2000m events. A later quartering port tailwind proved challenging, and crabs awaited everywhere, ready to bite any oar blade not released cleanly or carried too low during recovery. Technique mattered, and both Steve and Jaime rose to the challenge and excelled. Congratulations once again, to both of you!

- by John Poole

Saturday "Row then Rig" Tomorrow

2009-04-03T08:39:00.001-07:00

Sharon is organizing a "row then rig" tomorrow at the boathouse at 7:10 AM. The objective so far is take out an eight and a quad for a friendly workout, then take the Synergy (W8+) down from the high racks and rig it. A 4+ is also slated to be removed from winter storage and rigged. Sounds like a lot of fun! (Who's bringing the donuts, though, Sharon?).

Dress for drizzle. Line-up for the mixed eight currently is:

8 Caszatt, W
7 Thetford, N
6 Hatcher, R
5 Novak, A
4 Miller, C
3 Reid, K
2 Schofield, S
1 Angelopoulos, M

Director position statement - Mitz Carr

2009-02-16T18:14:00.000-08:00

My interest in serving on the Board of Directors is that I believe we may soon find ourselves at a crossroads as to the direction of our club, in part due to the success of the Hopkins program. As a member since 1991, I served on the board from 1992 to 1998 then became VP for two years, and then President until my departure in 2002 to be an Assistant Varsity Coach at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. When I returned, in 2003, I picked-up many of my previous jobs: running the Yale home regattas , co-chairing the HOH, and, since my return, I've been a chair of the Coaching Committee.

The Hopkins program is going to stimulate a lot of discussion of new opportunities and directions for the New Haven Rowing Club. Over the last five years in particular I think we are all concerned with how we might continue to grow, and certainly with today's financial outlook, how to sustain what we have. Working with Hopkins provides financial opportunities that could certainly be attractive opportunities for the future of the club, as well as the future of youth rowing in New Haven and the surrounding community. I applaud the current Board for structuring an initial spring program in a way that was successful for both parties, and that will lead to the question of "where is this going?" Selfishly, since I have put in thousands of hours of sweat equity, I want ensure that my investment is protected. I'm interested in getting back on the board so that I can ensure that, to the best of my ability, the board works in a thoughtful way to continue to seek growth and financial stability that continues to sustain our core values and the club that both you and I love.
Respectfully submitted,
Mitz

Director Position Statements - Anne Boucher

2009-02-11T08:01:00.000-08:00

I am running for the Board of Directors. I think I have the experience to address the issues that are relevant to the club over the next two years; competitiveness in our master’s program, junior rowing and governance of the club.

Rowing Experience:
1973-76 Middletown High School,
1976-81 Yale Women’s Crew
6 National Teams competing at the World Championships (1977-1983)
2 Olympic Training Teams 1980 and 1984
Master’s rowing & racing 1985 - present

Leadership and Governing Experience in Rowing:
Captain Yale Crew 1981
Vice President Yale Crew Association 1982 - 1994
Treasurer NHRC 1986-88
Secretary NHRC 1989-91
Vice President NHRC 1992-1994
President NHRC 1995-1997
Board of Directors NHRC 2004-2007

NHRC Committee Experience:
Chaired first safety committee creating rules that are the base of our current policies
Chaired registration for both Derby Sweeps and Sculls and the Head of the Housatonic from their inceptions (1989 and 1995) until I left for Germany (2001).
Organized first tag sale fund raiser netting over $1,000
Hosted numerous TGIF celebrations, including “Henley on the Housie” night
Worked Yale races since NHRC started running their regattas
Donated time, labor and money to the building of our boathouse from early planning days through completion of building.
Organized both original Boathouse dedication dinner (June 1994) as well as 10th anniversary celebration (2004)
Created and organized Last Day of the Docks Regatta from its inception in the ‘80’s until I left for Germany (2001).
Organized and encouraged women’s participation in multiple races including Master’s National Championships and all of fall Head events bringing home countless medals for the club.

I joined NHRC in 1979 so this is my 30th year of membership. I believe that on I have a lot of experience and knowledge to bring to the board to help determine the future of the club.

Director Position Statements - Marc Nemeth

2009-02-11T07:59:00.000-08:00

Marc Nemeth

I have been nominated to the Board of Directors and I would like the members to have some idea of my position on some of the key issues that I plan to focus on or expect to be brought before the Board; Governance, Committee Empowerment, Maintenance and Competition.

Governance:

I can bring a better sense of organizational governance to NHRC. I have been Board Chair of MidState Medical Center, an organization well regarded as far a clinical outcomes, operational issues and governance.

Committee Empowerment:

I would like to move NHRC in the direction in which issues are researched, debated and in a loose way consensus reached, at the committee level, prior to the issue being brought to the board. This process should be transparent and advertised so any member who wants to have input can do so at the committee level.

Maintenance:

I believe that we should prepare for the future of our physical assets (building), I would be looking to increase the resources that we have in reserve for the inevitable maintenance that will be necessary.

Competition:

There has been much talk about NHRC becoming more competitive. In order to do so will require changes (suggested from Coaching committee and Coaches) in the way we currently operate. The changes needed should be communicated to the membership so there aren't any surprises, once and if we decide to accept those suggestions.

NHRC Annual Meeting

2009-02-10T11:12:00.000-08:00

The Annual Meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 23 at 7pm. Ballots have been mailed out to all eligible voters and include three separate items for you to vote on:
1. Election of officers and directors
2. Bylaw changes
3. Hopkins program continuation
Please be sure to read all of the materials and complete all three of the ballots. When you are done, please put them all in the enclosed envelope and sign the back (please also print your name if you don't sign legibly). Your envelope will be returned to you the night of the meeting if you are in attendance. If you choose not to mail in your ballots, please remember to bring them the night of the meeting. Call or email with any questions jenniferbrackett@gmail.com.
Position statements for director positions to be posted shortly.

Gilder Boathouse in Winter

2009-02-06T12:01:00.000-08:00

During a break this afternoon, I took the following photos at the Gilder Boathouse. Needless, to say, there isn't going to be much rowing down there today!

Gilder Boathouse entrance

Yale docks, hove-to in solid ice

The Derby Dam. Did you know that in the late 1800's (when winters were much, much colder than they are now), this was a popular location for ice skating? It's true!

Ghost Rowers in the Sky; or, A Winter's Tale

2009-01-29T21:39:00.000-08:00

A poem about winter rowing, by Steve Gurney.

(Photos by Dianne Kelly)

Sherpas Paul and Wade, boating-up

It seems like many years have passed
Since summer breezes blew.
When thrushes nested in the grass
And purple flowers grew.

O then the days were warm and long,
The waters smooth and calm.
We launched our boats in peace and sun
And rowing was like balm.

Yet comes a time most every year
When winds begin to howl.
‘Tis time to bolt the boathouse doors
While winter’s on the prowl.

There then arose a stalwart band
One day came down to row.
There was no water then in sight
But only ice and snow.

Four souls it was, you may recall,
Their faces gnarled and grim.
They came to best the Great White Cold,
As even light grew dim.

These men, the best in all the Land,
Their bodies lean and spare.
Testosterone coursed through their veins
Despite their thinning hair.

These worthies launched in winter’s dread,
When all about was snow.
How carefree did they shout apace,
“A-rowing we will go."

Oars down -- winter sunrise on the Housatonic

Good Paul appeared upon the dock
And shrieked, “But we have rules!”
They answered back, “Such not for us;
They’re only made for fools.”

“Avast, me lads,” Paul did beseech.
“The rule says stay ashore.
Ye may not row when winter stalks
Lest ye be seen no more.”

“The rules to us do not apply.
We’re men of steel,” quoth they.
“We care not how the tempest screams,
Let’s go boys, all a-weigh.”

The storm, it blew a banshee wail,
The wolf left not her den.
Their answer to the howling gale:
“We are not boys, but men.”

They stroked into the screaming storm,
The tempest's raging roar
Then swallowed by its hungry maw,
Alas were seen no more.

And so they vanished in the murk
And night replaced the day.
Some say their ghostly scull still glides
In some place far away.

The Horses of Helios: Paul, Wade, and John P.

If they returned, we know not how.
No witness saw them land.
Their blood turned cold, their lips are sealed,
On them, The Great White Hand.

Now come the spring, in early morn
The mists not long to clear,
A glimpse, a ghastly quad-with-four,
Their faces mad with fear.

The moral of this fearsome tale
When winter stalks the gate:
“Abandon Hope, ye rowers all
For winter seals thy fate.”

Come summer - and the roses bloom
And daisies flood the dell.
There will be wiser ones who say,
“Alas, we knew them well.”

NHRC Goes Cross-Country! (Skiing, that is...)

2009-01-27T09:12:00.000-08:00

Sara and Lisa hit the trails

During the NHRC New Year's Day Breakfast, it was discovered that we have a few cross country skiers in the club and decided we should plan some outings this winter.

Our first outing was this past Saturday. A great day of cross-country skiing was had by the five intrepids who met up at Maple Corner Farm in Granville, MA. An added attraction was the great price for maple syrup made on the premises.

We are hoping for future expeditions to Canterbury Farm in Becket, MA; Winding Trails in Farmington, CT; and Northfield Mountain in Northfield, MA. The winter is short, and beginners are welcome! Remember that skis can be rented for a nominal fee at these "resorts."

Please send an e-mail to dkellyrow@aol.com if you would like to be on the NHRC, et al, Cross Country e-mail string.

If its too cold to row,
then please…Let it Snow!!

[Editor's note: It sure beats the alternative, which looks something like this...]

Yet More Dogs!

2009-01-27T08:34:00.000-08:00

Eric Dannemann's best friend, Mercer River, and her cuddly little best friend

John Poole's friend Colleen's St. Bernard, Harley

John Poole's Dog

2009-01-26T15:05:00.001-08:00

This is my dog....

...and this is my sociopathic alter-ego!

Gimme a Power Ten!

2009-01-22T15:49:00.000-08:00

Ellie Boyd reports that the Theleens have submitted this photo to the Concept 2 Rowtography contest, under the "fun" category:

We go faster with a little help from our friends

I think they will have an easy win! Check out this photo and the rest of the competition at the C2 Rowtograpy Flickr pool. Lot's of great photos!

(On second thought, how could anything associated with an ergometer be considered "fun"?????)

Lucy's New Home

2009-01-15T13:42:00.000-08:00

Johanna reports that Lucy the Dog has been happily situated in a new home for the past few months, and has adjusted well.

Lucy would like to thank all of you whom offered to help her in her recent plight and expressed their concerns. But she is very happy now!

According to Johanna, "Santa has brought Lucy all she asked for in 2008!"

Good luck, Lucy, and Happy New Year to you!

Why I Hate Rowing

2009-01-09T19:04:00.000-08:00

A Poem by Victor Altshul

[Background: A few years ago, one S. S. Gurney, poet laureate of all things athletic and aquatic, published a poetic encomium to the glories of rowing. Alarmed by his dangerously one-sided and propagandistic argument, and wishing to achieve a reasonable degree of fairness and balance, I submitted a dissenting opinion, also in poetic form. It never appeared. The then-editor of The Catch [Editor's note: That'd be Baxter] declined to publish it, presumablybecause he deemed it subversive. For fear of legal reprisal, I shall not mention his name [Editor's note: Ooops!]. Since then, however, the editorship has passed on to someone far more tolerant of controversy, more sympathetic to First Amendment Rights [Editor's note: That'd be Potter & Poole, of course]. Inspired by the new climate of greater freedom, I hereby submit a revised version of my earlier offering, in flawless anapestic tetrameter. And now, without any further ado, the poem...]

If rowers are smart and discerning, how come
They often say things that are silly and dumb?
When touting their sport they will wax hyperbolic
And jump up and down and gesticulate, frolic;

You'd think they were talking about sexual pleasure,
The way they go on about rowing full pressure.
The bragging they do about five minute pieces
Begins to sound something like, well, taurine feces.

One readily tires of the fatuous crowing
One endlessly hears in connection with rowing,
And expostulations unending, mind-dulling
Will never let up when the subject is sculling.

Of all the fanatics, the worst is Steve Gurney;
Although he's my friend, I fear he'll never learn; he
Is bound and determined to spread the false word
That rowing is fun- how mendacious, absurd!

He once wrote a poem that appeared in The Catch
That for sheer silly drivel there wasn't a match
Breathlessly claiming that rowing feels good!
He simply was not being straight as he should

Now I can tell you, my friends, you've been had-
The truth of the matter is: rowing feels BAD!
So come now, my soulmates, be honest, be true;
Do not let Steve put something over on you.

Admit that whenever you're on a power ten
You vow that you'll never go rowing again.
And (double your pleasure!) on a power twenty
You want us to think that you're not hurting plenty?

And when the cox says that the last strokes are sprintable,
You're hard-pressed to suppress words foul and unprintable.
Your chest is exploding, your lungs are on fire,
You'll die of asphyxia at that damn wire.

Your form goes to hell, your blades slap on the water,
You've long since stopped rowing as coach said you oughter:
This is your notion of how to have fun,
When all you can think is, when will this be done?

You think you are having a jolly good time?
Such arrant abuse of your body's a crime!
Now do you see why I often get mad
When you will not acknowledge that rowing feels bad?

Oy vay! Do you think that I'm one of a kind?
If so, I think I shall go out of my mind!
Tell me you think I am making some sense-
I've always considered you very close frense.

That's it, folks- the end of my petulant rant-
Love rowing? Dig sculling? Sorry, I can't.

Let the Poetic Wars Begin!

2009-01-09T18:20:00.000-08:00

The Argument: He who has seized the gauntlet has challenged.

Steve's challenge is clear,

the battle scene is near

Shall the duel be set at dawn,

on the water or,

erging on the lawn?

I can't wait to see who won

This battle

Between... The epic pens of poet laureates

and their powers!

Tis still the season

To be Jolly

-- Rick Dyer

Herewith we add to tales of battle gore:

In truth, the pen is mightier than the oar.

-- Author unknown [Editor's Note: This came from you, Steve. Don't deny it!]

To challenge Steve to games of verse?

It's clear I couldn't do much worse

Than take on guys like Steve S. Gurney:

We know who's bound to win that tourney!

-- Victor Altshul

The Ballad of Victor and Baxter

2009-01-07T11:39:00.000-08:00

This tale is as ancient as Athens,

As Olympic as Zeus in its scale.

It’s a voyage of questing and courage

In search of the Holy Grail.

Like Ulysses in search of his future,

Beset by monsters and guile.

Where Charybdis and Scylla were lurking,

As was Circe with her liquefied smile.

Our Victor knows well of Ulysses,

And his twenty years’ perils to face.

Now his own years of torment and hardship

Have finally come down to one race.

From the toil of his quest he grows hardened,

How the lines are etched deep in his face.

His Foe, the Many Fanged Baxter,

Who snarled there is no second place.

Our Saga here deals with heroics.

Does it matter who finally wins?

Well, we leave that to you, our dear Reader.

And now our story begins:

On a morning of Stygian darkness

With the sun yet far from aglow,

A spectral form was seen pacing,

Then launching his scull to row.

His face had the look of an Eagle

Scouring the Heavens for prey.

His Freudian mind ever searching

For another fierce dragon to slay.

‘Twas our Victor, possessed by a Demon.

His eyes light his way like fire.

Quoth he, "I will beat that Baxter

And I’ll row to Hell ‘fore I tire."

He launches his scull like a rocket,

A cloud of foam in his wake.

Poseidon and Mars, how they tremble

While weeping for Baxter’s sake.

A light glowed ahead in the blackness,

Aboard a sleek hull of light blue.

‘Twas our Baxter astride his Van Dusen.

Yet fearful his time had come due.

Victor lashed the water like Xerxes,

His oars like whips were full bent.

His boat plowed a furrow of liquid

As into the darkness he went.

Now our Victor he raved like a madman,

His nemesis, Baxter, to catch.

The stroke surged to forty, then fifty,

Which Victor now shrieked he would match.

Then they disappeared into the darkness

And the splashes of oars died away.

The waters closed calmly behind them

As night turned to Judgment Day.

At last the sun rose in the morning,

The thrushes and larks in full throat.

The river turned glassy and tranquil,
And nowhere in sight was a boat.

Yet another boat launched on the River

As soon as the darkness had flown.

They searched far and wide for two scullers

But found they were rowing alone.

They had vanished deep into the ether,

Their souls and their flesh and their bone.

You can ask what you will about winners

But the Truth? It may never be known.

Lo, the fairest of all of NHRC’s Maidens

Each morn prays aloud through her fears.

Her lone vigil keeps while she wails and she weeps,

And sheds mighty crocodile tears.

O! Go down to the dock on a morning

With the moon and the mists nearly done.

You may hear a faint cry from the heavens
Proclaiming "I won! I won!"

- Steve Gurney, NHRC West

New Years Day Row CANCELLED -- Breakfast Still On

2008-12-31T14:35:00.000-08:00

Please join us for a fantastic breakfast tomorrow starting between (9:30/10am). We promise good food, good friends, and a lovely view of the ice and snow covered docks and river.

Due to the projected weather conditions, however, and after consultation with the Board and Safety Committee, I am canceling the rowing portion of tomorrow's gathering.
NOAA's forecast for Thursday is Northwest winds 15 to 20mph with gusts up to 30mph. Temperature at 7am is 7F, 11F at 10am with wind chill values as low as 12 below in the morning.
Let's kick of the New Year safely and together.

For anyone who wants to come at 8:30 anyhow, I will organize a fun erg relay event. Come row upstairs!!!

Best,
-Audrey

Mystic Coastweeks 2008

2008-12-28T14:45:00.000-08:00

This year's Mystic Coastweeks Regatta (Sunday, September 14th, 2008) saw a number of NHRC victories, including reclaimings of several victories from last year. Also on hand for a meet-and-greet opportunity were Olympic rowers Anna Cummins and Michelle Guerette. Both had raced the previous day in the Battle Between the Bridges, the first regatta in the annual Mystic Weekend of Rowing.

For more details, visit the MWOR web site. To view professional photos taken of the crews rowing in both events, see Thomas Photographic. Full results are posted on Ronin Racing's results page. Without any further ado, here is a synopsis of the day in pictures (credit for the majority of these photos goes to Johanna). Please feel free to post comments if you would like to add anything to this story.

NHRC open mens quad consisting of Huskes, Gorman, Cremin, and Williams crossing the finish line for first place.

Huskes et al quad returning to the float.

One of two womens open fours comprised of recent NHRC Learn to Row program graduates crossing the line.

The same four approaching the float.

The other NHRC womens open four (sportin' them fancy NHRC nails) returning to the float after the race.

A quick hot-seating with the men of the NHRC open 4+...

...and the MO4+ awaits the okay to paddle upstream.

Lisa and Steve launching their double for the mixed masters 2x event. Lisa and Steve took second place in this race. Earlier that day, Steve won the mens veterans 1x, while Lisa and Sara won their womens open 2x event. Congratulations to all of you!

Mark and Sara returning to the float after taking second place in the mixed open 2x. Nice work!

NHRC mens open 4+ crossing the line.

Here's the NHRC mixed open 4+, consisting also of four LTR 2008 graduates. This boat finished first place, beating three other fours. Not bad at all for a first race, huh? Way to go, you guys!

Mens open 4+ waiting to be called to the float.

NHRC mixed open 4+ approaching the float.

Paul and Dianne after completing their mixed 2x event. Earlier, Dianne took 3rd place in the womens master 1x, while Paul (with Mark) took 3rd place in the mens open 2x.
Hanging out on the lawn behind the Seaman's Inne...

...waiting for those race results.

The Schofields. Susan took a silver medal earlier in her womens open 1x event. Nice work, you two!

Sue and Helma meeting with Olympian sculler Michelle Guerette. She is wearing her silver medal from this past summer's Olympic games in Beijing.

John Sword and Dick Fiske, paddling out to the starting area for their mens veterans 2x event.

Susan in her single.

A nice shot of the womans open four (the self-proclaimed Housy Floozies), with Donna stroking and Jay coxing.

Floozie comrades sport their bow number...

...while NHRC Nails meet Beijing Silver.

Good racing everyone! Let's do this again next year!

~~FIN~~

The Day Before Mystic (2008)

2008-12-21T17:35:00.001-08:00

This year's Mystic Coastweeks regatta (September 14th, 2008) saw the usual high level of participation by NHRC crews, including three fours raced by graduates from this past summer's Learn To Row Class.

I stopped by the boat house the afternoon before Coastweeks to help with final loading of the trailer, and, at the request of Coach Nich Lee, to give the LTR grads a quick course in de-rigging boats and proper trailer tie-down techniques. John and Betty Sword were on hand to transport the trailer up to Mystic that night, and Bob Nash and Carroll Brooke also came by to help out.

Mark Schofield car-toping several singles

The trailer partially loaded with small boats.

Dianne's single strapped on upper rack.

The NHRC trailer team uses only the most state-of-the-art, time-proven, safety-oriented strapping and slinging techniques!

Meanwhile, the three graduate crews went out on the water for some final practice pieces under the auspices of Dean Poniros. Once they were off the water, we got their boats loaded and the trailer secured, and John and Betty were on their way.

LTR four going out on the water for a late afernoon practice session with Dean.

Another LTR four setting up to practice.

I then decided to hang out on the dock for a while with the few remaining folks, and Ellen showed me the blue and green "NHRC tips" painted on her nails! All of her boatmates sported the same. Her crew was not only going to row well at Coastweeks -- they were also determined to push regatta haute couture to a whole new level. Well done, ladies!

Ellen demonstrates the latest fall fashion statement -- NHRC Nails! First the right hand...

.. and now the left!

Four for a Quarter

2008-12-21T16:41:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, it's simply a matter of being in the right place, at the right time...with a camera

Photography by John Poole

NEW YEAR’S DAY ROW AND BREAKFAST, 2009!!

2008-12-21T11:17:00.000-08:00

(from Baxter Walsh; RSVP Dianne Kelly)

What better way to start the New Year than by joining us for the 15th Annual NEW YEAR’S DAY ROW AND BREAKFAST. The New Haven Rowing Club invites you, nay, ENCOURAGES YOU to a short, but robust, row and a large, also robust, breakfast on January 1, 2009. Bring your family and friends. Each year 40 to 50 people enjoy this fun and festive event.

Boat selection begins promptly at 8:30a.m. There will be eights and quads. The short (1000M+) race is at 9 a.m. Dress in layers and, of course, pogies to deal with the temperature. You will be chosen for a boat by a rower who has sworn to be unbiased, free from the pressures to win, calm in the face of threats and open only to covert bribes.
Breakfast is served at 10 a.m. A $5 donation is appreciated! ! Coffee and snacks will be available all morning for those not rowing.

Only once was the row cancelled (due to ice), but never the breakfast! You will find the company cheery and spirited. It's really a great way to begin the year!

For directions go to: http://www.newhavenrowingclub.org/general/directions.htm

Hope to see you at 8:30 on January 1, 2009 at NHRC boathouse!

New Year's Day Row with NRRA, 2001

2008-12-16T20:20:00.000-08:00

Recently, I came across these photographs in one of my archives. They are from our 2001 New Year's Day Row/Race with the Norwalk River Rowing Association.

From what I remember of that day, it was clear and extremely cold. The river was completely iced over. At our request, the dam authority opened the Derby Dam about an hour before the race, and the flowing water cleared enough ice to allow us to row upstream to the Indian, and downsteam about as far as the pizza restaurant.

Jim Cooper of NRRA supplied these photos. Many (but not all, of course) were taken by Jim. If you recognize any of the folks that I couldn't identify, please let me know and I'll update this posting.

Enjoy!

Jim Cooper, Malcolm Watson, Ned Williams, Eric Dannemann. Look at all the ice on that cold, cold water!

Rick Dyer, Larry Sweet(?), John Poole, Baxter Walsh.

Jim Benz(?), Phil Negus, Norwalk guy I can't identify, Lisa Rock.

The previous two quads rowing upstream.

The eight: Maria (NRRA) coxing, not sure who the stroke is, Scott Davies, Norm Thetford, Marc Nemeth, not sure, not sure, not sure, Paul Roy with a very thick mustache that year(?).

The eight paddling upstream.

Ned Williams, with two oars frozen to his gloves.

Don Chartier -- Don was the organizer of the New Year's Day Row back in those days. I recall he didn't row that particular morning, giving up his own seat so some one else could go out.

Don viewing the river.

The Lisa Rock quad returns to the dock.

Inside the upstream bay of the NHRC boathouse.

Downstream oar rack and singles tucked away for the winter.

View of the upstream bay door. The boats have been put away, the carpeting picked up, and everyone is breakfasting in the club room! Unfortunately, no breakfast pictures were in this collection.

Events Sat November 1st

2008-10-21T18:59:00.000-07:00

Last Day of Daylight Savings
November 1st is the last dark morning. Sunrise will be at 7:25am. Sunrise on Nov 2nd is 6:26am -- let's row!

Hopkins v Choate
Hopkins will end their program with NHRC on Sat Nov 1st with a scrimmage with Choate. At 11:30am men's and women's Jr 8+s from both schools will square off against each other. Hopkins and Choate parents will join the rowers in our meeting room for light refreshments after the race. If you are at the boathouse after 11am, please be aware that parents from both schools and the Choate trailer will be using our parking lot.

This event will be the second racing experience for the Hopkins Jr
men and women. Their first was the Head of the Housatonic.

There the men finished 17th out of 21 and the women were 14 out of 20 in the Jr novice 8+ events.

Last Day for the Launches
Bob Nash and John Sword will be pulling the launches out later that afternoon. If you are available to help, please contact Bob.

Mystic Coastweeks Regatta Update: Entry Deadline is Tonight (Monday, September 8th)

2008-09-07T21:18:00.000-07:00

The entry deadline for Mystic Coastweeks is tonight (Monday night, September 8th). This is a great race, so if you're considering going, please do, and please get your entries in ASAP via Ronin Racing.

This season, Sara Beddow and Mark Schofield have offered to coordinate the allocation of club boats to teams (with the understanding that the LTR graduates will be racing at least two coxed fours -- and please see additional note below about need for one female rower to fill a boat). Please make your club boat intentions known to Sara and Mark, so that they may coordinate boat usage. In particular, they need to know:

Your name (and your team mates)

Which event you wish to enter

Club boat you would like to use (1st and 2nd choice!!!)

Whether you’ll require space on the trailer

Please send this information to Sara by mid-day on Monday, September 8th. Boat requests will be allocated by 5pm.

And also...by special request...your's truly will be at the boathouse early Saturday AM to supervise/instruct/verify trailer loading (what a deal!).

Finally, Dean Poniros reports that he DESPERATELY needs one female rower for one of the Coastweeks LTR coxed fours. He is desperately seeking one female rower above the age of 27 who can row port. LTR will have one quick practice on 9/13 in the afternoon, and then the race will be at 1:30 in Mystic on 9/14. Please email Dean ASAP if you can help out. He needs to know by Monday or he cannot register the boat. The boat that is seeking a rower does not have aggressive racing goals -- they want to row 2000m at a medium stroke rating, work for a good boat set, and just have a good time. Dean can be reached at Dean.Poniros@yale.edu. Please try to help out if you can!

Weekend Racing: Springfield Riverfront Head Race

2008-09-07T19:45:00.000-07:00

Despite all the tropical storm threats for Satuday, a small, but brave, team of NHRC competitors ventured up to Springfield, MA to participate in the Springfield River Front Head Race. Mark Schofield (shown in photo) took 1st place in his singles race...way to go, Mark! Paul and Sara (Beddow, that is, not Palin) also rowed their Mx2X race well, despite a bouy violation. Sara said that the day turned out fine -- cloudy, but otherwise good weather, flat water, nice course, nice people, and only one hour away from home! Hopefully more NHRC crews will consider this race for next season. It sounds like a great venue!

About Our Doubles and Pairs

2008-09-02T18:05:00.000-07:00

I am sure you noticed from Bob's emails, and because there's been a series of boats under repair in the downstream boat bay most of the Summer, that a lot of work has been done on smaller boats this year.

I'm writing to highlight NHRC's fleet of doubles/pairs. Small boats are popular with our members, and we now have a lot of them available many that you would not have thought to row in past years. Try one of the re-conditioned boats, or take out a pair if you've never rowed one (and before the water gets too cold -- just in case).

Please always pay attention to the weight class and reservation policy for all boats before taking any out. If your weight exceeds the manufacturer's range as listed below, find one in the right weight class. Rowing a flyweight like the Fluidesign if you weigh more than 150 lbs, for example, will shorten the life of the boat and may damage it.

* For resticted 2 x/-'s - Senior scullers must steer. LTR and novice scullers may not row.

Sculling Coaching Update

2008-09-01T18:02:00.000-07:00

Mitz Carr reports that our sculling coaching sessions have come to an end. Last week both Leanne and Mark Davis, our sculling coaches, said that they could not continue coaching at NHRC. Mark is the Yale freshman heavyweight coach and will likely have both morning and afternoon commitments for Yale, and Leanne has just changed jobs, now working for City Seed, and wants to put more focus to her new opportunity. Mitz reached out to two new Yale coaches and had some discussions that she hoped would result in a seamless transition, but this evening the "final opportunity" decided not to coach at NHRC.

But scullers...DO NOT DESPAIR! After several desperate pleas, Leanne Davis is coming to our rescue and has offered to coach one day a week until the Head of the Charles. So, on Wednesday mornings she will arrive at 5:45am and launch immediately to follow and coach folks as they make their way down to Yale for the head race. She will like then position herself at a point on the course to view all scullers as they race by and then follow-up the last group. Afterwards she can offer folks comments on what she saw. This is the best way to get the most folks coached in one day and is specifically helpful to those preparing to race this fall. Some of these sessions/races will be videotaped!

Mitz and the Coaching Committee are continuing to work to find coaches for sculling, but from now until the 3rd week on October, Leanne has agreed to the Wednesday Head Race schedule and Mitz urges scullers to make use of this.

Boat Repair Update

2008-09-01T16:46:00.000-07:00

Bob Nash reported the following status, just this past Thursday:

This is just a quick summary of the status of current boat repair work at the Club. As most of you were aware, especially those of you who store your singles in the down river bay of the boathouse, a large amount of work, taking a rather long time, was done on the Catilina. I am glad to report that the repair work has been completed and the boat, currently rigged as a port stroked pair is available for Club use. Next week we will begin a much shorter project to repair some damage on the JC, a heavy weight single. The anticipated work will take significantly less time that the Catilina, less than a week, I hope. Please do not use the JC, beginning tomorrow, until the repair work is completed. It is helpful to have a few days of drying time for the boat before beginning hull repairs, and by not use the JC tomorrow, that will assist in this process.

Thank you for working around the boats under repair while this process in going on.
- Bob Nash

Head of the Housatonic Update: NHRC Entries and Volunteer Assignments

2008-09-01T16:33:00.000-07:00

Audrey reminds us that, even though registration for the Head of the Housatonic has opened today, please *do not* register yet.

NHRC members will register after the entry deadline, or after we hit our registration cap, whichever comes first. We will register last so that our entries will not count toward the registration cap. So - Please stay tuned at the end of September for the go ahead.

In the meantime, please contact Lisa Brailey for a volunteer assignment (lisa.brailey@gmail.com)

Head of The Charles: Dues and Coaching Updates

2008-09-01T16:24:00.000-07:00

President Audrey Novak informs us that any outstanding dues must be paid by September 1st (oh my gosh, that's today!) to be eligible to row in a sweep boat in the Head of the Charles. The HOCR is unlike all other regattas, in the sense that the entry limits per club, as well as the requirement of a club registration fee, means that NHRC has to pay to have our crews race there. For this reason, seat opportunities are extended only to members who are paid in full by the registration due date. Please contact Dick Thackaberry (thackr@sbcglobal.net), Treasurer, or Audrey, if you have any questions.

Also, Coach Nich is back in town, and has issued the following near-term strategy for effective training of sweep crews destined for the HOCR:

For this week:

Wednesday - Rig, Check Measurements, Swing Row (coaching TBD)
Spread = 84.5cm
Inboard = 114.5
Pitch = 5 Degrees

Thursday - Team Row

Friday - Team Row

Starting September 6, 2008 through HOCR:

Coach Nich has distributed a .PDF file and a .ICS calendar (for those of you using ical or another calendar program) via email. Also, he announces that a new and improved training website is coming! Once finished, it will also include a MUCH better system for evaluating yourself on video (Nich has purchased a camera).

ERG DATES!!!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008 = TOYO 20' Erg Piece at Maximum Effort...This is training on your own (TOYO) so that you can prepare and execute the piece at your own pace, control, etc.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008 @ 600AM = PAYNE WHITNEY GYM = HOCR Team Erg Piece 20' @ Maximum Effort

Coach Nich says that is looking forward to seeing everyone and getting back into the swing of things for the HOCR!

Learn to Row Update

2008-09-01T16:18:00.000-07:00

Susan reports that volunteer coxes are needed for the remaining LTR classes. Please email or phone Susan at schofieldse@cdm.com or 203 262 6633, respectively if you can volunteer for any of the following:

Monday, Sept 1 – 1 cox
Wednesday, Sept 3 – 2 coxes
Thursday, Sept 4 – 2 coxes

Monday, Sept 8 – 3 coxes
Wednesday, Sept 10 – 2 coxes

Saturday, Sept 13 – 3 coxes (hopefully these can be coxes who will also cox the LTR boats at Mystic)
Sunday, Sept 14 – TBD, at Coasts Week Regatta

As always, Susan would like to thank everyone in advance for their volunteer services to LTR – your efforts are very much appreciated!

Regatta Update: Providence Sweeps and Sculls

2008-09-01T16:05:00.000-07:00

NHRC attended Providence Sweeps and Sculls this year, hosted by the Narragannsett Boat Club, in Providence, RI. Here are some photos, courtesy of Sara Beddow. Sara reports that it was all-out, total club effort. Unfortunately, no results seem to have been published yet (neither on the NBC web site, nor on Row2k).

NHRC medalists at Providence S&S

Relaxing under the shade trees between events

If any one who attended can to inform us of their victories (there seem to have been a few), please feel free to add a comment to this posting. Thanks! ;-)

Regatta Update: Cromwell Cup

2008-09-01T15:52:00.000-07:00

Quite a few NHRC boats attended the Cromwell Cup, in Cambridge MA, this past July 13th. Results included the following:

NHRC W8+: First in their qualifying heat; third in their final. This crew consisted of Strawn, Novak, Brackett, Oechtering, Mingo, Gallagher, O'Donnell, Kelly, and Botta.

Mens Open 4+: 2nd in their qualifying heat. Carbonella, Chrisman, Caszatt, and Poniros, with Rebecca Kinsler coxing.

Mens M8+: 3rd in their qualifying heat. Dannemann, Thetford, Thackaberry, Duthie, Williams, Pankowski, Brooke, Reimann, and Botta coxing.

Mens M4+ 3rd in their qualifying heat. Crew consisted of Dannemann, Thetford, Thackaberry, Pankowski, and Botta as coxswain.

MM4X (final): 3rd place quad consisting of Williams, Duthie, Brooke, and Reimann.

Good racing, every one! In all the years that I had been managing regattas-away, I don't recall any boats ever going to the Cromwell Cup. Nice to see that we managed to add this to our racing season this year! (No photos that I am aware of, unfortunately).

Learn To Row Update

2008-08-12T09:52:00.000-07:00

The July Learn to Row (LTR) class just recently completed. Coordinated largely by Susan Schofield (along with assistance from many others), and expert coaching provided by Nich Lee and Dean Poniros, the July class was a stellar success. Two initial days of rowing in the Yale barge pushed the LTR students' progress ahead quickly, and by their second week, they were already rowing by sixes.

LTR students launching their eights

This year's class consisted of twenty-one students, comprised of thirteen women and eight men. According to Susan, many of the LTR students were already active in a number of non-rowing activities, including long-distance swimming, equestrian events, running, yoga, climbing, and biking. One is a top Connecticut high school distance runner; another is a former New England high school champion for hammer and shot put, who went on to compete in those events at Yale. Yet another won his age group in that recent triathlon that caused some interesting turbulence in the water near the Indian Well beach!

LTR Volunteers Susan and Johanna; Coach Nich giving instruction

As a follow-on program, NHRC has scheduled LTR II, open only to participants in the July program. Currently, eighteen of the July students have signed up. Once again, we will need volunteer coxes from the club. For the first 2 weeks of LTR II, the crews will be rowing in eights to hone their skills, and then will switch to fours to train for the Coastweeks Regatta in Mystic (September 14). So be ready to loudly cheer them to victory! Dean Poniros will do most of the coaching for LTR II, with assistance from Nich prior to the regatta.

An LTR eight on the water

Here are details for the LTR II classes. Please email Susan Schofield (schofieldse@cdm.com) if you can volunteer to cox; or, sign up on Susan's poster in the boathouse.

DATES: August 13 – September 11
DAYS of WEEK: Monday (except the first week), Wednesday, Thursday (3 days per week)
TIME: 5:30 – 7 pm

More photos of July 2008 LTR:

Additional LTR photos are posted here (not sure whom to attribute these to -- please let me know!)

July LTR completed on July 31st with a 1000m race and barbeque -- photo album posted here (thanks to Kim Theleen).

A QuickTime video from the race is posted here.

Safety, Work Day, & Sundries of an Entertaining or Curious Nature

2008-07-17T10:35:00.000-07:00

Safety Notice: "A collision at sea can ruin your whole day" (old proverb)

"Hey, watch where you're going, darn it!"
Paul Roy (along with Roy and Paul -- aka., the NHRC Safety Committee), has noted that the Sculling Ladder Race has caused some concern. Due to the narrowness and curvature of the river, two near misses have recently occurred. Paul requests that participants in the Ladder Race ask for spotters to be in position on the water at race time. "DO NOT race without at least 2 spotters along the course, or you might end up like the gals in this photo," said Paul. Only it looks like their boats can sustain collisions a lot better than our carbon shells!
:-)

Hear ye, hear ye! Come to the NHRC Work Day this Saturday!

(from Diderot's Encyclopedie)
NHRC will be having a Work Day this coming Saturday, July 19th, 2008. Mark Schofield is organizing, and lunch will be provided by Helma, Jo, Dianne, and Nancy. All members are encouraged to attend, work hard, and eat hearty! Please contact Mark if you are planning to attend, either at 800 926 8776 x3535, or via email: MSchofield@ taunton.com. And if you cannot attend this Saturday, Mark says that he will be happy to assign you a task that you can complete yourself at some other time. There's plenty to do, so let's role up our sleeves for the club!!

Boat Committee News

The Spirit of '74
Carroll Brooke reports that the club has purchased a new midweight 4X/4+ for use by crews averaging 160 to 190 pounds. Named the Spirit of '74, this boat is a Millenium 2 mid-size hull, and was recently acquired from Lehigh University Crew. The boat also came with sweep riggers, enabling it to be converted into a straight four. John Sword has just converted the steering so there is now bow-steering and, optionally, stern-steering for buoyed sprint racing. It will be moved inside the boathouse to replace one of our 20+ year-old midweight quads. I saw the Spirit of '74 on the grounds the other day, and let me tell you, it is a beaut!

Giant Muskrat Alert!

Giant muskrat in Eugene, Oregon pond
Johanna has reported twice spotting a giant muskrat swimming in the water in the vicinity of the dock. Long believed by paleontologists to have died out almost 40, 000 years ago, it appears that members of the species Muskratus Giganticus (or Muskrat-zilla to some of us) are still alive and well in Lake Housatonic. According to Jo: "It has no fear of people and swims shamelessly close to our launches, and has attempted boldly to come aboard the docks, on more than one occasion." So The Catch would like to propose a naming contest for this leviathan of the lake. The winner will get...well, not much, other than the distinction of being the person who came up with the name. Email your candidate muskrat names to either John or Claire, and we will unilaterally decide the winner some night over a beer. And for all you new members....good luck with your swim tests!
:-D

Star Watch

Jupiter and the Moon on July 16th, 2008, at 10:30PM
No, not Hollywood stars! I am talking real stars (sort of). If you have happened to notice a very bright star rising in the eastern skies over the course of the past month and a half, it is actually the planet Jupiter, which is extremely close to Earth right now. Tonight marks the conjunction of Jupiter and the (nearly full) moon, meaning that both will be on the same celestial longitude and parade across the sky together. The weather should be clear tonight. So, if possible, try to take a peak before turning-in.

And Finally: The Big Green Question of the Day

The author, spudding the remains of an old maple

If a tree were to fall in your backyard....and you were not a tad crazy....would you make furniture out of it?

Look At These Guys Go! And Other Regatta News

2008-07-05T07:12:00.000-07:00

Lake Carnegie winning Men's Masters eight for 2008. Go NHRCs! Kudos also to the Mixed Masters 8+ (2nd; Milnamow stroke); and the Men's Masters 4+ winning boat stroked by Carroll Brooke.

One person we are missing in the men's boats this year is Gordon Kuster who, we are told via Baxter Walsh, "has recently had both knees re-tuned 'under the knife.' He's recovering well and in the New Haven Hotel on George St, New Haven, 3rd floor in the Temple Rehab Center until Friday when he returns home. Sandi says he's very uo to receiving visitors. Hours are 1pm to 8pm. Let's get a few people together and do it." Contact Baxter for visiting details.

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And save the date for:

The Narragansett Rowing Club's annual Sweeps and Sculls Regatta on July 26 (entry deadline on July 21.) To paraphrase William Jefferson Clinton, "It's about the barbecue, stupid!" (Hat tip to Mitch Berkson, NRC regatta chair.)

Steve Gurney writes that "the entire NHRC West Coast membership plans to compete in
the US Rowing Master's Nationals in Long Beach, CA" August 14-17. Anyone planning to augment those numbers needs to talk to their boat captains sooner rather than later.

GMS Regatta, Sunday September 21 in gorgeous New Milford, CT (Hat tip to Barbara Fabiani).

Registration is now open for both of these regattas at Regatta Central. Please note we have updated the links widget on the right to include this critical racing tool.

Lake Merritt Sprints: We Are Everywhere

2008-07-02T06:15:00.001-07:00

Special: Lake Merritt Sprints and Report from the West Coast Annex of NHRC, by Steve Gurney

The membership has remained stable, the assets preserved in top condition, and the finances are sound. The members stress their interest in competing regionally and nationally.

The entire membership participated in the Lake Merritt Sprints in Oakland, California, over the weekend of June 15. Lake Merritt is a beautiful u-shaped lake located spectacularly in downtown Oakland. It is home to a large rowing and sculling contingent from the Lake Merritt Rowing Club there, plus a sailing program. Nearby rowing clubs include Marin, Los Gatos, Lake Natoma, Berkeley, Jack London Aquatic Center, and San Francisco Rowing Club, among others. The race course was very professional and complete with fully buoyed seven lanes, stake boats with friendly attendants, and attentive patrol boats. The regatta combined thorough planning, attention to detail, convenience, informality and positive vibes.

As it happened, the New Haven Rowing Club acquitted itself satisfactorily, winning the over age 65 masters events first in heavyweights and then followed in lightweights. Of note, the events were scheduled with only 14 minutes between them, which required rowing back to the launch dock to exchange a bow lane number for a different one and then proceeding to the starting line for the second event without delay, requiring close teamwork. A very accommodating and prepared launch control official stood waiting at the dock with new bow number poised in one hand to insert where the old number was removed by the other hand, and the exchange was accomplished on the fly, so to speak. The starter at the line for the lightweight event was patient and the stake boat official prepared in advance for alignment in the light wind conditions as soon as the stern of the New Haven boat touched her hand in the water. It could be said that under the circumstances these combined sprint events also constituted the first head race of the season, on a shortened back-and-forth course of 3000 meters.

Notes for the Week of July 1

2008-07-01T08:41:00.000-07:00

Helma Chartier, of the Sunshine Committee, tells us that there will be a TGIF, Friday, July 11, at 6:30. For those among the uninitiated, this is an athletic event only in the sense that instruction on the correct angle for bringing a glass, or fork, to your mouth will be provided if necessary. Helma says: "Mark your calendar and plan to come straight from work for our first summer TGIF. Cost only $10. Here's what you get in addition to meeting lots of interesting people. Plan to bring your spouse or friend. Taco Salad Bar (All the ingredients will be laid our and you build your own salad), Dessert, and, of course a variety of refreshing Beverages...sangria, wine, beer, soda, ice tea. RSVP if you plan to attend so we can plan for adequate amounts of food and beverage. No money necessary ahead of time." And by the way Helma -- it's great to see you back in action!

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Mark Schofield tells us that a work day is scheduled for Saturday, July 19, with a rain date for the 20th. Just like at your own house, there are a range of things to do around the boat house that -- if we don't do them -- they get worse, and then suddenly Urban Renewal is banging on the door and wanting to replace us with a theme park. Jobs that need doing include:

1) Scrape, prime and paint the metal railings on the outdoor stairs.
2) Sand and varnish the outside of the doors from the club room onto the deck.
3) Remove gutter covers and clean out guttering at the front of the boat house deck. Work gloves needed.
4) Weed gravel area around boat house and flower beds. Please bring tools and gloves.
5) Prune shrubbery near the dock/ramp. Please bring tools and gloves.
6) Remove remains of blue tape left over from staining the shingles.
7) Cut and attach casing around the inside of the main entrance. Material provided but someone with trim carpentry skills and tools needed.
8) Pressure wash dock. Anyone have a pressure washer?
9) Vacuum out bottom of private sculls rack.
10) Wash windows of bay doors and double doors facing the road.

Wear work clothes, and if possible, let Mark know if there is a job you feel particularly qualified for or excited about.

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The Board of Directors is meeting Thursday, July 11, at 6:30. Board members should definitely come; others are invited.

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Claire Potter is currently assembling commitments for parking volunteers and trash pick-up for the Head of the Housatonic Regatta, October 11 2008. The good news is that this year we are hoping to keep club members out of the parking lots entirely, except in supervisory roles; and we hope to have teams working in shifts so those long days that some of you have endured will be eliminated. But we need your help in making contacts with organizations for whom community service is part of their mandate, and who -- by recruiting them as a group -- we can acquire 5-10 volunteers at a time who will work as a unit. Please let Claire know if you have a connection with a scout troop, a youth sports team, a fraternity, or la Cosa Nostra. Small donations to the organization are possible, and we will make assignments age-appropriate. If you have such a contact, write Claire at cpotter258*AT*earthlink*DOT*net with the details.

Safety First

2008-06-08T10:27:00.000-07:00

In the aftermath of the (highly successful) Derby Sweeps and Sculls, President Audrey Novak informs us that the Personal Flotation Device mandate is extending beyond June 1. "Several members were stopped by the Lake Housatonic Authority on Sat for rowing back to the boathouse from the race and not having a PFD on board. They received warning tickets," she reports. "Our understanding of the CT DEP rule differs from that of LHA. Sandy will work with the LHA to get a common understanding, but in the meantime to avoid a ticket you should row with a PFD in the shell if you are unaccompanied by a launch."

While this is getting worked out, if you do not have a PFD already, you can click here to order one that is similar to those you see club members sporting now.

Dog Rescue update

2008-06-05T12:23:00.000-07:00

Well, whether it was one of you, or just the karmic effect of having so much NHRC energy engaged, Lucy the Dog was adopted this morning.

Yay.

From Our Friends in Norwalk: Eat, Drink, Row (Not Necessarily in That Order)

2008-06-05T09:43:00.000-07:00

Boats, Beers and Burgers at the NRRA.

We recognize that rowing has no borders and boathouse affiliations are illusions during B,B and B.

One lousy twenty-dollar bill will get you a romp on the river with new friends then burgers and beers when you are done! (Editor's note: if this doesn't make Saturday breakfast at the NHRC look like a bargain, what does?)

You gotta row and you gotta eat, you might as well do both. You know the dress code..........................

(Non-rowers are welcome for the eating and drinking :-)

For details, click here.

Competition Rules!

2008-06-05T09:27:00.000-07:00

Mark Schofield has had what we at The Catch are calling, in our fake British accents learned from endless Monty Python watching, a ripping idea. You received an email about it earlier, but here it is in detail:

NHRC Single Scullers Ladder

We are proposing a single scullers ladder for interested members of NHRC. Similar to a tennis club ladder, it will introduce an element of friendly competition and give members more opportunities to practice racing. The challenge course will be from the dock with the diving board near Indian head on the Shelton side of the river to the center of the boathouse dock (a distance of roughly 1000 meters). Races will be run on a first-past-the-line basis with no handicap for age. Men and women will be on the same ladder. The initial ranking (based on estimated speed) will be decided by several senior members of the club.

The rules are simple:

1) You can challenge the sculler one or two places above you to a race. The challenger must offer up to three times and dates over a 15 day period for the challenge to take place. If no agreement can be reached, the challenger and the challenged switch positions on the ladder.

2) The losing sculler can not re-challenge the winner for at least one week.

3) If the person you challenge manages to move up the ladder before your scheduled race, they escape your challenge and you must challenge the new occupant of that space on the ladder.

If you are interested in taking part please send your name by June 15th to Mark (sorry, our rule against publishiing personal info on the internet means you have to either grab him in the boat house -- above the waist please! -- or look up his contact info yourself.) Entries received after June 15th will start at the bottom of the ladder.

The ladder will run from June 21st to September 21st with prizes given at the holiday party to the top male and female sculler, the occupier of the bottom rung of the ladder, and possibly by age group depending on the number of participants.

Other than the obvious opportunities for fun that this entails, such as flipping right next to the dock on a racing start and large groups of people ending their workout at the Indian Head to see the outcome of a challenge, this also gives all of us the opportunity to practice gracious responses to those who do not accept our challenges. For example:

"I understand perfectly. Many people are afraid of me, not just you." And: "Really, it's fine. Age before beauty and all that."

Dog Rescue Committee Report

2008-06-05T08:35:00.000-07:00

Many of us received the following email from Georgia about a Lab mix named Lucy, whose picture I have obtained from the link. As Georgia writes,

"I was wondering if anyone at the club is interested in adopting an adult dog. I recently heard about Lucy whose elderly owner went in for surgery several weeks ago and sadly will not be returning to her home. Her home health aide initially gave Lucy a home until they realized her daughter was allergic to the dog. Sadly Lucy, a very lovely sweet dog has ended up in a very volatile kill pound (Bridgeport Animal Shelter). She is healthy, house trained and spayed and has now been in the Bridgeport pound since May 12th. She is likely stressed from her experience there as that particular shelter is often filled with barking pitbull terriers. The officer there indicated that euthanasia for Lucy will depend on vacancy levels at the shelter. It is only 5 dollars to adopt Lucy. The link for her profile is attached. Please take a personal inventory to see if you have room in your heart and home for Lucy. I took on an abandoned adult dog headed to the pound a few years ago. She was very ill and likely would have been put down due to her medical expense. She is now my most priceless pal. Lucy could be the same for you and your family. I wish I could have Lucy too but my condo allows for only a single pet per unit."

Several people have since written in saying that they too have rescued dogs, and that they have never regretted it for a second. And let me say: a place like Bridgeport Animal Control copes with a great deal, including housing a lot of dogs that are disturbed. It's a terrible place for a dog that has been raised gently and has no skills to deal with aggression. Kind of like sending your sweet old granny to Alcatraz.

I took a look at Lucy and floated it by my partner, who gave me a look that I can only describe as equivalent to the "Excuse me, you are going to a regatta the weekend my family will be visiting?" look, since we already have a dog and haven't agreed to expansion. It also looks like being "only dog" could be an optimum situation for Lucy, although it isn't clear that she couldn't adapt to a generous canine friend as her impulses seem to be friendly. The cat thing I would take seriously, since dogs who chase cats just do and there is no stopping them. Here is Lucy's link, provided by Georgia.

Further investigative reporting has yielded the following information. According to Melissa Kuinan at Bridgeport Animal Control (the contact email for Melissa is on Lucy's adoption page, or you can get it from me), "She was recently at the vet because her paw was bitten by the dog next to her because she kept putting her paw in his cage. She is ok now. She will actually be moving with us to our new facility tomorrow. We will be closed June 6th - June 11th. If you are interested in meeting her, please come and visit her after June 11th at 236 Evergreen Street." Lucy is about 7 years old and spayed. Although the previous owner said that she is up-to-date with her shots, there is no paperwork to back that up, so budget a couple hundred dollars for that, realistically. Temperamentally and in all other ways (house training, good behavior, gentle) Lucy is "very adoptable but for some reason people just walk right by her cage. People that come here are always looking for puppies and most will not give an older dog a chance."

I have contacted Connecticut Lab Rescue on her behalf and offered to sponsor her if they can find a foster home, but a permanent home would be better. So spread the word, ok? And here's a word to the wise: develop some plan as to what would happen to your beloved pet if you could no longer care for it. The number of unwanted or abused animals in the world is a terrible thing, and if a little planning could ensure that your best friend doesn't get lost in the system in your absence, it's well worth it.

Cleaning Crew, Week of 5/24

2008-05-18T12:16:00.000-07:00

Mark and Susan Schofield were seen walking into the boathouse this morning, Sunday, with a large pile of fluffy, clean, beautifully folded boat towels. One of your Ministers of Communication immediately used one and reduced it to a gooey, wet, muddy brown mess. This is as it should be. Next week the cleaning crew is:

Craig Shealy A

Donna Stanis B

Susan Steiner C

Heather Stone D

Elizabeth Strawn E

The letters next to your name refer to your job, which should be posted on the bulletin board. Or you can dig out one of Baxter's emails and read about your job at your leisure.

Logs, Logs, Logs

2008-05-18T12:12:00.001-07:00

Sunday morning, May 18, the very few of us who rowed were beset by logs: they started around the beach, and got really bad up by the houses, but were mostly confined to the downstream side. Very odd.

Nevertheless, Monday morning scullers and coxswains, watch out. They might be gone tomorrow, or they might get worse.

Charge for the Communications Committee for 2008 – 09

2008-05-18T12:02:00.000-07:00

Audrey Novak, the President of the New Haven Rowing Club, has asked all the committee chairs to post a charge for 2008-09: the purpose is to explain what we do -- both to ourselves and to the membership at large; to set goals; and to let the membership know who they can turn to when an issue needs to be addressed. This charge was written by the Communications Committee

Maintain the Yahoo News Groups. This is something that John is primarily responsible for maintaining. John makes sure all member email addresses are registered with the newsgroup, and that all members can access it, but the members themselves are responsible for formulating their own emails and disseminating them via the newsgroup. We strongly encourage them to do so, rather than send emails to John to put on the newsgroup. Items that will be sent out this way are time-sensitive materials; materials that contain members’ private information (email addresses, phone numbers, addresses); club documents that ought not to be widely circulated (minutes, agendas, reports); messages letting members know that The Catch has been updated; and complex documents (PDF’s and Excel files primarily: the cleaning schedule, volunteer rosters for regattas, updated club directories.)

Maintain the club blog, The Catch. The Catch will be monitored, edited, updated and partly written by both John and Claire, the blog managers/editors. Each of us will take primary responsibility for half the month: Claire for the first two weeks and John for the second two weeks. Maintenance will include updating the template and widgets as necessary to respond to club needs and to make full use of the potential of a blog as a democratic sphere for discussion among the membership. The Club Secretary will post documents on the blog that the whole club needs to have access to. Club officers and committee chairs are invited (and strongly encouraged) to write postings. Ideally, they would post their own items, but until they get used to that, completed items can be emailed to the managers and posted by them. Members who want to contribute may also write to the blog, save posts, and then ask either John or Claire to review and publish them. The Secretary, in particular, is encouraged to make regular use of the blog in disseminating (non-sensitive) information regarding club activities, events, and dates.

John and Claire urge any member of the club who wishes to write for The Catch to do so: the blog is particularly useful for starting discussion topics, as the comment function enables all members to have an exchange. Members are encouraged to engage in active, constructive discussions. We also know from experience that many club members are good writers, and we urge members to submit items, reports on regattas, pictures, announcements, and whatever else they have.

What is to be achieved in 2008-09. Introducing these new technologies has been a big step forward in our view, but it has happened through a significant time commitment on the part of the committee that needs to be reduced. We propose to:

a. Reduce redundancy between the Yahoo Newsgroups and The Catch. There are very few items that need to be published both places, and doing so increases the time commitment to this committee. We also want to encourage club members to learn to publish on their own, rather than sending information and expecting the managers to write the story. In particular, the managers’ primary responsibilities are to keep the publishing infrastructure going, and provide editorial review of submitted material. Managers will frequently submit their own material (subject to cross-review by the managers themselves), but are not expected to directly write material on the behalf of members who wish to contribute.

b. There seems to be uneven technology skills across the club, although most members seem to have adapted to Yahoo newsgroups and The Catch blog. Nevertheless, some members appear to need more help than we can give them through email. Therefore, John and Claire will run a couple hands-on sessions after Saturday breakfast to show people how to post to the blog, how to access it independent of a link, how to use browsers and book marking functions. We could also show members how to set up their own RSS feed, so they would automatically be notified when new items are posted to The Catch.

c. We propose that The Catch regularize its publishing schedule, trying to post 2-3 times a week minimum. This will make it a more lively and useful vehicle, and one that promotes a healthy club atmosphere, but also will train club members to check it independently of an email prompt.

d. What we need is another member of our committee,* or an outside consultant, who is skilled at managing the club webpage. We propose that such a person be recruited/hired in the next sixty days. A club volunteer is preferable, since we would require no budget, and because a more informal relationship would probably be more efficient and flexible for the other members of the committee. Complex documents cannot be stored on the blog – they can only be linked to the blog – and as of now, we cannot establish those links unless documents can be easily uploaded to the club’s web domain.

John Poole and Claire Potter; Claire Potter, Board Liaison

*applications are currently being accepted by John Poole, as Claire is on vacation until June 5.

Nich Lee Has....

2008-05-18T11:53:00.000-07:00

....added a new post. Get it by going to Nich's link on the right or by clicking here.

Shoes4Africa

2008-05-18T11:18:00.000-07:00

Karyn Gallagher reports: "One of the Professors from Southern Connecticut State University is coordinating a collection of shoes in conjunction with Books and Company (Whitney Ave., Hamden). The destination of these shoes is Kenya. I think this is a great cause and wanted to do my part to help out. I thought I'd reach out to my fellow athletic NHRC friends to encourage all of you to bring in old athletic shoes by next Wed., May 21. I will leave a bin marked Shoes4Africa somewhere on the landing inside the front door."

Linda Craig Moser, the owner of Books and Company, explains: "Kenya produces many of the world's finest competitive runners, yet few people there can afford running shoes. Also, athletic shoes provide protection from devastating waterborne parasites like hookworm that enter through the soles of the feet. "We need shoes for adults and children. The shoes can have some soiling, but no holes or completely worn treads. SHOE4AFRICA states that shoes should have at least 100 miles left on them. Running, shoes, cross-trainers, tennis shoes, soccer shoes and kids' sneakers are all welcome to our collection. "Our goal is to collect 500 pairs of shoes in honor of the Books & Company owner's father, David W. Craig, who died in February. He was a serious runner for more than three decades. His last two pairs of running shoes (displayed at the bookstore) are the inspiration for this collection drive.

This post was written from an email Karyn sent around on Yahoo newsgroups.

Congratulations Amy and John!

2008-05-12T05:35:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Amy Jean and John Porter on the birth of their daughter last month. Their new address is 32 Bethany Rd, Bethany, CT 06524.

Odds and Ends

2008-05-09T13:11:00.000-07:00

Coaching: Nich Lee, our sweep coach has created a a blog to help us in our training: it has been added to the links at the right.

Sunshine Committee: As many of you know, Helma Chartier fell and broke her shoulder. Nancy Brackett tells us that she would probably appreciate a call while she mends. Dianne Kelly reminds us that anyone who is interested in hosting a Saturday breakfast should see her.

Derby Sweeps and Sculls: if you have not gotten back to Lisa Brailey about volunteering, do so!

Cleaning: Our new cleaning service is doing a terrific job (perhaps you noticed that your locker was dusted?), but we are still responsible for the boat bays and other public areas. Baxter has circulated the cleaning schedule by email -- please check your calendar and make sure you can make your assigned day, and if you can't, trade with someone. It's ok to be a little late -- I think up to Tuesday has been the rule of thumb, but it's not ok not to do it at all.

Board Meetings: are the first Wednesday of every month, at 6:30. The next one is on June 4 -- all members are invited to attend.

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This is a cool picture of Claire and Dianne (otherwise known as the Dolly Sisters) racing the Fluidesign lightweight double in the Head of the Charles last fall:

For those who love this boat; putting it away means drying it off, opening the hatch and -- most important -- not putting it down on the Stroke Coach, or on one of the riggers (as it was found this morning.) We love it that the boat committee bought this for racing, but it is a somewhat delicate creature, so please take care of it!

An Introduction to Bomb-Proof Trailering

2008-05-05T08:54:00.000-07:00

This past winter, I spent quite a bit of time thinking about the problem of managing a shell trailer safely, and conceived of a concept that I call bomb-proof trailering. Essentially, this is nothing more than the notion that the chance of having a serious accident is significantly minimized when well-understood, safety-oriented, "best practice" techniques are consistently applied to both trailer loading and on-the-road trailer management. While this might seem like overstating the obvious, it's usually the case that most individuals with any degree of involvement in transporting boats are knowledgeable in a number of different ways of accomplishing the same task. Some methods are more effective than others, and there are many people who carry around bags of various, useful tools, while other folks need to overcome a few bad habits. Still others possess no skills at all, but are determined to learn and should be provided an opportunity to learn it right the first time. What's most important is to get to the point where participants in trailering have a common understanding of what techniques promote the safest level of operation, and then consistently apply those techniques all the time.

Now that NHRC is back on the water again and the regatta season is fast approaching, it seems like this is a good time to get these ideas published to the membership. So I am going to post a series of articles in The Catch that collectively attempt to establish safety-oriented transporation techniques. This will enable everyone involved in racing to be on the same page when it comes to loading trailers and getting them safely to their destination. It will also provide a chance to participate in, and contribute to, the formulation of these practices. So please feel free to post comments to this thread or send me email if you disagree with something or wish to contribute additional knowledge. This initial article attempts to set the stage by describing what I consider to be the fundamental or essential principles of bomb-proof trailing, while subsequent posts will elaborate on the specifics of safe transport techniques and demonstrate many examples of their application. So here are the basic tenets...

The Essential Principles
Bomb-proof trailering is predicated on three fundamental principles. The first is the notion that your equipment should never fail. Never. Now, at first blush, this might seem impossible to guarantee. Unexpected, catastrophic failures occassionally do happen, even with brand new gear right out the box. But what I actually mean by this is simply that we must never set ourselves up for failure by using anything other than optimally safe equipment. For example, intentionally using a frayed tie-down strap (or perhaps one with a buckle that tends to stick in the open position) because it's the end of the day and you're tired and in a hurry to get out of town, amounts to deliberately setting yourself up for a failure. It doesn't mean you will have a failure, but rather that you're that much closer to the wrong end of the safety dial. The bottom line is that gear selection should never be the prima causa of an accident, because it's the easiest thing to control.

Assuming that equipment has been eliminated as a source of trouble, then only human error remains. The risk of human error can never to be eliminated, but it can certainly be mitigated and controlled. And the best way of doing this is by selecting techniques that have been proven to work over time, and then applying them deliberately and consistently in future endeavors. Within the relatively modern (and rather narrow) discipline of transporting rowing shells, much of what is known to work well is still very much buried in the experiences of a small number of people who have been doing this for a while. However, the need to disseminate this knowledge to a broader community is certainly recognized, and efforts are getting underway to do so. Examples of this include a number of rowing club and crew program safety manuals that have been in existence for some time, but are finally beginning to surface online. And as recently as just last year, U.S. Rowing recognized and promoted (for the first time that I am aware of) a formal safety course on shell trailering.

So, the second fundamental principle of bomb-proof trailering, then, is the identification of time-proven techniques that promote safe operation, and their deliberate application in all trailering activities going forward. This does not mean, of course, that we follow them to the point of rigidity (we need to flexibly adapt to unanticipated problems), but that we generally apply a collection of well-understood, proven techniques in a systematic, reasonable manner. This has the effect of making much of the safety aspect of shell trailering largely -- though not completely -- a big no brainer.

Finally, the third principle of bomb-proof trailering is that of socialization. What I mean by this is that everyone involved in a particular trailering effort must be on the same page regarding the standard repetoire of best practices, and the only way to achieve this is through some process of broad socialization. For example, there are many different ways of strapping a shell to a atrailer. But, for any particular trailer and its crew, there should be one and only one way of doing it (I once heard a coach refer to this as everyone "acquiring the same degree in strap-ology"). How you arrive at this state is by reaching consensus with all involved on the strapping technique to be used. This includes adequately describing candidate techniques to others, comparing their merits, selecting one, possibly modifying it based on useful inputs, and then finally getting buy-in that "this is how we're all going to secure boats, from this point on, because we now believe in the superior value of this technique...".

One interesting aspect of the notion of consistently-followed best practices, by the way, is the realization that safety, efficiency, and relative comfort, all ultimately go hand-in-hand. As a final example, consider a well-organized (uncluttered) trailer bed, in which all equipment (oars, riggers, slings, tool carriers, etc.) is carefully layed out in such a manner as to conservse space, and is then securely fastened down. What you then have is a situation which is inherently safe: Nothing is going to fly out and land on the road, nor is your equipment going to shift around in the bed as the trailer alternately speeds up and decelerates, which would otherwise add to your gear's wear and expose it to the possibility of significant damage, as well. Equipment is also easy to find, and easy to remove by those who need, when they need it, after the trailer has been parked at its destination.

So, there you have it...the three fundamental concepts of bomb-proof trailing. A gentle introduction to a topic that is not quite so gentle. In the next posting, I'll outline a candidate set of shell trailering best practices, and then begin presenting the details of how to achieve them. All blog entries in this thread will be labeled "Trailering" for look-up convenience. 'Til then...

- John Poole

Regatta Calendar for 2008

2008-04-13T08:50:00.000-07:00

Greetings all.

It's time to start planning the 2008 NHRC Racing Season. Below is a preliminary listing of (mostly local) masters regattas for 2008. As a first draft calendar, it will be revised quite a bit in the weeks ahead, as more regatta information for the upcoming season becomes available.

Regattas whose names are in bold font are those that (historically) are usually well-attended by the New Haven Rowing Club. However, there is no cast-in-stone commitment by the club as a whole to attend any particular event -- it all depends on level of interest and availability of transportation. So as the season progresses and foks get more organized, please communicate your interests to the Regattas Away Committee. Also, we will attempt to secure and announce transportation commitments as early as possible this season. If you require use of the trailer, please check with me to ensure that the trailer is actually going a specific race before entering your boat.

Best regards,
John Poole
Chair, Regattas Away Committee

NHRC Regattas Away Calendar, 2008

10 May 2008 (Saturday)
Mayor's Cup Providence, RI.
Host: Narragansett Boat Club.
Entry Deadline: May 5, 2008.
Web: http://rownbc.org/

18 May 2008 (Sunday)
Riverside Sprints, Charles River Powerhouse Stretch.
Host: Riverside Boat Club.
Entry Deadline: May 12, 2008.
Web: www.riversideboatclub.com/regattas.htm

7 June 2008 (Saturday)
Derby Sweeps and Sculls, Housatonic River, Shelton, CT.
Host: New Haven Rowing Club.
Web: http://www.newhavenrowingclub.org/

14 June 2008 (Saturday)
Schuylkill Navy Regatta Philadelphia, PA.
Host: Schuylkill Navy.
Entry Deadline: June 5, 2008.
Web: http://www.boathouserow.org/

22 June 2008 (Sunday)
Carnegie Lake Regatta, Princeton, NJ.
Host: Carnegie Lake Rowing Association.
Entry Deadline: June 14, 2008.

28 June 2008 (Satuday)
Seventh Inaugural Black Fly Regatta Waterford, Vermont.
Description: Sculling, mass start, 1x and 2x, all ages, genders, and abilities.
Host: Black Fly Scullers.
Entry Deadline: June 13, 2008.
Web: http://www.blackflyscullers.org/

4-6 July 2008 (Friday-Sunday)
Independence Day Regatta Philadelphia, PA.
Host: Schuylkill Navy.
Entry Deadline: June 26, 2008.
Web: http://www.boathouserow.org/

13 July 2008 (Sunday)
Cromwell Cup, Charles River Powerhouse Stretch.
Host: Riverside Boat Club.
Entry Deadline: July 9, 2008.
Web: www.riversideboatclub.com/regattas.htm

26 July 2008 (Saturday)
Sweeps and Sculls, Providence, RI.
Host: Narragansett Boat Club.
Entry Deadline: July 21, 2008.
Web: http://rownbc.org/

27 July 2008 (Sunday)
Howard M. Smith Diamond State Masters Regatta, Noxontown Pond, Middletown, Delaware.
Host: Wilmington Rowing Center.
Entry Deadline: July 14, 2008.
Web: http://www.hmsdsm.org/

2 August 2008 (Sunday)
Quaker City Masters Regatta Schuylkill River, Philadelphia.
Host: Fairmount RA.
Entry Deadline: TBD
Web: http://www.fairmountrowing.org/

5-10 August 2008
Royal Canadian Henley Regatta, Martindale Pond, St. Catharines.
Host: Can. Henley Rowing Corp & Rowing Canada.
Entry Deadline: July 24, 2008.
Web: http://www.henleyregatta.ca/

14-17 August 2008
USRowing Masters National Championship, Marine Stadium, Long Beach, CA.
Host: USRowing.
Entry Deadline: July 30, 2008.
Web: http://www.usrowing.org/

14 September 2008 (Sunday)
Mystic Coastweeks Regatta, Mystic, CT
Host: Mystic Weekend of Rowing
Entry Deadline: TBD

20 September 2008 (Saturday)
Paper City Regatta Jones Ferry River Access Center, Holyoke, MA.
Host: Holyoke Rows.
Entry Deadline: September 12, 2008.
Web: http://www.holyokerows.org/

21 September 2008 (Sunday)
GMS Challenge & Sprint, New Milford, CT.
Host: GMS Rowing Center.
Entry Deadline: September 16, 2008.
Web: http://www.regattacentral.com/

27 September 2008 (Saturday)
Head of the Hudson Hudson River, Albany, New York.
Host: Albany Rowing Center.
Entry Deadline: September 22, 2008.
Web: http://www.albanyrowingcenter.org/

28 September 2008 (Sunday)
Twenty-Seventh Annual Green Mountain Head, Putney Boat Landing, Putney, VT
Description: Stake race for scullers only.
Host: Putney Rowing Club.
Entry Deadline: September 1, 2008.
Web: http://www.rowgmh.com/

4 October 2008 (Saturday)
Head of the Mohawk Schenectady, NY.
Host: Aqueduct Rowing Club.
Entry Deadline: October 1, 2008.
Web: home.nycap.rr.com/rowaqueduct

5 October 2008 (Sunday)
Head of the Riverfront, Hartford CT.
Host: Riverfront Recapture.
Entry Deadline: TBD
Web: riverfront.org

11 October 2008 (Saturday)
Head of the Housatonic Housatonic River, Shelton, CT.
Host: New Haven Rowing Club.
Entry Deadline: September 28, 2008.
Web: http://www.newhavenrowingclub.org/

18-19 October 2008
Head of the Charles Regatta, Charles River, Cambridge MA
Web: http://www.hocr.org/

Hopkins Report | Comments

2008-03-19T16:59:00.000-07:00

Please post your thoughts about the Hopkins Report here. Click "Comment" below. Remember to include your name.

Please also come to the Special Meeting on March 26th at 7pm at the Boathouse to further discuss the Hopkins affiliation with NHRC. Be sure to mail in your ballots for the by-law changes and Hopkins program before the 26th.

Hopkins Junior Program Task Force

2008-03-05T19:13:00.000-08:00

The Board of Directors formed a task force to analyze the Hopkins Junior proposal. In brief, Hopkins School in New Haven would like to start a rowing program for their students under our auspices. Members of the group reviewing their proposal are: Lisa Brailey, Carroll Brooke, Wade Caszatt, Karyn Gallagher and Charles Michael. I am grateful to all of them for their willingness to work through these issues on a very aggressive time table. I am serving ex officio to provide support such as note taking, scheduling, food, etc.

Their goal is to compose a document that presents the facts about the Hopkins proposal, answers questions and identifies the pros and cons. This document will be posted to the Catch blog on 3/19 for your review and comment. It will also be presented at the Special Meeting on 3/26.

In the meantime, please share with them any questions you have about the Hopkins proposal that you would like addressed. Use the comment feature associated with this announcement by clicking "Comment" below. Questions they are addressing already include:

Access to the boathouse
Coaching requirements
Equipment to be used
Fees paid
Liability and insurance
Number of students participating and supervision
Practice schedule
Program duration
Program review
Safety
Use of the trailer

Special Meeting, 3/26, 7pm, Boathouse

2008-03-05T18:27:00.000-08:00

Please mark your calendars for a special meeting of NHRC on Wed, 26 March at 7pm. At this meeting we will:

Vote on proposed by-law changes, and
Discuss and vote on a Hopkins proposal.

See you all there.

Jon Winter's Blog

2008-02-15T04:16:00.000-08:00

Good News! Our friend Jon Winter, who is training for the National team, has established a blog so that we can keep up with his efforts. You can click on this link.

Hail and Farewell... and Thanks to all

2008-02-14T09:59:00.000-08:00

To all NHRC’s

Thanks to all who attended Monday night’s Annual Meeting. By rough count, there were 50 or more people there, which was very gratifying on the coldest night of the year.

I am pleased to announce that we now have a new Board:
The Officers are:
Audrey Novak, President
Wayne Huskes, Vice President
Dick Thackaberry, Treasurer
Jennifer Brackett, Secretary
Directors-at- Large:
Sandy Blanchard
Baxter Walsh
Claire Potter
Norm Thetford
Ian Duthie

I am sure that you will be hearing from President Novak soon, but allow me to say to all of you, Club members, committee members, committee Chairs and Board alike, what a privilege it has been to serve on this board these past four years. I am very happy to know that the club remains in good fiscal health, and that it is going forward with a fine new Board. Congratulations to all on the new Board, and thanks to all who ran for office. The willingness to serve has long been a hallmark of the New Haven Rowing Club and you all have demonstrated this, and for that I salute you, each and every one. If I were to attempt to list all of you who have given freely of your time in serving the club, it would be a very long list, but I cannot let this opportunity pass without a special note of thanks to “acting treasurer” Carroll Brooke who has always gone beyond the call to serve the club in so many ways.

As always, proud to be a NHRC, and dreaming of getting back on the water.

Eric Dannemann

Bob Wetmore for Vice President

2008-02-05T11:03:00.000-08:00

NHRC members:

You and I have all read the excellent statements from our candidates. We are fortunate to have so many members who have the vision and commitment to support our Club. While there may be diversity of opinion on how to proceed into the future, there is no doubt as to the dedication of these candidates.

I believe we all should have choices, and in this democratic process (our elections) it is no different. That is what stimulated me to run for VP.

For those who don't know me or have forgotten, I joined NHRC in 1985 when we were still rowing out of Yale. I had rowed first at Princeton and followed at Union Boat Club where I rowed in several small boat that competed at the Worlds. After a hiatus during which I married, fathered, attended med school and completed my orthopaedic residency, I started rowing again. I was fortunate to be in position (along with a core group of members) to make a substantial investment to allow NHRC to acquire land and build our present boathouse. I learned from Stu and our construction experts a tremendous amount about land, foundations, gluelams, shingles, hardwood floors, roofing, etc. Those of us who had an opportunity to be there (1992-94) learned from this volunteer project more about teamwork and commitment than one could have imagined. This is one of the foundations of my longterm commitment to the Club.

I struggle with the issues at hand (membership, competitive program, coaching, expansion, the junior program proposal, finances, building and grounds, regattas, etc.). It is difficult to find the proper balance of emphasis when there are limitations of members (all volunteer work), personal goals (each of us takes out of the Club what we need), money, and uncertain future.

Are we getting too "big"? Our two regattas are extremely successful, but drain our limited human resources. Should we continue to look at ways to cut back DSS and HOHR to more manageable sizes. I worry that these money-making enterprizes will weaken the Host. I believe we have the financial ability to stay afloat without depending as much on the Regattas. It is more important that we figure out how to keep our membership in a growth mode both to compensate for inevitable attrition and get back up to our cap.

Regarding the racing issues, I share the opinion of most of the other candidates that the life and spirit of the Club has been at its best when we were actively training together, scheduling and attending races, and actually performing well (races are won long before raceday...training, diet, skills require long term commitments) . How do we regain this? More masters? More juniors? More diverse rowing backgrounds (former oars, recreational oars, novices)? We risk diluting ourselves if we try to be everything to everyone. I do not think we can model ourselves after Boston's Community Rowing nor can we match the manpower of the rolodex crews (Occoquan / Kent Mitchell / Palm Beach) to compete in every event well.

Yes, there are more questions than answers, but that's the start of introspection. Question everything. Remember why we are here (TO ROW!!!!!). Meld our diverse opinions (that's why we have a Board and not a dictatorship) into a dynamic and productive program. I look forward to being a part of this process.

Bob Wetmore

Norm Thetford for Director

2008-02-05T11:00:00.000-08:00

My purpose in running for a Director position is to help guide the club as it grows over the next few years. Like any organization, we must adapt and change to meet new goals. Among them are growth in membership, improvement in competitive ability and improvement in facilities, including development of the downstream site and dock expansion. These are not easy tasks, and accomplishing them within the constraints of our resources, both human and financial, will be a challenge. My past experience in helping the club grow and in building the boathouse will be instrumental in getting us to the next level.

As members of a rowing club, competition is a given for most of us. Looking back over the last 30 years, our most successful periods were marked by consistency in both coaching and participation. While the particular mix of ages has longer-term implications, the availability of good coaching, such as we have now with Nicholas Lee, and regular participation and training, are the key to successful competition.

Growth in membership is generally beneficial for an organization, including ours. While some have advocated the recruitment of experienced rowers in the 20-40 age-group for the purpose of generating a competitive program, that may not be sufficient to maintain and nurture the unique spirit that is the NHRC. Our organization has too many facets to focus on only one element, however desirable. The members that have been most beneficial to the club are those who are interested, and participate willingly, in the entire operation, and row well, too!

On the subject of youth rowing in general, and the Hopkins’ proposal in particular, I am wholeheartedly in favor of exploring these options. Our facility is essentially unused from 8:30am until 5:30am the following morning. Having a small program, such as Hopkins proposes, with a dozen or so students and coaches, will provide a presence at the boathouse in the afternoons. It will also enable us to tap into additional manpower for our regattas, possibly share a coach, provide financial resources to further develop our property, and possibly attract new members.

The development of the downstream property is long overdue. We are fortunate that the Town of Oxford has not made us tear down the unoccupied cottage, which would significantly complicate any future development. As you all can see, we already have a bay-and-a-half of equipment stored outside, so a supplemental facility and additional docks and ramps would be put to use immediately. Stu Lathers, our esteemed architect, will provide additional detail at the annual meeting.

In conclusion, the NHRC has been an important part of my life for the last 33 years, and I have been instrumental in its growth from a single four rowing one day a week, using borrowed equipment, to a thriving 80+ member organization with its own boathouse and equipment. I would be honored to have you support me as a Director to help continue the growth of our organization.

Norman Thetford

Audrey Novak for President

2008-02-05T10:54:00.000-08:00

Dear NHRC:

Compared with many of the people running for a position on the Board of Directors, I am a relative new-comer to NHRC having joined in 2001. I was struck then, as I remain now, by the remarkable individual and collective feeling of commitment to our organization.

I accepted the nomination for President because I believe I can help NHRC move more effectively into the future. I bring to this role a shared feeling of commitment; considerable management experience in my professional life; a solid background on the Board as a Director and most recently as Vice-President; and regular involvement in the activities of the club. In addition to my Board positions some of my more significant contributions to the club include my current and past work as member of the Regatta Committee, with the women's sweep program as co-captain and fund raising for the purchase of Synergy. I row sweep and scull regularly and compete in both.

I have an ambitious agenda for the Board and the club. I divide that plan into three broad categories.

Improved opportunities for rowing, competition and membership
Effective management of club's business and finances through its committees
Strategic decisions

I share my fellow nominees' views that we need to develop a richer coaching program, a more competitive environment, more racing opportunities, and a younger membership. One of the primary ways that I want to achieve those goals is by expanding and empowering our committees. Each committee should have a well defined charge (a.k.a. a job description) , goals for the year that address the issues that are most important to NHRC members, and the budget to accomplish those goals. We also have two very important strategic decisions to make this year regarding a Jr. program (Hopkins or other) and whether to undertake development of the downstream property.

---------More specifically, here are some of my ideas:

Coaching Committee – Good coaching and a competitively successful club are closely related. Annual issues for the coaching committee to address include recruiting coaches, establishing the schedule and managing the budget. In this year's program I would like to see again an increase in the total number of coaching sessions; active involvement by the coach in establishing line-ups for practice, races and structuring the schedules; video sessions; and regular land-training workouts. I would also like the committee to consider offering coaching in additional time slots (e.g., 8-9am, 3-4pm) in order to provide more opportunities. Finally, I feel the Board and club should look seriously at the pros, cons, expense and overall feasibility of creating a permanent coaching position and establishing a tiered coaching program.

Membership Committee – I want to expand this committee's charge to include an active recruiting role with the goal of attracting younger, experienced rowers. I also want the Membership Committee to gauge the impact of the two initiatives we introduced to lower the cost of membership for younger masters. I am pleased that as a Board Director I played an important role in establishing the one-month introductory payment option. Similarly this year I was instrumental in developing the proposal for a Jr. Master membership and the modified initiation fee payment schedule.

Some recruiting ideas that we might try include: each Spring sending NHRC information to crews at colleges and universities who race at the HOH; holding both a Spring and late Summer open house; posting information at area health clubs; exploring event venues at which we might set up a tent to promote the club (with a shell and erg perhaps); increased media coverage.Boats and equipment – We all want good boats to row and race. This year we will continue to improve our shell inventory. The expectation based on recommendations made last year is that we will purchase a 4+ and/or a 4X. This decision should be made early in order to have the new equipment for the full rowing season. Also as part of an annual review of our equipment we should look at our entire inventory of boats and oars with an eye toward retiring older equipment that is no longer used.

Communication – The activities of the Board and its committees should be entirely open and transparent. Goals for the year, committee charges, proposals, minutes, financial reports and all other documents should be available from the Catch blog. Other documents that should be made available there include a member's handbook that summarizes the rules and policies of the club and contact information for key club members.

Building and Grounds – I am personally concerned about the space between the two ramps. This November I watched as one of our members almost slipped into it on an icy dock. I propose that we make eliminating this risk in some way a priority and would like to know if you agree.

Regattas – The Head of the Housatonic has grown so much that last year the net revenue from it represented approximately 30% of our total budget. Because of its success over the last few years we have been able to increase the coaching budget, introduce a coxswain budget, purchase new boats annually and put money in the bank. NHRC's financial stability and our future goals are closely tied to the continued success of the HOH. We need to treat this regatta as a strategic business opportunity by running the most professional, well staffed regatta on the East coast, proactively seeking sponsors, advertisers and media coverage.

Strategic Decisions

A junior program – We were approached by Hopkins about a year ago with a proposal and more recently by the Yale Community program to host a junior rowing program. Details about the proposals with an unbiased evaluation of the pros and cons should be presented in full to the membership for their review and decision. I propose that this process should happen quickly because I do not want the question of a junior program to dominate the Board's and club's agenda this year as it has this past year.

The Downstream property – This past year a Board committee has been looking at developing the downstream property. Their work will be presented to the membership as an important first step. As a club we need to express our collective opinion about this major endeavor. Is this the time to begin a second construction project?
---------
I look forward to hearing your reaction to this platform over the next week. I hope that I share your goals for New Haven Rowing Club, and that you will support my candidacy for President.
-audrey
audrey.novak@ gmail.com

Brian Calandro for Director

2008-02-05T10:53:00.000-08:00

Fellow NHRCs,
First, thank you to Jim Kearns for nominating me and to the other NHRC members that encouraged me to run for the board.

I have been a member of our club for the past 12 years. Those who know me well know that I feel deeply and passionately about the New Haven Rowing Club and rowing.
Many accepted formats that our club has enjoyed in past seasons, I brought to this club from my experiences elsewhere. Namely, the two coach system (for sculling and sweep), the organization of sweep and sculling through the position of captain, the payment of coxswains as a method of recruitment, and even the idea of reduced fees for younger oarsmen and oarswomen which will be discussed at this annual meeting, I introduced in committee in 2005, at the annual meeting of 2006, and at a board meeting shortly thereafter.

I have worked on the finishing of the boathouse construction, volunteered at 21 of the 24 regattas that we have hosted as a club and been a volunteer at numerous Yale races. I have represented NHRC as a rower at FISA Worlds, US Masters Nationals, the World Games, and countless regional events.

I have rowed at several different local clubs, Saugatuck Rowing Club, Norwalk River Rowing Association and Norwalk Leander Rowing Club, and Community Rowing and Union Boat Club in Boston, as well as in multiple composite crews.
I feel there are several issues that affect our club today and over the next years.
1) Junior rowing with the Hopkins School
As I have not been on the board or involved in the discussions, all the relevant facts are not available to me to come down unequivocally on one side or the other. However, this proposal will profoundly affect how our members interact and how we function as a masters rowing club. I feel strongly that the issue should be debated in an open and transparent manner over time. The claimed benefits of having Hopkins here should be presented in a detailed manner accompanied by evidence, direct or otherwise, to support the achievement of these alleged benefits. Our membership should be able to debate whether the evidence presented supports the claimed benefits, and make an informed decision as a collective. I am currently coaching the varsity boats at Fairfield Prep High School, and I am familiar with the pros and cons of a junior rowing program.

I feel I have a valuable perspective to add to board discussions on this topic.

2) Declining membership in the 30â€™s-40â€™s age demographic
I have long maintained that a healthy sports club covers a broad population, diverse in age, skill levels and competitive goals. I do not believe that a healthy club can have a dominant gender or age group, or single program. I believe there is something to be gained as a club to be broad based. In business, one sure way of getting team members to be productive is to make all members feel like they are valuable and respected and are contributing to the success of the organization. When that doesnâ€™t occur, members disengage. When members feel that their needs are not met by club programs or club leadership there is disengagement. Whether the disengagement manifests itself in the leaving of our club, or dropping out of organized programs or an exodus into singles, the disengagement is a symptom of a greater problem.
One way to address this issue is to have exit interviews by phone or in person by a board appointed club member or by the membership committee with those that leave our club or stay with NHRC but no longer participate. This would be productive in identifying where the club is falling short, and lead to constructive changes.
We have lost several members in the past three seasons that fall directly into an age group
which is underrepresented. The cost of our membership and associated initiation fees, or how the programs themselves are run, may be partly to blame. If we as a club want to maintain membership we need to change in a way that is supported by evidence not only opinion, and not be afraid to look hard at weaknesses not just our strengths.
I served three years as membership director at NHRC. At one time during my three year term, I had NHRC at 106 members proposed. At that time, I supported the recruitment of women rowers, because that group was underrepresented and our board had to discuss which group should receive preference when the cap was met. I have recruited 14 new members that came to NHRC. I have worked with GÃ¼nter Buenter when he was coaching Norwalk River RA in putting together a recruitment plan for NRRAâ€™s masters rowing program.

I feel I have relevant and valuable experience to add to board discussions on this topic.

3) Competitive Rowing
It is my belief that a club that has successful results on the water is a club that benefits as a whole from that success. I believe that the right atmosphere of training and striving for a common goal is more important than winning itself. Still, sports are one of those few areas where success is measured in a concrete way. Winning races or finishing close is defined as success and finishing poorly is not.
I believe that putting together a winning team on the water, is putting all the appropriate pieces together first, and the execution of those pieces along the way.
Coaching is one piece, training another. Collective energy and club support are essential. All interact with each other. Good coaches are energized by a competitive group that is goal oriented, and improves.
I have been involved in sports my entire life. I have captained every sport that I have participated in, including three seasons at the NHRC with the menâ€™s sweep program. I was a Division 1 decathlete in college and I spent two seasons as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Syracuse University while studying exercise physiology. Under head coach Mike Woicjek, who is now with the Patriots, I was taught the application of physiological principles and empirical evidence in writing training programs for different athletes. I served 4 years on the NHRC coaching committee.

I feel my education and history would be valuable to board discussions on this topic.

4) Strategic Planning
Hardly any one of our membership could define today what our club wants to look like in 5 years or 10. The discussion of a strategic plan has gone in a circular fashion here, according to personal, not club interests. Should we not have a road map for our membership to discuss in an open and transparent way? When we define what we want to look like in 5 or 10 years, it will be easier in the decision making process to measure whether an initiative helps or hurts us get to where we want to be. Will our club be a thriving masterâ€™s program of 100+ diverse rowing members, 20+ non rowing active members, and a junior program, or will we be a 40 member masters program with a thriving junior program. Or perhaps we will be a different combination. Regardless, shouldnâ€™t we have a plan that is known to all our membership as to where we are headed?
I run my own business, I have worked in athletic administration at the university level, I hold an MBA, as well as PHD credits in economics.

I feel a perspective that sets short term goals as a roadmap measured against a long term plan template will add to board discussions on this topic.

5) Stewardship and leadership
The original NHRC founders did us a great service by getting together and putting our facility on the Housatonic. The effort is deserving of respect and gratitude. But by this virtue alone, this group, of which many I count as friends, cannot claim ownership to all decision making. For this club to go forward there needs to be a sense of stewardship, that our leaders see their role as nurturing NHRC , not just for current members but for future generations.
In my view, this is the difference between ownership as a private personal club and that of a collective ownership. In collective ownership based in stewardship, our leaders seek out opposing viewpoints, to gain perspective, while protecting the viability of our rowing club for the longer term. I do not believe a board of directors of similar views and similar backgrounds promotes healthy debate and good decision making.
I may differ with current board members on some issues, but I do not differ in that I want to see NHRC a prosperous entity in the future.

I feel my contributions on the board will complement the input from other board members.

6) Summary
I believe that many of us are not happy with the current atmosphere at NHRC. When I joined here 12 years ago the atmosphere was very different. Even 4 years ago our club was very different. Our club is in desperate need of a change in course and an additional perspective on the board. I think I can bring my experience in a way that will benefit all of us. I am very open to discuss any current or past issues, one on one, with any interested member. My cell: 203-526-5226, my e-mail: CalAssoc44@aol. com. I invite any member to contact me, I would welcome any discussions. I hope that you will consider voting for my candidacy for the board of directors.

Brian Calandro

Anne Boucher for President

2008-02-05T04:01:00.000-08:00

I have been rowing since 1973 starting at Middletown High School, captaining the Yale Women’s Crew and participating on 6 National Teams competing at the World Championships and 2 Olympic Training Teams from 1977 – 1984. I joined NHRC in 1979 so this is my 29th year of membership. For 21 of those years I have served on the Board of directors in every position, including Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President and as President from 1995 – 1997. NHRC is part of my life, part of my blood and it means a lot to me. In addition to serving on the board, I have served on numerous committees and actively served the
club:

I was on the first safety committee that created the rules that we
currently use to protect our members and the club from hazards.

I ran registration for both Derby Sweeps and Sculls and the Head of
the Housatonic from their inceptions (1989 and 1995 respectively)
until I left for Germany in 2001.

I ran the first tag sale fund raiser the club had raising over
$1,000, I hosted countless TGIF celebrations, most notably the annual Henley
on the Housie night.

I have worked the Yale races as a representative of the NHRC since we
started running their regattas.

During the building of our boathouse I was pregnant and unable to do
the physical labor, so I donated my time spending hours each week
calling members to make sure there would be a sizeable work force for
that weekend and then made numerous lunches for those work crews.
I organized and orchestrated both the original Boathouse dedication
dinner in June 1994 as well as the 10th anniversary celebration in
2004.

I created, organized and ran the Last Day of the Docks Regatta as an
end-of-season intra-squad race from its inception back in the ‘80’s
when we still rowed out of Yale until I left for Germany in 2001.
I have organized women’s participation in many races over all the
years, including the spring racing season, Master’s National
Championships and all of the fall Head events bringing home countless
medals for the club.

It has been my pleasure to have rowed and/or raced with almost every member of this rowing club over all these years.

When I think of where the club has been over these last 30 years, I have witnessed a growth that mirrored the growth of rowing around the country. It was exciting to be a part of that. When you told others in the rowing community you were from NHRC, people recognized it. We had a strong master’s program, as well as a strong younger program of rowers from 20-30. However, this is no longer the case. NHRC has lost its reputation as a vibrant club that people want to join.

My vision is to bring the NHRC back to the prominence it once had as a rowing institution. NHRC should be recognized both on and off the water as the place to be if you want to row. We should be a role model for a successful club. When other clubs are facing issues, I would like them to want to call us to see how we successfully addressed a problem. In order to get to that point, we need to have a well thought out vision for the club and then a strategy for getting there.

We are in the fortunate position right now of being financially very sound after several years of surplus dollars from the budget. This allows us the time right now to put together a group to work on that vision and strategy plan. It will not take very long to accomplish this and I would target implementing short term pieces of the strategy by mid-year, medium term pieces of the strategy by year’s end, and long term parts of the strategy over the following year. The energy that will be created by a shared NHRC vision and then successful implementation of the pieces of the strategy to get to that vision will bring back that vibrancy that is missing from our club today.

There are many hot topics that are being discussed right now such as the debate over junior rowing, specifically the Hopkins proposal, the proposed renovations to the downstream property, the difficulty of finding qualified coaching, the lack of organized rowing programs, the lack of guidance in training programs. These topics are symptomatic of a deficit of vision and leadership.

I have always considered it an honor and a privilege to serve on the Board of Directors. I feel that the board needs strong leadership, and a multitude of ideas and approaches so that we can have vigorous and open dialogue and debate about both our vision of the future, as well as operational plans to get to that future. It is not about what’s best for an individual, it’s about what’s best for the club and its future. When I was President from 1995-1997 NHRC was on the rise. We had just succeeded in building a beautiful boathouse, we were building up rowing programs, we competed actively and successfully in major regattas, we had active participation on all rowing levels, and many well attended social events. As president, I want to put programs in place that will return us to that atmosphere of excitement and growth. It is only from that point that we can successfully grow to the next level.

The decision to run for President was a difficult one. When I compare the direction our club was moving in 10 years ago to the direction we are moving now, I feel strongly that we are in need of a major change. I have the experience, history and motivation to make that change happen in a positive way. I would like to use my term as President to unify our different groups and unify our energies to position us for a positive and successful future.

Claire Potter for Board of Directors

2008-02-01T11:31:00.000-08:00

First of all, I want to thank the members of the nominating committee for having such faith in a relatively new member of the club that they have nominated me to the Board. If I were to characterize what I bring to the Board, I don't think I would speak about positions on particular issues, although I am not averse to developing positions -- I just prefer to do so in conversation with others. For example, I am predisposed to working something out with the Hopkins school, but doing it in a way that works for both sides and that is primarily oriented towards acquiring the resources and personnel that will make NHRC an even more competitive masters rowing club. But I would also like to put that statement in the context of what I do for a living and how I do it to demonstrate how I hope such an issue would be resolved. As someone who has twice chaired an academic department at Wesleyan, and also a major university committee, I believe that organizational decisions are usually best reached through conversation, consensus building, compromise and transparency. It is sometimes less difficult than it seems to achieve this, and having the most support possible for any given course of action is going to be crucial to our success as a club over time, and be crucial to supporting the racing success of individuals (or team boats) in the club. I also think that an organization can serve different constituencies well: in our case, a racing constituency and a recreational constituency -- with perhaps the addition of a third, young people who are not permanent club members, from the Hopkins School or elsewhere.

Wayne Huskes for Vice President

2008-01-31T11:27:00.000-08:00

Dear NHRC Members,

I was asked to run for VP by the nomination committee. I accepted the nomination because I felt I had the history and experience that is needed for this office. Because I row several times a week I am in contact with many of you on a regular basis. I believe that anyone who serves as an officer must interact with the members in order to understand the needs and the desires of our club.

I have been a member since 1992, worked on the building of the boathouse, served as treasurer for a number of years along with serving as a director for a few years, participated on various committees of the club, and have done my share of cleaning the locker rooms.

Recently I have been asked what I feel are the Club's weaknesses that I feel needed to be addressed during by term as V.P. My answer to this is the need for more competitive rowing, the infusion of more young master rowers and finally the unity of the membership.

As for the Hopkins proposal, please note that it's not my decision but yours as a member of the Club. The new board in the very near future plans on a Club special meeting to discuss the pros and cons and have the membership approve or disapprove the idea. If endorsed by the majority, I will accept the idea and do my best as an officer to make the program a success.

We have many different groups within our club, but we all have one common goal. We all love to ROW. My interest is to continue to make rowing our number one priority. I will never put my personal interests before the interest of the Club. I have no personal agenda and will openly and honestly work for the betterment of our club.

Sincerely yours,

Wayne Huskes

Ian Duthie for Director

2008-01-31T11:18:00.000-08:00

Dear NHRC Members,
If elected I want to try and make NHRC more competitive on the water winning more races in as many divisions as possible both men and women… and mixed crews. To achieve this I believe we need an independent body for crew selection headed by the coach (or Chairman of Selectors ). Secondly, I would hope we can get Hopkins School on board for this season on a trial basis… and the longer term if it works out for both parties. A joint coach would be a good approach. We also need more side by side crew workouts on the water under the supervision of a coach as this will give us a competitive edge. I will work as a member of the committee to try and achieve these ends and actively support other initiatives for the overall benefit of the majority or club members.
Ian Duthie

Reminder: Board Meeting on Wednesday

2007-09-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

The next meeting of the NHRC Board of Directors is on Wednesday at 7:00. Check out the agenda here.

Draining the Housatonic: 9/28-9/30

2007-09-25T08:42:00.000-07:00

McCallum enterprises, operator of the Derby Dam, has announced dates for their annual dam maintenance program during which they lower the Lake Housatonic water level. Prime date is midnight, Friday 9/28 through midnight, Sunday 9/30. If because of unforeseen circumstances those dates do not work, then the alternate is Friday, 10/12 through Sunday, 10/14.

Our Chief Weapon is Surprise: the Safety Committee Strikes

2007-09-14T06:20:00.001-07:00

There has been some genteel correspondence, as well as polite conversation on the dock, about the whole "senior sculler" thing. This has resulted in a list of club members being posted by Paul and Roy (the Safety Committee Boys) on the bay door near the sweep oars. Check the list and see your status: while you are at it, make sure you are even on the list. Everything else will be dealt with at the Board Meeting on September 26th (see below). Promise.

But just so you know how lucky we are to have each other, I thought I would post an old video of our last safety committee, who were ousted in a bloodless coup one morning by Paul, Roy and their heroic allies who pelted marshmallows at them until they got on a Derby school bus, never to be seen again. A Happier Regime was then ushered in. Click on the bottom left:

NHRC - Agenda for September 26th Board of Directors meeting

2007-09-14T05:43:00.000-07:00

Call to order. 7:00 PM, Boathouse

Approval of August 29th Meeting Minutes

Treasurer's Report

Old business, continuing discussions:

New boats – purchase of two new doubles now complete.
Sale of one of our older eights.
Review of rules regarding use of boats by members.
Clean-up duties, and possible penalties or other solutions. – Baxter
Presentation of conflict of interest policy, and protocols – Audrey
Presentation of policy w/r Board functions and spending limits – Dick

Committee reports:

1. Report on HOH preparations – last-minute issues
2. Safety – Paul Roy
3. Racing schedule – John Poole
4. Coaching and Coxing – Mitz Carr, Audrey
5. Buildings and grounds – Stu Lathers
6. Membership – Barbara Fabiani
7. Communications – Claire Potter, John Poole
8. Social, Sunshine, Haberdashery – Helma Chartier, Nancy Brackett, Lucy LaFreniere

New Business

Adjournment

A Limerick, in Honor of the Head Racing Season

2007-09-11T05:42:00.000-07:00

Your editor was shanghaied on the dock this morning: having meant to row her single, she ended up instead as the three seat in a quad, and it was a hellaciously invigorating row. Seriously Baxter: I did have a good time. But who knew we were supposed to win the warmup? And who knew we were doing a head piece against the men's eight? On the other hand, I didn't tell them that one of the features of middle age lately seems to be that when I race really hard I sometimes yerp. So we were even.

Anyway, a moment of unexpected fun like this often puts me in mind of one of my all-time great rows, with one of the all-time great crews: the Head of the Charles in 2004, as a member of the famous Linda Gillam Four. Ann Patry and Barbara "Fabs" Fabiani filled out the boat that was thrown together more or less at the last minute, and then went out and rowed a time that qualified an entry for the club in 2005. Part of why we did so well, other than amazing team spirit, was a teenaged coxswain from Choate that Linda recruited. Which has caused me to pen my own entry for the poetry slam. I changed the name to protect the innocent and also because I needed it for the rhyme. But it does capture the spirit of the race, as the young fellow guided his boat of Mrs. Robinsons down the course, ordering other crews out of the way, and zippering oars under bridges.

There was a wee coxswain named Jonas
Whose race winning ways were a bonus.
We knew he would win
Not because he was thin
But because of his massive cojones.

Weeds

2007-09-10T18:27:00.001-07:00

by John Poole (with profuse apologies to Wordsworth)

I row'd lonely as a crab
that scurries in the muddy seas,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of green Housatonic weeds;
Beside the docks, beneath the trees,
Floating, mocking me, in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
portending doom on my watery way,
They stretch, and say "your butt is mine"
Along the margin of the bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Grabbing my blades as they sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A rower could not complete his piece,
In such a hostile company.
I pulled -- and pulled -- but little thought
What unpleasantness these weeds to me had brought:

For oft, when on my side I lie
In coldest water and foulest mood,
They flash upon my inward eye
That confounded angst of splashing solitude,
And then my heart with dread exceeds
As I go swimming in those blasted weeds!

Cleanliness Is Next To Godliness

2007-09-09T06:44:00.000-07:00

OK, here's the deal with cleaning, my friends. It is happening in a quite haphazard way, if at all. Your editor has to go into the showers with a small firearm and a net to avoid being attacked by hairballs. And if the women's locker room is bad, God Only Knows what is going on across the hall.

It obviously makes no difference to post the lists on this blog for weeks ahead of time, and anyway it is time consuming and annoying for your editor, as the blog template has to be tweaked each time. Publishing funny pictures did not inspire people to clean. Furthermore, there were many people who misidentified the Sexy Maid as an actual member of our club ("port or starboard, honey?") It was, in fact, a stock picture I stole off the web, but your editor was repeatedly reprimanded on the dock for publishing photos of scantily clad acquaintences. And cleaning attendance did not pick up at all.

Personally, I would like to fine everyone who does not clean and use the money to take the people who do clean out to dinner, but I am told that can't happen.

So this is how it will work: you will get the cleaning list from Baxter, as you do already, on the Yahoo list serve. Pay ettention to it. Then, every week I am going to post the list of people who are supposed to clean the following Saturday. I am pleased to see that this week's group is drawn from the "S" section of our membership, a notoriously responsible lot. They are:

Susan Schofield D
Betsy Seabury C
A. Craig Shealy A
Donna Stannis B
Susan Steiner E

If you can't clean, trade with someone else, OK?

Want to Make A Difference?

2007-09-09T06:41:00.000-07:00

Come to the next club Board Meeting on September 26. You shoudl definitely come if you are on the Board, but meetings are open to the membership as well.

Why I Hate Rowing

2007-09-09T06:33:00.000-07:00

by Victor Altshul

[Background supplied by Altshul: "A few years ago one S. S. Gurney, poet laureate of all things athletic and aquatic, published a poetic encomium to the glories of rowing. Alarmed by his dangerously one-sided and progandistic argument, and wishing to achieve a reasonable degree of fairness and balance, I submitted a dissenting opinion, also in poetic form. It never appeared. The then-editor of the Catch declined to publish it, presumably because he deemed it subversive. For fear of legal reprisal I shall not mention his name.

Since then, however, the editorship has passed on to someone far more tolerant of controversy, more sympathetic to First Amendment Rights. Inspired by the new climate of greater freedom, I hereby submit a revised version of my earlier offering, in flawless anapaestic tetrameter."]

If rowers are smart and discerning, how come
They often say things that are silly and dumb?
When touting their sport they will wax hyperbolic
And jump up and down and gesticulate, frolic;
You'd think they were talking about sexual pleasure,
The way they go on about rowing full pressure.
The bragging they do about five minute pieces
Begins to sound something like, well, taurine feces.
One readily tires of the fatuous crowing
One endlessly hears in connection with rowing,
And expostulations unending, mind-dulling
Will never let up when the subject is sculling.

Of all the fanatics, the worst is Steve Gurney;
Although he's my friend, I fear he'll never learn; he
Is bound and determined to spread the false word
That rowing is fun- how mendacious, absurd!
He once wrote a poem that appeared in the Catch
That for sheer silly drivel there wasn't a match
Breathlessly claiming that rowing feels good!
He simply was not being straight as he should.
Now I can tell you, my friends, you've been had-
The truth of the matter is: rowing feels BAD!

So come now, my soulmates, be honest, be true;
Do not let Steve put something over on you.
Admit that whenever you're on a power ten
You vow that you'll never go rowing again.
And (double your pleasure!) on a power twenty
You want us to think that you're not hurting plenty?
And when the cox says that the last strokes are sprintable,
You're hard-pressed to suppress words foul and unprintable.
Your chest is exploding, your lungs are on fire,
You'll die of asphyxia at that damn wire.
Your form goes to hell, your blades slap on the water,
You've long since stopped rowing as coach said you oughter:

This is your notion of how to have fun,
When all you can think is, when will this be done?
You think you are having a jolly good time?
Such arrant abuse of your body's a crime!

Now do you see why I often get mad
When you will not acknowledge that rowing feels bad?
Oy vay! Do you think that I'm one of a kind?
If so, I think I shall go out of my mind!
Tell me you think I am making some sense-
I've always considered you very close frense.

That's it, folks- the end of my petulant rant-
Love rowing? Dig sculling? Sorry, I can't.

The Head Season is Here

2007-09-09T06:17:00.000-07:00

The fall season has arrived, and a number of boats have been set for the Head of the Charles, 10/20-10/21: Steve Burt and Ned Williams are in as a double, as are Claire Potter and Dianne Kelly. There are several accepted singles entries as well, which could not be llisted at the time of publication, as that part of the site is currently down; click on the HOCR link on this page and see if it's back up! You'll definitely find Mitz Carr there. Meanwhile the sweep rowers are working to set boats for the Big Day; recently, the women were seen doing an erg test in preparation for picking boats.

Let this be an opportunity to say, however, that the participation of many members in head racing does not need to be driven by this prestige race, and should not be. There are many other great races, many of them local, that we should all be thinking about, whether we are Cambridge-bound at the end of October or not. Those races can be found on the Row2K calendar and include: Coastweeks Regatta, 9/16; the GMS Challenge, 9/23; Head of the Riverfront, 9/30; our very own Housie, 9/6 and the dreaded Head of the Connecticut on 9/7; and the Head of the Schuykill, 10/27.

One of this year's developments has been more members training seriously in the single: don't forget that doing a race onthe single is one of the requirements for qualifying as a senior sculler. Consider it this year!

What Single Scull Should I Buy?

2007-08-30T08:26:00.000-07:00

by Steve Gurney

Most scullers find that rowing in club or borrowed boats is about as satisfying as playing tennis with someone else’s shoes and racquet or skating with someone else’s skates. You’re not sure what you’ve got, they fit poorly and performance and satisfaction leave much to be desired. Of course, you can blame someone else for your underperformance but that seems small satisfaction on a daily basis.

A single scull, other than a purely recreational boat, is best viewed as a very personal piece of equipment. It should be matched to your size and weight and experience and be set up especially for you – i.e. it should “fit” you. And it should do that every time you row it, without rigging changes or damage made by someone else. And of course the right fit is important for competitive success. Much data shows that races are often won and lost by very small margins, often a second or two or less, and a boat suited to you may make the difference. Over time, the investment in one’s own single is a small part of one’s investment in the time and costs of rowing. Even if you are not a competitor, the right boat is more fun to row.

Boat design is, of course, a compromise between wetted surface, form drag and stability , which are the main influences on performance. Form drag is why displacement hulls like rowing shells, or “wakeless” launches, or Viking ships, are elongated – it is immutable physics that a longer waterline produces less resistance from wavemaking. Since length also adds wetted surface and friction with the water, there are limits. A narrow boat requires less energy to push aside water to force room for its passage and to ease its return astern. There are other components to hull shape, of course, which will be a separate discussion.

Builders advertise their boats as lightweight, midweight and heavyweight. If one doesn’t know what these terms mean or why boatbuilders use them to describe their boats, then they are unhelpful or even deceptive. Foremost, they are marketing terms, to sell boats. They do not designate the boat’s actual weight on the scale, but summarize their design for designated weight loads - fudged, of course, by the marketing department. A lightweight with an advertised design weight range of, say, 130 to 170 pounds, may attract a broad range of buyers. The broader the range, the fewer different models a boatbuilder needs to build and therefore his capital investment and specialization and costs and inventory are lower. Nearly all boatbuilders agree that love of boats and of those who row them, and not profit margins, motivate their business and making boats seldom leads to a comfortable retirement, and so they want to keep their costs down. And since there is much competition between them, quality is consistently good. But boats with too broad a designated weight range are unlikely to be competitive throughout this range, since 40 pounds added or taken from a single scull’s load makes a substantial difference in its waterline and underwater profile. These factors in turn affect its efficiency in the water, and its stability affects the amount of pressure you can consistently apply to make it go forward rather than merely keeping it upright. Usually, the heavier the rower for the boat’s range, the more stable it is likely to be, and hence the faster you can row it.

One very knowledgable user suggested recently to me that the primary reason for the success and popularity of a particular brand of shell is its stability, which permits highly conditioned rowers to be able to hammer harder while wasting less effort keeping it level. A different manufacturer is advertising their single sculls as redesigned wider to increase stability, implying this should make them faster but which, of course, raises the question as to whether increasing width, aside from purely recreational boats, is in fact the best way to increase stability. Narrow boats, when stable, are faster.

When you step into a boat, your weight, whatever it is, should sink the boat into the water to its designed waterline. As suggested above and contrary to popular belief, stability in an elite boat is little influenced by the width of the boat, but much influenced by the height of the center of gravity in relation to its center of flotation, and by the cross section of the hull, whatever its width. With rowing shells, unlike most kayaks and some canoes, the center of gravity is always higher than its flotation, and there are no spinning bicycle wheels for gyroscopic stability, so our boats are by definition unstable. But the amount of it is what matters. To lower the center of gravity, flotation is reduced through shorter hulls – often 25 feet as opposed to 27. The shortest known competitive hull, apparently calculated by tank testing, is 22 feet three inches, by a German manufacturer, but a hull that short defies the physics of waterline length which nearly all the rest of us comprehend. In any event, a small amount makes a lot of difference. If you want to demonstrate that, at least if you are a lightweight, step into a midweight or heavyweight boat, see what effect your weight has, and row it. Then row a boat designed for your weight.

A ”midweight” designation with a load range of, say, 160 to 190 pounds, is probably unlikely to perform well with most women scullers or a lightweight male sculler. It will sit too high in the water with too much hull and windage and stability will suffer. Anecdotally, it seems purchasers tend to err on the side of buying boats with heavier capacity than would suit them best, which compromises efficiency through the water, stability and, of course enjoyment. Most heavyweight men, other than the real heavyhitters, would probably row most efficiently in midweight boats, at least as boatbuilders presently build and designate them.

From my experience, you should buy a boat where your weight would be towards the upper end of its advertised load range. That, of course, cuts down on the choices for us genuine lightweights. It seems builders don’t build, or at least advertise, single sculls designed for rowers in the, say, 115 to 140 pound range but believe they can widen the marketing appeal of their boats and increase their sales by building to a heavier upper range.

Double sculls can be different. At least three boatmakers build lightweight doubles which are essentially “stretched” heavyweight singles, and these are proven top performing choices for genuine lightweight men and women double scullers.

Hull construction and materials fall into two camps: honeycomb and carbon skin. Honeycomb construction sandwiches a very light thick porous material between carbon outer surfaces bonded on each side of it. This provides local stiffness but is irrelevant to the boat’s overall stiffness which must be obtained through its design and structure. Carbon skin boats are just that, thin skinned with one or more layers of carbon fiber where needed. They tend to cost more because their construction is more hand-labor intensive. Gel coat weighs more than paint, and the color red seems to weigh more than other colors, so paint, except red paint, is the choice of many rowers for that 10th of a second advantage over 1000 meters.

The hulls of carbon skin boats can be squeezed in by hand pressure when carrying, yet that characteristic may protect them in collisions because the hull flexes at the point of impact before it breaks open or punctures. Of course, if you feel your time has come to collide with a heavy object like a dock or a half submerged 55 gallon steel drum, the best rule to follow is to drill it head on with your bow ball. You may end up spread out on the front deck, but the force of impact is distributed through the whole structure and you may escape with no visible damage except to your ego and maybe not even that if no one saw you. Glancing blows or running the boat’s bottom up on a rock or dock are likely to peel back skins or make punctures you don’t want, especially with non-forgiving rigid skin honeycomb boats. These also tend to absorb water into the honeycomb itself, which carbon skin cannot. Statistical evidence is slim because the industry does not make use of crash test dummies so boatbuilders are free to make any claims they want. None known, however, seems to make claims not based on fact and their own anecdotal experience .

Scary Ocean Racing with Peter Van Allen

2007-07-26T07:10:00.000-07:00

Did everyone see this article by Peter Van Allen in today's New York Times? The only problem is the headline writers at the Times misidentified Van Allen as a kayaker, when he quite clearly states he is a rower. Almost didn't read it for that reason!

Anyway, it's pretty cool. Don't try this without Norm right beside you in a launch, novices!

The Catch

Solstice Row Beyond The Indian

Club Update, May 6 2010

Sunshine Committee: Meda E. Thetford, June 3 1913-April 26 2010

Next Board of Directors Meeting: May 19, 6:30 P.M.

The Coaching Committee, 2010

Update To The Membership: The Communications Committee

Update To The Membership: The Hopkins Program

Committee Report, 2009

The Ramps Are Here!!

Fall Rowing Fun: A Few Tips For NHRCS, New And Old

NHRC Boat Damage Reimbursement Policy

NHRC at Masters Nationals

Rowing News

*New* Schedule for Sculling Coaching

2009 Coaching For Scullers Begins, 6/15

Staining The Boathouse

Your Boat Committee At Work: Two New Boats, and the Reduction of Over-Crowding in the Sculling Oar Rack

NHRC Policy For Car-Topping Club Boats

iPhone SpeedCoach

NHRC Committees, 2009

Sunday Scrimmage at Yale

Read To Succeed: SVA Tutoring Program

First Day of the Docks this Saturday (4/18)

NHRC Wins GOLD and SILVER in Long Beach Spring Regatta

Saturday "Row then Rig" Tomorrow

Director position statement - Mitz Carr

Director Position Statements - Anne Boucher

Director Position Statements - Marc Nemeth

NHRC Annual Meeting

Gilder Boathouse in Winter

Ghost Rowers in the Sky; or, A Winter's Tale

NHRC Goes Cross-Country! (Skiing, that is...)

Yet More Dogs!

John Poole's Dog

Gimme a Power Ten!

Lucy's New Home

Why I Hate Rowing

Let the Poetic Wars Begin!

The Ballad of Victor and Baxter

New Years Day Row CANCELLED -- Breakfast Still On

Mystic Coastweeks 2008

The Day Before Mystic (2008)

Four for a Quarter

NEW YEAR’S DAY ROW AND BREAKFAST, 2009!!

New Year's Day Row with NRRA, 2001

Events Sat November 1st

Mystic Coastweeks Regatta Update: Entry Deadline is Tonight (Monday, September 8th)

Weekend Racing: Springfield Riverfront Head Race

About Our Doubles and Pairs

Sculling Coaching Update

Boat Repair Update

Head of the Housatonic Update: NHRC Entries and Volunteer Assignments

Head of The Charles: Dues and Coaching Updates

Learn to Row Update

Regatta Update: Providence Sweeps and Sculls

Regatta Update: Cromwell Cup

Learn To Row Update

Safety, Work Day, & Sundries of an Entertaining or Curious Nature

Look At These Guys Go! And Other Regatta News

Lake Merritt Sprints: We Are Everywhere

Notes for the Week of July 1

Safety First

Dog Rescue update

From Our Friends in Norwalk: Eat, Drink, Row (Not Necessarily in That Order)

Competition Rules!

Dog Rescue Committee Report

Cleaning Crew, Week of 5/24

Logs, Logs, Logs

Charge for the Communications Committee for 2008 – 09

Nich Lee Has....

Shoes4Africa

Congratulations Amy and John!

Odds and Ends

An Introduction to Bomb-Proof Trailering

Regatta Calendar for 2008

Hopkins Report | Comments

Hopkins Junior Program Task Force

Special Meeting, 3/26, 7pm, Boathouse

Jon Winter's Blog

New Schedule for Sculling Coaching