Protected: 2011 August Board Meeting Minutes

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

Viva la Shumway!

PBC race fans, standby for an exciting fall!

This week, five Olympians have earned the opportunity to represent the United States in rowing at the Pan American Games, October 15-19 in Guzman City, Mexico.  Among them is our very own Margot Shumway, who won her trial in the women’s single sculls event with a time of 7:41.09.  Reilly Dampeer will accompany Margot as U.S. National Team coach, W1x.

Congratulations to Margot and Coach Reilly!  And thanks to our entire Open Sculling Team for representing PBC so well this week.  We’re so proud of all of you!

To read the complete story on USRowing.org, click on 2011 Pan American Games Trials Complete.

To check out all of the great race performances by our Open Scullers at Pan Am Trials, click here and then go to “Complete Results.”

 

 

Gold never gets old for PBC at MatNats

---

Not a crab during warm ups, not a broken clam before the start of a race, not a whipping wind or searing heat … nothing. Nothing Oklahoma threw at our guys would keep them from bringing back a boatload of medals and trophies from Master National Rowing Championships held last weekend in Oklahoma City.

Out of 18 events contested by PBC’s Men’s Sweep Team, it medaled in all but one, earning 14 Gold, one Silver, two Bronze, a hard fought fourth, and earning the overall Men’s Points Trophy. PBC president Bob Price pulled a “Camilla Durfee,” bringing home gold in all six events he raced.

As if that weren’t enough, the men set a couple of records to boot. They clocked the fastest time of the regatta with a 00:02:38 in the Men’s C8+. It was also the fastest time ever at a Masters Nationals, a record set previously set by our Men’s B8+ in 2005.

Speaking about the team’s incredible performance, Coach Marco Bovo said, “This success shows the depth we have on this team. Now, if we only had time to practice a little in the sculling boats, we’d be unstoppable!”

[Wait.  Read that, again, for us.  No "slow" or "fat" in that entire quote, right? Holy smokes, guys! You just got a compliment from Marco.  Another one for the trophy list!]

Other notable PBC performances include a gold in the W F1x (J. Gardner), silver in the M D1x (P. Pietra), gold in the M LWT D1x (J. Paduda), bronze in the M LWT G1x (B. Cox), and gold in the HWT G4x (Composite) … in all, our independent PBC racers added seven golds, one silver and a bronze to the medal count.

Congratulations on a great Masters Nationals, PBC!

And a special thanks to Nick Holland and Steve Vermillion for sending daily updates to the Star.  Much, much appreciated.

To see more photos from the medals stand, visit the USRowing Flickr set. For all the results, click here.

Register now! 2011 Scullers Head of the Potomac

• Click here to register!

Ms. Samantha Byrd, chair of Potomac Boat Club’s Regatta Committee, announces that registration is open for the 2011 Charlie Butt Annual Scullers Head of the Potomac (SHOP).

The SHOP, scheduled for Sunday, September 25, has been held every year for the last 31 years in honor of legendary rowing coach Charlie Butt.  Considered an important milestone on the fall racing calendar, the SHOP includes more than 40 sweep and sculling events.

This year, the Regatta Committee has reworked the race schedule to better accommodate large entry events and provide more time between events for multi-entry participants.  Please check the registration page linked above for important registration deadlines.  Race Headquarters will be at Thompsons Boat Center.

Questions regarding the SHOP should be emailed to the Regatta Committee at headofthepotomac@gmail.com.  Volunteers, it’s never too early to make your availability known!

The Regatta Committee wishes you the best of luck as you finish up the summer racing season.

See you in September at the SHOP!

PBC seizes the day and the Dead Poets Trophy at 2011 DSR

Horace would be proud.

PBC’s Masters Rowing Program (MRP) and Men’s Sweep Team took Carpe Diem seriously last weekend, seizing the day and the Dead Poets Trophy for the most team points earned at the Howard M. Smith Diamond State Masters Regatta (DSR), Noxon Pond, Delaware.  The teams head into the final turn of the summer racing season with a new club trophy and a few more ticks in the gold medal column.

To see all the results, including wins in both the men’s and women’s B eights, visit the official DSR results page (click here).  To celebrate with the Dead Poets Trophy winners, please join them at PBC’s monthly Happy Hour on the House, Friday, August 5th, 2011, at 630 PM!  Members and their guests are welcome.

Next stop?  USRowing Masters National Championships in Oklahoma, where the OKC Boathouse Foundation and Oklahoma City will play host, August 11-14, 2011, on the Oklahoma River.

Two words for that … “Hot” and “Dust.”  That’s Latin for GOOD LUCK, PBC!

Below is a preview of the OKC venue. (Fine, it doesn’t look that dusty.)

Collisions prompt new rules for PBC sweep teams

Following is an important safety message from PBC club president, Bob Price.

Two recent safety incidents, on-the-water collisions between PBC men’s sweep boats and smaller sculling boats, have kicked up a lot of questions and concerns regarding what we, as a club, can do to be safer and more aware out on the water. I’d like to provide an overview of the actions we’re taking.

First, effective immediately, we have instituted a no-hard-strokes rule and a no-side-by-side pieces rule above Hens and Chicks for all PBC sweep teams to ensure no large boats are at full speed in such a small area.  This will afford smaller boats more of an opportunity to see larger boats coming their way, and coxswains and coaches more of an opportunity to note on coming traffic.

Second, we are reaching out to the community – the DC Harbor Police, Thompsons Boat Center, and the Potomac River Safety Council (PRSC) – to reaffirm our commitment to the highest levels of safety and to demonstrate that we always take these incidents seriously.

Third, we plan to host a forum through the PRSC and invite the entire local rowing community to ensure we are all on the same page when it comes to safety rules and policies.  We hope to get this on the calendar in the early fall.  As soon as we have a date confirmed, we will let everyone know.

Finally, we ask that everyone stays vigilant out on the water.  Our sport has become more popular than ever with more and more boats sharing the same stretch of river every season.   With these additional chances for mishaps out there, we need all to keep heads up for potential trouble.

One thing has not changed:  Safety is everyone’s responsibility, but the safety of our members and others with whom we share the river remains the top priority of the Board and the Club.  Please do not hesitate to bring your safety questions or concerns to me, any Board member or committee chair.

For safety information from USRowing, please visit http://www.usrowing.org/Safety.aspx.

For safety information from the Potomac River Safety Committee, please visit http://www.potomacriversafetycommittee.org/index.php.

Thanks.

Bob Price, President, PBC

Taylor Frank sweats this month’s report from Open Scullerland

Big thanks to Taylor Frank for overcoming the heat long enough to file the July Open Sculling Team contribution to the Potomac Star!

To read more about Taylor, please check out his bio (click).

Click on USRowing Senior World Championship Trials – Finals complete (Mercer Lake, NJ) to see the results from the finals.  Great job, PBC!

* * *

Hello, Everyone.  I am Taylor Frank.

For those of you who may not know me, I am the one usually talking in the group of open scullers.  If I am not talking, it is because I am either smiling or making odd noises.

I am having a difficult time thinking of what to write about because it is so hot outside right now.  I can actually feel the sun radiating through the walls of my house.  Despite the fact that I keep my air conditioner set to 66 degrees, it feels like an inferno in here.

Anyway, I actually do know what I want to write about – the Open Sculling team and its ongoing rise to the top.

I don’t know how many of you have spent time around us, but I can honestly say that this is the best training group that I have ever been a part of.   We are competitive, aggressive, and obsessively determined to get faster.  At the same time, we are also an incredibly supportive and caring group of people.   We know how to work hard, but we also know how to have fun.

The dynamic of the team is one that unquestionably fosters an environment of success.  This was clear to me early on, when I joined two years ago.  While we may not have seen a tremendous amount of success then, I knew this group would be successful in the long run.

For some, I think that success has arrived and for the rest, it is just around the corner.  We have put in a tremendous amount of work over the past two years and it is starting to pay off.

This is an exciting time for us.  PBC’s Open Sculling Program is on the cusp of breaking through and emerging as THE premier elite sculling program in the county.  This year, we hope to send several athletes to the World Championships in Bled, Czech Republic, and the Pan-Am Games in Mexico.  I also have a feeling that there will be a strong PBC contingent representing the US next year in London.  My sights are set on the Pan-Am games this year, and then London 2012.

Stay tuned, try to stay cool and keep your ear to the grindstone.

[Ear?  Ow. Yet another example of how our Open Scullers take it to the next level! -PS]

Coaches Holly Metcalf and Mike Hughes to benefit WeCanRow DC

Internationally renown rowing coaches visit Washington area rowing community to benefit breast cancer survivor program wellness and rehab program

WASHINGTON – The DC chapter of WeCanRow (Women Enduring Breast Cancer Row), a not-for-profit wellness and rehabilitation program, announces a weekend of rowing and motivational presentations by Coaches Holly Metcalf and Mike Hughes from Friday, August 19 to Sunday August 21, 2011.  Potomac Boat Club is proud to host WeCanRow DC and support the team’s year around training and racing efforts.

Coach Metcalf, currently Head Coach for the M.I.T. Open Weight Women’s Crew Team, is an Olympic gold medalist and World Championship rower who has brought the sport of rowing to thousands of masters women and girls through her Row As One foundation, high school, collegiate and community rowing programs and rowing camps.  Coach Metcalf, founder of WeCanRow National, is also a highly sought-after motivational speaker.  Throughout her 30-year rowing career, she has received numerous awards and recognition, including 1999 US Rowing Woman of the Year and the 2003 Ryka First Women of Fitness Award.

Coach Hughes is currently the Head Varsity Women’s Coach for the Naval Academy in Annapolis, and also directs the popular summer rowing camps at the academy for youth and masters women rowers.  Coach Hughes runs the Navy Performance Enhancement clinics, aimed at helping elite athletes and professionals achieve greater success in their fields. He was a 1988 Olympics National Team coach.

The weekend events, to be held at a Chevy Chase community center and two local boat clubs, are intended to increase knowledge and awareness of the healing powers of rowing and raise funds for WeCanRow DC.  The funds will be used primarily for WeCanRow DC’s annual Learn to Row weekend, held annually in May, which introduces 16 breast cancer survivors each year to the sport of rowing.  WeCanRow’s mission is to encourage breast cancer survivors to reclaim their bodies through sport and interaction with other survivors.

Doris Parker, President and Co-Founder of WeCanRow DC, said “We are thrilled to be able to offer rowers, coaches, physicians and others in the DC community the opportunity to interact with esteemed coaches, Mike Hughes and Holly Metcalf in the same weekend.  As colleagues for many years, the two bring complementary approaches to the mental aspect of athletics that is personal, engaging, and effective.  They will encourage us all to draw power from our bodies, minds and spirits and apply it to virtually any realm of our lives.”

Weekend events

Friday, August 19, 5:30 p.m. at the Jane E. Lawton Community Center, Chevy Chase, MD

The kickoff of the weekend is a reception to be held in the Jane E. Lawton Community Center featuring a motivational presentation by Coach Mike Hughes entitled ”Mindful Training and Peak Sports Performance.” All interested parties are welcome.  Coach Hughes will provide the audience with tools to discover the power their minds have over performance success, be it athletic, personal or professional. A tax-deductible donation of $20.00 is requested.  Advance reservations can be made at www.wecanrodc.org using Pay Pal, or by emailing wecanrow@comcast.net. The Lawton Center is located at 4301 Willow Lane, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, and free parking is available.

Sunday, Aug 21, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., Capital Rowing Club at the Anacostia Community Boathouse

Coach Metcalf will coach a novice level rowing clinic for medical professionals and other cancer care givers, including spouses and partners of survivors. The purpose of the clinic is to offer these “healers” an opportunity to experience the benefits of rowing – the ultimate team sport – as an adjunct to medical breast cancer treatment. Families are welcome for a fun afternoon at the boathouse.  A reception with snacks and beverages and a question and answer period will take place after rowing.  16 rowing seats are available.  A $100 tax-deductible donation per seat is requested.  The Anacostia Community Boathouse is located at 1900 M Street, SE, Washington DC 20005.

The weekend will also include rowing clinics for members of WeCanRow DC at Potomac Boat Club and Capital Rowing Club coached by Holly Metcalf.

About WeCanRow

WeCanRow begins where surgery and physical therapy end by providing physical exercise, self-image enhancement, group support and a team-building approach for women transitioning from being patients to survivors. It is conducted under the guidance of highly knowledgeable and experienced coaches. A key aspect of the success of the program is recognizing the integration between the survivor’s mind, body and spirit and using this information to improve personal and athletic recovery and growth.  Since 2005, WeCanRow DC has introduced more than 80 local area breast cancer survivors to rowing. To learn more, please visit http://www.wecanrowdc.org.