Don’t worry. Only 38 percent of you will need therapy after reading this.

Gosh.  So funny.

Remember that time you were filling out your security clearance paperwork and you had to ask your mom for a copy of her passport and you found out that not only was she 10 years older than she had been telling everyone your entire life, but that her birth name was something only she and her sisters could pronounce?

Oh.

Well, welcome to our world, Potomac Barge Club founded in 1859!  Click here to read yet more about the Club’s gambling, fist-fighting elitist past.

Good thing they didn’t mention all of the oysters we shucked.

Stay virile, P”B”C.

 

 

Save the date! Dec. 13 – Public Info Mtg re Non-Motorized Boathouse Zone along G-town Waterfront

PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING FEASIBILITY STUDY TO IMPLEMENT A NON-MOTORIZED BOATHOUSE ZONE ALONG THE GEORGETOWN WATERFRONT CHESAPEAKE & OHIO CANAL NATIONAL HISTORIC PARK AND ROCK CREEK PARK

TIME/DATE:  6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, Tuesday, December  13,  2011
PLACE:  Washington Harbor, 3050 K Street, NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20007

The  National  Park  Service  (NPS) will  conduct a public information meeting on Tuesday, December  13,  2011, regarding a feasibility study to examine implementation of  a non-motorized boathouse zone along the District of Columbia’s side of the  Potomac  River  waterfront  in  Georgetown.   The  NPS  will study the structures  and  facilities  related to non-motorized boat usage, including rowing,  canoeing  and  kayaking, that can be accommodated within this zone (project  area),  as  well  as  other  uses,  such  as  cycling and passive recreation.

This  study will lay the groundwork for future decision-making regarding  (1)  scenarios  for development/improvement of NPS facilities or potential  land  exchanges  for  private development of boathouses, and (2) further  planning  and  National  Environmental  Policy Act (NEPA)/National Historic  Preservation  Act (NHPA) compliance as necessary to implement the non-motorized boathouse zone.

The  meeting  will  consist of an open house with a short presentation. NPS staff will be on hand to visit with you and answer questions.

For  further  information,  or  if you have special needs to be accommodated during  this  public  open  house,  please  contact Tammy Stidham, National Capital Region at (202) 619-7474.

Red turns pink in October at PBC!

October in National Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

Would you like to support a fine team race for a great cause?  Well, get out that wallet and read the message below from Kathy Hughes, PBC Team Captain, Pull for a Cure.

For more information about Pull for a Cure, please click here.

Throughout the year, PBC also provides a home base for WeCanRow DC, a volunteer-directed, not-for-profit, educational and support organization offering breast cancer survivors an introduction to the sport of sweep rowing, and continuing recreational and competitive rowing opportunities.

To read more about WeCanRow DC, please click here.

Good luck at the HOCR, Ladies! – PS

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Dear Friends:

We’re asking you to please sponsor our Women’s Quad as we race the Directors Challenge event at the Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR), on Sunday, October 23rd.

The HOCR partners with Pull for a Cure, an organization that benefits breast cancer research through the American Cancer Society and Making Strides Against Breast Cancer.  We’re racing to raise money for this important cause, but we need your help!

Choose from the following ways to pledge:

1. THE SURE SHOT:  Our average raw time completing the course is 20:37.  (Reminder, we are 62 years young, and one year, it was snowing when we finished the race!) We would like a base pledge of $20.37 from everyone, if you can do it!

2. THE FREE-FORM:   Pledge as much or as little as you would like. You decide the terms; for example, challenge us to beat our time from previous years!  [No, you cannot say that they owe you money after the race.]

To make your pledge, simply go to the Potomac Boat Club Team Pull for a Cure website, Kathy Hughes, Team Captain, at http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?px=23120214&pg=personal&fr_id=34541.

Thank you, one and all!

Kathy Hughes, Nancy Petrisko, Camilla Durfee, and Gail Edie

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.

Supporters help PBC’s Rising Stars get closer to National Team reality

Morgan Constantine Wimberley with a poster of herself that appeared all over DC as part of NBC News' "We are Washington" campaign. (Photo by Mike Malone)

Contributed by Maria Bokulich, member, Open Sculling Program

The cherry blossoms have bloomed, the river is rowable and the first annual Rising Stars Banquet, a fundraiser for the PBC Open Sculling Program, has come and gone with great success.

The evening began with the Board room packed full of generous supporters bidding on a variety of silent auction items from a fly fishing trip in Montana to an original painting of the Key Bridge viewed through a PBC boat bay by former Open Sculler Bill Greer.

With the guys in jackets and ties and the gals in dresses and heels, the  auction was followed by a delicious dinner prepared by PBC senior member Chef Bernard Henry.  We named Chef Bernard an honorary member of the Open Sculling Team for his very generous contribution to the event!  During dessert, each athlete spoke briefly about the passion we all share to be the best in this sport and the dream we live each day to make the U.S. National Team.  All of your contributions help us get closer to turning this dream into a reality.

Thank you to all who volunteered their time and energy to make this event possible.  With the support of PBC and the Washington, DC rowing community, the Open Scullers were able to raise $11,000 from the event.  These funds will go directly to our athletes for help with travel expenses to races, training trips and equipment needs.

In fact, we just returned from our first race of the season, the 2011 National Selection Regatta 1 (NSR 1), which took place from April 21– 23, in Princeton, New Jersey.   Each of the Open Scullers competed in a single through a time trial, heats and a final, all to earn the right to compete at the 2011 World Championships in Bled, Slovenia.

Next, we’ll let you know how the NSR 1 went!

Once again, thanks to everyone for making our first Rising Stars Banquet such a big success!

It’s T-shirt Time! Gear up now for The Star’s Fundraiser Trifecta.

THE ORDER WAS PLACED ON SUNDAY, MARCH 20, 2011.

* * *

Yes, that’s right, PBC.  This is the one gear sale a year that strives to make you look good and do good at the same time.  Remember, in fashion, one day you’re in, and the next day, you’re out. We’ve got the “in” tees you want and three charities we’d like to help. Got it? Great!

So, check out the four beyond-cool PBC tees (and a hat) here, click, and buy.  It’s that easy.  Soon, you’ll have a t-shirt on the way with proceeds from the sale going to the following deserving groups:

1. The Open Scullers through the Potomac River Sports Foundation. Why?  Because we live vicariously through our Olympic hopefuls.  (Oh, don’t forget to mark your calendars and RSVP for their Rising Stars Dinner on March 26th!)

2. Washington-Lee High School Crew Boosters. Why?  Because we love our W-L kids, even if it seems like we’re tough on them (and um, on their boats) sometimes.

3. The Petit Family Foundation. Why?  Because we’re inspired by the short life of Hayley Petit. The daughter of Jennifer Hawke-Petit and William A. Petit, Jr., M.D., Hayley was a June 2007 graduate of Miss Porter’s School and headed to Dartmouth College, her father’s Alma Mater and where she planned to row.  As many of us learned last year when the trial made national news, the lives of Hayley, her mother and her younger sister were brutally taken during a home invasion on July 23, 2007.

Hayley was well known, admired, and loved for the integrity she brought to everything she did, and for the student, athlete, leader, and friend she was.  At school, Hayley was an  Honor Roll student, a member of Cum Laude, a journalism prize-winner, and winner of the school’s award for “exceptional community service.”  She was also a three-season varsity athlete in cross country, basketball, and crew.  Hayley was made captain of her crew and basketball team by her teammates, and elected to a senior leadership position as head of the school’s athletic association. And Hayley’s leadership extended beyond school to the larger community; she raised over $50,000 to support research for Multiple Sclerosis, the disease that afflicted her mother.

Despite her many gifts, Hayley called no attention to herself, and instead led by example and encouraged those around her to do the same. She was honored and respected by her teachers and her coaches, to whom she gave her best; and by her class and schoolmates, both older and younger, who saw Hayley as someone they always wanted to be around, as well as someone they wanted to be like. The impact Hayley made in the short time she had on this earth was truly exceptional.

Hayley was a powerhouse who gave so much energy to everything she did that her teammates used to call the final sprint at the end of their race “giving it the Hayley 10.”  And as it turned out, Hayley indeed fought the good fight up until the end of her life.  On July 23, 2007, with the house already ablaze, and despite enduring hours of torture to herself, her mother and sister, Hayley managed to loosen the ties that bound her to her bed and crawl into the hallway of their home.  Investigators say she most likely was headed to save her 11 year old sister, Michaela.  Hayley and Michaela succumbed to smoke inhalation before rescuers could get to them.

We didn’t know Hayley, but in many ways, we feel like we did.  We easily could have imagined her walking through the doors of PBC after graduating from Dartmouth, wanting to row while doing post-grad work or whatever else brings high achievers like Hayley to DC.  And when we look at our own children, especially our daughters – playing sports, working hard in school, and trying to become good citizens of this world – we think of her often and of the amazing young woman she was at only 17, and of the incredible woman we are certain she would have been.

The Petit Family Foundatiaon honors the memories of JENNIFER HAWKE-PETIT, HAYLEY ELIZABETH PETIT and MICHAELA ROSE PETIT by continuing the kindness, idealism and activism that defined their lives. The Foundation’s funds are given to foster the education of young people, especially women, in the sciences; to improve the lives of those affected by chronic illnesses; and to support efforts to protect and help those affected by violence.

Stay at Hilton, get 15 percent off AND support USRowing!

PBC USRowing members, you can receive 15 percent off when you, your team or family chooses to stay at a hotel within the Hilton Worldwide portfolio of brands.

Better yet, a portion of your booking will support USRowing and Team USA athletes! Whether it’s for competition or a family vacation – Hilton Worldwide offers athletes and their families a competitive advantage.

Book now at the Hilton USRowing site. You can even donate Hilton HHonors points to support Team USA!

Athletes, coaches, friends and family can save on their next stay at any of the 3,600 hotels within the Hilton Worldwide portfolio of
brands. Enjoy the flexibility of staying at any Waldorf Astoria,® Conrad,® Hilton,® Embassy Suites Hotels,® Hilton Garden Inn,® Hampton,® Homewood Suites by Hilton,® Home2 Suites by Hilton® and Hilton Grand Vacations.®

Happy Holidays from PBC’s Open Scullers! (Updated with pics!)

[Update: 12/30/10] Lucky us! Social Committee Co-Chair Camilla Durfee took a quick break from her busy holiday social schedule to send us the following photos taken by Louise Krumm at the 2010 PBC Holiday Party, on December 12. Just click play (forward arrow) to check them out. If you haven’t had a chance to read the original post from the Open Scullers, keep scrolling!

Thanks for sharing, Camilla and Louise! And Happy New Year, PBC!

Click here to view these pictures larger

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[Original post: 12/19/10]

Katie Stainken (foreground) and Maria Bokulich of PBC's Open Sculling team race the Women's Championship single event at the HOCR 2010.

Our hard charging PBC Open Scullers are taking on a new challenge … keeping you, their extended PBC team, up to date on all of the great things they’re doing!

This first installment comes from Open Sculler Katie Stainken. You’ll learn more about Katie and the rest of the team as soon as they get their bios posted! Look for them on the Star in the next few weeks!

Here’s the latest from Katie:

It was awesome to see so many people attend the PBC Holiday Party this year! We really enjoyed decorating the ballroom, hosting the party, but most of all, chatting with fellow PBC’ers in a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere, as opposed to the usual quick conversations on the dock.  Thanks to you, and some beautiful notecards produced by Susan Trice, we were able to raise about $1200 for the Potomac River Sports Foundation (PRSF) to help us with our training efforts throughout the year.  Many generous PBC members also brought gifts for the Marine Corps Toys for Tots program.  All in all, it was a great night for us and we hope you enjoyed yourselves, too.

We want to say something chipper here, but all we can think of is, "Yuck."

On the training side of things, we certainly have braved some unseasonably cold temperatures in the DC area this month. The ice continues to creep across the river, so we’ve already traded in our sculls and team boats for ergs.  Looks like all of those long rows out to Haines Point and up to Fletcher’s that were on the schedule will have to wait for now.  We don’t mind having to erg at the moment, though; it gives us a chance to rock out to tunes on our iPods while we workout, which is a nice change.  Our apologies in advance to those who come down to the boathouse in the morning for our music tastes!

Coming soon, look for a new Open Sculler website to be announced in the Star – complete with athlete bios!  We’re also planning an event for February, so as soon as the date is confirmed, we will let everyone know when to mark your calendars!

In the meantime, if you’re still in the gift-giving mood this holiday day season, please remember that your donations to the PRSF go to help PBC’s National Team athletes, and as always, are tax deductible!  To donate via check or PayPal, click here to go to the PRSF donation post on the Star.

Finally, for those of you who missed out on ordering your set of PBC notecards, they’re still available!  The Star will post all the information you need to get your very own set soon.

Thanks, again, for your support, PBC, and Happy Holidays from the Open Scullers!

Fancy-schmancy PBC notecards support our Open Scullers. Get ‘em while they’re hot!

(They’ll be the only thing hot around the boathouse for awhile.)

Social Committee chair and part-time greeting card creator Susan Trice recently produced beautiful notecards with photos of Potomac Boat Club to sell in support of our Open Sculling Program, and aren’t you a lucky duck?! There are still a few packs left! 

Cards with envelopes are offered in packs of six with your choice of one of three cover images: Flat Water, Through the Bridge, or Four Oar Rule. They measure 4.25” x 5.5” or 5.5” x 4.25” (depending on orientation) and are blank inside.

The cards were a huge hit at the Holiday Party (raising almost $1200!), so we recommend you grab an armload before they run out! Best of all, when you do, you’ll support our Open Sculling Program with another tax deductible donation. (Find details on how to snag yours following the images below.)

Flat Water

Through the Bridge

Four Oar Rule

I would like to support the Open Sculling Program by ordering one or more of the following:

__________ packages of Flat Water @ $10.00 each __________

__________ packages of Through the Bridge @ $10.00 each __________

__________ packages of Four Oar Rule @ $10.00 each __________

_____ I can pick these up at PBC.

_____ I have included $1.00 per package for shipping and handling __________

Name ____________________________________________________

Address __________________________________________________

City, State, Zip _____________________________________________

I would like to make an additional tax-deductible donation to support the Open Sculling Program. __________

TOTAL ENCLOSED __________

Please make checks payable to the Potomac River Sports Foundation (PRSF).  PRSF is a 501 (c) (3) organization.  The purchase of a package of cards represents a $7.30 donation for tax purposes.

Place order form and check in the Social Committee Box at the club or mail to:

PBC Open Sculling Fundraising
3530 Water Street, NW
Washington, DC 20007

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