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

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

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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.

Order your PBC jacket now and get it before the Charles

The Potomac Boat Club (PBC) Boathouse Sports Team Store closes on Monday, October 4th!

[Wait.  Didn't it just open?]  That’s right!  The Team Store opened today, and it closes on Monday!

It’s a special “preview” store with just one item – a PBC Facet Gore-tex rowing jacket.  It’s like the jacket made for the National Team, but we think the red and the white star make it much more fashion forward.

And, hey, if you order now, you’ll get it delivered to your house before the Charles!

Yep.  Ignore the standard “shipped by” date on the page.  They’re going to rush produce this puppy for us.  Why?  Because Boathouse cares.  No, but really, because we want you to look good at the Charles.  Not cold.  Good.

So, click on the image below and order away, PBC!  And get ready for the full PBC Boathouse Sports Team Store, featuring a hot new star logo, opening next month!  (Much longer ship date, so don’t wait!)

JL Racing Team Store returns in May! Stay tuned!

RETURNS IN MAY!

The Potomac Boat Club JL Racing Team Store opened until midnight (PST), September 12, 2010.  The planned ship date for those order placed prior to September 12 is October 12, 2010.

• PBC JL Racing Team Store (now closed)
• Order your own JL uni right here.
  

If you have questions regarding your order, please contact Sylvia Frayne. (Her email address was sent today in a message to the Yahoo group.) Or visit the order FAQs on the team site!

Happy shopping, PBC!

RegattaSport

We know there are some die hard RegattaSport fans out there just like us!

RegattaSport makes maybe our favorite trou ever, the Premier HP, but they carry a lot of cool hardware, as well.  Check out these new tadpole lights that suction to the deck of your boat!  To shop for RegattaSport stock stuff, click here.

Want to do a custom PBC team order?  That’s easy, too.  Just write our PBC team contact Gregg Loucks at gregg@regattasport.com. He helped us put together the super-popular “starrey” PBC short sleeve you see around the club and on the race course.

Coming soon, we will have info on how we can leverage RegattaSport’s fancy new iTeam online ordering tool!  We’ll share the details with you as soon as we get them.

Stay tuned!

Boathouse Sports PBC Team Store – Coming soon!

For those of you who’ve been writing us about PBC rowing jackets, we’ve been working with Boathouse Sports (the official apparel supplier of the National Team) on jackets and other new updated PBC gear!

We plan to have the Boathouse PBC Team Store up mid to late September, and the gear into your hot little hands by the October – November timeframe.  Think “two for them, one for me” gift giving for the holidays!

Click here for a preview of how good you will look this fall, but in red.  Even better!

Equipment Links

Croker

Contact
If you have questions about ordering Croker sweep oars or sculls, please contact April Matiasek or Missy Marcus via email at sales@crokerusa.com.

If you need oar selection advice or have technical questions–rigging, maintenance, repairs–about Croker sweep oars or sculls, please contact Greg Doyle via email at greg@crokerusa.com or phone at (302) 897-6705.

Web site
http://www.crokerusa.com/home.php

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Durham Boat Company, Inc.

It’s where you’ll also find Dreher sweep oars and sculls.

Contact
Coleen Fuerst via email at cfuerst@durhamboat.com.

Web site
http://www.durhamboat.com/

http://www.dreheroars.com/

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Empacher

Contact
Brad by using the form located here.

Web site
http://www.empacher.com/

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Filippi Racing Shells

Contact
Alex Selvig via email at info@eliterowing.com.

Web site
http://www.eliterowing.com/
http://www.filippiboats.it/

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Carl Douglas Racing Shells

Contact

Web site
http://www.carldouglas.co.uk/aerowing.html

Potomac Gear Galore! Order by July 5th to save.

The Potomac Boat Club JL Racing Team Store is open!

Order by Monday, July 5, 2010, at midnight (PST) to save on your PBC JL Racing gear and get it by the planned ship date of August 3, 2010.  Get PBC hats and Henley-style tees from JL, too!

Check your email for a link to the store and instructions from Club Rowing Committee Chair Sylvia Frayne sent through the Yahoo group today or ask your team captains for more information.

[We'd give you the store link and Sylvia's contact info here, but it's bad enough we like to put on our PBC unis and send her random email messages. She probably doesn't need a thousand Internet trolling strangers doing it, too.]

Oh!  For those of you who wrote us about PBC rowing jackets, we’ve been working with Boathouse Sports (the official apparel supplier of the National Team) on jackets and other gear for the fall.  We plan to have the Boathouse PBC Team ordering site up by August, and the gear into your hot little hands by September.

You didn’t really need a Gortex jacket in August anyway, did you? Click here for a preview of how good you will look in September, but in red.  Even better!