Spring Tune Up

The unmistakable pink sleeves of Croker.

Boing! It’s Spring!

Spring. Time to get serious about getting serious about this thing called rowing. Or at least it’s time to look like you’re getting serious. So, start practicing your best race face for SportGraphics and in the meantime, also consider the rest …

If you’re on the member listserv, you know that if you act right now, you could have a new set of Crokers next week or even get your old sculls resleeved.  Croker rep Greg Doyle’s contact information is below, along with a link to the Croker web site, where you’ll find new sculls pricing information and specs:

Greg Doyle
Croker Oars – USA Sales & Service
212 Karins Blvd
Townsend, DE 19734
(302) 897-6705

Email: greg@crokerusa.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/crokerusa
Web: www.crokerusa.com

Busted up boat?  If you’ve been following the Star, you also now know that if your boat needs a little work (or even a lot) you can send it off to Finish Line Hull repair, where Senior Member Alex DelSordo and a crew of expert hull repair specialists will have you shipshape in no time.

Naked?  Sylvia Frayne, who leads our Gear Committee, just gave us the heads up on a JL team store that could be opening up as soon as this week!  This will be your chance to order some fresh (emphasis … fresh) unis and other workout gear in time for the summer racing season! Stay tuned on the listserv and Abner Burnside on Facebook to find out when the virtual doors are open for business!

Calm Waters. The name says it all.

What’s left? Oh … you!   New sculls, pimped out boat, snappy non-shmelly gear, and a race face that calmly says, “Killing you on this course is just what I like to refer to as ’Saturday.’”

Yep, the only thing left to tweak is the rowing part! No problem.

In addition to some awesome coaching options right here at home, PBC’s four-time World Champion and member of the U.S. National Team, Charlotte Hollings is ready to help you out with the you part of rowing in perhaps a less stressful, less judgmental environment than our home waters … the gorgeous Northern Neck of Virginia!

Get yourself on down to the Calm Waters Rowing Camp in Lancaster, Virginia, where you’ll get on the water and video coaching sessions, and lovely accommodations to boot.  Pay attention and coaches Charlotte Hollings and John Dunn will have you ready to row in no time.

Visit the Calm Waters site to book your reservation now. Mention you’re a member of PBC for a special discount (restrictions may apply).

See you on the water lookin’ good, PBC!

2013 Annual Meeting, Report of the Racing Committee

PBC racers from across the competitive programs and the club in San Diego at the San Diego Crew Classic.

The following is the Racing Committee Report for the 2013 Annual Meeting, submitted by its Chair, Penelope Wrenn. If you have any questions regarding this report or about the Racing Committee, please contact Penelope at racing[at]potomacstar.com.

On behalf of the Racing Committee, I would like to thank the entire club for your ongoing support of PBC Racing!  From a racing results standpoint, we’ve already started the year off with wins at the Sarasota Invitational and the San Diego Crew Classic.  [You can read more about our club-wide participation in these regattas here.]

Your PBC Racing Committee includes the following members:

• Chair, Racing Committee and Independent Club Racing Liaison, Penelope Wrenn
• Open Sculling (OS) RC Representative and OS Head Coach, Reilly Dampeer
• Masters Rowing Program (MRP) RC Representative, Virginia Bryant
• MRP Alternate Representative, Lena Wang
• Men’s Sweep (MS) RC Representative, Chad Jungbluth
• MS RC Alternate Representative and MS Captain, Peter Clements
• Board Liaison and Member of Men’s Sweep (MS), Nick Davies
• Washington-Lee High School (W-L) Liaison and W-L Head Coach, and RC Launch Director, Derek Parsons
• W-L Alternate Representative, W-L Women’s Team Head Coach, and RC Safety Advisor, George Kirschbaum
• WeCanRow Program Liaison, Beverly Buffkin

As many of you are aware, our club, like any club, is filled with strong personalities each with varying goals and ambitions, mostly related to the passion we all share for the sport of rowing.  Regaining cohesiveness throughout the teams was a goal set the previous winter and I think we’ve come a long way towards achieving it.  I would like to recognize my committee as a whole for continuing to work so hard this year to bring all of the teams together to form a “team of teams” mentality … one team, Potomac Boat Club. 

The Committee believes that through tight coordination and accountability we create an environment that supports the achievement of competitive goals throughout the Club, and serves as a reminder that we are indeed all part of one team.  Towards accountability, the RC created an Equipment Damage reporting procedure and online form (top tab of the Star) that allows the RC and other team leads track repairs through to completion. The RC also continues a successful effort to engage team management representatives and collaborate whenever possible with those beyond the Committee, including the Club Rowing Committee, the Membership Chair, and the Treasurer, as well as the Club at large.  The RC created online rosters to allow the Membership Chair and Treasurer to access the latest roster information.  Towards better safety awareness, this year, the RC named a Safety Advisor, George Kirshbaum, to the committee.  Since 2012, there has been a decrease in equipment damage through increased general awareness of safety and equipment issues. 

The Open Sculling Program has refocused its efforts on elite men’s sculling with a goal of producing the next Men’s Quad that will represent the United States at the Olympics in Rio.  The RC thanks the club and the Potomac River Sports Foundation for its support of this effort. We know these great athletes will represent the Club well, and add to our rich history of success at the highest levels of our sport.

The Masters Rowing Program (MRP) and the Men’s Sweep Program (MS) continue to be self-sustaining and comprosed  mostly of senior members. At the same time, these teams highly value the contributions of their very active and motivated future senior member teammates.  To help address wear and tear on partner Washington-Lee High School, each team is contributing funds towards the refurbishment of a W-L hull to be used at the discretion of W-L Crew leadership.  Finally, all teams are currently operating within their own forecasted budgets.

Emphasized through the RC and team leaders, awareness and participation in various Club volunteer activities is at record levels. Competitive program members led or participated in large numbers in every major Club volunteer effort from Work Days to the Dock Move to the Charlie Butt Annual Scullers Head of the Potomac, and various other efforts as the needs of the Club have been identified.

With the competitive spirit of PBC emanating throughout the club, the RC this year recognized a growing need to coordinate requests from Club members who are unaffiliated with a program but who may wish to use RC equipment for purposes of racing; to facilitate these requests, the RC created an Independent Club Racing Liaison (the RC chair is the acting representative) to serve as a point of contact for these requests.

In 2012, RC delayed equipment turnover at request of the Board and pushed out hull turnover plan to support the purchase of new float / dock that serves the rowing endeavors of the entire club.  However, with the equipment purchase budget cut again this year, the RC as a whole must strive to do more with less, but hopes the Club will re-commit soon to the funds required to maintain quality fleets and serve the best interests of this club. 

The Committee will continue to provide the Board with comprehensive reports from the teams on a regular basis.  The information and feedback gleaned from the Board and through the club-at-large throughout the competitive year will allow for the refinement of the goals, objectives and strategic outcomes that will grow and maintain the competitive spirit and legacy of PBC into the future.

Thanks, again, for your support.

Row like a Champion Today!

Penelope Wrenn, Chair, PBC Racing Committee

Finish Line looks to be the last word in boat repairs

Finish Line's Dan Reardon shows off an impressively long paint booth

The area’s rowing community has been eager to take advantage of a new competitor in the shell repair space, and now it can.

Finish Line's trailer pulls away from Potomac Boat Club with its first round of pick ups

Strategically located between the rowing hub cities of Washington and Philadelphia in Baltimore, Finish Line Shell Repair launched on January 24th, 2013, opening the doors to a state of the art 5,000 square-foot shell repair facility complete with a paint booth long enough to accommodate an entire eight.

PBC senior member Alex DelSordo, and president and chief executive officer of Finish Line, collaborated with his father, Sandy “Papa Del” DelSordo, and long time friend Dan Reardon, to create the company’s business model built on excellent customer service and expert level repairs.

“As both an athlete and coach, I started to see a real need for a full-service shell repair company in this region that pays as much attention to its customers as it does on high quality work,” said Alex.  “Collaborating with my father [Sandy DelSordo] was a natural idea, and when I ran the idea for Finish Line by him last year, he was on board right away.”

The elder DelSordo knows what he’s talking about, too. With more than 30 years of boat repair expertise, Sandy DelSordo can take credit for the high quality workmanship coming out of Finish Line.

Today, after only a few months in business, Finish Line has repaired more than a dozen boats for rowing programs including Potomac Boat Club, Bishop O’Connell, St. John’s High School, Walt Whitman High School, George Washington University and several others in the region.  And so far, Finish Line’s clients are enthusiastic with the results.

New paint gleams on one happy customer's private single

“With debris and a steady increase in boating traffic on the Potomac, a boat can experience damage that makes it unavailable to a program during critical training periods,” said a recent client and senior member of Potomac Boat Club.  “Finish Line worked hard to keep me in the loop regarding the repair status of one of our most in demand hulls, beat our deadline by weeks, and in the end, did a flawless job on the work itself.”

But damage to a hull doesn’t have to be major for Finish Line to take on the job.  In fact, the operation is suited perfectly to repair anything from a minor scrape on a single to the full refurbishment of an eight.  Maybe just as important, Finish Line pledges to keep its customers updated along the way so they will know exactly when to expect to get their boats back on the water.

“We have decades of experience in boat repair and in the sport of rowing at Finish Line, but we still took time to research the latest industry practices to ensure we were offering only the best to the East Coast rowing community once we finally opened our doors,” said Alex DelSordo.

Previous damage to a Filippi eight is now invisible

It looks like they’ve done just that. Customer response to Finish Line has been almost as impressive as Finish Line’s response time.

“We already saw a little damage this season, and sent the boat to Finish Line since they had done such a nice job on a refurbishment earlier this year,” said Penelope Wrenn, senior member and chair of the PBC Racing Committee. “I’m not endorsing one company over another, but let’s just say I was pleasantly surprised to get the hull back looking flawless later the same week … that’s an almost unheard of turnaround time.”

Want to see more Finish Line yourself, PBC?

Go to the link below for “before and after” repair photos, and photos of Alex, Dan and, of course, Papa Del on the job.

About Finish Line Shell Repair

Finish Line Shell Repair’s mission is to be the premier shell repair company on the East Coast by building long-term relationships with its customers through superior service and quick turnaround on high quality repairs.

For more info, please contact Finish Line at the following:

Finish Line Shell Repair
101 N Gorman Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21223
609-432-4471
www.finishlineshellrepair.com

PBC’s Neal Young: International Man of Rowing

On the Chao Phra River, Bangkok, Thailand

No mystery about it. PBC senior member Neal Young set a goal to row on every inhabited continent in the world, and darn if he didn’t just check that box a couple of months ago. Congratulations, Neal!

We may never do what Neal did, but setting a similar “non-traditional” goal like Neal set may be just the thing we need to do to keep us focused through another DC winter. In the meantime, Neal’s adventures have definitely provided us with new fodder for our rowing-related at-work daydreams.

If you want to add some international water time to your list of rowing goals, read on! Below, Neal shares his short list of tips for getting it done, along with some cool photos to inspire you!

And if someone catches you daydreaming at work about rowing in Thailand or Rio over the next few weeks … just blame it on Neal.

* * *

Boathouses dotting the river in Adelaide, Australia, taken from hotel room window

Like many of us out there, I took a break from rowing after college to focus on the other important things in life, like marriage, children, and making a living.  Long after the break had turned into years, I was attending a medical conference in Sydney, Australia, where a dinner conversation with another attendee turned to the subject of rowing.

The next morning, I found myself in the middle of an exhausting excursion in a double in Sydney Harbor, and knew that Thompsons, the PBC wait list, relearning (sort of) how to scull and to race, and buying a boat were all in my future.  Although I didn’t realize it then, this fortuitous opportunity to row in Australia was the beginning of rowing adventures I would have all over the world. Later, I would launch a personal goal to row on every inhabited continent, a goal that I just completed a couple of months ago in the Lagoon in Rio.

Following is the list of continents and venues that I’ve been lucky enough to experience as a rower as a result of setting that goal:

Rowing from the Roodeplaat Rowing Club, Pretoria, South Africa

Africa: Roodeplaat Rowing Club, Pretoria (South Africa)
Asia: Bangkok (Thailand); University of Tokyo Boat Club (Japan); Madras Boat Club (India)
Australia: Sydney Boat Club; Riverside Rowing Club, Adelaide (Australia)
Europe: Helsinki (Finland); St. Petersburg (Russia); Ruderklub am Wansee outside Berlin (Germany); Hannover (Germany); Trinity Boat Club in Dublin (Ireland); Danubius National Rowing Club, Budapest (Hungary); Aviron Cannes Mandelieu (France); Faro (Portugal); Nautical Club of Ioannina (Greece); Pavia University Rowing Club (Italy); Canottieri Firenze (Italy); Societa Triestina Canottieri Adria 1877 (Italy) [For a list of rowing clubs in Italy, click here or on Facebook here.]
South America: Flamengo de Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
North America: Potomac Boat Club (DC); Baltimore (MD); Cambridge (MA); Gull Pond (MA); Carnegie Lake (NJ); Cayuga Lake at Cornell (NY); Norristown Pond (DE); Occoquan (VA)

An extremely hot and muggy midsummer day rowing in Tokyo at the Olympic venue; I passed the quad later

So, sound like something you might want to do?  Despite my chance row in Sydney, it takes a lot of advance planning to ensure that you can get in a good, safe row when travelling overseas, but you’ll find your effort well worth it.  Fortunately, there are a lot of great resources available on the Internet, including the Rowers Almanac and the online Boathouse Finder.

Of course, once you’ve identified where you want to go and have reached out, it can sometimes feel like a bonus when someone actually responds to the email you’ve sent to a boathouse contact email address!  But be patient. When someone does take the time to answer, he or she is usually very accommodating and willing to help out, as I know we are at PBC. You’ll find that one of the great rewards of attempting this goal is that you will share your enthusiasm to row with a worldwide community of rowers who are equally enthusiastic about our sport.

Once you arrive in your destination country, you still need to get to the rowing facility, and it may not be as obvious as looking for the closest body of water.  We are fortunate that PBC is located in the heart of a city, but in many places, the closest rowing venue may be quite a distance from the center of town.  My advice?  When in doubt, get a ride!  Not having transportation with a knowlegeable person at the wheel can translate into hours of your trip wasted on public transit or on foot instead of in a boat.  For example, reaching the training camp for the University of Pretoria in South Africa, where the reservoir is hungry hippo-free, required both a good guide and an off road vehicle.

In the freezing rain in St. Petersburg, Russia, wearing the jacket that I could not find a way to purchase

To make the most of your experience, take some time to enjoy the camaraderie of your host rowers, if you can.  Most of my outings were one time events, but I have shared a few breakfasts with master Australian rowers and some dinners with boisterous German novices.  And if I’m ever back in Thailand, I now have a boat to use in Bangkok.  A very successful Thai businessman ended up purchasing a Peinert after I extolled the virtues of our sport upon learning that his apartment building – and I mean his entire building –  is on a river.  He couldn’t make a go of it without coaching (… needed to know a few of the little things we may take for granted, like how the oars fit in the riggers), but kept the boat.

Since you will make new friends and also want to show your appreciation to your host in general, it’s always good idea to bring a gift in anticipation of your host’s effort or at least remember to send one afterward.  And don’t forget to bring cash for gifts for those you’ve left at home while you’re on your rowing adventure … and for yourself! Some terrific gear is available out there. Italian unis are especially stylish; on the other hand, I found the free market had not quite penetrated all of Russia while I was there.  Finally, bring along a camera or cell phone to make sure you capture photos of your adventures for the Star and for anyone out there in the future who may not believe that you’ve dodged sharks in your single in Sydney!

That’s it, for now. I leave you with a few of my “bests” and “worsts” from my own journey. Good luck!

In Florence with my son Giorgio Young; the famous Ponte Vecchio in the foreground

Most tranquil: Ioannina, a placid lake with ancient monastery on a small island
Most exotic: Bangkok! From ducking giant barges on the might Chao Phra to tiny residential canals, dotted with Buddhist temples
Most historic: WWII by water – Wansee to Potsdam
Most miasmal: Madras, amid mosquito swarms; however, boat porters and gin and tonics
Most miserable conditions: St Petersburg; an industrial site, cold rain, Soviet-style club (not for amateurs; no way to buy their outfits; Putin arriving next day, etc.). Still…it was Russia and that was cool
Most technically advanced: University of Tokyo’s robotic forklifts, programmable to retrieve shells stacked really high
Most financially secure: Flamengo, supported by Brazil’s most popular football club (it’s a long story)
Least financially secure: Rowing facility in Portugal; mostly a shed, a couple of boats, tricky access to local mud flats, and one very dedicated and kind young woman to provide access
Best food: Anywhere in Italy, but a nice trattoria inside the Florence club and famous Fiorentina steaks provide an excellent source of muscle building protein
Best opportunity to be food: A tie, between Syndey (sharks; I was assured that they were there) and South Africa (hippos; I was assured that they were not there)
Most dedicated cities/sites: Adelaide, where my hotel sat on a winding river reminiscent of England, full of rowing clubs; also, Cannes, where the canal is dedicated to rowing

From the Porch: News from President Ed Ryan

Will Packard coordinates SHOP details from the porch.

Thanks and congratulations to all of our PBC members and friends who made the Charlie Butt Annual Scullers Head of the Potomac last weekend such a great success. We had a record 400+ boats racing, and it could have not been done without the leadership at the top by Peter Clements, Will Packard, Samantha Byrd, Eric Edmonds, Mike Malone and Morgan Constantine Wimberley. Special props to Peter for stepping in as Regatta Chair this year – it’s a lot of work and demonstrated volunteerism at its finest. And much appreciation to the over 100 volunteers it requires to run this Regatta; you all bled red for the Club and made us a great host for hundreds of other rowers. And to all the PBC rowers who competed – regardless of result, congratulations on getting to the starting line. It takes courage to enter that pain locker, and it’s great to see so many members competing at all levels. Finally, thanks to the Social Committee for once again putting out a great spread.

PBC on the board at the Dulles Plane Pull

More thanks to our intrepid pullers who competed for PBC in the Dulles Plane Pull competition last month. Special thanks to Reilly Dampeer and Sean Durkin for rallying the troops, the 20+ rowers ‘on the rope’, and to all of the PBC members who contributed over $2,000 to the Special Olympics as part of this great community effort. With one year of experience under our belts, we are looking forward to going at it again next year.

Last Reminder – Semi Annual Meeting on Sunday, October 14th

One last reminder of the Semi-Annual meeting next Sunday, October 14th. Social hour at 6:00 p.m., followed by the meeting at 7:00 p.m. Contrary to some rumors, there will be no cage fight over dues increases, but we will be prepared to address the fiscal state of the Club, and our approach to prudently plan, finance and execute the capital repairs and improvements to the Club that will maintain its integrity and grace through future generations, all the while maintaining our ability to ensure that members have access to a fleet of boats that we can all feel proud and fortunate to row and race in.

One More Word on Dues
We appreciate all of the members who responded to the call for timely dues payments. And remember that you can always change your membership status if circumstances warrant. Just contact our Membership Chair, Pam Roberts, at membership@potomacboatclub.org. But no serial changes by season – any change must stay in place for a minimum of a year.

Vote until Oct. 22!

In case you saw the US Rowing’s Fan Choice Awards on Row2k, I’d like to congratulate and call out Nancy Faigen for her nomination for Masters Coach of the Year. Although a member of the Club for some time, Nancy just this year took over the reins of the Men’s Sweep team and has done a remarkable job (note, I did not say ‘given the talent she has to work with’). The team saw great success on the water all year, and has stepped up their volunteer efforts to help out around the Club. Congrats to you Nancy and to the team for this recognition. Now, as to another PBC nomination under the Fan’s Choice Awards, let me say that I am honored and appreciative, and the fact that two nominations came out of PBC should not go unnoticed, but the fact of the matter is that one of my co-nominees — an 88-year old rower, who is still racing notwithstanding the affliction of Parkinson’s Disease — truly deserves this award. So tempering the competitive juices here, and consciously ignoring the fact that he rows for Saugatuck, let me be the first to congratulate this remarkable octagenarian and suggest that your voting fervor be directed towards Nancy and not me.

PBC tandem means double the fun!

Sarah and Sean work it

Not only are the Master Competitive Teams self sufficient and bring back national and international level wins home to PBC, but team members have historically formed the heart beat of the club with a steady stream of life, activity and innovation on and off the water … for all to enjoy, again, at no extra cost!  Take advantage of the latest member benefit offered by Senior and Competitive Team Member, Sean Durkin!

That’s right, PBC, not only can you take out racing boats, canoes and kayaks, now there is a restored vintage Schwinn tandem in the PBC fleet, courtesy of fun-guy Sean Durkin.  The PBC tandem is available for all members to use and is perfect for a unique date.

The tandem is located on the patio next to the BBQ.  A pump is located near the bike rack in case the tires need some air (45psi suggested).  The ride up to Fletcher’s Cove is just 15 minutes and a great place to go for a picnic.

 

 

V and GVDV ... naturals

 Instructions for use:

- Front brakes are new and operated by the lever on the handlebars.

- The bell is quite effective and should be used when passing or when you feel like spreading cheer.

- Rear brakes work by pedaling backwards.

- The tandem has two gears, pedal backwards slightly to shift from low to high.

- You can adjust either seat with the tools in the basket.

- Above all have fun and be safe!

[The individuals in these photos are unpaid but professional acting PBC models.  Please do not infer romantic relationships ]

More exciting than Shark Week … Dock Week

Willy Packard surveys the effort with his son, grandson of legendary coach Charlie Butt

In case you weren’t able to make it down for Dock Week at PBC, below are a couple of links to enough photos that if you really, really wanted to, you could fake it if someone asked you whether you or not you were there. (Don’t do that, though. We’re simply saying there are a lot of photos.)

First, George Kirschbaum sends us images captured on August 28, 2012, when Bill Cox’s team unloaded the new dock by crane into the water at Washington Harbor. And honestly, whenever a crane is involved it’s bound to be cool. Click here to check out George, Jim Owens, Nancy Faigen and Sean Durkin driving the dock upstream by launch to await Installation Day.

Second, the Potomac Star offers up a bucket of photos from Dock Installation Day, September 1, 2012. Folks from Washington-Lee High School Crew, WeCanRow, the Club’s Racing Programs, a bunch of Senior Members and entire families of people we’ve never seen before showed up to make a tough job, well, kind of fun. To see it all come together, click here.

Weddings and dock installations … (sigh).  We really shouldn’t wait until the next dock install to get together, again.

Great seeing everyone, and great job, PBC!

We got to use a CRANE this morning

Preparing new dock to be lifted by crane into the river

Cranes are cool.

Thanks to Senior Member Bill Cox, in coordination with House Committee Chair Steve Vermillion, sections of our new dock were set into the river this morning by crane, then driven upstream by our volunteer launch drivers.  Volunteers are cool, too.

Very impressive, Team!!!  But work still needs to be done.

PLEASE VOLUNTEER TO HELP PIECE THE DOCK TOGETHER THIS SATURDAY!

Steve needs about 50 strong folks for about two hours at 0900 on Saturday, to switch out the old dock and move in the new one.  More photos to come … let’s see how many of us we can get to be part of this historic effort for the club!

See you there, PBC!

Comment on Arlington Boathouse EIS by 9/30

Artist rendering of a proposed Arlington boathouse

Who cares? YOU care, PBC! This will impact you and the future of the Club!  Your thoughtful comments regarding the proposed sites are requested by the September 30 deadline!

The National Park Service (NPS) is seeking public input on preliminary alternatives to be considered regarding the Arlington County and Vicinity Non-Motorized Boathouse Facility Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).  The EIS will assess the impacts of the proposed siting and construction of a public facility for non-motorized boats on the Virginia shoreline of the Potomac River in the vicinity of Arlington County.

NPS project staff members have prepared a newsletter available for download at the EIS link above that describes the EIS process and preliminary action alternatives. The Arlington County Boathouse Foundation has prepared a list of FAQs with a detailed list of the alternatives and a history of the project HERE.

Preliminary alternatives include four possible site locations:  two proposed sites are downstream of the Key Bridge in Rosslyn, one is near Gravelly Point and the 14th Street Bridge, and one on Daingerfield Island.  The boathouse facility and its amenities would enhance public waterfront access in the vicinity of Arlington County for non-motorized recreational activities.  It also would serve as the new home of Arlington County’s three public high school rowing teams.

Again, the public comment period is now open and will conclude on September 30, 2012.  Written comments can be submitted electronically HERE or at the web site linked above.

Written comments may be mailed to the following address; mailed comments must be postmarked by September 30, 2012.

Superintendent
Attn: Arlington Boathouse EIS
George Washington Memorial Parkway
Turkey Run Park Headquarters
McLean, VA 22101

Register now! 2012 Scullers Head of the Potomac

Charlie Butt established W-L Crew in 1949. W-L Crew first garnered national headlines for winning the Royal Henley Regatta in 1964 (first year a U.S. school participated) and again, in 1969. Between 1949 and 1987, W-L Crew won the National Scholastic title 12 times.

• Click here to register!

Ms. Samantha Byrd, chair of Potomac Boat Club’s Regatta Committee, announces that registration is open for the 2012 Charlie Butt Annual Scullers Head of the Potomac (SHOP).

The SHOP, scheduled for Sunday, September 30, has been held every year for the last 32 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 with crews coming from all over North America and the world.

Last year, the PBC 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.  SHOP Race Headquarters will be at Thompsons Boat Center. 

A new dedicated SHOP site with registration info, waivers and other information is also coming soon!

Questions regarding the SHOP should be emailed to the Regatta Committee’s new SHOP co-chair, Peter Clements, 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!

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