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!

Coach Matt Madigan’s final update from London

Our Sarah Trowbridge makes the most of closing ceremonies. (Thanks to Scott Gault for giving her a lift!)

This is my final entry. Debated about sending it, but figured I better close it out.

Thanks for the support and great work on the ‘Star. Great stuff.
-Matt

We’re glad you sent it, Matt. We couldn’t have ask for anything more than you and the girls gave us during these Olympics Games. We’re so proud of you all.
-TPS

There is a picture that one of the Potomac Boat Club members posted on the bulletin board in 2009. It is a picture of Margot rowing the single in Poland in 2009 with a handwritten caption, “Margot on here way to the Olympics 2012 The Form—Check It Out.” Often I would stop, check the technique (can’t help it), but more importantly the photo has served as a reminder of the Dream.

The Form - Check It Out

This spring we had an opportunity to seize the Dream and live the Dream with everything that goes along with an Olympic effort. It took a lot. The commitment of our families, specifically my wife, our supporters and our Potomac Village helped to make our efforts possible. However, Margot Shumway and Sarah Trowbridge are the ones that demonstrated the hearts and minds of Olympians throughout the challenges and the joys of the journey it took to get to London and while we were there. Their efforts and determination will always have my respect. We knew in Chula Vista on April 12, that improvements needed to be made to what we were doing. Each race, each piece, each of the hard workouts during our three-a-day regimen, they took on the challenge and responsibility and did improve to the point of putting themselves in the hunt for a medal.

We do a race-talk the night before the race to go over details, logistics and race plans for the next day. Racing from Lane 1 and being the 6th qualifier to the field of 6 we knew we had challenges to be in contention for a medal. The lanes were also reseeded the morning of the race giving the more sheltered lanes 6 and 5 to the heat winners Britain and Australia. There also was the fact that Britain’s Kath Grainger, who had three Olympic Silvers and her partner hadn’t lost for three years and that the Australians were right on their heals. However, of the other four boats, US, China, Poland and New Zealand, we were not far off on splits from the heats and rep. and knew there was a shot at a medal. We focused on how to emphasize the first 1000 meters of the race and be in contact with the other boats. I asked Margot and Sarah for 2-3.5 seconds to be made up on the field and then raising the rate and essentially starting our sprint with 900 meters to go. We were going to go out and race for a medal without worrying about trying to beat Kath Grainger or the Aussies.

As expected the British went out fast and the Australians went with them. Margot and Trow had a great start and made up those 2-3 seconds on the Chinese and the New Zealand crew, staying in contact with both. However the veteran Polish crew, which we had raced bow to stern in the heats, had also found an additional gear and pushed to open water on the three trailing crews. Just as planned in the middle of the piece, our athletes began their push and were moving back on the Poles getting in front of the Kiwis and right with the Chinese. Both us and Poland paid that price. The Poles had gained enough of a lead to secure the medal and while we did negative split the 3rd and 4th 500’s we needed even more in the 2nd 500 to get through the other boats as the final four boats came across in contact with one another, 2.62 secs separating the boats racing for bronze.

Racing a final anywhere, you go out to have the your best race and take your shot at a medal. At the Olympics you also are representing your country, your team, your club, university, friends, family, etc., as it is a much higher profile event. For the British team, not only was their printed press, tv and swarms of reporters around the athletes, but the course announcers as well, inadvertently or not, would share information with the crowd and in the case of our race, did nothing but hype the British double. They went as far as saying, how disappointing it would be if Kath Grainger did not win, after her previous three Olympic silver medals. Kath Grainger and Anna Watkins handled the pressure and did win. Our athletes represented everyone and most importantly themselves at the highest level, handled the pressure and put themselves in contention.

In being 2.6+ seconds away from a medal, it feels like we were very close. However, there was some tremendous racing where medals were determined by tenths of seconds. The US Men’s 8 had a tough fourth place finish in a tight six boat field that had all boats close, but taking fourth by .3. Our Women’s Pair made the final directly and then raced to within .2 of a medal again in fourth. Tremendous efforts by both teams, but bittersweet in the end leaving the athletes dazed long after leaving the course. In a race that comes down to tenths of seconds over a 2k course, there is no greater gap in placement for all involved than the gap from 3rd to 4th as a medal can be a life changing event. Time heals all wounds, but the finality of the Olympics and retirement for many, another four years for others, is a reminder of how much efforts is put forth by the athletes, teams and sports that are taking place here.

After our race, Margot’s family invited me to lunch and it was great to spend time with her family, and especially her Mom, Julia. I mentioned it in an earlier post, but she came over to London in the middle of chemo during her ongoing battle with cancer. Seeing her strength and having her at the races clearly shows were Margot gets here edge. Also, great to see coach Reilly Dampeer and Stefanie Kozuszek the day before the finals, as they helped to keep things balanced before races and over lunch.

As coaches our credentials get transferred to coaches/officials who come in for the second week of competition with other sports, so we are not able to stay and see other events. The athletes move into the main village while the majority of coaches head back home. I was able to visit the main village, eat at the dining hall and see some of the Olympic Village and Olympic Park. The USA House is the USOC sponsored center that hosts, Olympians, friends, and importantly USOC sponsors. Great to see so many familiar faces from the rowing community, National Rowing Foundation and the USRowing Board, but also from the Olympic community. Mary Lou Retton, Leroy Burrell, and Greg Louganis were all there the first night we were there and many of the rowers hung with the all of the swimmers on my last night in town.

Literally ran from USA house to catch the last train at midnight back to the Rowing Village for a 4:30 a.m. airport pick-up. I’ve been home all week catching up with wife kids, working with the transition from GeoIQ to ESRI, nursing a bad back and watching/sharing as much Olympic coverage as I could fit in with the kids.

It is always sad to see the torch extinguished. However, Jacque Rogge, IOC Chair invited the youth of the world to gather again in four years time in Rio. You never know what can happen, but that would certainly be a dream for any of the three of us. Margot and Trow are looking at starting coaching careers, and you can bet they will pour everything they have into their efforts.

Thank you for all of the support.

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!

Matt, Margot and Sarah take us to London!

Millions of strokes are taken every year by those who dream of being able to represent their country and prove they truly are the best in the world.  A few of us, like our Margot Shumway, Sarah Trowbridge and coach Matt Madigan, have lived that moment.

Today, “Sarah Trowbridge and Margot Shumway dominated the finals of the double sculls to finish more than a second ahead of the Netherlands in 7 minutes, 3.96 seconds.” [Read the entire USAToday story here.]

With that performance, the heart and pride of this entire club will go with Margot, Sarah and Matt as they get the chance to live that moment again, representing the United States on the world’s biggest athletic stage at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

AWESOME RACING in Lucerne … with the best yet to come!

To donate to help our PBC National Team members, as well as our National Team hopefuls, get even closer to realizing their dreams, please click HERE.

Kevin Baum lookin’ sharp in Oxford Blue

PBC's Kevin Baum, third from left, to race for Oxford

Okay, so maybe we’ll let him wear blue instead of red this one time.

PBC’s own Kevin Baum has been chosen to row for Oxford University in The Boat Race on April 7, 2012.  Kevin is one of two Americans who join an international crew from England, Germany, and the Netherlands to battle Cambridge during the 158th running of this historic competition.

Kevin previously rowed for the St. Albans School, Stanford University and has been a member of the PBC Open Sculling Program since 2008.  He is also the son of Senior Member George Baum.

PBC Open Sculling Program Coach Reilly Dampeer says of Kevin, “Kevin is a relentless competitor and exemplary member of the PBC team … and gives us a great reason to cheer for Oxford this year!”

(Causing certain members of PBC to ask, “Did we need another reason?”)

Click here for a story that includes a brief sound byte from Kevin.  For more information about The Boat Race, please visit http://www.theboatrace.org/.

Good luck, Kevin!  Your PBC family will be cheering you on from here!

Social Committee … Do we smell another happy hour?! (Or do we just smell the keg o’ rater?)

OS Stefanie Kozuszek reminds us what it’s really all about

Open Scullers launch for another morning of hard work on the water. (Photo by Igor Belakovskiy)

Tonight is the Rising Stars Dinner and Auction, an event to support the National Team and Olympic dreams of members of PBC’s Open Sculling Program.  Following the dinner, our Open Scullers will leave for California and the final leg of training for the regattas that will determine this year’s Olympic team.  Our shared hopes, dreams, and best wishes for success, go with them!

In this month’s look into the world of an Open Sculler, Stefanie Kozuszek reminds us that making the National Team is just the icing on the cake of being part of a hard working, close-knit team.

If you’d like to read more about Open Sculler Stefanie Kozuszek, please visit her bio page here (click).

* * *

Happy 2012! I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday season!

It’s a big year, an Olympic year, and the end of a four year cycle of hard work and effort by athletes from all over the world hoping to represent their nation in London. For the PBC Open Sculling Program, it means it’s time for us to kick it into overdrive. Following this weekend’s Rising Stars Dinner and Auction, a few of us will stay in DC and focus on building our fitness, targeting through to the next cycle. Others will head out to Long Beach, California, to prepare for the National Selection Regattas in Chula Vista in April. We all hope they will be greeted with flat water, warm weather, and a training environment that will lead them to a spot on the National Team.

It’s always interesting to see the reactions of people when you tell them that you are training to one day make the National Team or better yet, to make it to the Olympics. They usually hone in on the Olympic part and ask when the next Olympics are. The next time they see you they’ll ask something like, “So, make it to the Olympics, yet?”

Deep down, you know how much more work and how many more years you will have to put in to make that dream a reality. You’ll have to get up early, train twice a day, and throw in a little work on top of it all to help pay the bills. This and more run through your head when all the person waiting on the other side probably wants is the short answer. Still, you’re thinking that there is always more you can do, always something to improve on to give you that little extra edge … “No, not yet, but I’m working on it,” you say.

Sometimes it’s scary to share your ultimate goal with others. What if you never reach that goal? Will they think of you as a failure? Or will they respect that you had enough courage to chase those dreams? In the end I’ve realized that if you are doing what you what makes you happy, then who cares what someone else might thing.

The reality is that we won’t all make it to the Olympics or even to the National Team. But as long as we’ve tried our best and enjoyed the time that we’ve put in, each of us will be able to walk away with our heads held high knowing we were true to our dreams. The friendships built on this team alone are enough to make it all worth it, but we will have also bettered ourselves along the way.

But enough of that. It’s time to get fast!

Previous SHOP Results

We’ve been lazy about consolidating some of our previous Charlie Butt Annual Scullers Head of the Potomac results but we’ve finally gotten off of our duffs to do it … three years worth at least.

And here they are for all of you PBC rowing statisticians out there:

2011 SHOP Results and Photos

2010 SHOP Results

2009 SHOP Results

Start your New Year’s Resolution to be social in December!

Photo by Open Sculler Maria Bokulich

Hosted by the PBC Open Sculling Program, you are cordially invited to celebrate the Season’s Spirit of Giving in our beautifully decorated, heated ballroom!

The Potomac Boat Club Annual Holiday Party
Date: Sunday, December 11, 2011
Time: 3:00 – 5:00 PM
Dress:  Festive Attire (Yes, it’s time for that sweater. The only time.)

Hors d’Oeuvres ~ Beverages
Good Friends and “Others”
Fun Photos with Santa
Belly Button Bakery for the Children
PBC Members, Friends and Guests welcome!

AND please don’t forget to bring an unwrapped, NEW gift to support the United States Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots!

Oh, for all of you crazy “Senior Members” out there (and we know you’re crazy because you actually read this far down …), at 2:30 PM, before the start of the “regular” party, there will be a brief “Special Meeting of the Membership” in the “Club Lounge” to vote on an “extra special” amendment to the Club’s “Constitution.”

Now, that’s what we call getting the party started “early,” if you know what we “mean” … (wink)!

Not that we do, of course.

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

Yep. Those are definitely PBC top hats.

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.

The 2011 PBC Triathlon

See those happy smiling faces? They're either sadistic or don't know what's coming.

In case you didn’t check the listserv this week, or conveniently chose to ignore the message, you were invited to participate in the 2011 PBC Triathlon this morning.  Missed that one, huh?

On November 19, 2011, PBC’s Open Scullers, led by Coach Reilly Dampeer, combined their usual training efforts into a little triathlon. They erged, ran, rowed, and invited everyone to participate in the “fun.”

Here was the format:

• Erg – 10km
• Run the “Bridge loop” out to Virginia across Memorial Bridge and back to the Club from Virginia across Key Bridge (approximately 3 miles)
• Row a single out to Roosevelt Bridge and back to PBC (approximately 4km)
• No ‘Transition Time” allocations or assistance allowed (e.g., oars or boat to the dock)

Reilly briefed participants at 6:30 AM, and the clock started at 7:00 AM.  Finish time was recorded for each participant when the participant’s feet were firmly planted on the PBC dock.  No handicaps were used to calculate the results.

Well, who was the big winner?  We’ll have to get the update from Reilly!

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