FCRC Update July 10, 2022.
Coaching
With a number of our coaches competing at the Henley Royal Regatta this summer (something we support), we are finding that we don't have enough people to coach the programming that we want to offer. If you are in a position to help, have your Pleasure Craft Operators Card, will confidently pass a criminal records check and various safe sport courses please reply to this email as we would be happy to hear from you. We also need volunteers who can help be a friendly face for people new to the sport.
Until we know we can commit to our group lessons in August, we are just going to hold off starting anything after the end of July.
In speaking to many of the other clubs in Metro Vancouver they are in the same boat (so to speak). If you are interested in helping coach anywhere, please contact your local rowing club (obviously us first, but you do what you have to do).
Schedules
I understand that some of our coaches are rowing with UBC at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in early August and others are rowing with the BC Team at the Canada Summer Games. Hopefully more to come on that... The 2022 Niagara CSG website is a little painful to navigate (rowing is August 17 - 21), but the Chef de Mission is Jennifer Scott, who ran Sport Tourism Burnaby for several years and she's good people.
Rowing Tour
Katie Steenman, awesome coach at VCRC and delightful person is hosting a rowing tour on Barkley Sound with Julien Bahain who has rowed for both France and Canada. For more details, please see their website: https://rowingtheworld.com/package/canada-bc-wilderness-rowing-lodge-special-2/. If that schedule doesn't work for you, have a look at their website: https://westcoastrowingadventures.com/. With the growth in Open Water and Coastal rowing, this is a great way to get your fingers into that world. From there, there's events with the Sound Rowers in Puget Sound, rowing with Salish Sea Coastal Rowing Club and Saltspring Island Rowing Club's Race Around The Rock (not to be called "Ring Around The Island"). You don't have to join Janice in the Race To Alaska - especially as it has just finished...
Henley Rowing Regatta
from the Henley Bridge, looking to the finish.
As these things go, Henley Royal was pretty successful for FCRC this year. Current and Past Members Carolyn, Rory, Heather were there with me. Aidan and the UBC Men made it though to Friday. Sally and Caitlin and the UBC Women had it through until Thursday. Mike and Craig from UBC want to up their game, and this is the regatta to measure success against the competition.
The UBC Women's Varsity Team cheering on the UBC Men on Friday morning.
I also bumped into Terry Dillon, COE or Rowing Canada while I was meandering about, who updated me on the next bit before the official announcement came out as we had an important part in making it happen.
Community Rowing
RCA recently announced the reception of a $885,000 grant from the federal government to assist in furthering community rowing programs. The only national sport organization to be awarded this funding, I would like to think that FCRC had an integral part in creating the story to obtain this funding. By working with Sonja at Rowing BC to help make some of the work suitable for a template that could be repeated elsewhere hopefully other rowing clubs will be able to find their own success in making people who did not know they were welcome come to realize that rowing is about the best community you could hope for.
And the next day, RCA had opened up a grant program to get this off the ground (22 pages of joy). Along with a Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities Grant due shortly, perhaps there are some more success stories coming our way soon.
I don't know if this is the moment we look to see if there is a way to fund a roof, or get a quad that we can use for lessons (with the pontoons we bought earlier).
What do Cairo & Deep Cove have in common?
Well, it's nice to see a government taking care of dilapidated boats within their city limits. It would be nice if it was here, but it wasn't: Cairo beats us. Others 1, Vancouver 0.
North Vancouver would be another government actually doing something about their waterway. Updated score: Others 2, Vancouver 0. Without getting into the Gorge Waterway, Bowen Island, and elsewhere.
It's not like there isn't a group like the Dead Boat Disposal Society to do the needful.
Interesting that in the Gorge Waterway case in Victoria, that "The court also ruled that boaters' right to anchor doesn't extend to permanent or semi-permanent occupation of public space for private purposes." It's not that I have any hope of addressing homelessness, drug addiction, mental health issues or whathaveyou, but having a clear and safe navigation channel helps us all out. There is lots of room in False Creek (although yes there would be a lot more if they hadn't filled in from Main Street to Clark) for a structured anchorage as well as a route to get at it.
Looking east from Main Street, before Covid & Spanish Flu
(https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/history/amazing-panorama-photos-capture-false-creek-more-than-100-years-ago-photos-5183520)
55+ Games
The rowing portion of the Games will be held on the Gorge Waterway on Wednesday, September 14th. The racing format is a series of 500m sprints in the categories of Men's/Women's Singles, Men's/Women's Doubles, and Mixed Doubles, seperated into the age categories of 50-59, 60-64, 65+. As a participant, you will represent your geographical zone of the province. Medals are provided to the winners of each age/boat class, as well as for the zone with the highest overall results. Participation is easy! There is NO ENTRY FEE and EQUIPMENT IS PROVIDED FOR YOU! That's a pretty luxury regatta experience :)
Details are here: https://55plusbcgames.org/sports/rowing/
Cascadia Regatta starts Friday
The fun starts next Friday in Delta: I suspect this is the first big Masters regatta on the West Coast this year (the US Rowing North West Masters had a late cancellation a few weeks back). https://www.regattacentral.com/regatta/?job_id=7785&org_id=1246 I suspect they could use volunteers if you have time, and I know they could use safety boats and engines if you have them laying about.
Hail and boats
I suspect that the folks at the French National Rowing Championships were thinking that covered boat storage would be useful in case of hail. If there weren't thinking about it before, they are likely thinking about it now. https://youtu.be/SnueNKZ7hMM I know I am after 300 boats got damaged being outside.
Being dull
Imagine making calendars of traffic circles! https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/jun/17/experience-i-am-the-dullest-man-in-britain Thank goodness it wasn't about rowing.
Treasurer
We need someone please to do this. I can teach you the basics, but it can't be me doing this too. If you have a sense of order, understand that payroll absolutely needs to be processed on time, can work with a web based bookkeeping solution that automates most processes please contact me.
Province of BC - Gaming Capital Grant Announcement
I've left it too long from the last newsletter: I can't remember if we had a section announcing the Province of BC choosing the False Creek Rowing Club for a Community Gaming Capital Grant... anyhow, we were, and they chose to host their announcement with us, which was kinda neat. I was there on work time so I got paid to be there, which is always a bonus, and Caitlin and Sally where there making the place presentable as well.
Thank you very much to Brenda Bailey, the MLA for False Creek for helping recognize our community efforts and helping make this happen in this part of False Creek. Several boats have been ordered: some have arrived, as have the oars, with more to come...
https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2022MUNI0031-000808
Ghost of AGM past
At the annual general meeting, which was held at 3 in the morning BST June 16th (or 7 pm June 15th pacific time) we went over the usual governance stuff. Such as: where did the money come from? We know it mostly went to equipment, coaching and rent (because what else is there really?). Anyhow, this is a summary of money that wasn't a result of programming income:
- Province of BC Community Gaming Funding: $10,500.00 (leases, coaching)
- Province of BC Community Gaming Capital Grant: $96,418.00 (new boats)
- BC Amateur Sport Fund: $32,300.00 (new boats)
- Government of Canada\Canada Summer Jobs: $13,974.00 (coaching)
- Rowing Canada Aviron – Covid Relief Part 2: $3,000.00
- Rowing Canada Aviron – Grow Rowing: $30,000.00 (equipment & programming) Selected by RCA in FY2021, Paid in FY2022
- Canadian Tire – Jump Start: $1,772.09 (coach boat)
- Canadian Tire – Jump Start: $4,500.00 (coaching)
- ViaSport sport recovery: $5,000.00
Additionally, for FY2023 FCRC has received the following:
- Rowing Canada Aviron – Covid Relief Part 3: $2,450.00 (pontoons)
- Hudson Boat Works (value in kind): about $1,900.00 (shirts)
- BC Amateur Sport Fund: $850.00 (coach boat SP12)
- Government of Canada\Canada Summer Jobs: $11,271.00 (to date)
Elections:
- President: Simon Litherland was appointed for another year.
- Captain: Sam Roberts (2 year term)
- Secretary: Lauren Isbister (2nd year of 2 year term)
- Member at Large - Membership: Kathleen Duddy (2 year term)
- Member at Large - Membership Bridge: Audrey Tsai (2 year term)
- Member at Large - Culture, Health & Safety Officer: Don Marshall (2 year term)
- Member at Large - Community Programming: Carolyn Oliver (2nd year of 2 year term)
Photos from my trip
for those of you that didn't know, I was away for a 5 week vacation. These are a few of my favourites of that trip. You don't have to look, but I haven't had a trip that long since 1994 and I have become quite keen on this "not working" business.
 
My temporary chateau on Hornby, and an Arbutus Tree on Hornby Island's Helliwell Provincial Park
 
Plaque on the family bench in Tribune Bay Provincial Park, boating with my brother (can you tell?) in Amsterdam
 
Hot, dry and beige: must be Malta! My cousin Ruth's dog Abby and her admirers.
 
Carolyn & Heather from FCRC to the left, and a Motley Crew (some from FCRC) on the right at Henley Royal.
 
Adele concert in Hyde Park and my lush garden when I got home. Apparently it rained while I was gone?
Terry Paul - new Provincial Coach
The next bit is shamelessly ripped off a Rowing BC newsletter... Rob Richards is moving to Eastern Canada and is being replaced by Terry Paul who has been working with Rowing Canada for a while with National Team development. He's been good to me, even if we disagreed on the assignment of bow numbers at the RCA National Championships a few years back. (I think I wanted more gaps between groups and he wanted them to be continuous). Anyhow, he's a good dude, and I think he brings some street credibility to the role.
Terry Paul has a long history in the sport of rowing as an athlete and a coach. Terry competed for Canada as a coxswain at two Olympic Games, winning a gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. Terry has coached internationally for Switzerland and Canada with extensive experience in athlete development. Terry has coached at 5 Olympic Games, 17 Senior World Championships and 7 U23 World Championships. Rowing BC is excited to have Terry in the role of Director of Performance, and looks forward to seeing the performance side of our sport thrive in BC under Terry's leadership.
"I am looking forward to supporting Team BC in the lead-up to the Canada Summer Games. We had a great group of athletes working hard over the weekend in the selection camp." Terry went on to say, "I'm particularly excited about the new Provincial Performance Centre in Langford. It's such a great opportunity to be getting involved now at its beginning."
Terry will be responsible for getting the Rowing BC Provincial Training Centre started, with the inaugural group of athletes starting to train out of the Langford site this September, 2022. While Terry's primary focus will be the development of younger athletes on the Performance Pathway, he will also be responsible for ensuring the entire Performance System in BC is going a long way to meet the needs of all participants, including by exploring recommendations coming from the Rowing BC Competition Review.
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