FCRC Update: January 20, 2023.
Egad. The calendar has flipped over to a new year. Having only written 3 cheques in the past decade it's not the problem it once was. However: onward!
Welcome to Alex
FCRC received a grant from Rowing Canada Aviron last year to do a couple of things. One of those things was to hire a Community Rowing Program Coordinator. So, starting earlier in January Alex Clinton has joined FCRC to help with that role, that role being to prepare our programming offerings this coming year for the groups that haven't previously been well represented in the rowing community. And no, we aren't going to give her a net to go out like the bad guy in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, but basically it is to work with people like Sonja at Rowing BC, and the neighbouring clubs to do our best to provide a program we can be proud of. And no I don't have a picture. I was going to rip from from social media but I wasn't sure if I got the right Alex.
Alex will be at the RCA Semi Annual Meeting in Victoria in the Community Stream. If you are there please say hello. She is new to the rowing world and some of our strange and unusual ways. She may have a FCRC shirt on, but I only got her one so don't spill anything on her...
Booking for Paris 2024
So if you are going to the Paris Olympics and watching the good folks on the National Team do us proud, you need to sign up for the ticket lottery and you need a place to stay. Seeing as AirBnB is an Olympic Worldwide Partner you might want to look into getting a place sooner than later. I found a place near the lake for about $800 for the week. I had a bit of a hiccup last week with the reservation, but it seems to have settled down. I know prices were a bit loopy in Japan last time but so far things haven't gone crazy yet. The closest train station to the course is in Torcy, France and the rowing is July 28th to August 4th. After that, you can head over to Versaille and watch the horses frolic from August 4th to 7th for the equestrian stuff. Make sure you put in 2024 or there will be tears.
Launching Your Boat in a King Tide
It seems when the tide gets close to 15 feet, everyone gets to wet launch. Please check the tides before you row to see what kind of footwear you are going to want to wear... because once it's saltwater wet, you are going to want to clean it properly... this coming Saturday there is a 15.9' or 4.9 metre tide. And later in the week it's over 16'.
https://www.tides.gc.ca/en/stations/7735 Watch out for logs that are going to float off the beaches and into your course.
TrueKit Boats
So we bought a new engine and I am thinking that at some point we might think about getting an inflatable - they work better in the waves and if you are trying to climb into it, there's a lot less bruising than with our otherwise excellent Marlon jon boats. I am thinking https://truekit.net/ from New Zealand. I think the paddlers have one at Burnaby Lake. I also like the Strykers that Vancouver College has which are made locally. Seems like a visit to the Boat Show is in order in the beginning of February... I hope they have mini-donuts.
Beat The Beast - February 4th, 2023
Registration is open for the Beat The Beast on Saturday February 4th https://www.regattacentral.com/regatta/?job_id=8211 - it's not even Superbowl weekend, so you won't be interrupting your tapering for that major event. Please register yourselves for this one. Just drink enough water in the days leading up to it so that you are well hydrated before you start racing.
Songs to Erg by
- Goo Goo Muck by the Cramps - it's got the energy for dancing, should be good for erging...
- Two Tribes by Frankie Goes to Hollywood - for when you are in touch with the others in the Beat The Beast
- California Dreaming by Sia - for that hard spot between 100 and 1500 metres where the world is collapsing
- Strange Game by Mick Jagger for when you realize that you've gone out a bit fast.
Rowing versus Other Sports
There was a bit of a conversation at Rolf's place this past weekend. When asked why he got into rowing, Ignacia said it was because "I hate running, I just want to sit on my ass and feel I've exercised." This coming from a guy who learned to row on the Mayan canals somewhere in the south end of Mexico. He's got my vote.
Cross Country Skiing
So, there be snow in the hills. If you are looking for the Cross Country experience, or a workout, I would recommend contacting Cypress and seeing if you can set up private lessons with Jeff Parkhouse up on Cypress: https://cypressmountain.com/lessons/private-lessons. Jeff coached with us in the mornings this past fall and everyone who was in the program had some truly good things to say about him, the attitude he brings and the attention they got.
Somewhere to Erg
Having a place to erg in a group and then be able to hang about with people who couldn't actually see your screen is something that clubs like the Vancouver Rowing Club, Victoria City, Thunder and many other clubs have that we don't. Yes: facility envy. We have bridges and you don't.
I have made a few inquiries - not having that option for us is holding back our ability to keep people entertained throughout the year. More news on this later. Don't bet on it this year but hopefully next.
At some point our programming will look like this. And space is at a premium in this town.
RCA Fundraiser for Athletes
There is a fundraising website to help provide gift cards to athletes at the National Training Centre... you may have seen the emails just before Christmas. They have yet to meet their goal but they are $20,000 of the way there. If you are in a position to help, whether $10, a $100 or more, it all helps feed people doing things that make us all proud to be part of this sport. https://fundrazr.com/fuelourathletes Please remember that while we spend a lot of time on community rowing and public access at FCRC, we are doing so by standing on the coat tails of our national team: as a sport, they are our champions and friends.
Cool Rowing Videos
It came to my attention recently while getting out of bed that I am extraordinarily old and there are things that I may have seen 20 years ago that you kids today just don't know. It sort of works with the stuff above. Kevin Light made a number of videos back when he was on the national team.
Board Retreat
The first Saturday in January found us at Carol's place coming to a consensus on directions we need to pursue, and who's going to do them. It was pretty cool because my name wasn't on the bottom of many of the lists. Thank you to our Board members for all showing up, being part of it and being engaged: Audrey, Kathleen, Sam, Lauren, Nina, Wenqi, Cal and Don. And especially Carol for hosting us and keeping things continually moving forward. Our work focused on things like:
- Community Engagement (working with partners in other saltwater sports here in Vancouver, rowing organizations nearby as well as opportunities around us)
- Infrastructure (locations, equipment and facilities)
- Role of the Board (representing our members, and the community around us)
- Engaging the Membership (to provide meaningful experiences and improve retention)
- Programming (expanding to fill the opportunities and requests that we currently have)
- Financial Stability (creating a platform that sustains us in the future)
Donation of an erg
Longtime FCRC follower and just generally amazing person Nancy donated her RowPerfect erg to FCRC. It's currently in my parkade at the moment (I already have a WaterRower that I don't use in my apartment). We are going to need it for things we've got planned this summer: thank you Nancy - you are a star.
She also gave us some skookum Railblaza C-Tug wheels for use with the WaveCutters so people can roll them down to the beach on their own - the boats are a bit heavy to lug down by yourself and this will help make things easier for people launching without assistance.
FCRC Elections in June
One of the things that came up in Board Retreat is that people are anticipating that at some point I will not be president anymore. Not today, or tomorrow, but some future undeclared point. I figured that if I put in enough links to inappropriate youtube videos (i.e. here, here or here) someone would stand up and say "sooner", but no such luck so far. Our AGM is in mid-June. Please start considering how you can help make this place better: it might be on a committee rather than being on the board itself. Perhaps participating in or helping with our, and the neighbour's, regattas, building stuff in the compound, volunteering with programming this summer... Rowing isn't a commodity that you can buy off the shelf. If it was, it would be 3 or 4 times the price. We can go there, but having a vibrant membership is a better place.
Saltwater Sports Vancouver
This past Monday I was in a meeting with the sailing, paddling, swimming and rowing organizations that operate on English Bay, Coal Harbour and False Creek. We all agreed there was a value to having a continuing conversation and are making plans to have a "Big Splash" to bring attention to the needs we have as sports in order to be as successful as field, ice and pool sports. The conversation centred on a few topics that we supported as a group:
- The Pier at the Jericho Sailing Centre needs to be rebuilt.
- Ocean water quality needs to improve in order to improve accessibility and safety.
- Infrastructure, storage and facilities that support water sport use are insufficient to the need.
- There needs to be a long term strategy to encourage Vancouverites to access the ocean through swimming, lifeguarding, to participating our sports (whether for recreation or competition).
The only difference between Vancouver and Hawaii is wetsuits. We have an opportunity being a coastal city with accessible beaches that very few other have. More to come.
Blazers or "Piping and Striping"
We have a conundrum: what to wear when not rowing. How shall our people define who they are? I've been noticing that there are kids from local First Nations that are wearing, and proud of, jackets that declare who they are: I like the sense of pride they have in that. In terms of rowing, some clubs prefer to look like waiters in fine restaurants. I am thinking that we need something that allows us to find our confederates when attending functions and events. We certainly don't want to look like the sort of people that give cigarettes to children (we don't).
the current version. The iterative design process progressing from "distinctive" through "could wear to the opening of parliament". There are versions that looked very promising until our design expert Roberto noticed that jackets with stripes are never seen with piping. Ever. Or in England: "ev-ah" dashing our hopes for the following:
The early versions: the classic on the far right still has much to recommend it in terms of simplicity. And if someone hands you the keys of their Maserati thinking you are the restaurant's valet: ownership in 9/10th the law... ("I thought it was a gift, your honour").
There are lots of firms that will create bespoke blazers costing a substantial sum:
https://www.club-blazers.com/index.html has the ability to generate designs such the ones above and is much more modestly priced. I suspect that they are made from man-made fibres, but I suspect that if the lining of your $1,000 blazer is a man made material, it's going to feel (and possibly smell) much like being a large wooly bear covered in a garbage bag in any case. However, they should not be worn during boat burnings or you might never get it off.
And if we can get the RCA Rules of Racing to be amended to allow umpires to wear their club blazer (rule 11.10, page 63), that'll make for more opportunities to actually wear it.
RCA Conference & Semi Annual Meeting
There are a lot of conversations around the governance of Rowing Canada at the moment. I know there are other clubs that read this newsletter and we all know there will, and should be, a lot of passionate debate around the motions at the Special Meeting of RCA. Regardless of what perspective you have on the matter, could I ask that you please be respectful in how you treat each other, particularly the staff and national team members at RCA. We all want the best things to happen, so please keep in mind that I suspect everyone is trying to achieve the same thing even if we aren't advocating for the same path.
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