News and Announcements

 

Weekly News and Announcements
March 22, 2006

ANNOUNCING 2006 PROGRAMMING

The Board is pleased to announce AARC's program offerings for the 2006 season. Some things have changed, some have remained the same, and hopefully all have been improved. Check out the details for your favorite programs on the AARC webpage. You can browse our list of program offerings by going to http:/www.a2crew.com/programs/index.html -- and if you have any questions, email aarc-info@umich.edu or attend the open house on Sunday, April 2.

NEW FEE PAYMENT STRUCTURE FOR 2006

The board has decided to switch to a monthly fee payment system for the 2006 season. That means the old seasonal system we used--spring, summer, and fall--is no more. Now all rowers can buy participation in rowing programs on a month-by-month basis. The monthly fee system has two important advantages for the club:

  • Monthly fees will mean increased flexibility for all rowers: monthly payment will allow you to better tailor your rowing season around vacations, work, health issues, etc.
  • Monthly fees will mean easier administration for the volunteers who run the club. The new scheme will allow those volunteers to better track payment status and ensure that everyone's rowing when and where they're supposed to be rowing. LTR graduates and members with special needs can now be well served by the club without complex prorating schemes.

Under this new system, a printout of paid-up rowers will be posted at the boathouse on the first of every month. If you're on the list, you row. If you're not, you don't. Simple as that! So it's even more important that everyone pay their dues on time. Furthermore, there won't be any prorating of months, so if you want to row at all in a given calendar month, you need to register online by the first.

Of course, you can still pay for the whole year. There's even a slight discount for doing so, which reflects the fact that our SPORG administrative costs are lower when our rowers pay a bigger chunk of money at a time. Even if you're not going to pay for the whole year, we ask that you pay for as many months as possible at once to save the club those precious administrative fees.

Any questions? Email aarc-info@umich.edu. Take a moment, register online, and we'll see you on the water in April.

2006 ADULT SWEEP PROGRAMS

AARC will continue our tradition of providing sweep rowing programming for a broad spectrum of individuals with various levels of skill, fitness, and training goals. In accomplishing this, the 2006 programs have an updated look and focus. New for 2006, we will be both expanding and refining the program goals for those rowers that are just forming their rowing technique (formerly Novice Rowing program), and for those rowers who wish to dedicate themselves to more intense training throughout the season (formerly Advanced Competitive Program). Read on for more info!

  • The Open Rowing program has traditionally encompassed the largest group of rowers in the club, and is the bread and butter of our programs. All rowers in the Open Rowing program will receive dedicated coaching for improvement in rowing technique as well as personal fitness. We will continue to offer coached rowing practices both in the mornings and evenings throughout the week, and will continue the weekend workout on all non-regatta weekends during the entire season.
  • The Basic Skills Development program is the newly named and updated program designed to continue the technique-focused instruction of the Learn-to Row program. This program is not only appropriate for rowers who have recently graduated from LTR, but is also appropriate for any rower who stands to benefit from the focus on development of good rowing technique, regardless of their past rowing experience. The Basic Skills Program will officially begin in June; rowers appropriate for this program wishing to row in the spring will be incorporated into the Open Rowing Program for April and May.
  • The Intensive Training program (ITP) is intended for members who want to dedicate themselves to intense conditioning and training, above and beyond the Open Rowing program's workouts. This program has replaced the Advanced Competitive program from previous summers and is intended to include rowers from that program as well as the top tier of rowers who have traditionally participated in the Open Rowing program. ITP coached workouts will take place both in the mornings and evenings. All rowers wishing to participate in the ITP are expected to meet a minimum skill and fitness level as determined by the coaching staff of AARC, and are expected to commit to a minimum of 3 on-the-water workouts/week. The goal of this program is to grow a pool of rowers who comprise multiple boats for side-by side workouts/competition in practice, allowing for training for regional and national competitions in primarily masters events.

This is just a brief glimpse of the 2006 sweep rowing programs. Please go to our website at http://www.a2crew.com/programs/index.html and read the complete program descriptions for all the details regarding participation, practices, lineups, and coaching, to find out which program is a match for you!

See you on the water in April!

Carly Gomez Fifer
AARC Adult Sweep Program Manager

STILL TIME TO REGISTER FOR BEER TASTING

Don't forget to come out to the Third Annual Ann Arbor Rowing Club Beer Tasting Social Fundraiser!

Thanks for the huge response to this year's beer tasting. For those of you who are still thinking about coming out there is still time to pre-register on-line since the deadline has been extended to Thursday, March 23. Don't forget to tell your friends and circulate the attached flier.

  • What: The club's beer-tasting gives everyone a chance to reconnect with their rowing friends and make new ones in preparation for the start of the 2006 season, while helping AARC earn some extra cash.
  • When: 5-7 p.m. Sunday, March 26
  • Where: Arbor Brewing Company, 114 E. Washington in downtown Ann Arbor
  • Cost: $20 per person. The cost includes a sampling of 7-12 beers as well as an appetizer buffet.
  • RSVP: To help us with planning to ensure this will be a success, please register using this link (or from www.a2crew.com) by the extended deadline of March 23. Don't be left out!

Tickets will also be sold at the door, but please help us out by pre-registering!

If you can't make it to this year's fundraising event, please consider making a donation to the club instead!

OPEN HOUSE FOR 2006 SEASON

Come to AARC's Annual Open House! AARC's Annual Open House will be held from 12:30 - 3:30 pm on Sunday April 2 at the NEW Center building, 1100 North Main St., Ann Arbor, along the banks of the Huron River. The Open House is a terrific opportunity for those who are considering learning to row to get a feel for rowing, ask questions, meet AARC members and get LTR registration information. It's also a great time for returning members to find out more about AARC's 2006 programming and to help welcome new rowers. So mark your calendars, bring your friends, and see what AARC has to offer this upcoming season! And, if you can come, please wear AARC garb to help identify you as a member. (Need AARC garb? Order at http://www.a2crew.com/merch.html)

CALENDAR

Sunday, March 26: AARC Beer Tasting Social Fundraiser
Saturday, April 1: Spring Work Day
Sunday, April 2: 2006 Open House
Saturday, April 8: Spring Work Day
Monday, April 10: First Day of the Season (On the River!)
Tuesday, April 18: AARC Board Meeting
Tuesday, May 9: AARC Board Meeting
Saturday, May 20: National Learn to Row Day
Tuesday, June 13: AARC Board Meeting
Saturday, July 8: Grand Regatta, Grand Rapids
Tuesday, July 11: AARC Board Meeting
Saturday, July 15: Chicago Sprints Regatta, Chicago
Wednesday, July 19 - Sunday, July 23: U.S. National Championship Regatta, Indianapolis, IN
Saturday, July 22: Michigan Club Invitational Regatta, Ann Arbor
Tuesday, August 8: AARC Board Meeting
Tuesday, August 8 - Sunday, August 13: Royal Canadian Henley Regatta, St. Catherines
Thursday, August 10 - Sunday, August 13: USRA Masters Nationals, Seattle, WA
Tuesday, September 12: AARC Board Meeting
Saturday, September 16: Head of the Thames Regatta, London
Monday, September 25: Evening Practice to Start at 6:15 PM
Saturday, October 7: Head of the Ohio Regatta, Pittsburgh
Monday, October 9: Evening Practice to Start at 6:00 PM
Tuesday, October 10: AARC Board Meeting
Saturday, October 14: Frogtown Races, Toledo
Saturday, October 21 - Sunday, October 22: Head of the Charles Regatta, Boston
Saturday, October 28: Speakmon Regatta, Columbus
Sunday, November 5: American Heritage River Fall Classic Regatta, Wyandotte
Sunday, November 5: Last Day of the Fall Season
Sunday, November 12: End of the Year Party
Tuesday, November 14: AARC Board Meeting
Tuesday, December 12: AARC Board Meeting

ITEMS FOR THE WEEKLY NEWS

To submit items for inclusion in the Weekly News, please email Will Mackintosh at wmackintosh@gmail.com by Wednesday morning at 9 AM. Please include the words "weekly email" or "weekly news" in the subject line.

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