Weekly News and Announcements
October 26, 2005

COACHING SCHEDULE, 10/31-11/6

Sweep Coaching
Monday, 10/31 - Bernadette & Sarah (6 - 7:30 p.m.)
Tuesday, 11/1 - Cristin & Scott (6 - 7:30 p.m.)
Wednesday, 11/2 - Scott & Sarah (6 - 7:30 p.m.)
Thursday, 11/3 - Kevin & Crystal (6 - 7:30 p.m.)
Friday, 11/4 - Cristin (6 - 7:30 p.m.)
Sunday, 11/6 - TBA (Wyandotte Regatta)

DON'T FORGET YOUR TICKETS TO THE END OF THE YEAR CELEBRATION

Have you heard the one about the crashing waves at Frogtown? How about stories of Ron W. walking up to complete strangers at the grocery store to recruit for rowing? Well ... you can hear all these stories and more at this year's end of the year celebration! Tickets are now on sale (www.a2crew.com) for this year's event on Nov. 13 from 3-5pm at the Gladwin Center Barn. A sample of our appetizing delights on the day's menu include: lemongrass & ginger chicken sticks, organic black bean & fresh cilantro quesadillas, Moroccan couscous, lovely pastries, as well as a warm apple cider. Come celebrate another great season and hear all the exciting stories with the whole crew - we look forward to seeing you there!

CALL FOR INTEREST FOR WINTER ERGING PROGRAM

AARC hopes to run a Winter Erg Training Program again this off-season. Sessions would be held at the Boathouse, which, by the way, is unheated; last year this condition did not daunt us. Erg training is more fun with a group! We gather, get the workout details, turn on the music, and go to it. Bring a dog, if it's mellow, and a CD which is not mellow, and layers of clothing. You will heat up.

The plan is to learn (or re-learn) how to use the erg as a fitness and training tool for rowing. Each night will have a workout which is part of a development program that will run throughout the winter. Over the course of the winter workouts will increase in duration and intensity; they are intended to be demanding, and periodic progress testing will be held. Some sessions will be supervised by AARC coaches. They will instruct in proper technique, explain and lead workouts, and otherwise motivate us to improve. If you do this program, and take it seriously, your fitness level will improve and you will gain a deeper understanding of some basic elements of on-water rowing (slide control, ratio, power application, to name a few).

We anticipate beginning this program in the second part of November, and running through March of next year. Last year practices ran Monday-Friday from 6 to 7 PM, and Sundays from 4 to 5 PM. We have some flexibility in this regard, depending on interest. We hope that individuals will commit ahead of time to at least two sessions per week. Last year we had two committed groups who worked out for most of the five month period; one on MWF and the other TTHSu; many participants did three per week. If there is sufficient interest we may be able to develop separate workout plans and schedule times for the "committed groups" and for other drop-in participants so as to meet the needs of both groups.

We all understand that we will have times we cannot make it, and may even be out of town for a week or two. We did, however, have some very fun Holiday rows (Thanksgiving morning, Dec 23, and New Year's Eve) for the very hardy and the very odd.

Since we have limited equipment (8 ergs), this program will be run with a sign-up process for the committed groups; drop-ins cannot be guaranteed a seat with the committed groups, and the shorter workout time precludes switchouts. The sign-ups will generally run one month at a time with weekly updates. There will be a cost to participate in this program, to cover coaching, equipment, and facility costs. Last year we had a monthly fee for some and a per-session fee for others.

If members are interested in participating in this program, or have any questions, please contact Sarah Marsh at marsh.sk@gmail.com. I would like to hear from members as to whether they would be interested in being part of a committed group or a drop-in participant. I also want to hear from members who have thoughts on sessions times and scheduling. This is not a specific sign-up call. More details will be forthcoming in the next two weeks.

IMPORTANT SAFETY ANNOUNCEMENT

The Board has recently been advised of a sexual assault that occurred in Bandemer Park. The safety of our rowers is a primary concern of this club. Please stay alert and watch out for one another. If you see any suspicious behavior, contact the police immediately. We also suggest using the buddy system at all times. Please consider walking to your car with another rower or stay in well lit, populated areas.

Police Emergency: 911
Police Non-emergency: 994-2911

Thank you.
Lora Freeman, Safety Officer

AARC WELL REPRESENTED AT ORA EVENT

Cheers, kudos, and many thanks go out to Tricia Miranda, Michelle Nemshak, Joyce Lai, Ilyssa & Noel Cimmino, and Pat Shumate for joining me in welcoming the Oakland Rowing Club to the Michigan rowing world! We joined rowing forces with the ORA ladies, as well as some from DBC and took a spin around Cass Lake in a wooden shell, circa 1980. Michelle, Joyce, and Pat deserve special thanks for agreeing to the row, which included a beach launch/landing (what? we need to WADE out to the boat?!) and a cox-box-less trip (weigh enough in 2, pass it on!). The rain held off for about an hour (you know, until we got nice and far from shelter), but that didn't put a damper on the celebratory picnic that the ORA rowers had prepared for us all! Thanks again to those who came out and represented AARC well! -- margaret

AARC'S MEN'S 8+ AT HEAD OF THE CHARLES

It was a blast! Weather was great Friday for the row out. Sat was cooler cloudy and became breezy at the start, the basin had lots of rollers and the rain started to spit before we entered the chute. We started in between Three Rivers and the Naval Academy Masters. It smoothed out after the first bridge but we could see Navy walking, they started with a lot of high strokes as did most of the boats ahead. Kevin had planned a move in the middle; we started to walk away from Navy by the end of the first mile. Pam started calling for power to pass a boat before the Weeks Bridge (or JFK?). We moved past them and she got the inside for the turn. From there it was a battle of coxswains Pam did a good job steering and we closed on TRRA ( they were 40+ sec. faster than us at HOTO). We could not believe how quickly the three miles flew by. With the winning masters 8 time as fast as the winning club 8 time (this is abnormal - a more typical result was seen in the women's club and masters 8s, where the winning club 8 time was 60 seconds faster than the winning masters boat), only the first four finishers went fast enough to earn a guaranteed entry for next year. It was a great experience, we learned a lot!

CALENDAR

Saturday, October 29: Speakmon, Columbus
Saturday, November 5: Argo Park Cleanup
Sunday, November 6: Wyandotte
Tuesday, November 8: AARC Board Meeting
Sunday, November 13: AARC End of the Year Party
Tuesday, December 13: AARC Board Meeting

ITEMS FOR THE WEEKLY NEWS

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