Safety Council of Northwest Ohio's 44^th Annual Hero Awards Banquet

This is the story about the selfless and courageous actions of a mixed 8 from St. Ursula Academy and St. John's Jesuit High School at the 2010 annual American Heritage River Regatta on the Detroit River in Wyandotte, MI - edited from the script read by the Master of Ceremonies, Jerry Anderson.

The weather was already inclement and cold.  It became increasingly windy with white capped waves getting progressively larger.  On the way to the starting line the SUA/SJJ team heard the competing Pioneer High School team's frantic yells and screams.  When they looked back, they saw that the other team's boat had swamped leaving their crew up to its armpits in the cold water.  The SUA/SJJ's realized that there were no rescue boats near so they turned to assist.  First thing they did was get the panicking Pioneer team to calm down and listen.  SUA/SJJ dissuaded Pioneer rowers from leaving their boat and trying to swim to the distant shore.  That could have had deadly outcomes. SUA/SJJ made room and pulled two of the Pioneer rowers from the swamped boat into the SUA/SJJ boat and gave them some of their clothing to keep warm.  They stayed with the swamped Pioneer team, keeping them calm, until a rescue boat finally arrived, then rowed back to shore with 11 people in a boat built for nine.  Their training, experience, and teamwork served them well in getting them all safely back to shore without further incident.  An incredible accomplishment.

This is a direct quote from the citation: "The combined St. Ursula and St. John's Jesuit mixed rowing team won the real competition that day; they saved lives!!!!!!"

At that point Hollis Dana, Gabrielle Mancy,  Jessica Cetnar, Emma Miller, John Nowicki, Kevin Long, Garret Navarette, Malek Atassi, and Eline Vermeulen, were each given the "2011 Award of Heroism" - plaques recognizing them for what they did that day.

Two Masters Rowers row in Oklahoma City    

Masters rowers Sandy Earl and Mary Lynn Reynolds attended the National High Performance Center's first Masters Rowing Camp, April 8 - 10 in Oklahoma City and filed this report:  "Part of NHPC is the brand new Devon Boathouse, a state-of-the-art facility housing the National Lightweight Rowing Team operations.  It has recently been named as the national adaptive rowing center, too.  This will be the site for the 2011 USRowing Masters National Championship, August 11 - 14.  The adjacent Chesapeake boathouse is the OKC community's rowing center. (http://riversportokc.org/360tour/) The entire Riversport district is a multi-million dollar project in the works for the future of Oklahoma City. 

There were 40 masters rowers in attendance, both sweepers and scullers, and they came from all over the country:  Spokane, Austin, Boston, Washington, DC, Minnesota, Kansas City, and Toledo. Friday afternoon, after paperwork and boat assignments, they headed out for an inaugural row.  The High Performance athletes were coaching from launch boats. 

Mary Lynn Reynolds, boathouse manager is second from right in the front row.   Sandy Earl is behind Mary Lynn between the blue t-shirt and the black t-shirt.

Saturday's schedule was filled with an early row, weight-lifting, balance and stretching exercises, indoor rowing tank, an endless pool and a chance to use the Devon facilities.  There is a high altitude room, dozens of rowing machines including one that was modified to measure balance on the seat and tilted this way or that in response to uneven pressure.  Wearing a cap with a small video camera we erged.  It allowed us to see ourselves erg from the side and address our technique.  A favorite event was a discussion with Bryan Volpenhein, member of the 2004 gold medal and 2008 bronze medal US Olympic teams.  His talk was down-to-earth and specific to our interests and training issues.  He talked about the moment of commitment in a race and how training and attitude bring rowers to that moment time and again.  We finished the afternoon with rowing, hoping to put the things we learned and discussed into the boat.  We ended the evening with a dinner with fellow campers.

The camp ended on Sunday morning with timed race pieces.  Ours was the only 8 so we raced our own time in a 1000m stretch.  It had been awhile since we sprinted but after a high rate of 34, we settled at 31.  Managing the wind proved more difficult than the row but we had an experienced, positive coxswain for the morning."

The Doors on the Boathouse   

How many have wondered what the designs on the outside of the seven doors are all about?  How many even know there is a boathouse in International Park?  People heading to the Docks are usually focused on their destination or perhaps looking back across the river at the skyline.  But, yes, folks, there is a 12,500 square foot boathouse on the left as you enter International Park from the MLK Bridge.  So what of those designs?  They are some of the international signal flags which are carried by every ship at sea.  The ones on the TRC boathouse spell T-O-L-E-D-O.  So now you know.  Next time you want to toss out some trivia . . . .  

TRC BH 3 center doors - the letters L, E, and D

Opportunities to learn to row    

Saturday, 4 June from 0813 until 1218, the Philip LeBoutillier, Jr. Memorial Boathouse will be open for National Learn To Row Day.  Get introduced to the lifetime sport of rowing by trying it out under safe, supervised conditions.  It's FREE!  How can you beat that? Give it a try. 

The following Monday, 6 June at 1728 (5:28 pm for you land lubbers) join Toledo Rowing Club's experienced coaching staff for SumPro, the start of the 8-week period during which participants can learn to sweep (one oar per person) and/or to scull (two oars per person).  For more information and to register go to www.toledorowing.org and click on Learn to Row.

Learn to row - students roll a boat from overhead down

toward the water

On Monday morning, 11 June, summer rowing camp for youngsters age 11 to 14 will start at 0900 and run until noon each day.  Five days a week for two weeks.  For more information and to register go to www.toledorowing.org and click on Learn to Row, scroll down to TRC Youth Rowing Camp.

What shape do rowers come in?    

Round is a shape!  Rowers come in all shapes, sizes, and levels of conditioning.  Typically those who weigh less than 110 pounds are "recruited" to be coxswains (cox'ns).  They are the mouthy little people who steer the boat and act as the on board coach and motivator of the rowers.  Most coxed racing shells have the coxswain sitting in the stern of the shell.  Some racing shells do not have a cox'n; that boat is steered by one of the rowers by rotating one of his feet on the heel thereby pulling on the tiller rope.  Newer four person racing shells - with cox'n - have that person lying down in the bow with his/her head just barely visible above the splash guard.

If you would like to help Nick Carlson, go HERE to learn how you can help him and Toledo Rowing Club complete the project.

What does a typical Spring schedule look like?     

The season starts as soon after the ice leaves the river that the docks can be installed in the lagoon (the lagoon dock) and the river (the river dock).  For spring 2011 the schedule looks like this: 2 April - Rustbelt Regatta on Lake Milton; 10 April - Dossin Maritime Museum Regatta on the Detroit River; 16 April - Hoover Invitational on Hoover Reservoir/Westerville; 23 April - Ann Arbor; 30 April - Dual duels in Skokie, IL; 7 May - St. Mary's Prep Regatta on Orchard Lake, MI; 14/15 May - Midwest Scholastic Rowing Association Championships on Harsha Lake east of Cincinnati;  21/22 May - Midwest Junior Rowing Association Championships on Harsha Lake east of Cincinnati; 26/27 May - Scholastic Rowing Association of America National Championships in Camden, NJ

The Hoover Invitational was cancelled after only a few heats due to unsafe rowing conditions.  It was a disappointment to the high school clubs which were looking forward to their first competition.

What is the story behind the adaptive rowing program?       

Jim "the Lord of Rowing" Reisig, affectionately known as "Roller Grump" was instrumental in starting a program for physically challenged individuals.  Rowing is a great exercise for the blind with a sighted partner, for those whose legs do not function normally, and for those who need help getting in and out of a boat, but who, once in the boat, can row well.  Toledo Rowing Club has boats specially equipped so as to be extra stable, providing a platform from which an individual may row without fear of falling in the water.  When we send these folks out on the water, they are accompanied by a safety launch with an experienced coach.  So, not only are they on a stable platform, they are accompanied by someone to teach them to row who is in a properly equipped and manned safety launch.    

Adaptive - white banana-shaped stabilizers attached to the rowing shell to insure that the boat does not tip.

Please consider a donation to the Toledo Rowing Foundation.  

Your contribution provides college scholarships as well as support for youth and adult rowers. The foundation is a 501 (c) 3 organization, so all gifts are tax deductible.

Please forward donations to:  

Toledo Rowing Foundation

Attn: Virginia Keller

PO Box 8072

Toledo, OH 43605-8072.