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Upcoming Events
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The Columbus Classic
Saturday, 8 October
Westerville
The Speakman
Saturday, 15 October
Griggs Reservoir, Columbus
Head of the Charles Regatta
Saturday, 22, & Sunday, 23 October
Boston
Hamilton Double Dam Regatta
Saturday, 22 October
Hamilton, OH
Blake Haxton Regatta
Saturday, 29 October
Griggs Reservoir, Columbus
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Wish List
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Loan, Donate, or Sponsor a 1-ton pick-up truck to pull the shell trailers to out-of-town regattas.
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Security cameras for the boathouse
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Classifieds
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Please submit
articles, ideas for articles, photos, wish
list items, classified advertisements, et al. to newsletter@toledorowing.org |
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"Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken!" Oscar Wilde
FrogTown Regatta -
All that it was advertised to be
Saturday morning, the 24th, the volunteers were up at 0-dark-thirty to set up the regatta site, place the starting line, warning, and finish line buoys in the river, and greet the rowers who had come to race. It was so dark and foggy that the starting line buoys were placed 500 meters closer to the finish than they should have been. After a three hour fog delay - it was like pea soup! - during which time the starting line buoys were properly positioned, the officials felt it was safe for racing. It turned out to be a beautiful day - flat water, very little wind, and cool temperatures. The competition was pretty fierce. The presenting sponsor - Owens Corning - and the host club put on quite a show of hospitality and class.
The three mile course began about 2.25 miles downstream of the Martin Luther King Bridge. About 1.25 miles into the race the rowers passed under the new I-280 Veterans Memorial Skyway Bridge. They then rowed exactly one mile and passed under the Martin Luther King Bridge.
The next leg for the rowers was to pass between the red and green navigation buoys in front of Owens Corning's galactic headquarters; from that point 250 meters to the bow of the recently renamed Colonel Schoonmaker - formerly called the SS Willis B. Boyer; and the final stretch - the length of the ship - about 225 meters more - to the finish line.
The Local Organizing Committee under the leadership of the Toledo Rowing Club's own dynamic duo, Ann and Tom Broderick, assembled a day full of racing and excitement. This year there were 323 boats entered. They were rowed by 1122 participants who put 1842 seats on the water! Your editor had it on good authority that one TRC master rowed in three events: single, double (with his daughter), and a masters' 8. Fortunately, his room at the Toledo Home for the Bewildered has padded walls, and his family is very understanding and supportive. As is the membership of Toledo Rowing Club!
Five states were represented: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania with 30 rowing clubs sending their best to the FrogTown.
This year - aside from the host club, Toledo Rowing Club, which entered 53 boats - Westerville Rowing Club under the leadership of Matt and Trish Chase entered 29 boats; Upper Arlington under the leadership of Head Coach Chris Swartz entered 26 boats; Indianapolis Rowing Club - under Head Coach Jackie Kleinhans had 25 entries; Detroit Boat Club under Dick Bell had 24; and Ann Arbor Pioneer under Rich Griffith had 19. If your editor counts the four clubs that row out of Ann Arbor Rowing Club; i.e., Ann Arbor Huron, Ann Arbor Pioneer, Ann Arbor Skyline, and Ann Arbor Rowing Club, there were 64 entries, so Ann Arbor won the kewpie doll for the most boats entered.
The oldest competitor was Toledo's own Grace Brown. The announcer promised her he would not reveal her age, but she did tell him that sailing with Magellan was not as exciting as it was reported to have been. Grace rowed in event #54 - mixed masters 8 with bow #291.
The oldest male was Ray Jones, who is closing in on the end of his 7th decade. He rowed in the first event with bow # 357 for Detroit BC.
550 male participants with an average age of 19.2 years and 572 female participants with an average age of 19.0 competed in 156 male boat entries, 143 female boat entries, and 24 mixed.
There were 20 men's singles and 9 women's singles; 12 men's doubles and 9 women's doubles; 7 men's pairs and 4 women's pairs; 3 men's quads and 1 women's quad; 62 men's 4's, 69 women's 4's, and 5 mixed 4's; and 52 men's 8's, 51 women's 8's, and 14 mixed 8's.
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Adaptive Rowing at the FrogTown Regatta
"Adaptive" Madolyn Veerkamp of the Indianapolis Rowing Center had just tried rowing for the first time the week before the FrogTown and was so excited about it that she quickly registered to row in the regatta. "I went to my first rowing clinic on Saturday, September 17th, and I fell in love with it. And with the help of Toledo Rowing Club I found a boat and I am here to race in the regatta!" Welcome to the sport of rowing, Madolyn.
Toledo Rowing Club has rowing shells specially equipped to allow the physically challenged to take part in our sport. In the photo, Madolyn is in a rowing shell equipped with extra flotation - looks sort of like the outriggers you see on the big war canoes that race off the shores of Waikiki Beach - being closely watched by Jim Dollman in a safety launch.
RG & Madolyn
Jim "Roller Grump" Reisig, a world champion adaptive rower himself, assisted Madolyn in her preparation for the 1000 meter row. See the article further into the newsletter about volunteering to help with the adaptive program.
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Results for Toledo crews at the Head of the Cuyahoga-Cleveland - 17 Sep 2011
Toledo Rowing Club crews captured eleven medals at the Head of the Cuyahoga regatta on Saturday, 17 September. Anthony Wayne entered 11 boats and won a Gold medal in the Women's 8 in a time of 18:20 over the three mile course. Central Catholic entered 6 boats winning two Bronze medals: Women's Lightweight 4 and Men's Lightweight 4. Notre Dame Academy entered 9 boats with its Lightweight 8 winning a Silver medal. St. John's Jesuit entered 7 boats with the Novice 4 winning a Gold medal in 20:37 and the Novice 8 winning a Bronze. St. Ursula Academy entered 6 boats; the V-4's won Gold (in 20:00) and Bronze medals, the V-8 won a Silver, and the Novice 8 won a Silver. TMRC and the TRC Masters entered 3 and 3 boats respectively and The University of Toledo entered the Men's Open 4.
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Results for TRC crews at the FrogTown - 24 Sep 2011
Anthony Wayne entered 12 boats capturing Gold in the Women's Open Novice 4 and Silver in both the Men's Open Novice 4 and the Men's Open Quad.
Men's Open Quad - Silver Medal
Paul Schaffer, Evan kania, Jimmy Maurer, Todd Stainfield
Women's Open Novice 4 - Gold Medal
Maddi Conway, Madison Marks, Kristal Pushman, Erin Snyder, Emily Helton
Men's Open Novice 4 - Silver Medal
Brendan Vigallon, Mike Despoth, Andrew Puppos, Derek Westmeyer, (Absent: Mike Howard)
Central Catholic entered 7 boats and captured a Bronze in the Women's Open pair. Notre Dame Academy entered 8 boats. St. John's Jesuit entered 9 boats winning a Bronze in the 2nd V-8. St. Ursula Academy entered 6 boats. TMRC entered 3 boats. University of Toledo entered 3 boats and captured a Bronze medal in the Men's Open 4.
TRC entered 5 boats and all five medaled: Gold for the HS mixed 4
Cox: Sydney Kanjuparamban, Stroke: Garret Navarette, Jacob Dollman, Hollis Dana, and Bow: Emily Win
Silver for the mixed Master 4
Cox: Kheti Suvarnisuddi, Stroke: Paul Kortier, Arjun Sabharwal, Krista Foley, and Bow: Kelly Plath
Bronze for Women's Masters 8 
Cox: Hollis Dana, Stroke: Sandy Earl, Melissa Tolson, Ann Broderick, Cindy Dana, Elaine Sheehan, Mary Lynn Reynolds, Karen Owens and Bow: Stephanie Biegala 
Pat Sheehan with his daughter Allie Bronze winners in the mixed double and Pat in the Men's Open Single |
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SJJ 25th Anniversary Celebration
St. John's Jesuit High School rowing started in the fall of 1986. Yes, it has been 25 years! To mark the occasion the crew had a reunion and anniversary party at the SJJ crew tent during the FrogTown Regatta.
Tim Konieczny (Josh SJJ '09), Der Pig Meister, roasted a 200 pounder, and brought it to the tent site where several of the crew dads and moms took part in the carving. Several alumni and alumni parents showed up to partake; others called, e-mailed, or sent messages on the social media to express their regrets at missing the celebration of 25 years of rowing excellence.
To mark the occasion there is a coffee mug with the names of the SJ/SJJ rowers from the fall of 1986 through the fall of 2011. Those mugs are available from Coach McElroy. rod.mcelroy@expressonhold.com 
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Fall 2011 Rowing Season
The Fall regatta season started with The Head of the Cuyahoga in Cleveland, 2.5 miles on the challenging, multi-turn Cuyahoga River, Saturday, 17 September. The following Saturday was the FrogTown, a 3.0 mile head race on the Maumee. The finish line was at the stern of the SS Colonel James M. Schoonmaker (nee: Willis B. Boyer).
The coming Saturday, is the Head of the Ohio, a 2.6 mile race with the finish line at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers in Pittsburgh. On Saturday, 8 October, The Columbus Classic in Westerville will test the rowers over a 5000 meter (3.125 mile) course. A week later The Speakmon, another 5000 meter test on the Griggs Reservoir on the west side of Columbus.
The Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR) is on the 22nd and 23rd of October in Boston. This will be the 47th running of this 3-mile head race. Crews not going to the HOCR will have the opportunity to attend the Hamilton Double Dam regatta in Hamilton, OH, sponsored by Great Miami Rowing Center on the Saturday on that same weekend.
The final regatta of the season is the Blake Haxton, another 5000 meter head race, also on the Griggs Reservoir, on Saturday, 29 October. It is named for an Upper Arlington H.S. rower who contracted Necrotizing Fasciitis that nearly killed him and did cost him both of his legs. His coach, Chris Swartz, was quoted as saying that "Blake was the kind of rower and young man that every coach would like to have a bunch of" or words to that effect. |
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Fall Rowing Rosters
The rosters for the fall have been finalized:
Anthony Wayne - 25
Central Catholic - 22
Notre Dame Academy - 36
St. John's Jesuit - 38
St. Ursula Academy - 30
Toledo Metropolitan Rowing Club - 9
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Adaptive Rowing Program looking for Volunteers
The Adaptive Rowing program got a real shot in the arm at National Learn To Row Day the first Saturday of June. A half dozen folks got to try their hand at rowing in boats specially rigged to accommodate those whose legs cannot provide any power to the stroke. Jerry German and his son Jack provided the coaching.
Where they need volunteers to help is in getting the rowing shells from the boathouse to the launch/recovery dock, assisting the rowers in and out of the rowing shells at the dock, and getting the shells back to the boathouse. This is a great opportunity for high school youngsters who need service hours and for adults who want to help others enjoy the sport of rowing.
Contact Jerry German at jcgerman@toast.net or Jack German at johnjeromegerman@gmail.com. They are the two very capable coaches dedicated to making rowing available and accessible to the adaptive community.
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The Leviathan - No longer Siamese twins
The Leviathan served well as the teaching aid for imparting the basics of the rowing stroke. It has been transformed into two 8's each with four riggers on port and four riggers on starboard. For the remainder of the rowing season it will be used by the masters when they go to regattas.
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Great Lakes Historical Society to manage Maritime Museum
The National Great Lakes Museum is scheduled to open in the late spring or early summer of 2013 with excavation at the site beginning in the spring of 2012. The project is a joint venture between the Great Lakes Historical Society, Boyer/Riverfront Inc., the City of Toledo, and Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority.
The SS Colonel James M. Schoonmaker (nee: SS Willis B. Boyer) will be moored in the river outboard of the museum building.
On 2 July 2011 the ship got its old name, SS James M. Schoonmaker back, 100 years almost to the moment of its launch in Toledo.
James M. Schoonmaker II, a grandson of the ship's namesake, who donated $100,000 toward its cosmetic restoration, said he was "absolutely amazed" by the freighter's transformation from its somber gray Cleveland-Cliffs colors to the dark green and vivid orange of its original owner, the Shenango Furnace Co. He last had seen the then-Boyer in 2007, when the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority had agreed to take over responsibility for the ship, then on the verge of abandonment or even scrapping because the city of Toledo could no longer afford its upkeep.
Chris Gillcrist is the executive director of the Inland Seas Maritime Museum in Vermilion. His maritime museum has contracted with the port authority to move from Vermilion to the port-owned Toledo Maritime Center, off Front Street, in the Marina District. The new museum will be called the National Great Lakes Museum. The Schoonmaker will be there as a showcase exhibit.
"Great Lakes history is critical to our nation's history, and it's critical to Toledo's history," said Mr. Gillcrist. The museum will also become "the epicenter of Great Lakes historical research," he said, with the society moving its "vast manuscript collection" and underwater archaeology program to Toledo.
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How would you like to learn how to coach?
(or at least become an apprentice)
Toledo Rowing Club will support coaching education to help potential and current coaches achieve Level I, Level II, and Level III coaching certification. Level I and Level II courses are conducted within range of Toledo a few times per year. Level II and Level III are taught at the United States Rowing Association's annual conference - a great place to learn from those who have been "in the business" for years and to "network" (rub elbows?) with some of the greats in the rowing community. Don't be bashful. Step up!! If you have some interest in getting involved in any way, contact learntorow@toledorowing.org.
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Dates are set for NLTRD, SumPro, and Youth Rowing Camp in 2012
National Learn to Row Day (NLTRD) is set for Saturday, 2 June, running from 8:23 until 12:18.
SumPro/Sweep is set to begin Monday, 4 June at 5:28 pm and go for five weeks until Friday, 6 July. The classes will be 1.5 hours in duration Monday through Thursday of each week - except the last. (A Friday class because the 4th of July holiday is in mid-week.) SumPro/Sculling will commence on Monday, 9 July starting at 5:28 pm and last for three weeks. The objective in those three weeks is to get you certified to take out a boat by yourself.
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Who should get credit and kudos in your organization?
Suggestions for articles, outlines of articles, or complete articles are welcome. Here again, if you don't brag about your program, your rowers, your accomplishments, who will? Submit ideas, requests, and/or comments to newsletter@toledorowing.org
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Receiving two or more copies of each issue?
If you are getting two or more copies of each issue, it is because we have more than one e-mail address for you. Please advise the editor at newsletter@toledorowing.org which e-mail address you would like us to use. We will delete the other(s). Appreciate your help.
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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
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." Thomas Jefferson
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