ERNESTINE BAYER JENN JEWETT INTERVIEW

August 2006
WHAT’S INSIDE:
ROW THE
DREAM TOUR
SUMMER
TRAINING TIPS
BLACK FLY
REGATTA
ERNESTINE BAYER
JENN JEWETT
INTERVIEW
Rower’s Digest 08/06
page 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Friendly Fluid Replacement
Tips
For the Rower
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 3
Rower’s Digest Interview:
Jenn
Jewett
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 14
Training During the
Dog
Days of Summer
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4
Cox with a
point
of view
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 16
Not Just Another
Case
of Dehydration
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4
Rowing Growth shows
in
new Boathouses
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 17
Row The
Dream
Tour
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 6
MRA Welcomes Masters
Rowers
to Philadelphia
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 18
Schuylkill River
Flooding
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 10
Review of the NK Cadence
T1
Wristrate Watch
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 19
Regatta Focus:
Black
Fly Regatta
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 11
Ernestine
Bayer
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 12
High School Crew,
Coming
to a TV Near You
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 13
Rower’s Digest 08/06
page 3
Why is staying hydrated so
important to the active rower?
FRIENDLY FLUID
REPLACEMENT TIPS
FOR THE ROWER
Remember…By the time
the brain tells the body
it is thirsty, the athlete has
already become dehydrated.
• Water carries energy to the working muscles and carries
away waste products via the urine.
• Water helps to maintain proper body temperature by
regulating the removal of body heat via “sweating”.
• Water is found in all body tissues so it serves as a “shock
absorber” and “lubricator” for organs and joints.
How do rowers know if they
are hydrated or dehydrated?
• The best way to tell if the body is well hydrated is by
observing the amount and color of an athlete’s urine.
Urination should be frequent throughout the day and
it should be clear in color. If the urine is dark and very
yellow, more fluids are needed. (1 cup = 8 fluid ounces)
• Measure body weight before and after exercising. For
every 1 lb. of weight (sweat) loss, replenish the body with
a minimum of 16 – 20 ounces of water and/or nutrient
dense fluids.
When are the best times to drink fluids?
• The day before a lengthy and enduring training session
or competition a rower should drink as much fluids as
he or she can tolerate and eat plenty of nutrient-rich
carbohydrate foods that are high in water (fruits &
vegetables). For every gram of carbohydrate stored in
the body, 3 to 4 grams of water is stored that are readily
available for essential body processes.
• Two to three hours before an event, a rower should drink
16 to 32 oz of water, sports drink or diluted fruit juices.
Since the body takes roughly 1 to 2 hours to process
fluids, the athlete will have time to empty their bladder
before exercising.
• If tolerated, 10 to 15 minutes before exercising, the rower
should try super-hydrating the body with another 12 to
24 oz of water.
• During exercise, the athlete should drink as much as he
or she can comfortably tolerate (ideally 6 to 8 oz every
15 to 20 minutes). After exercising, the athlete should
drink water and nutrient-rich beverages until he or she
is no longer thirsty and then an additional 16 to 20 oz
(2-3 cups).
Masters Rowing Association is granted permission to re-print the
above text for their Electronic and Printed Newsletters. Copyright
2006. Information provided by: Tim Wierman and EAT TO COMPETE
“The Athlete’s Sports Nutrition Program” www.EatToCompete.com
Rower’s Digest 08/06
page 4
TRAINING DURING THE
DOG DAYS OF SUMMER
NOT JUST ANOTHER
CASE OF DEHYDRATION
By Jared Carter
By Merrill Hilf
Summer is a great time of year to go to the beach, sit out by
the pool, take that family vacation, and RACE!
As masters rowers, we are very conscious of our health,
fitness, and diet. We try to get enough sleep, eat the right
foods, drink lots of water, avoid fats and never add salt
to our food. Some of us even check the sodium content
of foods before we eat them, as many prepackaged foods
(soup is just one example) are loaded with sodium. A diet
high in sodium and fats can lead to high blood pressure,
and cardiac disease.
With all this in mind, and as the nation endures the heat
waves of the summer, we need to pay special attention
to replacing the sodium we lose via sweating. Rowing
for extended periods of time in hot, humid weather can
lead to hyponatremia. This condition is simply defined
as too low a concentration of sodium in the blood. Sweat
contains between 2.25 - 3.4 grams of salt per liter, in
high heat and humidity, one can perspire at a rate
of one liter per hour, thus it’s possible to lose
up to 7 grams of salt after a 2-hour row. On
a cellular level, there is a delicate balance
of sodium inside and outside of our brain
cells. When the level of sodium in the
bloodstream is much lower than the
sodium levels in the brain, fluid will
move to the area of higher sodium
concentration, i.e. brain cells, and out
of the bloodstream. This can cause
brain cells to swell. Because the brain is
encased by the skull, an expanding brain has
nowhere to go as it becomes squished by the
skull. This causes headache, nausea, and blurred
vision at first and can progress to seizures, confusion,
and unconsciousness as sodium levels continue to fall.
Sodium levels can also become too low by replacing lost
sodium and fluids with an excessive amount of water.
Beverages with sodium or other electrolytes and water can
help return the sodium concentrations to normal. It’s also
a good idea to have something to eat that contains salt,
such as a hard pretzel or fat-free crackers after a long row.
Another way the body accumulates too much water is if the
kidneys are not functioning at 100%. Some medications
such as acetaminophen, aspirin, and ibuprofen (an antiinflammatory) can affect kidney function, and should not
be taken before a long row, or a day of racing.
Hyponatremia can easily be avoided by drinking frequently
while you’re rowing, and eating foods that contain sodium
after you row. Salty foods also stimulate thirst, so you’re
more likely to re-hydrate also. Having a drink of half water
and half electrolyte replacement drink (such as Gatorade)
will also help return your blood sodium levels to normal.
Be smart and you will beat the heat.
Summer is when club and master’s racing really kicks into
high gear, so your workouts count now more than ever.
There’s just one problem with working out in the summer,
the HEAT. Hard summer workouts can give you that
edge that you’re looking for; you just have to take a few
precautions.
The first and most obvious rule of working out when it’s hot
is to drink LOTS of water! This rule cannot be overstated.
Your body cools itself off by sweating and you sweat more
when it’s hot. So if you don’t increase your fluids, you will
dehydrate yourself very quickly. When you’re working
out, don’t wait to get thirsty. If you feel thirsty, you’re
already dehydrated. If you’re really picky and
want an amount that you should drink during
exercise, it’s about 8oz. every 15 minutes.
That will vary a little form person to
person, but it’s a good starting point.
The next thing that you want to consider
is the timing of your workouts. Almost
all of the problems that hot weather
causes can be avoided by working
out early in the morning or late in the
evening. This allows you to avoid the
hottest times of the day. It may seem
like a pain to roll out of bed at 5 a.m., but
working out when it’s 74 degrees outside is a
lot more comfortable than when it’s 94 degrees.
Summer is also the time of year when we are most prone to
sunburns. This happens for two reasons: 1) the sun’s rays
are more powerful this time of year, and 2) we tend to wear
less clothing. The latter is an issue that is easily fixed, by
wearing loose fitting, light colored clothing that wicks the
sweat away from your body. The first issue is just as simple:
be sure to wear sunscreen. You should always use an SPF of
15 or greater (personally, I think that 30+ is the way to go).
Consider wearing a hat as well, this will help protect your
face, and make it easier for you to see.
Remember, hard workouts in June and July are what make
people fast for the National Championship Regattas (and
Master’s World’s this year). Just use your head and follow
these simple rules and you’ll have great workouts all
summer long!
Jared Carter, CSCS is the owner of Move Forward Fitness, a Personal Training
company in Philadelphia, PA. Visit his website at MoveForwardFitness.com
or email him at [email protected] with any questions or
suggested topics for future articles.
Rower’s Digest 08/06
page 5
Rower’s Digest 08/06
page 6
ROW
THE
DREAM
TOUR
G
reg Parker’s and Gary Jarvis’s “Row The Dream Tour”
has come to a very satisfying conclusion, and now it’s
time to recap and dole out the appreciation to everyone who
has made this possible.
By Greg Parker
Connecticut River.” Andy regaled us with stories of his years
on the Harvard crew that went to the 1968 Olympics in
Mexico, his victories at the Pan-Am games, and his rowing
120 miles down the Connecticut to Long island Sound in
his Alden 18, camping on the islands during the October
change of colors, a beautiful sight indeed He rows every
month of the year sometimes pushing the 18 off ice to get to
open water. On Friday morning, Andy rowed with us on the
Connecticut’s flat water as it wound through the countryside
for several miles and back. And his constructive critique of
our rowing style and gripping the oars was most welcome.
Gary and I started planning this tour over drinks back in
December. It was our goal to row on some of the most
renowned rowing venues in America, and compete in some
races that cater to recreational and open water rowing. None
of those 1000 metre races that Masters category rowers
travel to and it’s all over in under four minutes. And to an
equal degree, it was a chance for us to follow in the footsteps
of our children, an opportunity that most parents don’t Next stop was the Alden factory in Rowley, Mass., where
have. My daughter Gillian, now
owners Ed Jarvis and his son, Ryan,
25, was the coxswain for Gary’s
fitted a self-bailer into the boat
It was our goal to row on some
son Chris’ Grimsby Secondary
in preparation of the Blackburn
School heavyweight four that won
Challenge. Terrific selection of
of the most renowned rowing
gold at several regattas including
Alden boats there, especially the
venues in America, and compete
the Canadian Secondary School
new black Star 21 and Bruciare 26
in
some
races
that
cater
to
Rowing Association Regatta and the
singles.
Stotesbury Cup in Philadelphia.
recreational and open water rowing. From there, we drove to Gloucester,
Training since the ice came out
of Jordan Harbour in April saw us
grimacing through 2500 metres at first. By the end of May,
we managed 7500 metres without a break, and by the holiday
weekend in July, we reached 32,000 metres (20 miles) in the
open water of Lake Ontario. By then, we had hit our stride
and six sessions a week became the norm.
Gary built a special rack to hold the 29’ Alden Star double
on the Ford Focus station wagon. By Thursday morning,
July 20th, we were on the road. Our first overnight was
with Andrew Larkin, in Northampton, Mass. Andy was
introduced to me by Debbie Arenberg as the “guru of the
Mass, to ready ourselves for the
Blackburn Challenge, 20 miles
around Cape Ann. But alas, it was not meant to be. After
racing through an armada of kayaks and other paddlers, we
crossed the start line last among sliding seat rowers and flew
down the Annisquam River three miles to the Atlantic, only
to have the US Coast Guard cancel the race due to 200 yard
visibility in the fog. Row all the way back and take the boats
out of the water and wait. At 11:00, Donna Lind, Tom Lawler
and their committee salvaged the day with an abbreviated
7 mile race up the river and back again. Gary and I really
emptied the tank on this one, dodging moored boats in the
Rower’s Digest 08/06
middle of the river, sandbars, passing six-man outrigger
canoes and four man coxed crews, and finishing second in
our division (to Ted Van Dusen, of course) and 11th overall
among 140 boats.
In Gloucester, we highly recommend the Causeway
Restaurant for huge seafood servings at low prices, but be
prepared to line up outside with the other regulars and
watch everyone coming out with styrofoam cartons of leftovers. And stay away from the Crows Nest Tavern, famous
from “The Perfect Storm.” Waste of
time.
page 7
we’re rowing past the Harvard and Yale docks, downstream
to the submarine drydocks and the Nautilus. As the floating
gates opened up, we could see a sub ready to come out into
the river, so we thought it would be nice to take some photos.
Wrong! We kept a smile as the police boat came screaming
up to us, warning that all photos had to be deleted and we
were not to stop there. OK, OK, we’re just Canadian tourists,
not terrorists.
Roof-rack the boat again and head for Philadelphia. Never,
ever take I-95 through New York
City toward the George Washington
We
were
living
a
part
of
history
Bridge in mid-afternoon unless
Sunday morning early, we arrived
you have a couple of hours to kill.
here, walking by the hundreds
at the Charles River in Boston,
Eventually, we arrived at the home
using the free canoe docks by
of trophies and memorabilia
of Peter and Jen Van Allen, a lovely
the finish line of the Head of the
that
lined
the
walls.
couple who had been introduced
Charles race. We rowed up the
to us through Lew Cuyler and his
river past the start at the Boston
article in the Alden Ocean Shell
University Boathouse, then timed
Association newsletter, “The Catch.”
our own personal Head of the Charles race. I really tried
Tuesday
morning,
Gary
first ran 5-6 miles with Jen along
not to hit those geese. We took pictures of Gary in front of
the Northeastern University Boathouse where his son Chris Kelly Drive and up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum
rowed and captained their varsity crew. Gary even watched of Art (like Rocky), then he hopped in our boat and we
his daughter Jen row a single in the HOCR from that dock. rowed the Schuylkill River. First we timed our speed for
Emotional moment. We’d love to come back in October for 2000 metres like the Stotesbury Cup our kids had won, then
further down the river, we docked at Boathouse Row and
the HOCR.
toured the Malta Boathouse where Peter is a member. We
Say good-bye to Boston and head for Connecticut, where were living a part of history here, walking by the hundreds
we heard from Andy that Harvard and Yale each have a of trophies and memorabilia that lined the walls. You could
boathouse and row a special race on the Thames River in the almost feel the rhythm of a boat as a coxswain pleads for
New London-Groton area. After about 2 hours of searching, yet another “hard ten” as an exhausted crew noses out the
we finally found it north of I -95, far away from Long Island Vesper and Navy eights by a bow ball at the finish. It is surely
Sound where we were first directed. So Monday morning
Greg Parker and Gary Jarvis
strapping the Alden double to
a Ford Focus wagon — their
mode of transportation to see
the northeastern United States
rowing centers on the 10-day
Row the Dream tour, which
included two races — Blackburn
Challenge in Mass. and the Isle
of Shoals (in New Hampshire),
as well as scenic rows on the
Charles River, New Thames,
Connecticut River, Schuylkill
River and Potomac River.
Rower’s Digest 08/06
the most venerable rowing site in North America. Beautiful
bridges and scenery on the way back.
page 8
beached and enjoyed a refreshing swim. Anita’s art gallery
includes “The Art of Rowing” selling original art, posters
and greeting cards with a rowing theme.
Without any break, we headed directly to Washington,
where we met up with Lisa Goulet at the Thompson Rowing By Thursday afternoon, we arrived in Ipswich, Mass., where
Center on the Potomac River, next to the Kennedy Center Ed Jarvis had arranged for Bill Graham of Rowing Sport, to
and the Watergate. Because it was our second row of the day loan us an Alden 18 Ocean Shell for the Isles of Shoals race
in 85 degree heat, we opted for only 5 miles that afternoon. on Saturday. Our Star 29 was apparently too long if we ever
But the next morning, after fighting Arlington to DC traffic had to be rescued. Like that could ever possibly happen.
with a 29’ boat on top of the car, we pushed off the docks for Bill and his wife Debbie insisted we stay for a barbecue and
another 10 miler, up the Potomac
pesto pasta dinner to build up our
to the Anacostia River and back.
strength. On Friday morning, we
Talk about scenery, we’ve got
took the Alden 18 to Fort Foster, in
Our whole-hearted thanks
photographs with the Lincoln
Kittery Point, Maine, to test it out,
Memorial, Washington Monument
since we had never been in this
to everyone who helped
and Capitol Building behind us, and
shorter shell before. Good thing.
us out along the way.
passenger jets right over our heads
Out a mile and a half, and pulling
aiming for Reagan Airport. Lisa
hard through the 3-foot swells, I
accompanied us in her Alden 16.
snapped the blade off my starboard
She is a newcomer to Washington,
oar. Good thing I had Gary to row
an architect by trade, who lost everything she owned in New back, or I might have landed in Newfoundland like Howard
Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Everything except her Blackburn. Back to Alden in Rowley where I picked up
Alden 16, which was strapped down and withstood 8 feet of another oar.
rising water.
Our hosts that evening, Paula and Ron Ledgett in Kittery
It was a long drive from DC to Worcester, Mass., that
afternoon and evening but we endured. Next morning, and
I think it’s Thursday by now, we rowed out of the Donahue
Rowing Centre on Lake Quinsigamond, where the US
Masters Rowing Championships were held last summer.
Now regarded as one of the top five rowing venues in the
US, the 3-mile lake, carved out by glaciers, was a stunning
site. Our host, Anita Wos, lives on the lake and owns three
shells. She even took us to a privately owned island where we
Point, desperately want us to win the race on Saturday. We’re
well fed, and soft beds and air conditioning help out. Rowing
books at bedside as motivational material. It all helps.
Saturday morning, finally, and the Isles of Shoals race is set
for an 8:00 a.m. start. Great weather, tide heading out, clear
visibility, and only 2-foot swells. Unsure of our heading,
we tack back and forth a lot, losing valuable time to those
experienced teams, and those who we found out later were
Rower’s Digest 08/06
guided by GPS. Next year, got to have one. One hour and
10 minutes later, we arrive at the finish between Appledore
Island and Smuttynose Island (I’m not making this up, this is
New England). Back at the picnic, we meet Hargreaves Heap
III, who has raced in 39 consecutive IOS races. He receives
a cup from Debbie Arenberg, formerly of Alden Rowing
Shells and Marjorie Burgard, whose husband Arthur Martin
started the Alden company as Martin Marine. Hargy says
he’s retiring from the race at 73, but we all know he’ll be
back. Debbie and Jeanne Thorvaldsen win the women’s
double race, and Gary and I, much to our surprise, win the
men’s double event and are welcomed by the 60 people there
as the lone Canadian contingent.
This race is a must-row, at least once in your life if you are
a recreational rower with open-water experience. A real
character builder, for sure. Several rowers even chose to row
back the 7.2 miles from the island finish, rather than being
boat-lifted back. True athletes.
page 9
Returning the loaned boat back to Bill Graham, we learn this
particular Alden 18 has won the race each of the last three
years.
It’s a long drive back and we arrive in Grimsby just after
midnight. A trip total of 4135 kilometres (just under 2600
miles). Forget all the MasterCard preamble, the trip was
priceless.
Our whole-hearted thanks to everyone who helped us out
along the way. A special thank you to the Alden Rowing
Shell Co. for making such stable, sleek, beautiful recreational
boats. And to all the rowers we met at the races, on the
docks, on the beaches, and in the water, we thank you all
for your friendship, great stories, and your encouragement.
Fellow recreational rowers make the best of friends.
Hope to meet you all again. Flat water. No wake.
For more information, see Greg Parker‘s web site,
www.rowthedream.com
Rower’s Digest 08/06
page 10
������
SCHUYLKILL RIVER
FLOODING
By Peter Van Allen
Heavy rains flooded Boathouse Row
and surrounding areas in late June 2006.
C
halk up weird weather and a variety
of other conditions to a spate of
regatta cancellations this year.
The Independence Day Regatta, one
of Philadelphia’s signature regattas,
was cancelled for the first time in two
decades after torrential rains dropped
16 inches of rain.
The Schuylkill burst its banks, as did
the Delaware and Susquehanna rivers.
At the flood’s peak, on June 28, the
Schuylkill was a flothing mess, with all
matter of debris soaring by and through
Boathouse Row. Flood water reached
as deep as chest-high in some clubs.
Club members scrambled to secure
boats, oars and any miscellaneous boatsling or toolbox that could float out the
bay doors.
The flooding was the worst since
Hurricane Agnes in 1972.
The Independence Day Regatta, which
dates to 1880, had last been canceled
in 1984, under similar circumstances,
said regatta director Clete Graham.
But the cancellation was just one of a
few that affected competitors in the
Mid-Atlantic states.
And weather wasn’t the only factor.
The Howard M. Smith Diamond States
Regatta, which was to be held July 23
in Middletown, Del., was cancelled
because of — drumroll, please — an
invasive weed. Organizers said the
North American Pond Weed has
claimed Noxontown Pond, where the
regatta has been held since 1991. The
adjacent St. Andrew’s School hopes to
rid the pond of the weed in time for
next year’s regattas.
....debris soaring by and
through Boathouse Row.
Flood water reached as deep
as chest-high in some clubs.
And, back on the Schuylkill, NielsenKellerman said it had, with regret,
decided to cancel the annual NK
Challenge, an 18-mile race typically
held in late September.
The race had become a local favorite
for the prizes, which could be earned
by picking up rubber ducks scattered
throughout the river during the race.
Sweatshirts, beach towels, T-shirts and
Stroke Coaches made the race worth
the blisters and sore butt.
“Sad but true,” Alix James Kocher,
Director of Sales and Marketing, said
of the cancellation. “Our goals with the
NK Challenge were to give back to the
rowing community by putting on a fun
event that the participants would enjoy,
and by raising money for a rowing
charity. While we believe we succeeded,
it was not in proportion to the amount
of resources it sucked up here — with
only about 60 localparticipants each
year and relatively small funds raised
after weeks of work by multiple
people.
“We’re still trying to figure out whether
there is a) an easier way to do it and
get more participants; and b) a better
vehicle for us to ‘give back’ to more
people. And, we just needed a breather
this year as we’re tackling lots of new
products and projects all at once. We’d
welcome suggestions from you on both
a) and b), and will revisit the question
in 2007.”
With any luck, we’ll have a return of all
three regattas next year.
Rower’s Digest 08/06
page 11
Off the water, there was a lot of
laughing, a lot of in jokes. Many of
the competitors were recidivists, back
for the fourth or fifth time. At the
organizer’s tent, there were stacks of
pancakes, mountains of scrambled
eggs and heaps of bacon.
It’s a race where nearly everyone gets
a prize, whether they want to or not.
Since one of the sponsors is Pete
& Gerry’s Organic Eggs, first place
winners received a dozen eggs.
REGATTA FOCUS:
BLACK FLY REGATTA
By Peter Van Allen
T
his far north, the Connecticut River
looks deep and menacing under a
New England cloud cover.
Yet that wasn’t the only menace. If it’s
June in northern Vermont, it has to
mean black fly season, which is also
time for the Black Fly Regatta, a 4.2 mile
race on the Commerford Reservoir in
Waterford, Vt.
In all, 42 boats finished, mostly singles
mixed in with six doubles. Competitors
came from Vermont, New Hampshire,
Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut,
Rhode Island, New York, Maryland,
Pennsylvania and Ontario.
No matter how far the drive to get
there, the last six miles may have been
the most interesting. A gravel “road”
wound its way down to the valley floor,
prompting this driver to think: “What
kind of craziness would prompt me to
drive down this forlorn road to row a
boat?” Almost as suddenly, the road
went flat and, at a turn off, a grassy field
revealed a slew of cars with rowing
shells on top.
The first thing the race organizers
hand you is cranberry-colored T-shirt
bearing a drawing of Beethoven — this
was the “fifth” annual race. Of course,
Beethoven was uttering the Latin
phrase, “Morde me!” loosely translated
to “bite me.” Pity the black fly.
June 24 • Waterford, Vt.
4.2 mile race with mass start
For some of us — those heeled in
the easy confines of boathouses that
have docks — the wet start was more
daunting than the race itself. Jeff Foltz
of Camden, Me., used to row out of
Boathouse Row, where I am based,
but has long since adapted himself to
launching with wet feet.
“This is rowing in northern New
England,” Foltz said matter of factly.
“What kind of craziness would
prompt me to drive down this
forlorn road to row a boat?”
The reservoir was deep and the water
near black. The wind was calm and
there were clouds overhead — you
know, for 15 minutes until the weather
changed in its New England fashion.
Unlike the standard head race, the
Black Fly had a mass start stretched
across the reservoir — nearly
the distance of some races.
The sprinters shot off and the
sloggers, some in ocean-going rowing
shells, paced themselves.
In less than a half hour, most
of the racers, save a few had arrived
upriver. All that was left
was the 4 mile row back
down river.
Ross Cone of Watertown, Mass., again
took top honors, sprinting up river in
22 minutes, 17 seconds. The women’s
first-place winner was Ellen Kennelly of
Lincoln, Mass., who finished in 25:07.
The fastest double, rowed by John Paul
Turner III and Alesandra Fischetti of
Connecticut, logged a time of 23:54.
The last-place finisher, Steve Collins
of Bridgeton, Me., looked stunned
to receive the “Iron Ass” award,
commemorating not just this year’s
finish of 33:56 but his cumulative
finishes in the regatta’s 5-year existence.
Personally, I owe Steve a debt of
gratitude for loaning me a Dirigo 1x,
cartopping it on a Saab with the vanity
tag, ROMAINE (as in “row Maine”).
Don Carter and George Hamilton, who
had a respectable time in the double,
received the award for owning the “car
least likely to make it home from the
regatta.” I could be wrong, but I think
it was an 1984 LeSabre wagon. Yet,
as industrious Mainers faced with
calamity, they’d likely
find a solution.
Rower’s Digest 08/06
page 12
simply had no idea that as late as the
1960s boathouses and competitive
rowing were not available to women
because of their sex. They did not know
that in the pre-1970s era, women could
go to parties in boathouses, but they
were not allowed to row or join rowing
clubs because male rowers believed
that females were too frail for such
an arduous sport. Women were too
dainty; they didn’t know how to sweat.
Such were the assumptions of the pre70s rowing culture.
ERNESTINE BAYER & ME
By Lew Cuyler
P
erhaps it was just plain luck that I
met Ernestine Bayer when she was
in her eighties and I was in my sixties,
a time of our lives when we had both
mellowed.
Had we been of the same age in the
1930s I might have rejected her as
being “a pushy broad” and she might
have rejected me as being just another
unenlightened male rower enjoying an
experience denied to women.
Fortunately that was not the case.
Instead we met at a time when I was in
the full-flush of re-starting my rowing
career, thanks to finding an unexpected
lake a mile from a house my wife and
I had just bought in Pittsfield, Mass.
That discovery prompted an immediate
decision. I would re-visit the sport I
had so enjoyed in school and college,
but this time in a single since there
was no rowing club around, except
for Williams College, which uses the
lake. But I was way past the age and
education threshold for Williams and
besides I am an Amherst graduate,
Class of 1955.
One event led to another. In 1992 I met
Ernie accidentally while watching a race
at a regatta in New York State for Alden
Rowing Shells. She had white hair, and
at 83 was obviously my senior.
“See that woman,” she said, pointing to
a racer, involving me even though I had
not even acknowledged her presence.
“She’s shooting
pronounced.
her
tail,”
she
I took notice as she commented
again and again about the good and
bad rowing styles of dozens of racers
as they passed our vantage point. It
took only 10 minutes or so for me to
become profoundly impressed with her
knowledge, enthusiasm, direct style,
sparkle, and, yes…her beauty.
A few years later, my enthusiasm for
rowing merged with my retirement
from the newspaper world where I had
been an editor and reporter. The result
was I led an effort to establish a rowing
club and started a business of selling
and leasing single rowing shells. At
the same time, I began to fancy myself
as an occasionally formidable seniors
competitor in single sculls.
I also became a coach of a high school
women’s novice four. It was immediately
apparent that the girls had no inkling
of how women’s rowing in the United
States came to be. They paid their fees,
they came to a boathouse, they took out
a shell, they mostly responded to my
coaching and they politely accepted my
hopes for them to become oarswomen.
They assumed it was forever thus. They
Ernestine Bayer changed all of that. I
simply decided after practice one day
that all women rowers should know her
story. Then I decided that I should tell
that story, and after a few false starts I
finally settled down in January 2006 to
write Ernestine Bayer…Mother of US
Women’s Rowing. The book, scheduled
for publication this September,
chronicles her often contentious life
and how it intertwined with those of
her late husband, Ernest, and daughter,
Tina. In the meantime, Ernie continued
rowing, and competing, through her
early 90s. Now 97, she and her daughter
live in Stratham, NH.
The short version of her story is that
she was born in 1909 in Philadelphia
and as soon as she could walk and talk
it became evident that she preferred
outdoor physical activity as opposed
to “girly” domestic pursuits. In 1928
she married Ernest Bayer, an oarsman
who won a silver medal in the 1928
Olympics later that year.
With the Olympics over, Ernestine
decided she, too, wanted to row only
to be frustrated by Philadelphia’s
prevailing Boathouse Row culture that
proclaimed “Women Don’t Row.” Upset
at repeated rejection she began talking
up rowing to other young women. In
1938 she led the group in the founding
of the first competitive rowing club
for women in the United States: the
Philadelphia Girls Rowing Club.
In 1967 she managed the first United
States women’s crew to compete in the
European championships. By this time
the Bayers’ daughter, Tina, had become
an accomplished rower, and Ernest, a
Rower’s Digest 08/06
page 13
I believe her accomplishments were
remarkable for two reasons:
First, she was the John the Baptist for
women’s rowing, the voice crying in
the pre-Title IX wilderness, insisting
that women could row, that women
could row fast, and that they should
share this wonderful activity with men.
The federal Title IX legislation in 1972
really opened up the sport of rowing
for women. However, Ernie Bayer laid
the groundwork.
man of the rowing establishment, had
become instrumental in helping her
reach her goals for women’s rowing.
In 1971 the family moved to New
Hampshire where Ernestine established
a new kind of rowing culture…one for
recreational rowers who used a rowing
shell called the “Alden.” Conceived by
the late Arthur Martin as a shell that
could be rowed in New England coastal
waters, the Alden became popular for
people without access to boathouses or
even to coaching. In 1972 Ernie inspired
the founding of the Alden Ocean Shell
Association, and through her efforts as
secretary enrolled 700-800 members
in the next 17 years. By the 1980s they
constituted a society of rowers, mostly
from the northeast, who periodically
gathered for their own regattas and
related events.
She resigned as secretary in 1988 at
the age of 79 to give herself more time
for her own competitive rowing career.
Until well into her 90s she competed in
dozens of regattas, including the Head
of the Charles.
Ernie’s rowing career off the water
was not as smooth as her stroke. Her
sharp focus on the simple proposition
that women should row continued
throughout her life. At times her
unrelenting efforts and single-minded
quest upset both male and female
rowers leading to incidents of conflict
and occasional near rebellion at her
dictates.
Secondly, she profoundly influenced
the development of two very different
rowing cultures that mostly do not
associate with each other. Through
the 1960s she was involved with the
traditional culture of rowing clubs,
boathouses, coaches, coachboats and
very formal regattas.
In the 1970s, as the sparkplug for
the Alden Ocean Shell Association,
she built a culture for recreational
rowing that could be enjoyed without
the need for boathouses and formal
infrastructure. The Alden was and is
a single for everybody that is stored
and car-topped easily. During her 17
year tenure as secretary she enrolled
between 700 and 800 rowers as
members who participated in AOSA
regattas and outings.
Ernie continued to row and to compete
in regattas even though she was in her
early 90s. In September 2001 at the age
of 92, for instance, she competed in the
FISA World Masters Championships
in Montreal, Canada. She rowed in a
women’s eight that was first, she took
another first in a women’s double, and
a second in a mixed double.
Lew Cuyler is self-publishing the book
through BookSurge, an Amazon.com
company, with an early September
publication date. He will sell it at major
regattas this fall including the Head
of the Schuylkill, the FISA world
masters, and the Head of the Charles.
The price is $16.99. A bit over 200
pages with 40 photos, the book
may be ordered through www.
booksurge.com or by emailing Lew at
[email protected]
HIGH SCHOOL CREW,
COMING TO A TV NEAR YOU
For a week in May, Philadelphia’s
Boathouse Row was more than
the typical hustling and bustling of
rowers going and coming from their
practices…the row was transformed
into a television set for a new show
that’s main character is a high school
rower. The yet unnamed show
will be shown on The N, the nighttime
network for teens (a programming
arm of MTV Networks) will premiere
sometime in 2007.
The TV show revolves around a group of
teenagers living outside of Philadelphia.
The main character, Brady, is a member
of his high school rowing team. The
show shot several scenes in around
Boathouse Row, both inside some of
the houses and on the water.
The show was created, produced,
written and directed by Sri Rao, and
his production company, Sri and
Company.
Rower’s Digest 08/06
page 14
There is a regatta in Topeka that used to be a great collegiate
race. Kansas University, Kansas State, Creighton, Drake,
Nebraska, Wichita. Now there are more juniors racing there
than collegiate.
MRA: KCRC’s juniors program has consistently raced at
a high level, at Canadian Henley, the Nationals and so
on. Do your crews get the kind of respect you feel they
should be accorded?
ROWER’S DIGEST INTERVIEW:
JENN JEWETT
J
enn Jewett is coach at the Kansas City Rowing Center and
has coached more than 600 girls in a decade there. In July,
the club picked up a gold in a women’s double and silver in a
women’s single at the USRowing National Championships in
Indianapolis. KCRC had four boats in final heats.
In the fall, five members of KCRC have committed to row
in college: Summers Nelson, University of Virginia; Clare
Fox, Marquette; Shannon Carle, Kansas State University;
Julie Peacock, Creighton; and Adrienne Lindstrom, Loyola
Marymount.
We caught up with Jewett after the Nationals to ask her the
following questions.
MRA: You’ve trained in Washington, D.C., and
Philadelphia. How does the Midwestern rowing scene
differ from the traditional rowing centers?
JJ: Rowing in the Heartland is completely different from
the East Coast. I’d imagine it’s also very different from the
West Coast as well. We tend to be more club oriented at
the Juniors level as opposed to scholastic. There are a few
high schools in the Dallas area that have rowing teams but
most of us are only club. Clubs are smaller, Masters and
Juniors are more connected within the club. In Kansas City
our members, junior and master, share equipment, coaching
time. They race together, travel together. Most regattas are
club regattas with racing for all levels at the same event.
MRA: How has the rowing community in the Midwest
changed since you first got started as an undergrad at the
University of Kansas in 1987?
JJ: It is SO different! The change in collegiate rowing with
the expansion of NCAA programs has really driven most
of the changes. The new opportunities for scholarships has
fueled a growth in Juniors rowing that has really changed the
sport...everywhere, not just in the Midwest. The collegiate
rowing split, varsity and club, changed the traditional
Midwest regattas. The varsity programs no longer attend the
club regattas making them smaller for a while. Juniors and
Masters have stepped in and filled a lot of the empty space.
JJ: Well...last week I might have answered that question
differently but this last weekend in Indianapolis our juniors
won a National Championship and a silver medal as well.
Last year US Rowing reshuffled the boundaries for juniors
in the country, creating a Central District. I believe that is is
becoming evident that the Central district will be dominant
in the women’s sculling events (all three medalists in the
women’s double were from the central district, one medalist
in the quad and one in the double). I’ve been around a long
time. Many people know me. While we have never been and
probably will never be a perennial powerhouse, I don’t think
people are necessarily surprised when our kids compete
well.
MRA: Your program stresses more than winning races.
There’s also an emphasis on character and responsibility,
among other traits. In recruiting juniors, how do you
balance the need for physical size and ability with
character/courage and mental traits?
JJ: We don’t recruit. I take any kid who comes. My job as a
coach of young people is to make sure that the experience
with us is an empowering one. We boat for speed, don’t get
me wrong, but we also spend a lot of time making sure that
the kids know that everyone on the team is important and
that the experience of the kid in the slowest boat is just as
valid and perhaps more important than that of the kid in the
fastest boat. They are kids. It’s our job as adults to help them
navigate the perilous journey that is adolescence. Coaches
Laura Thornhill, Ed Smith and I are very...hands on...we
adore our kids and they know it. I could care less if we ever
win another race. I do care a great deal that our kids are
happy, confident, safe and that they leave KCRC with skills
that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
MRA: You are a professional fire fighter and coach. Do
you also spend time raising money for the program?
JJ: We have a great foundation that takes care of most of
that. I occasionally will meet with a donor to talk about
the programs but I mostly coach and administrate our
programs.
MRA: How has the community responded to having a
strong junior women’s program?
JJ: I think that Kansas City is just beginning to know that
we exist. Rowing is so foreign. The Midwest is so ‘football,
basketball’ it’s hard to get our kids the recognition they
deserve.
Rower’s Digest 08/06
page 15
Rower’s Digest 08/06
page 16
COX WITH A POINT OF VIEW
W
ith the sixth sharp shriek of the horn, the grand final at the
2005 Youth Invite came to an end. Our rowers collapsed
with the exhaustion of a hard fought race, the disappointment
of unfulfilled potential, and the realization that the season
had come to an end. Despite the feelings of frustration at not
reaching the medal stand, we had only just begun to realize
how far we had come in such a short period. The Lincoln Park
Juniors, like hundreds of other teams across the nation, were
a testament as to how much the sport of rowing has grown in
high schools throughout the United States.
Far from a household sport, rowing has grown with incredible
speed in the past few years at junior, collegiate, and senior
levels. With the growing demand for extracurricular activities
and the promise of lucrative scholarships, high school
students have flocked to the sport of rowing in both the
traditional mainstays of the Northeast and West Coast or the
new hotbeds like the Midwest and junior rowing has grown
immensely throughout the nation as a whole.
I have been able to see how the sport has expanded on the
whole by being a member of one of its upstart teams, the
Lincoln Park Juniors. As a freshman in high school I joined
with no experience or rowing background, merely possessing
an eager desire to fulfill the required sports hours for school.
The team at the time was a small with a handful of boats, all of
which had lived through the early eighties, some spoons, an
occasional hatchet blade, and a gravel lot in Chicago’s Near
North Industrial Corridor to call our own. We rowed in the
likes of the Fritz and the Milton, both bound together by strips
of duct tape, an aged Dirigo 8+, The Galt, its only redeeming
qualities the unbeatable steering and the gleam of the polish
on its wooden skeleton. Typical of any fledgling, and even
many established programs, we had little funding or public
support, yet we made up for it with character and spirit.
By Klee Aiken
The growth of the sport can be attributed solely to these
qualities. The camaraderie of crew that kept me and
my teammates coming back day in and day out inspires
dedicated coaches to build teams, and challenges even the
most underfunded programs to excel. That drive kept us in
the Milton as the hull filled with water before it even left the
dock and inspired northern city schools such as New Trier
to expand and build their own team. The character of my
teammates kept us together over the years as we moved from
a non-competitive program to qualifying three boats for the
Youth Invite by my Junior year.
At the Youth Invite, in our trusted new-to-us Millennium, we
squared off against the five brand new shells of our competition
and although we did not have the same opportunities as the
competition, we as a team fought for our place at the table.
And that is the nature of growth in this sport, the potential for
fledgling teams to grow into national caliber squads through
simple hard work and dedication is what has allowed the
sport to spread so rapidly in the last few years. Crew has been
growing on the simple dedication of athletes who love the
sport, no matter how obscure or tabooed. The addiction that
develops to the whole crew culture (to outsiders the crew cult),
or the crew bug, once caught it has an irresistible appeal and
this is a factor in the sport’s boom over the last few years.
Now hidden in the tall grass surrounding the our old river
site you can find the relics of where my former team has
come from, The Galt lays forgotten, without a bow ball and
missing its acclaimed rudder. But that is the sport, crew is
leaving behind its stereotypes as an elitist sport and entering
new territories, shown through the growth of upstart team’s
and its emergence in urban centers such as Chicago, where
rowing is only just beginning to leave its mark.
Klee Aiken now coxes for Trinity University in Connecticut.
Rower’s Digest 08/06
ROWING GROWTH SHOWS IN NEW BOATHOUSES
By Peter Van Allen
A
round the country, boathouses and rowing clubs are being
strained by the growth of rowing, particularly at the juniors
and masters levels.
Not surprisingly, clubs, rowing centers and communities are
responding with plans to build or enlarge boathouses. Efforts
like this are not cheap: many are in the range of $3 million to
$5 million. The days of tin boat sheds are not over, but there’s
definitely a move toward nicer digs.
Universities like Wisconsin and Princeton have new boathouses,
while communities like Oklahoma City and Camden County, N.J.,
have combined public and private funds to build boathouses.
The paint is still fresh on a new, $6.3 million community
boathouse in Pennsauken, N.J., on the Cooper River. The 23,000square-foot facility will house 72 watercraft — and that’s not all.
The boathouse also has a banquet hall can that seat 200 people,
a restaurant kitchen, a class room and conference room. An
observation tower that provides a panoramic view of the Cooper
River and the Philadelphia skyline.
The Cooper River has hosted the Intercollegiate Rowing
Association National Championship. On a daily basis, the
boathouse will host 600 rowers, including seven high schools,
the crew from Rutgers University-Camden and the Cooper River
Rowing Center, with 60 masters rowers.
Rentals from weddings, corporate meetings and other special
events figure prominently into the boathouse’s use. One local
official estimated the boathouse could generate up to $10 million
a year in revenue.
Amenities can be a key part of a boathouse’s appeal.
In Oklahoma City, the $3.5 million Chesapeake Boathouse can
accommodate 124 rowing shells. But it is also set up for facilities
rentals. The OAR Event Room can 100 people for dinner and
accommodate twice that number standing. It has a 60-inch
plasma-screen TV, AV equipment, built-in buffet. A lobby area
features built-in bar and can accommodate a dance floor. A wraparound porch includes a reflecting pool and allows for a DJ, small
band or dance floor.
Chesapeake Boathouse also fit in with Oklahoma City’s desire to
develop the Oklahoma River, once a neglected part of the city.
The boathouse was funded with help from the Oklahoma City
Riverfront Redevelopment Authority, the City of Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma Centennial Commission, foundations, corporations
and private donors.
But, in more developed areas, access to the waterfront can make
boathouse development more difficult.
page 17
Rower’s Digest 08/06
page 18
In coming months, Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.,
hopes to finalize plans for a boathouse on the Potomac River that
could top $8 million. The boathouse needs approval from the
National Park Service, which controls the historic area along the
nearby C&O Canal National Historical Park. Georgetown Crew
as outgrown its current home, the Thompson Boat Center. Public
comment on the boathouse proposal is being reviewed by the
Park Service.
For areas with the space, boathouse development is booming.
In Minneapolis, the University of Minnesota broke ground in
April on its new $4.6 million boathouse on the upper Mississippi
River.
In Seattle, a public-private forces came together to create the
Mount Baker Rowing & Sailing Center on Lake Washington.
Construction started this year on a new state-of-the-art boathouse
to be used by the rowing and sailing communities of southeast
Seattle and maintained by the city.
In Conshohocken, Pa., 15 miles upriver from Boathouse Row,
the Whitemarsh Boat Club plans to convert a former warehouse
into a year-round boathouse on the Schuylkill River. In its present
condition, the steel structure is used year-round by Mount Saint
Joseph Academy, a private prep school, but organizers say there’s
room for other schools and colleges, as well as masters scullers.
Eventually, the site will be winterized and upgraded, with locker
rooms and other amenities, at an approximate cost of $1 million,
which will be raised privately.
In Iowa City, Ia., home of the University of Iowa, the board of
regents is considering a plan to allocate $3 to $5 million for a
boathouse for the women’s crew. The site would be paid for
with athletic department earnings and gifts. Currently, boats are
stored in what was intended as a machine shop in the university’s
Advanced Technology Laboratories.
Creativity in fundraising is critical.
Many of the more substantial boathouses are being funded by
universities. But, like any endeavor, universities look for outside
partners to swing the finances. That often means turning to
alumni.
In 2000, Princeton University opened the C. Bernard Shea Rowing
Center, named for a member of the Class of 1916. It was made
possible with a $4 million gift from Mr. Shea’s widow, Irene C.
Shea, and paid for the expansion of Princeton’s longtime facility
on Carnegie Lake. Amenities included new rowing tank, larger
locker and shower rooms, better heating and ventilation systems
and improved handicap access, as well as offices and weight
training areas. Additional launches, dockage and boat racks were
installed.
In Madison, Wisc., the University of Wisconsin opened the $8.56
million Porter Boathouse in April 2005. Naming rights came
courtesy of Ben and Lee Porter, who donated $1 million to the
effort to honor their father and uncles, all of whom attended the
university.
MRA Digest welcomes news of new or proposed boathouses.
MRA WELCOMES
MASTERS ROWERS
TO PHILADELPHIA
On Friday, October 27th, from 5:00-8:00 PM
– the eve of this year’s Thomas Eakins Head of the
Schuylkill Regatta – the Masters Rowing Association
welcomes all masters competitors for a Happy Hour
social at #4 Boathouse Row, the association’s national
headquarters.
“The reception is a fabulous way to bring our diverse
membership together as many of them travel to
Philly to race. While provided as a thank you to our
current members, we extend a warm invitation to all
the masters rowers out there to join us. The more the
merrier,” says MRA Membership Coordinator Judy
Kaplow.
Provided in part by Mariner Insurance Group, Inc. and
first-year supporter Mount Gay Rum, the welcome
reception is turning into an anticipated annual event.
“We started hosting this reception in 2000 and every
year, we get a great turn out,” says MRA Director Brian
Roman, “The masters segment is the most passionate
and dedicated group in all of rowing; it’s a pleasure to
add a little something extra to the regatta experience,
especially for them.”
“In addition to the Mariner Insurance Group, Inc.,
this year we’re pleased to add Mount Gay Rum as a
supporter of the MRA Welcome Reception,” added
Roman, “The Mount Gay Rum people have created
a number of rowing themed drinks that they’ll be
preparing for our guests, just one more thing for
everyone to enjoy that night.”
Keep an eye out for details of the reception at
www.mastersrowing.org and www.hosr.org
Rower’s Digest 08/06
page 19
KEEPING CADENCE
a less expensive stroke rate meter,” you said.
“I need
“And it should do more.”
“The display should be nice and big,” you said.
“But it can’t be too bulky.”
“Oh, and it should be waterproof,” you said.
“But again, not cost too much.”
That’s a pretty lofty request. But I think NK has finally heard
the call and answered with exactly what you are in search of:
the CadenceTM T1 Wristrate Watch.
The latest product release from NK, the Cadence T1 is
part digital sports watch, part stroke rate meter. In the
boat (strapped to the shaft of the oar), using tilt-switch
technology, the Cadence T1 calculates stroke rate based
on the feathering interval. Off the water, for the coach
or spectator, there’s a large rate button right on the
face of the unit, allowing easy rate measurement at
any time – much like its cousin the Interval 2000.
Rowing aside, much like your typical sports watch
out there, the watch offers a digital clock, 100hour/99-split chronograph, alarm, and day/date
calendar.
The Cadence T1, while slightly larger than your
average sports wristwatch, is still comfortable enough
to wear throughout the day. The neoprene strap makes
for easy on and off and adjusts from wrist to oar without
trouble.
We tested the Cadence T1 while rowing a double. While
much simpler than installing wiring harnesses and the like,
it was not quite producing very consistent feedback from
the get go. Though, after a few adjustments to the placement
of the watch, away we went and the Cadence worked very
reliably. One pleasant surprise we experienced was that
when I slid the watch a little closer towards the oarlock,
my partner (in bow) could also see the ratings.
Later that week I took my Cadence down to the river
during a regatta. While watching some crews race the
final stretch, I curiously tracked their ratings. By either
pressing the rate button on the face of the watch, or
by rocking my arm (thus triggering the internal tilt
switch), I was able to get a good idea of what rates each
boat was holding; easily switching from one boat to the
next. Both methods produce comparable results, and
I was even able to distinguish when boats were taking
a sprint and by how many beats. Though not quite as
accurate as the 3-stroke mode boasted by the Interval 2000,
the Cadence T1 did enable me to “jump” from one boat to
another very easily without too much of a delay.
While after days on end of sweaty workouts, the watchband
does tend to get a little rank (easily remedied with some soap
and warm water) the Cadence T1 is a good-looking, welldesigned watch with straightforward functionality.
You may not see the elites training with a Cadence in their
boat, but I did see a few sporting one while curiously checking
the competition from shore at the recent U.S. trials. For
some basic information while in a boat or watching from the
shore (without loading up on too many pricey gadgets), the
Cadence T1 is a nifty alternative. And at the end of a long,
hard practice, it’ll always tell you how late for work you are.
NK Cadence T1 Wristrate Watch
as reviewed retails for $79 at
www.nkhome.com