Bay City Rowing Club
Bay City, Michigan
Presents...
|
This was another early morning trip. The crew and parents assembled at the boat house at 2:00am on Saturday morning. By 3:00 am the caravan of six vans and cars headed out for the 3 hour trip to Toledo. The boats were trailered down late Friday night.
The day dawned bright and mild with a westerly breeze blowing right up the river. Toledo has a beautiful park area at the rowing club site directly across the river from the downtown skyline. The crew parents set up chairs and snacks and blankets in the shade of the trees which line the waterfront walk. We had a perfect view of the launch area and the finish line.
The Toledo rowing club makes its home in part of a rehabilitated river front warehouse. At the other end is a very classy bistro and restuarant. These long buildings open onto a wide concrete frontage which was obviously once used for loading and unloading freighters. Old railroad tracks found in the concrete bear wittness to those days when active commerce plied the river.
At the boat club the concrete frontage slopes down for a boat launch into a large basin or lagoon which opens onto the main river. A wide walk, lined with shade trees and flags of many countries circles this basin and offers that great view of the boats coming and going and the finish line out in the main channel of the river.
The fine people of the Toledo Rowing Club ran a really professional race. Using a very effective PA system, officials were able to communicate with the hundreds of young people who surrounded the club area with boats and equipment. All morning we would hear the calls:"First call: men's 8 to your boats"When boats were not being launched or retreived the announcer would announce race results.
"Second call: Women's 4 to the launch"
"Third call: Men's doubles into the water"
After the morning qualifying races, there was a break to allow people to visit, eat, prepare or just relax. At about 2:00 the afternoon races cranked up like a madhouse. The best image would be an aircraft carrier with planes being launched and retrieved in continuous waves.
The action started as the announcer called the first boats. But instead of running just one race, the officials begain launching waves of boats. 4's and 8's, singles and doubles. As the first waves reached the far end they would race back. Outbound boats heading down the far side, races coming up the middle.
At the peak of action it looked like a modern airport. Crews, with boats over their heads and support crews carrying oars, lined up to approach the floating launch platform As one crew would step into their boat another would be walking into position waiting to put their boat in as soon as the first boat was clear. On the opposite side of the platform the arriving boats were being retreived and taken out of the water.
It was a beautiful sight; so many young people working with the precision of professionals. Departing boats would manuver away from the dock platform, slowly turn then stroke out to cross the river. Arriving boats, coming in the far side of the lagoon, would hold position until they were signaled to smoothly approach the other side of the platform and lift their boats out, over the head and up the ramp.
Bay City's young crews rowed 7 qualifying heats:Boys Novice FOUR (2 crews)
Girls Novice FOUR (2 crews)
Boys Varsity FOUR (1 crew)
Girls Varsity FOUR (1 crew)
Girls DOUBLE (1 crew)
All of our crews showed well in the morning qualifying heats. The daily workouts before and after school for the past few weeks were very evident. The best part was that one of our "Boys Novice Four's" qualified for the afternoon races.
BUT the MOST EXCITING part was that our crew placed third in the 11 boat, 1500 meter race with a time of 6:48.53!
Our medal winning crew, rowing the Purple Haze:
Nick Oginsky
Scott Hardy
Beth Bryden - Coxswain
Kevin Klepser
Shawn Preston
HOME PAGE
CREW
CONTENTS
