For anyone still thinking about Pedal Pittsburgh--here is the link for registration.
http://www.pedalpittsburgh.org/For_Riders.htm
There was NOT enough interest to register as a group--if you are interested--get your INDIVIDUAL registration in by the deadline of May 5th for the better pricing.
Those interested in the 25 mile ride can gather up at the Station Sq. start 30 minutes prior to the official start.
Thanks!
Wendy

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This morning, 6 scullers (Bill Anderson, Lee Kulinna, Steven Martino, Chris Ryan, Katie Spiker and I) took to the Allegheny River with the first of many "Fun Fridays". The water was flat, sunrise amazingly beautiful and Martino gave me a schooling in two of three pieces!!!

Fun Friday's are for all rowers (1x's, 2x's and/or 2-'s) who want to have fun and practice rowing fast. The Fun Friday format allows for all levels of experience and speed to participate. The goal is to practice racing. Don't think you need to be in tip top shape or form in order to show up.

There is no substitute for showing up. The best way to improve ones water speed and abilities is to practice against others. In the past, it's not been uncommon to have upwards of 15+ shells out there.

We meet every Friday, warmed up, above the 40th Street bridge @ 6:00 AM and return back to the docks by 7:00 AM. The morning generally begins with a warm-up piece to assess general and relative speeds. Three to six odd pieces of varying lengths follow with the faster rowers starting after those that are slower. The slower rowers race to stay ahead with the faster rowers trying mightily to catch up. Everyone achieves practice, racing in competitive conditions while dealing with common variables such as steering, passing, being surrounded by other shells & their puddles, varying water conditions ect.

Again, all are welcome. Pass the good word and invite all your buddies.
If necessary, be sure to reserve your shell in advance with the reservation log. As always, sign out the shell on the Safety Log before launching and sign back in when returning to the dock.

Hope to see everyone out on the water next Friday morning.

ps: martino, i'm gunning for ya!

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Our very own Jeff Burke completed the Boston Marathon yesterday (his first) in 4:18:51. Even more impressively, he exceeded his fundraising goal, raising $2,747 for nutrition and fitness research at the Friedman School at Tufts University.

Way to go Jeff- we're really proud of you, your awesome accomplishment and your dedication to the social cause.

If you want to read more about Jeff's training experiences and more, visit his Tufts Marathon Challenge page:
http://www.tuftsmarathonchallenge.com/runners/default.aspx?runner=6629

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Just one more thing...check out the TRRA website...Vern is April Volunteer of the Month. Here's the write up in case you missed it. Way to go!

"Vern Keenan is an active and enthusiastic member of Three Rivers Rowing. She began her rowing career in Toronto, Canada in her early twenties where she was appointed captain of the team. At Three Rivers, Vern began rowing for the Alcoa corporate team 6 years ago where she has dedicated much of her time to volunteering and also serving as captain. Vern continued her service as she joined the Masters Women’s team 2 years ago. She was driven and volunteered her time as one of the co-captains for the Masters Women. During this time, she continued to organize her schedule such that she could find time to be a positive influence as she assisted Devon in coaching rowers during the Winter Rowing League training in the evenings. Here she continued to demonstrate her knowledge and skills while helping others

Vern is a mother of 2 children and works full time. She regularly attends practices with the Masters Women team and finds time to manage additional workouts on the “off’ days to maintain her fitness. She is an asset to any group. Vern will always bring her high motivation, smile and enthusiasm to any situation and make it a better experience for all.

Thanks Vern!!!!

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Found this on youtube.



Enjoy,
Bill

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The Masters Womens team would like to recognize and thank our 2007 Captains - Vern Keenan & Katie Spiker - for all of their hard work, dedication, leadership, and spirit throughout the year.

Not many know how much goes on behind the scenes to keep the team running smoothly and efficiently. Katie & Vern made it look easy so that everyone could just simply show up and row!

The team held a breakfast after practice in their honor and presented them each with a framed team photo signed by everyone.

THANKS CAPTAINS!!!

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Congratulations to Joanne Anderson who just surpassed the ONE MILLION METER mark on the erg this year! To be exact - 1,000,238!!

Joanne began logging her meters during this year's winter training period and has steadily tallied them up over the last 5 months.

For her last row Joanne did some interesting interval work alternating 1000 meters with household chores :-) (...a thousand meters here, clean the bathroom, a thousand meters there, a load of laundry...) That's some serious spring cleaning. Hey, whatever works Joanne!!

[missing from photo: Joanne Anderson - who declined to go anywhere near an erg until November]

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A reminder about happy hour at HeidiOptics (Thurs. April 10 @5:30pm). Wine $5, beer $3.

This is a fund raiser for a medical mission in Guatemala that Heidi and I will go on in May.

We will have light finger food, music, and a drawing for a gift card for 10 free car washes at South Side's Pgh LaserWash donated by Steve Todorovich.
HeidiOptics is @ 239 Fourth Ave 5th Floor (Investment Building) Pittsburgh, 15222. Email lcvanderwaag@gmail.com or call if you need directions 412-281-7022 (beware of mapquest, they will send you to Neville Island).
Donations of any size are welcome and completely voluntary. Checks can be made out to VOSH-PA. The $ that we raise will pay for cataract surgery (about $65/ eye in Guatemala) and specialty prescription glasses.
Those are the details for the happy hour, if you want to hear how this trip came to be, read on...it involves rowing (or at least this telling of it will, since this is the rowers' blog)
It all began back in 1994 when I was a newbie freshman at Georgetown University and I saw a rowing shell in the campus square. My roommate dragged me over to check it out "I've ALways wanted to TRY this." Until this point in my life I considered myself "not an athlete." I couldn't run fast, I lacked hand/eye coordination, and lets face it, to this day I'm pretty damned clumsy. The enthusiastic rowers assured me that I needed no prior experience or athletic talent, all I had to do was show up for practice (sounded easy.)
So they took us out in a barge like structure on the Potomac, and randomly pointed people to one side or the other (this is how I found that path in life known as starboard). You know, rowing is such a pretty sport, and it looks so cool in the pictures...so there were maybe 100 novices that first week. Then we switched to 5:30 am practices, and each day the number halved.
As the ranks thinned I met a fellow chemistry major Lynne. She lived in my dorm, so we ran to practice together. Lynne survived rowing through Christmas break of novice year, I finished the novice year out. This wasn't by conscious choice, I just kept showing up for practice. Each time the alarm went off I got out of bed by telling myself that this was the day that I was going to quit and that tomorrow I would sleep in. Somehow I always forgot about that promise until the next morning.
Lynne became a favorite study partner because she is incredibly smart, and really nice, and had a way of explaining general chemistry in a way that made sense. Fast forward several years, Lynne and I are graduating, she is moving to North Carolina for medical school and a masters in public health, and I am on my way to optometry school in Philly. We kept in touch. She lived in Australia, and Malaysia and who knows where else, I moved to Pittsburgh.
Last June she came to visit right after she returned from a medical mission in Guatemala. Her group brings nurses, dentists, surgeons, anesthesiologists, nutritionists, physical therapists, but the one thing that the people always asked for was help with their eye problems. This is how I became involved.
This is a unique trip for me. Although Lynne's group has arranged the clinic site and dates and publicity, I am responsible for the logistics and funds for my entire part of the clinic. Luckily I'm able to share that responsibility, since Heidi offered to come with me and donate her optical skills, and I've recruited another optometrist. I'm also incredibly lucky to have the amazing support system of the masters rowers! Many of you have already donated money and glasses to recycle, thank you. Hope to see you at the happy hour.

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