Thanks to Jen Brogan and contributors for this creative chronicle of the 2010 MW race season:

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Thanks to the creative team of Jen B, Elodie, Katie S, and MW honorary member Bob D. for this little gem premiered at the December 4th team dinner:

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Excitement started to build around the Head of the Charles when the rowers were chosen for the Club 8+ entry in September. While there were only 8 rowers chosen, it felt that a little bit of all the rest of us were in that boat through their many hours of practice.

All that work paid off with an 11th place finish out of a very competitive field of 30 and a guaranteed place in next year’s race. Additionally there were great races in the Directors Challenge Quad event with Eva and friends finishing 5th and Katie, Jen and Toby finishing 10th. They all represented TRRA and our team well.

You will have to check with the rowers to find out which was harder, the actual race or surviving the high gusting winds during their practice Friday! Fortunately although still windy, the conditions Saturday and Sunday improved.

Below is a photo of the MW Club 8+ just before their race. Maureen Busis captured it well:  "What I love is that it shows that beautiful, quiet moment before a race, where each rower commits herself to her teammates and the race at hand."

Pittsburgh had other successes with the MM 50+ finishing 15th out of 34 boats and earning their automatic entry for 2011. CMU women's 4+, with Gabbi our summer coxswain finished 8th and a Pitt men's 4+ finished 12th. Central Catholic had a great race finishing 5th out of 76 and the TRRA junior girls finishing 22nd.
Thanks to Joanne Anderson for her reporting which formed the basis of this post!

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Thanks to Maureen Busis for this nice recap of the Speakmon Regatta:

Congratulations to our rowers who competed Saturday in the Head of the Speakmon.  We enjoyed a beautiful autumn day with blue skies and temperatures ranging from crisp to warm.   Speakmon changed the parking rules this year allowing parking along the park road which was nice for those that knew – for those of us that did not, it was carrying the boats as usual.  We persevered though, with great cooperation from everyone (ie, all hands on the Brittney!).

We had some close races and a few medals were won by mere seconds, reinforcing that every stroke counts.  

Special thanks to our race organizers Rebecca "I see the bridge" Williams and Sue Cohen.  When it comes to dedication they win the award for working to the end to find us coxswains.  We had two great coxswains from OSU, Regina and Elena, both graduates of Pittsburgh high schools

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Here's a quick recap on the team's adventures at the Wye Island regatta.  First off, thanks to Sally and Susan for all their work in organizing.  Besides attending to all the details of the race, they ordered up a clear and beautiful day, ideal for rowing 12.5 miles around a scenic island in the Chesapeake.  It was a loose, fun regatta, with categories for kayaks, rowboats, stand-up paddlers, etc., in addition to sweep and sculling categories.

This was a first experience with wet launches for many, and boy were we glad we didn't see the jellyfish until after the race.  Katie Stutz launched her single first, and pretty much never looked back, winning a medal.  Our doubles went out next, Toby and former teammate Susan Lawrence in red and, looking buff in their new lime Nike t-shirts, -- Joanne and Wendy, and Sally and Susan.  Congrats to Sally and Susan on their medals!  The 8 was off last, ably coached by Sonya who not surprisingly did not seem to run out of things to say during the hour and a half row.  The 8: Danielle, Jess B, Maureen, Karen, Emily, Jeanne, Rebecca and Anne Jane.  Results from this race were late and don't seem to be posted online yet. 

At rigging yesterday morning, the boats and oars got a thorough washing to get the salt water off.  All in all, if you discount a fair number of blisters on just about everyone's hands, Wye Island was a great start to our team's head season.

Maureen and Joanne

PS  Greetings and big hugs to everyone from former teammate Connie Flanagan, whose new club, Annapolis Rowing, sponsored the event.

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Yeah, yeah, we would all like to forget about the Brittany Lynn.....but,

After plotting to ditch Brit in the marsh & set her out to sea - Jen B, Laura, Jackie, and Eva decided to tack the map onto the stern deck anyway and lugged her portly hull to the dock for a 12.5 mile row.  She creaked and groaned just a little and lost most of her spacers along the way, but we rowed her to a cheerful 3rd place finish.

Jen (Brogan)

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So sorry I forgot to include in the recap our stalwart quad rowers, who pulled the old girl mightily.  Nice job you guys!

Maureen

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From Joanne Anderson:
 Windy about sums it up!

Some people did get to race but the wind forced cancellation of most of the races on Saturday, 9/4/10. This was very disappointing to the small band of rowers who scheduled extra practices in preparation of this big event.

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Joanne Anderson sent two emails after the 2010 Canadian Henley which really summed up the race. I hope she does not mind me poaching them!

To the whole team she wrote:

We had a good experience at the Henley regatta which was topped off with the Quad winning a gold.
The race was exceptionally well organized with beautiful docks, lots of volunteers,  and of course indoor plumbing including multiple showers.  Everything ran on schedule and the weather was perfect. 

The indoor facilities were definitely a plus as was the ample parking and viewing area. The site is really set up for large regattas.

And to those who participated in the 2010 Canadian Henley which really captured some of the key events and certainly the spirit of this race:

I just wanted to thank again Anne Jane and Vern for race organizing, Abby for coaching and carrying, Wendy for filling in at the last minute and hotseating to a 1X, Gabbi for her enthusiastic coxing, Toby for brownies, Cindy for doing damage reports x 2 this AM,  Lulu for doing expenses - (can we pay in Canadian currency?)

 We can thank Jackie and Luanne for making a detour to get Vern's green card (which is actually pink), so the she could get back in the country and Ellen for safely transporting our coxswain and coach. We had some nice additional help with the supporting our newest trailer driver with Bill as copilot and Dave, Jen, Katie and Sally as chase drivers and pillow retrievers.  Vern was perfect and turns out she likes country music, so I guess she was made for the job.

Whereas it would have been nice if more of the team came, I have to say spending time with a smaller group of rowers was really nice both at dinner and at the race course.   It was nice being sent off and greeted by teammates before and after each row.  
My only regret was not getting to meet Joseph at the hotel.  He must have been wearing one of his other hats aside from "customer relation representative" and "reservation specialist" - I hope it was not that of interior designer for the 2nd floor hallway!

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Two sprint races on the same weekend ( 7/10, 7/11) provided a study in contrasts:

Capital: Urban, new location, pouring rain, Sportgraphics, race announcer+ music, after-race picnic        

Occoquan: Wooded, old favorite, sunlight and heat, quiet, after race ice cream

But at both the competition was high and TRRA teams raced hard.

This was the first year that the Capital Sprints was held at Capital Rowing Club’s new Anacostia Community Boathouse. They were still working out some details on race day – like where to park trailers so there was enough room for people to rig boats but I am sure these will be resolved by next year. The new docks are very nice and while there are no shade trees, there is (or will be) a grassy area for tents right by the finish line. The race course was wide and fairly straight. It had some interesting features such as a destroyer or frigate (a very big ship) and a big bridge under construction.

Unfortunately all of this was overshadowed by the relentless downpour that started just as we arrived and did not end until the last few races of the day. Luckily it was warm so we were wet but not too cold. There were no thunder storms and races continued on time all day long.

There was a large Three Rivers contingent at this regatta. Both evening masters’ teams attended as did both morning teams. Looking back at the results there were quite a few first place finishes among both the women’s and men’s masters teams as well as second and third places although medals were only given for first place. I was in a particularly exciting mixed 8+ which we lost by only .78 seconds. So despite the weather, Three Rivers were strong competitors.

Derigging and loading was made more interesting because many of the men’s and women’s masters were racing at Occoquan the next day. Luckily the sun came out making this part of the day more enjoyable. Still we hurried back to our hotels, where, even though we spent a day in rain, it was a pleasure to stand under a hot shower. The men’s team organized a group dinner at a local eatery: Mike's American Grill which was a great way to end that soggy day.

Sunday morning was clear and bright for the ride to Occoquan. Who would guess that after driving through windy rural/suburban roads that you would find this tree surrounded reservoir all set up for regattas! As wet as the preceding day was, this one warmed up quickly to be very hot. Lugging the boats up hill in the heat after each race added an extra dose of strength work for mind and body.

Like Capital, the race was well run and stayed on time, despite some congestion at the docks on occasion. While not as many first place finishes (or seconds or thirds) there were a few including Jenn Langzettel who capture 2 firsts in both her 1X races at Capital and Occoquan and a happy women’s 4X.

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The Midwest Masters in Columbus, OH, was a nice progression from the Pittsford Regatta. Far more rowers attended from both the MW and MM teams, there were more events and deeper competition. Held at the Griggs reservoir in NW Columbus, the setting is not as scenic as Pittsford but it is an easier drive. There were complaints about the lack of a real warm-up area and quite a few people noted that they had a better row back to the start than their actual race. Still the races ran on time,  the trailers could park close to the docks, the storms stayed away (just a welcome drizzle in the morning),  and there was a pleasant "viewing area" from which you could at least see the warm-up area.

While several of the Midwest clubs fielded strong teams, the MW/MM teams medaled in almost every event that they entered and every MW came home with at least one medal! While there were many second and third places, as the day progressed there were more firsts.One of the more exciting races (admittedly I am biased because I was participating, but I heard from observers that it was a very dramatic finish) was the third flight of the womens 8+. The MW coach filled in for a missing rower and stroked one MW boat.  Despite this advantage and a slower start, the other MW boat staged an impressive challenge in the middle part of the race and ended up loosing by only .84 seconds. It was a very satisfying experience to spar with team mates in a race setting.  It should be noted that the other women's 8+,  clobbered their opponents and came in first by 6.9 seconds. Not only did MW have to compete among themselves at least one MW double had to plow through a flock of Canada geese that apparently had not gotten the message that there was a race taking place. Despite the living obstacles the double went on to finish third!

It ended up being a very hot and sweaty day, but it was a solid race for both teams - a good warm-up for future regattas.

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Great information from Johnathon Crist, the MW assistant coach:

Read the post thoroughly on the following link below, it is the most
comprehensive compilation of practical stretches and exercises I've
come across in years addressing this area/problem.  It gets to
stretching the hamstrings, but also the underlying tightness in the
hip flexors, IT band, and lower back.

As always these are suggestions - take at your own speed and consult
physician, chiropractor, physical therapist, massage therapist, and/or
yogi if necessary.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-regain-and-maintain-hip-mobility/

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Pittsford is a great regatta to begin the racing season: beautiful setting, just enough entries to make it interesting and all the masters events are done before noon, meaning you can get home at a reasonable hour and even sneak in a shower before leaving (if you remembered to ask for a late check-out). The races are held on the iconic Erie Canal and are 1600 meters long, an unusual but challenging distance - not short, not long.

A small contingent of Masters Men joined the Masters Women for the 2010 event on May 29. The weather was perfect - sunny and for the most part calm. 

Quite a few of the men participated in the 1X event. The results are not posted on Regatta Central yet (or perhaps they were not recorded correctly) but people seemed pleased with how they did.

The women's 8+ event was a strong one for the MW. The "B" boat actually was .49 seconds behind the first place boat but the MW "A" boat had a better handicap and took second place (the "B" boat came in 4th) - a win/win for MW! 

Handicaps also nudged the MW 4+ boat out of first place this time to the TRRA Evening Mixed Masters Women's 4+. 

More medals were won by the MW 2+ who came in second in their race.

The MM brought home a second in the 4+ and a first in the Mixed 2x (with an EMM). 

Other MW and MM boats did well in their events - for all the details check out Regatta Central

This was the first race with the MW for new coach Abby Loughrey and for this reporter - a good start!

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THE ORDER DEADLINE HAS PASSED. If you are interested in purchasing a shirt, we will have them available for sale. Please contact the TRRA MW for more details: trramw@gmail.com

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Due to popular demand, the MW Water Woman shirt is back with a new t-shirt style for 2009!!!!!

These awesome tees will again sell for $20.00! We will be placing an initial order for them in the next week or two. Place your order now and we'll reserve one for you!! --> WATER WOMAN T-SHIRT ORDER FORM





Please conatact the Masters Women at trramw@gmail.com if you have any questions!

THANKS!!

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Save the Date!
Regatta Season Kick-off Happy Hour
Thurs. April 30, 2009
5:30-8:00pm
The Firehouse Lounge www.firehouse-lounge.com
2216 Penn Ave (in the Strip District)
1/2 off bottles of wine and food

Join in, get to know your rowing mates, and kick off the season.
Evite to follow, guests are welcome.

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Grab your Terrible Towel!! Pittsburgh's goin' to the Super Bowl!!! GO STEELERS!!

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Git' your foot a stompin' and your hand a slappin' to this lil' rendition of the 2008 season by the very creative & talented Elodie Ghedin:

Oh Regatta
(to the tune of 'Oh Susanna')

Early mornings, hair undone
We wear our slim outfits
Black is in, as fashion says
But Jeffrey gets all pissed

"I can't see youuuu" he says,
We roll our eyes
Even though we're hard to see
It really thins our thighs

Chorus:
Don and Jeff
We wish you'd feel our pain
All we do is row and row
And kilos we still gain

The Pittsford race was really fun
And all our nails were done
Then we rowed and broke them all
The glam is now all gone

Chorus:
Oh Regatta
After all we're girls
We love to win lots of bling
It's better than pearls

Schuylkill Navy here we come
Sailors all around
Lu and Connie got riled up
Their singles went to town

Chorus:
U.S. Navy
We're just a little mad
We wanted to see sailor boys
Not their freakin' dads

Diamond State oh what a bust
Tsunami, hurricane
Weather sucked but crabs were good
I guess that's why we came.

Chorus:
Oh Regatta
Let's skip it for next year
Our fashion guru Wendy says
Bibs are so last year

Cuyahoga was first rate
With lots of twists and turns
But boy could Sonya navigate
So medals we could earn

Chorus:
Don and Jeff
Our butts are not that tough
With all that sliding in the seat
It gets a little rough

HOTO, Here we go at home
The race is ours to 'git'
Lightning struck half way passed one
We dropped our oars and split

Chorus:
Oh Regatta
We loved the Stewards' Pier
So wieners we did chow upon
And finished off with beer

Then we practiced for the Charles
It's more than we can bear
All that getting up at dawn
For sleep we cannot spare

Chorus:
Heckenstaller
Be careful don't you crash
Next time ride around the crowd
So you don't break your ass

Then to Speakmon we did go
Rebecca was the cox
"C'MON LADIES HIT IT HARD"
"WE'LL KICK THEIR BLEEPING ARSE"

Chorus:
Oh Rebecca
Tell us where we are
That bleeping bleeping finish line
Is really really far

Occoquan is in the Fall
It's chilly to the bones
The only thing that keeps us sane
Is eating Sally's scones

Chorus:
Don and Jeff
We wish you'd feel our pain
We really do enjoy the work
But just love to complain

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November Topic: Success Stories!

It's hard to believe that another competitve season on the water is finished!

Let's use this spot to share our success stories. For example, personal goals you have met, fun regatta stories, any of the positive things that you have gained from this season...end the season on a positive note.

PS: Happy Trails to you! See you at the "Deep Country" Happy Hour Thursday night 11/6 at the BrilloBox 6pm

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Congratulations to the TRRA Masters Women who competed at the 44th annual Head of the Charles Regatta this past weekend 10/18-19 in Boston, MA. The team had entries in the Women's Club 8+, Women's Masters 8+, and also two quads in the Directors Challenge.

The Club 8+ finished in 5th place after starting 43rd out of 45 in the bow draw. Sonya Berkovich coxed an extremely successful course passing 6 other crews while navigating the many turns and bridges. Their finishing time was 17:40.489 which secured a medal and a guaranteed entry for next year! The winning lineup included: Anne Nelson, Katie Spiker, Georgia Bullen, Jill Markl, Justine Aylmer, Franny Ritchie, Jenn Langzettel, and Kristin Boyle. Well done ladies!!!

The Masters 8+ finished in 22nd place and was coxed by Betsy Mills. The lineup included: Jen Brogan, Jackie Goldblum, Eva Szigethy, Luanne Suplick, Vern Keenan, Jeanne Odenheimer, Maureen Busis, and Joanne Anderson.

Eva Szigethy and Katie Stutz each sponsored Women's Quad entries for the Directors Challenge. They finished 4th and 6th respectively out of a field of 15! Ellen Romsaas stroked a quad for Avalon - Maidens of the Mist and also volunteered as a backup timer for Saturday's races.

Way to put the TRRA name out there Masters Women!! A lot of hard work and dedication was put into preparing for and executing this race by the rowers, coxswains, and Coaches Don Heckenstaller and Jeff Lowe. Please congratulate everyone as you see them around the boathouse.

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The changes to daylight savings time means more rows in the dark for us Morning Masters rowers. Whether you are a rower, coxswain, or steering a sculling shell you need to be aware of those giant metal red and green buoys out there on the river. They are not lighted so you should know of their general location as you navigate up and down the river.

This info has been neatly drafted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. I have included links to the Navigation Maps of the areas that we typically travel during practice. In addition, everyone should have attended the fall TRRA Safety Meeting and possess a standard level of river safety and navigation knowlege as it pertains to the Allegheny River and its traffic patterns.

If at any time you have been put into a situation and feel unsure about coxing, rowing, or steering it is your responsibility to use common sense and sound judgement to express this to your coach and boatmates prior to leaving the boathouse. Do not proceed onto the river and "wing-it" so to speak.

As far as the buoys are concerned - here are the maps. What you are looking for on there are the green and purple diamonds. The green diamonds represent the green buoys and the purple diamonds represent red buoys. The general rule is to stay "Right of RED" when going upstream and "Left of GREEN" when going downstream.

The masters women typically travel a consistent pattern upstream to Lock/Dam #2 (near the Highland Park Bridge) and return downstream past the end of Herr's Island. For this traffic pattern you will notice that there are 5 red buoys in the upstream direction (1 prior to the 62nd St. Br. and 4 after) and 3 green buoys downstream (all prior to the 40th St. Br).

Please take a few minutes to view the maps below. Clicking on an image will open a large readable version of the document.

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Everyone loves to bring home a little hardware from a race... but what do you do with it?

Get out your camera it's time for show n' tell. Feel free to post comments or better yet if you have photos send them to Jen B or Luanne and we'll post them right here for all to see your shining shrine of glory!!

To kick it off... here's where Jeanne O. keeps her medals!! Can anyone top this???

Here's Jeanne's story....I joined the Masters Womens team five years ago and have participated in quite a few races, both during the sprint season and head racing. I have been fortunate and enjoyed the fruits of competition. That is, the box of medals accumulating dust.

What to do with them??? The choices are numerous but it needed to be just the right one. I am certainly no interior decorator and few things in my house match what the designers like and approve. But I did want to display my accomplishment in a unique way. A shadow box with labels would be a quick and easy way, but just not unique enough for me.

One afternoon, the perfect display hit me! My husband is an avid hunter, enjoying his sport and displaying his trophies in a way that he can enjoy them. After “bagging” his second buck in as many years, he insisted on hanging them on the wall. Ding -- the light came on!! Why not just use the rack on the proud buck. It was perfect.

Race after race I proudly added my medals to my husband’s trophy. Unfortunately, the weight of all the medals has since pulled it off the wall. Fortunately, both the bucks are now hanging on the wall up at the hunting camp…where they should be. My medals are back in the box gathering dust until I come up with a new idea.

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