Harlem River Boat Club

New Address!

2008-05-25T14:13:00.000-07:00

HRBC is now Harlem River Community Rowing!

Please visit our new blog at http://harlemrivercommunityrowing.blogspot.com/

RACKS!!!!

2008-04-28T20:14:00.000-07:00

A quick update from the equipment and storage front:

As most of you know, rowing shells are big (well long really) and finding a place to store them in New York City is a bit of a logistical challenge (someday ask Tracy about the oars in her bedroom or the dock in her basement...). The point is that with many thanks to Turner Construction and Jacobson & Co. Inc., for their generous donation of lumber, time and expertise, HRBC now not only has boats, but has a place to put them!

Our fantastic construction crew poses with the lumber...

And then we all get to work...

Two racks down, one more to go...

The moment of truth...

Hey! Check us out! We have boat racks!

The Jingle Mingle Erg Relay

2007-12-02T20:51:00.000-08:00

First, a confession: I own an erg. However, it is typically found in an upright position in the corner of my room, where I find it useful for hanging up not-quite-dry laundry. In my defense, I didn't actually buy the thing for myself, it belonged to my dad until my mom told me to get it out of her home office where he was storing it. At any rate, it doesn't get a lot of use.

So when I got the announcement for Row NY's first annual Jingle Mingle erg relay event, in which Row NY girls would be paired with adults for a series of 500 meter pieces, I did not exactly see it as an opportunity to showcase my strength. Ordinarily and historically, I have avoided both athletics and athletic competition. In high school my eligibility for graduation was questioned because I was delinquent one gym credit. Thus my involvement with the sport of rowing is a constant source of surprise to those who know me well. What can I say, I love being on the water.

But this seemed like a competition I could handle, if for no other reason than because the registration form asked, "if you had to pull 500 meters right now would you A) feel fine B) give a shaky high five C) fall off the erg D) need an ambulance." I circled "D" and sent it in.

On the day of the event I dragged myself out of bed far earlier than should be allowed on a Saturday morning, and made my way to the Row NY headquarters in Long Island City. I found the erg room abuzz with Row New Yorkers, masters rowers, a few babies and children, and one very large dog. There was a large cohort of what appeared to be recently graduated varsity athletes, judging from the fresh faces, lean physiques, and collegiate unis, and also one particularly tall gentleman who I later learned was an Olympic gold medalist. You might think I felt out of my league, and indeed I was, but I also felt a sense of relief that whatever junior athlete I was teamed with would not be entirely dragged down by my performance, as these other folks would surely improve our average.

The races kicked off with the novices, in teams of four that combined both youth and masters, each pulling 500m with 15 seconds in between to switch rowers. A din arose as teammates urged each other on. One exchange: Teammate: "Go faster!" Rower: "I don't know how!" I hear you, sister.

The second event was for the Row NY varsity girls and their adult teammates. I huddled with my crew, which included one Row NYer and two guys in unis, both looking pretty fit. We decided on our lineup, stood attentive until the head coach pronounced "Ready all, ROW!" and our lead man went at it with all his might.

Five hundred meters goes pretty fast--when you're watching someone else do it. Before I knew it, my teammate was done and I had 15 seconds to take over. I did not get off to an auspicious start, however, when I was unable to wedge my excessively large feet (size 13, to be precise) into the foot straps, and wasted valuable time readjusting before I actually began to pull. Flustered, I yanked away, and managed a few strokes at a respectable 1:45 or so...and slowly watched my numbers increase to 2:10 and beyond. It felt like concrete had been poured over the erg and into my limbs. I cannot honestly recall what my ultimate time was, but suffice it to say that despite the valiant efforts of the teammates who suceeded me, we placed 7th...out of seven. As far as defeats go, this was not too painful (emotionally, at least--my lungs were another matter), and in short order everyone moved on to other relays. As the event was sponsored by the good folks at Credit Suisse, everyone lined up for a free-for-all known as "Credit Suisse vs. The World", as well as an exclusively Row NY relay.

Without a doubt, the Row New York relay was my favorite event of the day, and not just because I didn't have to exert myself. As each girl stepped up to do her piece, she was surrounded by her peers yelling encouragement. This may not strike you as remarkable--they are teammates, after all. But as someone who spent thirteen years in an all-girls school growing up, I can say with authority that the prevailing vibe in an all-female environment, especially adolescent, is not always one of sisterhood so much as it is of competition, disparagement, backstabbing, jealousy, contempt...you get the idea. And while I'm sure these girls are competitive not only against other teams but also against each other--rowing does not attract the complacent--it was nonetheless gratifying to see the girls cheering each other on.

The Jingle Mingle concluded with awards, food, and general merriment. While I may not touch my erg at home for a few days (or more), Adam M. suggested that over the winter HRBC register for the Concept 2 online log to collectively track our progress. Stay tuned to the HRBC website for details, if you'd like to participate. So the countdown to Jingle Mingle 2008 has begun: Next year I'm shooting for 6th place, and Credit Suisse is going down!

Pimp My Trailer (Part I)

2007-11-06T19:49:00.000-08:00

You've probably heard us muttering for some time about our newest acquisition, a 39' Vespoli boat trailer purchased from our friends at Duke University. But "where is it?" you might ask. "What does it look like" and, most importantly, "what color is it?"

Answers, answers and a photo as proof! It lives, until we find it a home here in the city, in beautiful (no sarcasm here, it really is beautiful) upstate New York. It looks, well, rather like a boat trailer. As to color, it is currently smurf blue.

Proof that we were there and actually did work (de-rusting and a fresh coat of aforementioned smurf blue paint) is in the photo. Maryanne will be posting soon to fill you all in on the details of the weekend including: the run-in between the dog and the burrs, the amazing food and the gas-station bacon.

A Newbie Goes to Boston

2007-10-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

Row- row-row your boat....
really quickly up the stream/river/thing...
try not to tip over, crunch around a curve, or crab...
or it'll end your dream...:)

Soooo thennnnnn....I went shopping, got the clothes, lived through a couple more classes/practices/whatever we're calling them, and ANOTHER email went out to the group.

This time it was news of the impending Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston.

First: I had to look up "regatta".

Second: I had to find a cheap way to get to Boston, given my proclivity to shop.

Third: I...that's right folks...I, the newbie, had to cajole the coaches into going...and even then, Teddy, Teddy, TEDDY, what happened my man?

So, I booked my little ticket on the Fung Wah bus for 6:30am on Saturday morning. Four hours and ten minutes later, I stretched my legs and stepped off the bus, my first time in Boston. (Cute, old, but very white as far as cities go - I guess I've gotten spoiled by New York.)

I knew which general direction to go in (thank you, thank you) from the bus depot. I got the T to the Harvard stop and asked, "which way to the Charles?". After an easy enough walk from there, I was at my first official or even unofficial regatta.

Keep in mind kiddies, members of the reading audience, that by this point I'd been sculling (and using the official terminology) for a mere two weeks.

I spent the first couple of hours tooling around, going to vendor tents, eating the food I brought with me then realizing I had a major spill in my bag and cleaning the damn thing out, trying to ascertain which way the rowers were racing and which way they were going to get to the starting line, etc. etc.

I also was trying to get Bostonians to talk to me to hear the accent, but I guess it was too early cuz I couldn't find to many who would oblige.

Jenny arrived around 12:30 or 1:00 I think. I had enough time to think of a couple of questions for her, like "What's a master? A champion?", and to have made some stellar observations, such as: oooh, THAT's what you mean by arms out first, then body...or, NOW I get how to keep the left hand over the right without bumping the ends together and then not being able to move the blades at all.

I just generally watched everyone's form: their wrists as they feathered their blades back to the finish, their posture, the snap of their arms at the finish (can't remember what it's called), the slow recovery, the ratio thingy...

Note: I get the ratio thingy, I know it when I see it, I just don't know how to write about it. I'll work on that, I promise.

Jenny and I moved up and down the course, I grabbed a bread bowl of chowder (though really, at the end of the day, it could have been skipped), and headed back to the T. Yes, that's right, it was a 1 day thing for me, as I had things to do on Sunday. I made the 6 o'clock Fung Wah bus back to the city (the only city, NYC), which got me home by 10:30 pm.

All in all, it was a great learning experience. I tend to be rather visual. To have watched rower after rower - singles, fours, and eights - using proper form compete and then casually move to the starting line helped me put all the info together from my Learn to Row sessions. I felt the next practice session I had went better in terms of my form as I was able to picture everything I'd seen and try to replicate it.

I got so enthused and excited that I mentioned this next bit to both coaches (Jenny and Teddy) and my partner Tanya:

They have a "newbie" division/class/whatever it's called at the Head of the Charles. What's to stop us from entering next year?

More discussion needs to be had, and of course, lots more training, but hey, you never know.

A rower is born.

2007-10-25T11:27:00.000-07:00

I found rowing completely by accident. I avoid gyms, you see (don't like the god awful mirrors everywhere, the pick up scene, or locker room trauma) and yet, I needed to get in shape. What to do, what to do? Get a home system, I said to myself...and so I did. The mighty Bowflex to be specific, which happens to have a limited but nonetheless useful row station on it.

So me and the Bowf (it's what I call her) were hangin out and I thought, you know I like this. I like being on the water, too, at least in the limited way I've been in the past. I wondered what real rowing might feel like, so I Googled my rowing options in New York City. I was a bit saddened to find not many exist.

Then I found HRBC. I looked at the site, sent an inquiry email, felt things out. Next thing I know, I get an invite to a barbecue and thought, well why not? A few days later the Learn to Row invite went out and blammo, I'm in rowing class.

Next I found myself picking up a really heavy boat at an early but not unholy hour and walking through goose poop to a dock where I tried not to fall in as we lowered her into the water. That first weekend I just focused on not to ripping my knee apart while doing deep bends to lock in the oars, actually getting in and out of the thing on command, and trying to remember the phrase "way enough" and not just shout "way, uh, NO...GO...STOP" when the boat got too heavy on the way back to the containers where the equipment is stored.

We spent a couple of days getting the different parts of the stroke down (listen to me usin' the lingo!). When we got on the water, I tried not to throw myself out of the scull or break a rib crabbing (lingo, lingo, LINgo). Or spread my knees apart at the catch (very lady like). Or try to muscle the scull through the water with only my arms, which got old fast.

Then, of course, I did what every new member of a sport does: I went shopping. I got myself the merino wool comfy clothes that will dry quickly but keep me warm as the Learn to Row classes go through November - possibly brrr, but then again possibly balmy given the warming of the globe.

I'll keep you posted on my progress; I know you're just dying to know.

2007-10-25T09:54:00.000-07:00

Hello Rowers!

Welcome to the HRBC Blog! It’s a sad fact of life that we can’t be on the water all the time. So what to do during those landlocked hours, when thoughts of rowing fill your head? We hope that the HRBC blog will provide some relief. Here, current rowers will be able to share comments, ideas, questions, photos and more. So, ready all: BLOG!