June Updates

• Name Our Boats!

• Work Party - Sunday June 30

• Learn to Row Session 3

• ADA Port-O-John Fundraiser

Summer Season is in full swing, and we have quite a large number of rowers at the Reservoir! From Learn To Row, to Coached Club Squad, to members doing their own thing, we love seeing everyone making the most of the sunlight and the (mostly) good water.

Here are a few items for the community…

Bid to Name Our Boats!

We are holding a silent-auction-style fundraiser to name some BCR Boats! There are 5 boats that need names:

Vespoli 8+  (Current bid: $400)
Hudson Heavy 2x  (Starting bid: $275)
Vespoli SD 1x (A)  (Current bid: $175)
Vespoli SD 1x (B)  (Current bid: $175)
Open Water 1x  (Starting bid: $100)

We have a Google Sheet that allows you to view the instructions and the current highest bid for each boat. Then, you simply need to email info@boulderrowing.org to bid on a boat!

This fundraiser is open until Monday, July 1 at 9pm (deadline extension). The winning bidder must have a Boathouse Connect profile and be ready to name the boat on July 2, when you will be charged your bid amount.

View the fundraiser and find all the instructions to bid on the spreadsheet. Bidding is by email.

Please email zoegentes@gmail.com with any specific questions.

Bid to Name a Boat!

Equipment Work Party - Sunday, June 20

Please join us this Sunday, 6/30 after practice (or after your swim test if you are taking it this Sunday) to have food and help with equipment work. We will do this potluck style, so please bring Juice, Iced Coffee, Bagels, Muffins, etc. We will break bread before getting our hands dirty.

Some of the major tasks we will tackle include:

• Weeding (bring your gloves, tools, and knee pads from home)

• Organizing the shed

• Oar rigging and labeling

• Boat maintenance

We are also collecting old pill bottles (think the clear orange plastic kind with the white top) to help us organize our nuts, bolts, and other hardware. We ask for you to remove or obscure any personal information on these bottles to protect your identity.

Lastly, we need volunteers to help check the integrity and perform maintenance of our life-jacket fleet. Please reach out to Roman (rsammas@gmail.com) if you are interested in helping with this or any other equipment-related tasks.

Register Now for the Third Session of 2024 Learn To Row (Sweep)

The third session of the Learn To Row program with Boulder Community Rowing is up on Boathouse Connect!

The dates for Sweep Session #3 will be:

Wed Jul 10, Mon Jul 15, Wed Jul 17, Mon Jul 22, Wed Jul 24, Mon Jul 29
5:15am - 7:15am

Registration is done through Boathouse Connect; you can find instructions how to sign up for this platform and program on our website. No membership is required for this program.

If you have questions, please contact LearnToRow@boulderrowing.org!

Learn To Row Webpage

Not sure what’s right for you?

As always, if you are a returning rower and have not signed up yet, please visit our Membership or Programs page to get started. If you want to see if this program is right for you, consider a Guest or Drop-In Row! Sign up through Boathouse Connect or email us to determine the best fit for you.

Get Started on Boathouse Connect

ADA Port-O-John Fundraising Goal: 49%!

Have you seen or used the handy HoneyBucket port-o-john up by the boats? That is thanks to generous contributions from people like you!

We are 49% funded! Please consider a small donation to keep this pit-stop possible through the fall. Go to our Boathouse Connect Fundraisers and make a donation today.

Donate to this Fund!

Spring Update 2024

• Summer Hours and Gate Restriction Changes

• Early-Access-Only Pass

• Skill and Drill Wednesdays

• Independent Rowers Program

• Learn to Row Session 2

• Open House - June 2

• ADA Port-O-John Fundraiser

With Memorial Day upon us, it is now officially the Summer Season at the Boulder Reservoir! Reservoir Public Hours are now from 6am - 8pm.

BCR Members (or those with the BCR monthly Early Access Pass; read more below) can now enter the gate early Monday - Thursday! Visit the Boulder Reservoir page for a list of wakeless and limited-wakeless (new!) hours on Tues/Thurs/Sun.

This also means a few very important changes and updates for BCR, below…

Early Gate Entry Restrictions

We are pleased to offer BCR Members early entry to the reservoir Mon-Thurs. The gate will open starting at 5am - HOWEVER, Reservoir policy is to close the gate 30min before public hours. Meaning, the gate is only open to us between 5am and 5:30am. It will then close again until 6am so Reservoir staff can prepare to open to the public. Please keep this in mind if you are coordinating with others or attending a weekday practice, as you MUST be through the gate by 5:30am or you will be locked out and miss practice.

Early-Access-Only Pass

If you do not use BCR equipment and so do not want to be a full member, you can opt for the BCR Early-Access-Only Monthly Fee option. Rowers will be charged $80/month to join BCR Early Access to the Reservoir (5-5:30am) 4 days a week. Those with this group will not be charged for gate entry by Reservoir when entering during BCR paid early access hours. You can sign up for this option through Boathouse Connect.

Skill and Drill Wednesdays

They’re back! Join Coach Roman every Wednesday for small boat work. Focus in on what you need to work on to get faster and flow better in a boat through structured movements and targeted drills. This is recommended for all skill levels who want to tweak their technique. The price for each practice will be a Drop-In Fee (member or non-member). Sign up now on Boathouse Connect.

Independent Rowers - Sign Up Now!

The group for BCR members to sign up for self-organized practices is now available! Being in this group will unlock recommended practice times where you can mark attendance to facilitate organization with your teammates. The survey conducted in recent weeks indicated this is the most-desired structure for a BCR Non-Coached program for skilled rowers or those who want to train outside of coached practices - we welcome continued feedback from our members as we try out this program.

The standard practice time for this group is Mondays & Wednesdays at 5:15am - 7:15am, and Fridays at 6 am - 8am (no early access). Members are encouraged to drop into the Wednesday Skill and Drill sessions for a focus on technical sculling work.

Note that you still must be a member and certified at the appropriate level to check out club shells, and if you are in a sweep boat you must have a BCR-approved coxswain (contact us for details). All BCR equipment must be reserved through Boathouse Connect. The same gate restrictions as above apply to this group (through the gate by 5:30am in order to make use of the BCR Early Entry).

Get Started on Boathouse Connect

Not sure what’s right for you?

As always, if you are a returning rower and have not signed up yet, please visit our Membership or Programs page to get started. If you want to see if this program is right for you, consider a Guest or Drop-In Row! Sign up through Boathouse Connect or email us to determine the best fit for you.

www.BoulderRowing.org

Register Now for the Second Session of 2024 Learn To Row (Sweep)

Learn to Row Session #1 is now full, but the second session of the Boulder Community Rowing 2024 LTR Program is up on Boathouse Connect!

The dates for Sweep Session #2 will be:

Wed Jun 19, Mon Jun 24, Wed Jun 26, Mon Jul 1, Wed Jul 3, Mon Jul 8
5:15am - 7:15am

Registration is done through Boathouse Connect; you can find instructions how to sign up for this platform and program on our website. No membership is required for this program. 

If you have questions, please contact LearnToRow@boulderrowing.org!

Open House - June 2

Attend a 90-minute Open House which affords you a sample of what rowing is about. There is no cost for the Open House sessions.

The first Open House is Sunday, June 2 @ 9:30am.

Find us here on the Reservoir Map. Note that a fee is required to enter the Reservoir.

You do not need to sign up in advance but we appreciate if you can let us know if you plan to attend by emailing us at info@boulderrowing.org.

Learn To Row Webpage

Fundraising Goal: ADA-Accessible Port-O-John!

Usually, the only restrooms available to rowers and other reservoir users are the restrooms at the main building or the rental hut - these are a walk from our area and are not always open. We want to ensure our water user community has reliable access to a nearby, accessible restroom. We have been quoted for a Port-O-John for the season at about ~$2000.We’d be grateful if you could help us make this happen! Go to our Boathouse Connect Fundraisers and make a donation today.

Donate to our Fundraiser!

Questions? Info@BoulderRowing.org

With the 2023 rowing season drawing to a close the board of directors would like to provide BCR members with a brief overview of the club's financial position. While there are still some outstanding bills to be paid this year those costs are generally fixed or highly predictable.

All in all, it's a relief to say that the board of directors anticipates a very manageable ratio of revenues to expenses for the year. When the season began, BCR's board was wrestling with significant uncertainty about how to meet the City of Boulder's ever-rising fees for practice times, boat/equipment storage, and a host of other expenses — they refused to even tell us the rates we'd be charged for practice hours until after the season was underway! Also, the coaching staff had yet to coalesce and the numbers of members and practice participants was far from certain. We took our best guess at where to set the pricing for club membership, guest rower fees, compensation for coaches, and all of the other elements that underlie BCR's operations — thankfully, the final result should arrive at a nearly-balanced budget.

You will notice that a significant portion of the club's revenue is assigned to an "insurance claim." This came in the form of a $16,000 payment after several Peinert 1X boats were damaged by a runaway vehicle during a triathlon this summer. This money was received and reinvested in the club, including the purchase of a refurbished Vespoli 8+ and two new Vespoli 1X shells — great additions to the club's fleet of boats. The costs of these additions ("insurance boat purchases") balances with the settlement revenue ("insurance claim").

A few other numbers to consider:

• 40 participants in the Learn to Row program this year

• 16 novices continued to row in at least one club practice

• 323 members and guest rowers on the water since 2021

BCR's future looks bright. Notably, we recently received an assurance from the City of Boulder that the cost increase for reserving the reservoir to practice during non-public hours will be held to a 5-percent increase next year. That's encouraging news (although we still believe the base rates imposed on our club are far too high). Vitally, new rowers are entering our program and rapidly becoming accomplished oars-people. And, BCR veterans are even managing to make some headlines in the racing world.

Thanks for an excellent year, with more to come.

— BCR's Board of Directors

In a stunning and unprecedented victory, Boulder Community Rowing (BCR) defied odds to claim multiple accolades at the renowned Head of the Charles Regatta this past weekend in Boston.

The club’s achievements at this race have garnered attention and respect from local and broader rowing communities. The Head of the Charles Regatta — the world’s largest two-day rowing regatta — draws over 11,000 athletes from around the globe and attracts thousands more spectators. To say that the Boulder teams were underdogs in Boston is an understatement. And yet, with a 0.8-second edge over the second-place finisher, the 40+ Masters Women Fours crew, from a state known for its mountains instead of water, now claims a prestigious Head of the Charles gold medal.

The 1st-place victory, BCR’s first at this event, occurred on Saturday. Lauren Harrell (stroke seat), Melanie Hobart (3-seat), Susan Adams (2-seat), and Zoe Gentes (bow seat), steered by Wendy Gutcher (coxswain), passed half a dozen boats around both sharp and sweeping river curves to secure a win with time of 19:21.496.

Also on Saturday, Lauren Wilson and Adriane Turner represented BCR in the 30+ Women’s Masters Doubles, earning an impressive 3rd-place finish, Another Colorado rower and a founding member of BCR Cinda Graubard made headlines with team Endeavour in the Women’s Grand Master Eights (60+) category — her boat set a new course record by a whopping 25 seconds. Notably, this was Cinda’s second course record, having set one in 2017.

During the Sunday racing, yet another BCR member, Deanne Little, finished 2nd with a composite team in the Mixed Eights (both men and women rowing together), in a row that held particular significance as it honored the memory of his late wife, Susan Little.

“Achieving this level of success, particularly against robust competition from places and programs where rowing resources are abundant, is beyond our wildest dreams,” said Susan Adams, a BCR Board Member. “In the four, we aimed for a top-ten finish, but this result is far beyond what we’d imagined. There were definitely tears of joy when we found out we’d won.”

The accomplishments of Colorado rowers this weekend at the Head of the Charles Regatta is phenomenal. The victories of BCR competitors in particular send a powerful message: that a local, determined group of individuals can achieve greatness even in the face of significant challenges. BCR practices on the North Boulder Reservoir, where it has operated since 2000 and where it has weathered hardships, a pandemic, and significant resource limitations. Its membership has changed over the years, comprised of both seasoned and novice rowers, but the heart and mission remain the same, knowing when  people step into the boat together they will go that extra mile for their teammates.

Or maybe even all the way to Boston.

Top Photo: 40+ Women’s Masters 4+
Bottom Photo: 30+ Women’s Masters 2X

Rachel Marbaker is a BCR member and a movement scientist studying at University of Colorado, Boulder, at the graduate level. She coaches BCR’s winter training sessions and writes about training on her Medium blog account. This is an excerpt from Rachel’s post about ergometer training — visit her Medium blog for the full-length version.

I couldn’t find a satisfactory (read: technical with engineering and physics included) write up on rowing drag factor. So I wrote one with equations and included recommendations for drag factor values for erg training. Since a Concept 2 machine is state of the art for rowing athletes, I will focus primarily on that machine. I’ll address resistance on magnetic resistance ergs at the end.

Air resistance — How to view drag factor on a Concept 2: Menu > More Options > Display drag factor. After a few strokes, the drag factor will appear on the up on the screen and will be recalculated on each stroke, though it should remain fairly consistent. The number on the screen reflects the deceleration of the erg flywheel during the recovery of the stroke.

The damper (lever 1–10 on the right side of the fan) controls airflow into the fan cage. The relevance of airflow into the cage is best explained in the context of air resistance (F). (Warning: the inner engineering / math nerd is about to be unleashed)

Continue reading on Rachel’s blog …