ernestine bayer jenn jewett interview

August 2006

WHAT’S INSIDE:ROW THE DREAM TOURSUMMER TRAINING TIPSBLACK FLY REGATTA

ERNESTINE BAYER JENN JEWETT INTERVIEW

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Friendly Fluid Replacement Tips For the Rower. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 3

Training During the Dog Days of Summer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4

Not Just Another Case of Dehydration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4

Row The Dream Tour. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 6

Schuylkill River Flooding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 10

Regatta Focus: Black Fly Regatta. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 11

Ernestine Bayer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 12

High School Crew, Coming to a TV Near You. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 13

Rower’s Digest Interview: Jenn Jewett. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 14

Cox with a point of view. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 16

Rowing Growth shows in new Boathouses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 17

MRA Welcomes Masters Rowers to Philadelphia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 18

Review of the NK Cadence T1 Wristrate Watch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 19

Rower’s Digest 08/06 page 2

Why is staying hydrated so important to the active rower? • Water carries energy to the working muscles and carries

away waste products via the urine.

• Water helps to maintain proper body temperature by regulating the removal of body heat via “sweating”.

• Water is found in all body tissues so it serves as a “shock absorber” and “lubricator” for organs and joints.

How do rowers know if they are hydrated or dehydrated? • The best way to tell if the body is well hydrated is by

observing the amount and color of an athlete’s urine. Urination should be frequent throughout the day and it should be clear in color. If the urine is dark and very yellow, more fluids are needed. (1 cup = 8 fluid ounces)

• Measure body weight before and after exercising. For every 1 lb. of weight (sweat) loss, replenish the body with a minimum of 16 – 20 ounces of water and/or nutrient dense fluids.

When are the best times to drink fluids? • The day before a lengthy and enduring training session

or competition a rower should drink as much fluids as he or she can tolerate and eat plenty of nutrient-rich carbohydrate foods that are high in water (fruits & vegetables). For every gram of carbohydrate stored in the body, 3 to 4 grams of water is stored that are readily available for essential body processes.

• Two to three hours before an event, a rower should drink 16 to 32 oz of water, sports drink or diluted fruit juices. Since the body takes roughly 1 to 2 hours to process fluids, the athlete will have time to empty their bladder before exercising.

• If tolerated, 10 to 15 minutes before exercising, the rower should try super-hydrating the body with another 12 to 24 oz of water.

• During exercise, the athlete should drink as much as he or she can comfortably tolerate (ideally 6 to 8 oz every 15 to 20 minutes). After exercising, the athlete should drink water and nutrient-rich beverages until he or she is no longer thirsty and then an additional 16 to 20 oz (2-3 cups).

Masters Rowing Association is granted permission to re-print the above text for their Electronic and Printed Newsletters. Copyright 2006. Information provided by: Tim Wierman and EAT TO COMPETE “The Athlete’s Sports Nutrition Program” www.EatToCompete.com

FRIENDLY FLUID REPLACEMENT TIPS

FOR THE ROWERRemember…By the time

the brain tells the body it is thirsty, the athlete has

already become dehydrated.


http://www.EatToCompete.com

TRAINING DURING THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER By Jared Carter

Summer is a great time of year to go to the beach, sit out by the pool, take that family vacation, and RACE! Summer is when club and master’s racing really kicks into high gear, so your workouts count now more than ever. There’s just one problem with working out in the summer, the HEAT. Hard summer workouts can give you that edge that you’re looking for; you just have to take a few precautions.The first and most obvious rule of working out when it’s hot is to drink LOTS of water! This rule cannot be overstated. Your body cools itself off by sweating and you sweat more when it’s hot. So if you don’t increase your fluids, you will dehydrate yourself very quickly. When you’re working out, don’t wait to get thirsty. If you feel thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. If you’re really picky and want an amount that you should drink during exercise, it’s about 8oz. every 15 minutes. That will vary a little form person to person, but it’s a good starting point.The next thing that you want to consider is the timing of your workouts. Almost all of the problems that hot weather causes can be avoided by working out early in the morning or late in the evening. This allows you to avoid the hottest times of the day. It may seem like a pain to roll out of bed at 5 a.m., but working out when it’s 74 degrees outside is a lot more comfortable than when it’s 94 degrees.Summer is also the time of year when we are most prone to sunburns. This happens for two reasons: 1) the sun’s rays are more powerful this time of year, and 2) we tend to wear less clothing. The latter is an issue that is easily fixed, by wearing loose fitting, light colored clothing that wicks the sweat away from your body. The first issue is just as simple: be sure to wear sunscreen. You should always use an SPF of 15 or greater (personally, I think that 30+ is the way to go). Consider wearing a hat as well, this will help protect your face, and make it easier for you to see.Remember, hard workouts in June and July are what make people fast for the National Championship Regattas (and Master’s World’s this year). Just use your head and follow these simple rules and you’ll have great workouts all summer long!Jared Carter, CSCS is the owner of Move Forward Fitness, a Personal Training company in Philadelphia, PA. Visit his website at MoveForwardFitness.com or email him at [email protected] with any questions or suggested topics for future articles.

NOT JUST ANOTHER CASE OF DEHYDRATIONBy Merrill Hilf

As masters rowers, we are very conscious of our health, fitness, and diet. We try to get enough sleep, eat the right foods, drink lots of water, avoid fats and never add salt to our food. Some of us even check the sodium content of foods before we eat them, as many prepackaged foods (soup is just one example) are loaded with sodium. A diet high in sodium and fats can lead to high blood pressure, and cardiac disease.With all this in mind, and as the nation endures the heat waves of the summer, we need to pay special attention to replacing the sodium we lose via sweating. Rowing for extended periods of time in hot, humid weather can lead to hyponatremia. This condition is simply defined as too low a concentration of sodium in the blood. Sweat

contains between 2.25 - 3.4 grams of salt per liter, in high heat and humidity, one can perspire at a rate

of one liter per hour, thus it’s possible to lose up to 7 grams of salt after a 2-hour row. On

a cellular level, there is a delicate balance of sodium inside and outside of our brain cells. When the level of sodium in the bloodstream is much lower than the sodium levels in the brain, fluid will move to the area of higher sodium concentration, i.e. brain cells, and out

of the bloodstream. This can cause brain cells to swell. Because the brain is

encased by the skull, an expanding brain has nowhere to go as it becomes squished by the

skull. This causes headache, nausea, and blurred vision at first and can progress to seizures, confusion,

and unconsciousness as sodium levels continue to fall.Sodium levels can also become too low by replacing lost sodium and fluids with an excessive amount of water. Beverages with sodium or other electrolytes and water can help return the sodium concentrations to normal. It’s also a good idea to have something to eat that contains salt, such as a hard pretzel or fat-free crackers after a long row. Another way the body accumulates too much water is if the kidneys are not functioning at 100%. Some medications such as acetaminophen, aspirin, and ibuprofen (an anti-inflammatory) can affect kidney function, and should not be taken before a long row, or a day of racing.Hyponatremia can easily be avoided by drinking frequently while you’re rowing, and eating foods that contain sodium after you row. Salty foods also stimulate thirst, so you’re more likely to re-hydrate also. Having a drink of half water and half electrolyte replacement drink (such as Gatorade) will also help return your blood sodium levels to normal. Be smart and you will beat the heat.


mailto:[email protected]

reg Parker’s and Gary Jarvis’s “Row The Dream Tour” has come to a very satisfying conclusion, and now it’s

time to recap and dole out the appreciation to everyone who has made this possible.

Gary and I started planning this tour over drinks back in December. It was our goal to row on some of the most renowned rowing venues in America, and compete in some races that cater to recreational and open water rowing. None of those 1000 metre races that Masters category rowers travel to and it’s all over in under four minutes. And to an equal degree, it was a chance for us to follow in the footsteps of our children, an opportunity that most parents don’t have. My daughter Gillian, now 25, was the coxswain for Gary’s son Chris’ Grimsby Secondary School heavyweight four that won gold at several regattas including the Canadian Secondary School Rowing Association Regatta and the Stotesbury Cup in Philadelphia.

Training since the ice came out of Jordan Harbour in April saw us grimacing through 2500 metres at first. By the end of May, we managed 7500 metres without a break, and by the holiday weekend in July, we reached 32,000 metres (20 miles) in the open water of Lake Ontario. By then, we had hit our stride and six sessions a week became the norm.

Gary built a special rack to hold the 29’ Alden Star double on the Ford Focus station wagon. By Thursday morning, July 20th, we were on the road. Our first overnight was with Andrew Larkin, in Northampton, Mass. Andy was introduced to me by Debbie Arenberg as the “guru of the

Connecticut River.” Andy regaled us with stories of his years on the Harvard crew that went to the 1968 Olympics in Mexico, his victories at the Pan-Am games, and his rowing 120 miles down the Connecticut to Long island Sound in his Alden 18, camping on the islands during the October change of colors, a beautiful sight indeed He rows every month of the year sometimes pushing the 18 off ice to get to open water. On Friday morning, Andy rowed with us on the Connecticut’s flat water as it wound through the countryside for several miles and back. And his constructive critique of our rowing style and gripping the oars was most welcome.

Next stop was the Alden factory in Rowley, Mass., where owners Ed Jarvis and his son, Ryan, fitted a self-bailer into the boat in preparation of the Blackburn Challenge. Terrific selection of Alden boats there, especially the new black Star 21 and Bruciare 26 singles.

From there, we drove to Gloucester, Mass, to ready ourselves for the Blackburn Challenge, 20 miles

around Cape Ann. But alas, it was not meant to be. After racing through an armada of kayaks and other paddlers, we crossed the start line last among sliding seat rowers and flew down the Annisquam River three miles to the Atlantic, only to have the US Coast Guard cancel the race due to 200 yard visibility in the fog. Row all the way back and take the boats out of the water and wait. At 11:00, Donna Lind, Tom Lawler and their committee salvaged the day with an abbreviated 7 mile race up the river and back again. Gary and I really emptied the tank on this one, dodging moored boats in the

ROW THE DREAM TOUR By Greg Parker

It was our goal to row on some of the most renowned rowing

venues in America, and compete in some races that cater to

recreational and open water rowing.

G


middle of the river, sandbars, passing six-man outrigger canoes and four man coxed crews, and finishing second in our division (to Ted Van Dusen, of course) and 11th overall among 140 boats.

In Gloucester, we highly recommend the Causeway Restaurant for huge seafood servings at low prices, but be prepared to line up outside with the other regulars and watch everyone coming out with styrofoam cartons of left-overs. And stay away from the Crows Nest Tavern, famous from “The Perfect Storm.” Waste of time.

Sunday morning early, we arrived at the Charles River in Boston, using the free canoe docks by the finish line of the Head of the Charles race. We rowed up the river past the start at the Boston University Boathouse, then timed our own personal Head of the Charles race. I really tried not to hit those geese. We took pictures of Gary in front of the Northeastern University Boathouse where his son Chris rowed and captained their varsity crew. Gary even watched his daughter Jen row a single in the HOCR from that dock. Emotional moment. We’d love to come back in October for the HOCR.

Say good-bye to Boston and head for Connecticut, where we heard from Andy that Harvard and Yale each have a boathouse and row a special race on the Thames River in the New London-Groton area. After about 2 hours of searching, we finally found it north of I -95, far away from Long Island Sound where we were first directed. So Monday morning

we’re rowing past the Harvard and Yale docks, downstream to the submarine drydocks and the Nautilus. As the floating gates opened up, we could see a sub ready to come out into the river, so we thought it would be nice to take some photos. Wrong! We kept a smile as the police boat came screaming up to us, warning that all photos had to be deleted and we were not to stop there. OK, OK, we’re just Canadian tourists, not terrorists.

Roof-rack the boat again and head for Philadelphia. Never, ever take I-95 through New York City toward the George Washington Bridge in mid-afternoon unless you have a couple of hours to kill. Eventually, we arrived at the home of Peter and Jen Van Allen, a lovely couple who had been introduced to us through Lew Cuyler and his article in the Alden Ocean Shell

Association newsletter, “The Catch.” Tuesday morning, Gary first ran 5-6 miles with Jen along Kelly Drive and up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (like Rocky), then he hopped in our boat and we rowed the Schuylkill River. First we timed our speed for 2000 metres like the Stotesbury Cup our kids had won, then further down the river, we docked at Boathouse Row and toured the Malta Boathouse where Peter is a member. We were living a part of history here, walking by the hundreds of trophies and memorabilia that lined the walls. You could almost feel the rhythm of a boat as a coxswain pleads for yet another “hard ten” as an exhausted crew noses out the Vesper and Navy eights by a bow ball at the finish. It is surely

We were living a part of history here, walking by the hundreds of trophies and memorabilia

that lined the walls.

Greg Parker and Gary Jarvis strapping the Alden double to a Ford Focus wagon — their mode of transportation to see the northeastern United States rowing centers on the 10-day Row the Dream tour, which included two races — Blackburn Challenge in Mass. and the Isle of Shoals (in New Hampshire), as well as scenic rows on the Charles River, New Thames, Connecticut River, Schuylkill River and Potomac River.


the most venerable rowing site in North America. Beautiful bridges and scenery on the way back.

Without any break, we headed directly to Washington, where we met up with Lisa Goulet at the Thompson Rowing Center on the Potomac River, next to the Kennedy Center and the Watergate. Because it was our second row of the day in 85 degree heat, we opted for only 5 miles that afternoon. But the next morning, after fighting Arlington to DC traffic with a 29’ boat on top of the car, we pushed off the docks for another 10 miler, up the Potomac to the Anacostia River and back. Talk about scenery, we’ve got photographs with the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument and Capitol Building behind us, and passenger jets right over our heads aiming for Reagan Airport. Lisa accompanied us in her Alden 16. She is a newcomer to Washington, an architect by trade, who lost everything she owned in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Everything except her Alden 16, which was strapped down and withstood 8 feet of rising water.

It was a long drive from DC to Worcester, Mass., that afternoon and evening but we endured. Next morning, and I think it’s Thursday by now, we rowed out of the Donahue Rowing Centre on Lake Quinsigamond, where the US Masters Rowing Championships were held last summer. Now regarded as one of the top five rowing venues in the US, the 3-mile lake, carved out by glaciers, was a stunning site. Our host, Anita Wos, lives on the lake and owns three shells. She even took us to a privately owned island where we

beached and enjoyed a refreshing swim. Anita’s art gallery includes “The Art of Rowing” selling original art, posters and greeting cards with a rowing theme.

By Thursday afternoon, we arrived in Ipswich, Mass., where Ed Jarvis had arranged for Bill Graham of Rowing Sport, to loan us an Alden 18 Ocean Shell for the Isles of Shoals race on Saturday. Our Star 29 was apparently too long if we ever had to be rescued. Like that could ever possibly happen. Bill and his wife Debbie insisted we stay for a barbecue and

pesto pasta dinner to build up our strength. On Friday morning, we took the Alden 18 to Fort Foster, in Kittery Point, Maine, to test it out, since we had never been in this shorter shell before. Good thing. Out a mile and a half, and pulling hard through the 3-foot swells, I snapped the blade off my starboard

oar. Good thing I had Gary to row back, or I might have landed in Newfoundland like Howard Blackburn. Back to Alden in Rowley where I picked up another oar.

Our hosts that evening, Paula and Ron Ledgett in Kittery Point, desperately want us to win the race on Saturday. We’re well fed, and soft beds and air conditioning help out. Rowing books at bedside as motivational material. It all helps.

Saturday morning, finally, and the Isles of Shoals race is set for an 8:00 a.m. start. Great weather, tide heading out, clear visibility, and only 2-foot swells. Unsure of our heading, we tack back and forth a lot, losing valuable time to those experienced teams, and those who we found out later were

Our whole-hearted thanks to everyone who helped

us out along the way.


guided by GPS. Next year, got to have one. One hour and 10 minutes later, we arrive at the finish between Appledore Island and Smuttynose Island (I’m not making this up, this is New England). Back at the picnic, we meet Hargreaves Heap III, who has raced in 39 consecutive IOS races. He receives a cup from Debbie Arenberg, formerly of Alden Rowing Shells and Marjorie Burgard, whose husband Arthur Martin started the Alden company as Martin Marine. Hargy says he’s retiring from the race at 73, but we all know he’ll be back. Debbie and Jeanne Thorvaldsen win the women’s double race, and Gary and I, much to our surprise, win the men’s double event and are welcomed by the 60 people there as the lone Canadian contingent.

This race is a must-row, at least once in your life if you are a recreational rower with open-water experience. A real character builder, for sure. Several rowers even chose to row back the 7.2 miles from the island finish, rather than being boat-lifted back. True athletes.

Returning the loaned boat back to Bill Graham, we learn this particular Alden 18 has won the race each of the last three years.

It’s a long drive back and we arrive in Grimsby just after midnight. A trip total of 4135 kilometres (just under 2600 miles). Forget all the MasterCard preamble, the trip was priceless.

Our whole-hearted thanks to everyone who helped us out along the way. A special thank you to the Alden Rowing Shell Co. for making such stable, sleek, beautiful recreational boats. And to all the rowers we met at the races, on the docks, on the beaches, and in the water, we thank you all for your friendship, great stories, and your encouragement. Fellow recreational rowers make the best of friends.

Hope to meet you all again. Flat water. No wake.

For more information, see Greg Parker‘s web site, www.rowthedream.com


http://www.rowthedream.com

SCHUYLKILL RIVER FLOODING By Peter Van Allen

Heavy rains flooded Boathouse Row and surrounding areas in late June 2006.

halk up weird weather and a variety of other conditions to a spate of

regatta cancellations this year.The Independence Day Regatta, one of Philadelphia’s signature regattas, was cancelled for the first time in two decades after torrential rains dropped 16 inches of rain.The Schuylkill burst its banks, as did the Delaware and Susquehanna rivers.At the flood’s peak, on June 28, the Schuylkill was a flothing mess, with all matter of debris soaring by and through Boathouse Row. Flood water reached as deep as chest-high in some clubs.Club members scrambled to secure boats, oars and any miscellaneous boat-sling or toolbox that could float out the bay doors. The flooding was the worst since Hurricane Agnes in 1972.The Independence Day Regatta, which dates to 1880, had last been canceled in 1984, under similar circumstances, said regatta director Clete Graham. But the cancellation was just one of a few that affected competitors in the Mid-Atlantic states.

And weather wasn’t the only factor.The Howard M. Smith Diamond States Regatta, which was to be held July 23 in Middletown, Del., was cancelled because of — drumroll, please — an invasive weed. Organizers said the North American Pond Weed has claimed Noxontown Pond, where the regatta has been held since 1991. The adjacent St. Andrew’s School hopes to rid the pond of the weed in time for next year’s regattas.

And, back on the Schuylkill, Nielsen-Kellerman said it had, with regret, decided to cancel the annual NK Challenge, an 18-mile race typically held in late September.The race had become a local favorite for the prizes, which could be earned by picking up rubber ducks scattered throughout the river during the race.

Sweatshirts, beach towels, T-shirts and Stroke Coaches made the race worth the blisters and sore butt.“Sad but true,” Alix James Kocher, Director of Sales and Marketing, said of the cancellation. “Our goals with the NK Challenge were to give back to the rowing community by putting on a fun event that the participants would enjoy, and by raising money for a rowing charity. While we believe we succeeded, it was not in proportion to the amount of resources it sucked up here — with only about 60 localparticipants each year and relatively small funds raised after weeks of work by multiple people.“We’re still trying to figure out whether there is a) an easier way to do it and get more participants; and b) a better vehicle for us to ‘give back’ to more people. And, we just needed a breather this year as we’re tackling lots of new products and projects all at once. We’d welcome suggestions from you on both a) and b), and will revisit the question in 2007.” With any luck, we’ll have a return of all three regattas next year.

....debris soaring by and through Boathouse Row. Flood water reached as deep as chest-high in some clubs.

C


��

June 24 • Waterford, Vt. 4.2 mile race with mass start

REGATTA FOCUS:BLACK FLY REGATTA

“ What kind of craziness would prompt me to drive down this forlorn road to row a boat?”

TBy Peter Van Allen

his far north, the Connecticut River looks deep and menacing under a

New England cloud cover. Yet that wasn’t the only menace. If it’s June in northern Vermont, it has to mean black fly season, which is also time for the Black Fly Regatta, a 4.2 mile race on the Commerford Reservoir in Waterford, Vt.In all, 42 boats finished, mostly singles mixed in with six doubles. Competitors came from Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Ontario.No matter how far the drive to get there, the last six miles may have been the most interesting. A gravel “road” wound its way down to the valley floor, prompting this driver to think: “What kind of craziness would prompt me to drive down this forlorn road to row a boat?” Almost as suddenly, the road went flat and, at a turn off, a grassy field revealed a slew of cars with rowing shells on top. The first thing the race organizers hand you is cranberry-colored T-shirt bearing a drawing of Beethoven — this was the “fifth” annual race. Of course, Beethoven was uttering the Latin phrase, “Morde me!” loosely translated to “bite me.” Pity the black fly.

For some of us — those heeled in the easy confines of boathouses that have docks — the wet start was more daunting than the race itself. Jeff Foltz of Camden, Me., used to row out of Boathouse Row, where I am based, but has long since adapted himself to launching with wet feet.“This is rowing in northern New England,” Foltz said matter of factly.

The reservoir was deep and the water near black. The wind was calm and there were clouds overhead — you know, for 15 minutes until the weather changed in its New England fashion. Unlike the standard head race, the Black Fly had a mass start stretched across the reservoir — nearly the distance of some races. The sprinters shot off and the sloggers, some in ocean-going rowing shells, paced themselves. In less than a half hour, most of the racers, save a few had arrived upriver. All that was left was the 4 mile row back down river.

Off the water, there was a lot of laughing, a lot of in jokes. Many of the competitors were recidivists, back for the fourth or fifth time. At the organizer’s tent, there were stacks of pancakes, mountains of scrambled eggs and heaps of bacon. It’s a race where nearly everyone gets a prize, whether they want to or not. Since one of the sponsors is Pete & Gerry’s Organic Eggs, first place winners received a dozen eggs. Ross Cone of Watertown, Mass., again took top honors, sprinting up river in 22 minutes, 17 seconds. The women’s first-place winner was Ellen Kennelly of Lincoln, Mass., who finished in 25:07. The fastest double, rowed by John Paul Turner III and Alesandra Fischetti of Connecticut, logged a time of 23:54.The last-place finisher, Steve Collins of Bridgeton, Me., looked stunned to receive the “Iron Ass” award, commemorating not just this year’s finish of 33:56 but his cumulative finishes in the regatta’s 5-year existence. Personally, I owe Steve a debt of gratitude for loaning me a Dirigo 1x, cartopping it on a Saab with the vanity tag, ROMAINE (as in “row Maine”). Don Carter and George Hamilton, who had a respectable time in the double, received the award for owning the “car least likely to make it home from the regatta.” I could be wrong, but I think it was an 1984 LeSabre wagon. Yet, as industrious Mainers faced with

calamity, they’d likely find a solution.


By Lew Cuyler

erhaps it was just plain luck that I met Ernestine Bayer when she was

in her eighties and I was in my sixties, a time of our lives when we had both mellowed.

Had we been of the same age in the 1930s I might have rejected her as being “a pushy broad” and she might have rejected me as being just another unenlightened male rower enjoying an experience denied to women.

Fortunately that was not the case. Instead we met at a time when I was in the full-flush of re-starting my rowing career, thanks to finding an unexpected lake a mile from a house my wife and I had just bought in Pittsfield, Mass. That discovery prompted an immediate decision. I would re-visit the sport I had so enjoyed in school and college, but this time in a single since there was no rowing club around, except for Williams College, which uses the lake. But I was way past the age and education threshold for Williams and besides I am an Amherst graduate, Class of 1955.

One event led to another. In 1992 I met Ernie accidentally while watching a race at a regatta in New York State for Alden Rowing Shells. She had white hair, and at 83 was obviously my senior.

“See that woman,” she said, pointing to a racer, involving me even though I had not even acknowledged her presence.

“She’s shooting her tail,” she pronounced.

I took notice as she commented again and again about the good and bad rowing styles of dozens of racers as they passed our vantage point. It took only 10 minutes or so for me to become profoundly impressed with her knowledge, enthusiasm, direct style, sparkle, and, yes…her beauty.

A few years later, my enthusiasm for rowing merged with my retirement from the newspaper world where I had been an editor and reporter. The result was I led an effort to establish a rowing club and started a business of selling and leasing single rowing shells. At the same time, I began to fancy myself as an occasionally formidable seniors competitor in single sculls.

I also became a coach of a high school women’s novice four. It was immediately apparent that the girls had no inkling of how women’s rowing in the United States came to be. They paid their fees, they came to a boathouse, they took out a shell, they mostly responded to my coaching and they politely accepted my hopes for them to become oarswomen. They assumed it was forever thus. They

simply had no idea that as late as the 1960s boathouses and competitive rowing were not available to women because of their sex. They did not know that in the pre-1970s era, women could go to parties in boathouses, but they were not allowed to row or join rowing clubs because male rowers believed that females were too frail for such an arduous sport. Women were too dainty; they didn’t know how to sweat. Such were the assumptions of the pre-70s rowing culture.

Ernestine Bayer changed all of that. I simply decided after practice one day that all women rowers should know her story. Then I decided that I should tell that story, and after a few false starts I finally settled down in January 2006 to write Ernestine Bayer…Mother of US Women’s Rowing. The book, scheduled for publication this September, chronicles her often contentious life and how it intertwined with those of her late husband, Ernest, and daughter, Tina. In the meantime, Ernie continued rowing, and competing, through her early 90s. Now 97, she and her daughter live in Stratham, NH.

The short version of her story is that she was born in 1909 in Philadelphia and as soon as she could walk and talk it became evident that she preferred outdoor physical activity as opposed to “girly” domestic pursuits. In 1928 she married Ernest Bayer, an oarsman who won a silver medal in the 1928 Olympics later that year.

With the Olympics over, Ernestine decided she, too, wanted to row only to be frustrated by Philadelphia’s prevailing Boathouse Row culture that proclaimed “Women Don’t Row.” Upset at repeated rejection she began talking up rowing to other young women. In 1938 she led the group in the founding of the first competitive rowing club for women in the United States: the Philadelphia Girls Rowing Club. In 1967 she managed the first United States women’s crew to compete in the European championships. By this time the Bayers’ daughter, Tina, had become an accomplished rower, and Ernest, a

ERNESTINE BAYER & MEP


man of the rowing establishment, had become instrumental in helping her reach her goals for women’s rowing.In 1971 the family moved to New Hampshire where Ernestine established a new kind of rowing culture…one for recreational rowers who used a rowing shell called the “Alden.” Conceived by the late Arthur Martin as a shell that could be rowed in New England coastal waters, the Alden became popular for people without access to boathouses or even to coaching. In 1972 Ernie inspired the founding of the Alden Ocean Shell Association, and through her efforts as secretary enrolled 700-800 members in the next 17 years. By the 1980s they constituted a society of rowers, mostly from the northeast, who periodically gathered for their own regattas and related events. She resigned as secretary in 1988 at the age of 79 to give herself more time for her own competitive rowing career. Until well into her 90s she competed in dozens of regattas, including the Head of the Charles. Ernie’s rowing career off the water was not as smooth as her stroke. Her sharp focus on the simple proposition that women should row continued throughout her life. At times her unrelenting efforts and single-minded quest upset both male and female rowers leading to incidents of conflict and occasional near rebellion at her dictates.

I believe her accomplishments were remarkable for two reasons:

First, she was the John the Baptist for women’s rowing, the voice crying in the pre-Title IX wilderness, insisting that women could row, that women could row fast, and that they should share this wonderful activity with men. The federal Title IX legislation in 1972 really opened up the sport of rowing for women. However, Ernie Bayer laid the groundwork.

Secondly, she profoundly influenced the development of two very different rowing cultures that mostly do not associate with each other. Through the 1960s she was involved with the traditional culture of rowing clubs, boathouses, coaches, coachboats and very formal regattas.

In the 1970s, as the sparkplug for the Alden Ocean Shell Association, she built a culture for recreational rowing that could be enjoyed without the need for boathouses and formal infrastructure. The Alden was and is a single for everybody that is stored and car-topped easily. During her 17 year tenure as secretary she enrolled between 700 and 800 rowers as members who participated in AOSA regattas and outings.

Ernie continued to row and to compete in regattas even though she was in her early 90s. In September 2001 at the age of 92, for instance, she competed in the FISA World Masters Championships in Montreal, Canada. She rowed in a women’s eight that was first, she took another first in a women’s double, and a second in a mixed double.

Lew Cuyler is self-publishing the book through BookSurge, an Amazon.com company, with an early September publication date. He will sell it at major regattas this fall including the Head of the Schuylkill, the FISA world masters, and the Head of the Charles. The price is $16.99. A bit over 200 pages with 40 photos, the book may be ordered through www.booksurge.com or by emailing Lew at [email protected]

HIGH SCHOOL CREW, COMING TO A TV NEAR YOUFor a week in May, Philadelphia’s Boathouse Row was more than the typical hustling and bustling of rowers going and coming from their practices…the row was transformed into a television set for a new show that’s main character is a high school rower. The yet unnamed show will be shown on The N, the nighttime network for teens (a programming arm of MTV Networks) will premiere sometime in 2007.

The TV show revolves around a group of teenagers living outside of Philadelphia. The main character, Brady, is a member of his high school rowing team. The show shot several scenes in around Boathouse Row, both inside some of the houses and on the water.

The show was created, produced, written and directed by Sri Rao, and his production company, Sri and Company.


http://www.booksurge.com

http://www.booksurge.com

mailto:[email protected]

ROWER’S DIGEST INTERVIEW: JENN JEWETT

enn Jewett is coach at the Kansas City Rowing Center and has coached more than 600 girls in a decade there. In July,

the club picked up a gold in a women’s double and silver in a women’s single at the USRowing National Championships in Indianapolis. KCRC had four boats in final heats. In the fall, five members of KCRC have committed to row in college: Summers Nelson, University of Virginia; Clare Fox, Marquette; Shannon Carle, Kansas State University; Julie Peacock, Creighton; and Adrienne Lindstrom, Loyola Marymount.We caught up with Jewett after the Nationals to ask her the following questions.MRA: You’ve trained in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. How does the Midwestern rowing scene differ from the traditional rowing centers?JJ: Rowing in the Heartland is completely different from the East Coast. I’d imagine it’s also very different from the West Coast as well. We tend to be more club oriented at the Juniors level as opposed to scholastic. There are a few high schools in the Dallas area that have rowing teams but most of us are only club. Clubs are smaller, Masters and Juniors are more connected within the club. In Kansas City our members, junior and master, share equipment, coaching time. They race together, travel together. Most regattas are club regattas with racing for all levels at the same event.MRA: How has the rowing community in the Midwest changed since you first got started as an undergrad at the University of Kansas in 1987?JJ: It is SO different! The change in collegiate rowing with the expansion of NCAA programs has really driven most of the changes. The new opportunities for scholarships has fueled a growth in Juniors rowing that has really changed the sport...everywhere, not just in the Midwest. The collegiate rowing split, varsity and club, changed the traditional Midwest regattas. The varsity programs no longer attend the club regattas making them smaller for a while. Juniors and Masters have stepped in and filled a lot of the empty space.

There is a regatta in Topeka that used to be a great collegiate race. Kansas University, Kansas State, Creighton, Drake, Nebraska, Wichita. Now there are more juniors racing there than collegiate.MRA: KCRC’s juniors program has consistently raced at a high level, at Canadian Henley, the Nationals and so on. Do your crews get the kind of respect you feel they should be accorded?JJ: Well...last week I might have answered that question differently but this last weekend in Indianapolis our juniors won a National Championship and a silver medal as well. Last year US Rowing reshuffled the boundaries for juniors in the country, creating a Central District. I believe that is is becoming evident that the Central district will be dominant in the women’s sculling events (all three medalists in the women’s double were from the central district, one medalist in the quad and one in the double). I’ve been around a long time. Many people know me. While we have never been and probably will never be a perennial powerhouse, I don’t think people are necessarily surprised when our kids compete well.MRA: Your program stresses more than winning races. There’s also an emphasis on character and responsibility, among other traits. In recruiting juniors, how do you balance the need for physical size and ability with character/courage and mental traits?JJ: We don’t recruit. I take any kid who comes. My job as a coach of young people is to make sure that the experience with us is an empowering one. We boat for speed, don’t get me wrong, but we also spend a lot of time making sure that the kids know that everyone on the team is important and that the experience of the kid in the slowest boat is just as valid and perhaps more important than that of the kid in the fastest boat. They are kids. It’s our job as adults to help them navigate the perilous journey that is adolescence. Coaches Laura Thornhill, Ed Smith and I are very...hands on...we adore our kids and they know it. I could care less if we ever win another race. I do care a great deal that our kids are happy, confident, safe and that they leave KCRC with skills that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.MRA: You are a professional fire fighter and coach. Do you also spend time raising money for the program?JJ: We have a great foundation that takes care of most of that. I occasionally will meet with a donor to talk about the programs but I mostly coach and administrate our programs.MRA: How has the community responded to having a strong junior women’s program?JJ: I think that Kansas City is just beginning to know that we exist. Rowing is so foreign. The Midwest is so ‘football, basketball’ it’s hard to get our kids the recognition they deserve.

J


ith the sixth sharp shriek of the horn, the grand final at the 2005 Youth Invite came to an end. Our rowers collapsed

with the exhaustion of a hard fought race, the disappointment of unfulfilled potential, and the realization that the season had come to an end. Despite the feelings of frustration at not reaching the medal stand, we had only just begun to realize how far we had come in such a short period. The Lincoln Park Juniors, like hundreds of other teams across the nation, were a testament as to how much the sport of rowing has grown in high schools throughout the United States.

Far from a household sport, rowing has grown with incredible speed in the past few years at junior, collegiate, and senior levels. With the growing demand for extracurricular activities and the promise of lucrative scholarships, high school students have flocked to the sport of rowing in both the traditional mainstays of the Northeast and West Coast or the new hotbeds like the Midwest and junior rowing has grown immensely throughout the nation as a whole.

I have been able to see how the sport has expanded on the whole by being a member of one of its upstart teams, the Lincoln Park Juniors. As a freshman in high school I joined with no experience or rowing background, merely possessing an eager desire to fulfill the required sports hours for school. The team at the time was a small with a handful of boats, all of which had lived through the early eighties, some spoons, an occasional hatchet blade, and a gravel lot in Chicago’s Near North Industrial Corridor to call our own. We rowed in the likes of the Fritz and the Milton, both bound together by strips of duct tape, an aged Dirigo 8+, The Galt, its only redeeming qualities the unbeatable steering and the gleam of the polish on its wooden skeleton. Typical of any fledgling, and even many established programs, we had little funding or public support, yet we made up for it with character and spirit.

The growth of the sport can be attributed solely to these qualities. The camaraderie of crew that kept me and my teammates coming back day in and day out inspires dedicated coaches to build teams, and challenges even the most underfunded programs to excel. That drive kept us in the Milton as the hull filled with water before it even left the dock and inspired northern city schools such as New Trier to expand and build their own team. The character of my teammates kept us together over the years as we moved from a non-competitive program to qualifying three boats for the Youth Invite by my Junior year.

At the Youth Invite, in our trusted new-to-us Millennium, we squared off against the five brand new shells of our competition and although we did not have the same opportunities as the competition, we as a team fought for our place at the table. And that is the nature of growth in this sport, the potential for fledgling teams to grow into national caliber squads through simple hard work and dedication is what has allowed the sport to spread so rapidly in the last few years. Crew has been growing on the simple dedication of athletes who love the sport, no matter how obscure or tabooed. The addiction that develops to the whole crew culture (to outsiders the crew cult), or the crew bug, once caught it has an irresistible appeal and this is a factor in the sport’s boom over the last few years.

Now hidden in the tall grass surrounding the our old river site you can find the relics of where my former team has come from, The Galt lays forgotten, without a bow ball and missing its acclaimed rudder. But that is the sport, crew is leaving behind its stereotypes as an elitist sport and entering new territories, shown through the growth of upstart team’s and its emergence in urban centers such as Chicago, where rowing is only just beginning to leave its mark.

Klee Aiken now coxes for Trinity University in Connecticut.

COX WITH A POINT OF VIEW By Klee Aiken

W


A


By Peter Van Allen

round the country, boathouses and rowing clubs are being strained by the growth of rowing, particularly at the juniors

and masters levels. Not surprisingly, clubs, rowing centers and communities are responding with plans to build or enlarge boathouses. Efforts like this are not cheap: many are in the range of $3 million to $5 million. The days of tin boat sheds are not over, but there’s definitely a move toward nicer digs.Universities like Wisconsin and Princeton have new boathouses, while communities like Oklahoma City and Camden County, N.J., have combined public and private funds to build boathouses.The paint is still fresh on a new, $6.3 million community boathouse in Pennsauken, N.J., on the Cooper River. The 23,000-square-foot facility will house 72 watercraft — and that’s not all. The boathouse also has a banquet hall can that seat 200 people, a restaurant kitchen, a class room and conference room. An observation tower that provides a panoramic view of the Cooper River and the Philadelphia skyline. The Cooper River has hosted the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championship. On a daily basis, the boathouse will host 600 rowers, including seven high schools, the crew from Rutgers University-Camden and the Cooper River Rowing Center, with 60 masters rowers.Rentals from weddings, corporate meetings and other special events figure prominently into the boathouse’s use. One local official estimated the boathouse could generate up to $10 million a year in revenue.Amenities can be a key part of a boathouse’s appeal.In Oklahoma City, the $3.5 million Chesapeake Boathouse can accommodate 124 rowing shells. But it is also set up for facilities rentals. The OAR Event Room can 100 people for dinner and accommodate twice that number standing. It has a 60-inch plasma-screen TV, AV equipment, built-in buffet. A lobby area features built-in bar and can accommodate a dance floor. A wrap-around porch includes a reflecting pool and allows for a DJ, small band or dance floor. Chesapeake Boathouse also fit in with Oklahoma City’s desire to develop the Oklahoma River, once a neglected part of the city. The boathouse was funded with help from the Oklahoma City Riverfront Redevelopment Authority, the City of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Centennial Commission, foundations, corporations and private donors.But, in more developed areas, access to the waterfront can make boathouse development more difficult.

ROWING GROWTH SHOWS IN NEW BOATHOUSES

MRA WELCOMES MASTERS ROWERS TO PHILADELPHIAOn Friday, October 27th, from 5:00-8:00 PM – the eve of this year’s Thomas Eakins Head of the Schuylkill Regatta – the Masters Rowing Association welcomes all masters competitors for a Happy Hour social at #4 Boathouse Row, the association’s national headquarters.

“The reception is a fabulous way to bring our diverse membership together as many of them travel to Philly to race. While provided as a thank you to our current members, we extend a warm invitation to all the masters rowers out there to join us. The more the merrier,” says MRA Membership Coordinator Judy Kaplow.

Provided in part by Mariner Insurance Group, Inc. and first-year supporter Mount Gay Rum, the welcome reception is turning into an anticipated annual event. “We started hosting this reception in 2000 and every year, we get a great turn out,” says MRA Director Brian Roman, “The masters segment is the most passionate and dedicated group in all of rowing; it’s a pleasure to add a little something extra to the regatta experience, especially for them.”

“In addition to the Mariner Insurance Group, Inc., this year we’re pleased to add Mount Gay Rum as a supporter of the MRA Welcome Reception,” added Roman, “The Mount Gay Rum people have created a number of rowing themed drinks that they’ll be preparing for our guests, just one more thing for everyone to enjoy that night.”

Keep an eye out for details of the reception at www.mastersrowing.org and www.hosr.org


In coming months, Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., hopes to finalize plans for a boathouse on the Potomac River that could top $8 million. The boathouse needs approval from the National Park Service, which controls the historic area along the nearby C&O Canal National Historical Park. Georgetown Crew as outgrown its current home, the Thompson Boat Center. Public comment on the boathouse proposal is being reviewed by the Park Service.For areas with the space, boathouse development is booming.In Minneapolis, the University of Minnesota broke ground in April on its new $4.6 million boathouse on the upper Mississippi River.In Seattle, a public-private forces came together to create the Mount Baker Rowing & Sailing Center on Lake Washington. Construction started this year on a new state-of-the-art boathouse to be used by the rowing and sailing communities of southeast Seattle and maintained by the city.In Conshohocken, Pa., 15 miles upriver from Boathouse Row, the Whitemarsh Boat Club plans to convert a former warehouse into a year-round boathouse on the Schuylkill River. In its present condition, the steel structure is used year-round by Mount Saint Joseph Academy, a private prep school, but organizers say there’s room for other schools and colleges, as well as masters scullers. Eventually, the site will be winterized and upgraded, with locker rooms and other amenities, at an approximate cost of $1 million, which will be raised privately.In Iowa City, Ia., home of the University of Iowa, the board of regents is considering a plan to allocate $3 to $5 million for a boathouse for the women’s crew. The site would be paid for with athletic department earnings and gifts. Currently, boats are stored in what was intended as a machine shop in the university’s Advanced Technology Laboratories.Creativity in fundraising is critical. Many of the more substantial boathouses are being funded by universities. But, like any endeavor, universities look for outside partners to swing the finances. That often means turning to alumni.In 2000, Princeton University opened the C. Bernard Shea Rowing Center, named for a member of the Class of 1916. It was made possible with a $4 million gift from Mr. Shea’s widow, Irene C. Shea, and paid for the expansion of Princeton’s longtime facility on Carnegie Lake. Amenities included new rowing tank, larger locker and shower rooms, better heating and ventilation systems and improved handicap access, as well as offices and weight training areas. Additional launches, dockage and boat racks were installed.In Madison, Wisc., the University of Wisconsin opened the $8.56 million Porter Boathouse in April 2005. Naming rights came courtesy of Ben and Lee Porter, who donated $1 million to the effort to honor their father and uncles, all of whom attended the university. MRA Digest welcomes news of new or proposed boathouses.

http://www.mastersrowing.org

http://www.hosr.org

need a less expensive stroke rate meter,” you said.

“And it should do more.”

“The display should be nice and big,” you said.

“But it can’t be too bulky.”

“Oh, and it should be waterproof,” you said.

“But again, not cost too much.”

That’s a pretty lofty request. But I think NK has finally heard the call and answered with exactly what you are in search of: the CadenceTM T1 Wristrate Watch.

The latest product release from NK, the Cadence T1 is part digital sports watch, part stroke rate meter. In the boat (strapped to the shaft of the oar), using tilt-switch technology, the Cadence T1 calculates stroke rate based on the feathering interval. Off the water, for the coach or spectator, there’s a large rate button right on the face of the unit, allowing easy rate measurement at any time – much like its cousin the Interval 2000. Rowing aside, much like your typical sports watch out there, the watch offers a digital clock, 100-hour/99-split chronograph, alarm, and day/date calendar.

The Cadence T1, while slightly larger than your average sports wristwatch, is still comfortable enough to wear throughout the day. The neoprene strap makes for easy on and off and adjusts from wrist to oar without trouble.

We tested the Cadence T1 while rowing a double. While much simpler than installing wiring harnesses and the like, it was not quite producing very consistent feedback from the get go. Though, after a few adjustments to the placement of the watch, away we went and the Cadence worked very reliably. One pleasant surprise we experienced was that when I slid the watch a little closer towards the oarlock, my partner (in bow) could also see the ratings.

Later that week I took my Cadence down to the river during a regatta. While watching some crews race the final stretch, I curiously tracked their ratings. By either pressing the rate button on the face of the watch, or by rocking my arm (thus triggering the internal tilt switch), I was able to get a good idea of what rates each boat was holding; easily switching from one boat to the next. Both methods produce comparable results, and I was even able to distinguish when boats were taking a sprint and by how many beats. Though not quite as accurate as the 3-stroke mode boasted by the Interval 2000,

the Cadence T1 did enable me to “jump” from one boat to another very easily without too much of a delay.

While after days on end of sweaty workouts, the watchband does tend to get a little rank (easily remedied with some soap and warm water) the Cadence T1 is a good-looking, well-designed watch with straightforward functionality.

You may not see the elites training with a Cadence in their boat, but I did see a few sporting one while curiously checking the competition from shore at the recent U.S. trials. For some basic information while in a boat or watching from the shore (without loading up on too many pricey gadgets), the Cadence T1 is a nifty alternative. And at the end of a long, hard practice, it’ll always tell you how late for work you are.

NK Cadence T1 Wristrate Watch as reviewed retails for $79 at

www.nkhome.com

KEEPING CADENCE“I


http://www.nkhome.com

ernestine bayer jenn jewett interview

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