May was a tough month for rowing in the Northeast. Regattas all over the region were canceled or curtailed due to weather and unsafe water levels. Particularly damaging for our junior program was the loss of both the Amber Zapatka Memorial regatta and the Northeast Regional championships, on the Merrimac River in Lowell, Mass. Two storms in a row brought the river to unrowable levels and our teams had to stay home, canceling hotel reservations and travel plans.
However our luck turned last weekend when the weather broke and we were able to host the Dirigo Sprints, the last race of the junior spring season and a celebration of our own beautiful Megunticook Lake. The wind from a passing nor’easter abated the night before the race and with smooth water conditions the racing came off without a hitch. See below for all the results. Our juniors, particularly the women, did great!
So now we rush headlong into the summer season, the time for morning rows, mist on the water, and… membership renewals? Yes, that’s right – our member-supported program depends on funds from those who use our boat forest (and maybe more importantly our insurance) to launch, recover, and store their shells during the rowing season. I kind of wish we could call it something other than a membership, given there are no Megunticook Members Only jackets to go along with it, or exclusive cardmember levels (Gold? Diamond? Platinum?) to extort ever-larger fees from our constituents. But lacking a better word, we have memberships, and it is Time To Renew Them. You’ll be getting a special email soon from me, the chief, cook, and bottle-washer of the Membership Committee, reminding you to do this. In the meantime however if you are a returning member, if you will browse here, scroll down to “Adult Full,” and click “Register,” you will be able to pay your fee and help us keep our docks on the water and our rowing and our boats insured. If you would like to become a member, go here or see the QR code below to register.
Finally I want to welcome not one but TWO new coaches to Megunticook Rowing! Kathryn (Kali) Brown joins us from St. Lawrence University – I had the privilege of joining a few sessions with her last week and I can tell you she is a major addition to our program. Bob Van Twyver will arrive next week from Florida, where he has coached high school and university programs for many years. Bob brings a special interest in starting new rowers and we are expecting a significant upgrade to our Learn-To-Row program thanks to him. See below to learn more about these two new additions. They’ll be joined by our dedicated part-timers Sam Abbott and Andy Obst, as well as Megunticook Rowing alumnus Cabot Adams. We’re going to have a lot of great sessions this summer with this team!Summer is here, and the sun is up early with the loons and the loony rowers at 5 a.m. Come join us!
Sincerely,
Hugh Brock
