Last week I chaired my first meeting of the Megunticook Rowing Board of Directors. It was an unusual meeting, not just because we elected new officers including myself as President and Leslie Forand replacing me as Treasurer, but because we dispensed with our regular order of business to consider an existential question: Can we, a small club surrounded by small towns, grow enough to justify hiring a full time coach? Leslie and I had spent hours looking at income sources and expense categories, so that we could put together a fair analysis of our chances of success. Our conclusion: We can do it, just barely, but only if we get solid growth in our Club and Varsity programs and strong support from our masters rowers and the local community.
I’m very happy to say that a large majority of the board agreed with us, and that we have committed to moving ahead with the search for a full-time coach. Why is this so important? Although we have in my view the most engaged and committed board since I came to Megunticook Rowing in 2020, and a number of wonderful people who volunteer their time to coach our youth program, we will not get the program to its full potential without a full-time coach on staff to promote and organize Club and Varsity rowing, establish the training schedule, and actually train junior and masters rowers to row better. The person we hire will not supplant the work of our volunteers and board members. On the contrary, our work will likely increase if we are successful in growing the program the way we want. It is our hope however that our coach will fill the key organizational gap that a group of volunteers and part timers will inevitably have, and that together we will all be able to take the club to the next level.
Let me introduce myself. My wife Kim and I arrived here in Camden 4 years ago. Kim is a musician and web designer who first came to Camden in the ’80s as a harp student. I am a software engineer and engineering manager who began rowing as an adult in Philadelphia, but I am really a product of Megunticook Rowing. I believe I put more time in on the water my first year here than I did in ten years rowing on the Schuylkill before. It is my gratitude to Megunticook Rowing, its members, and this amazing, beautiful place that led me to accept first a board position and now the presidency of this group. Aside from Kim and my family, this group and its success is the most important thing in my life. I can only hope to give back in equal measure what I have taken from it.
While I’m expressing gratitude, I need to thank our outgoing board president John Romain. John brought me and so many others onto this board during a difficult transition period. His steady hand and quirky sense of humor has made our current board into the tight group it is today. John, we appreciate your service and we do hope to see you rowing on the lake this summer at last!
I must also welcome not just new treasurer Leslie Forand, but our new board member Sam Grinnell. More about both of them below. Sam has volunteered to take on our Membership committee with a particular eye toward increasing Club and Varsity participation from the high schools. We’re excited and incredibly lucky to have him with us. Leslie for her part has forgotten more about non-profit bookkeeping and accounting than I will ever know. A product of our masters program, Leslie is not only an excellent rower but will keep our finances in great shape. Finally, I have to give a special thanks to my friend and IT colleague Evan Waters who has very graciously volunteered to take over management of our various IT systems. If you have questions about iCrew, evan@megunticookrowing.org is the right place to start.
If you’re receiving this newsletter you likely also received our recent Annual Appeal for donations. Although I should not give a final number since gifts are still coming in, chief fundraiser Marnie Read and I are amazed and overwhelmed at the outpouring of support we have received. Thank you, thank you, thank you all! Your support is making our growth possible and you’ll see the results on the water this spring, summer, and fall. Even though we are in the new year, donations are welcome and encouraged any time. You can visit https://megunticookrowing.org/donate to chip in and help us get where we’re going.
One last thing. Megunticook Rowing is open to all with an interest in rowing on the water. However, we do ask people to pay a modest membership fee to gain all the benefits of the program. Membership renewals are coming soon, so members please watch your mail. If you’re not a member, but you would like to join us on beautiful Lake Megunticook for the on-water season, please visit https://megunticookrowing.org/membership for more information, or contact Sam Grinnell at sam@megunticookrowing.org or me at hugh@megunticookrowing.org. Don’t expect a quick answer from me, though – I’ll be at our rowing gym, trying to get to 80 strokes on the new TR. *Ouch*.
See you on the water,
–Hugh Brock