All packed up...

We had a great group of rowers come out last night to pack up our club. It was cold, dark, and rainy but we had some die-hards that worked really really hard. We got all of the boats loaded, the launches, even the racks that the boats were sitting on!

Our "club" will reside at CRI for the winter but our training never stops. My apologies on not having details just yet but trust me we're working on it. Enjoy the peace while you can get it!

I hope to see all of you at our Trivia Throwdown on Tuesday November 23rd at Rose Alley!!

Time to Pack!

The day has finally come, folks. Yes we need to officially pack up all of our boats and equipment and store it for the winter. Having just moved from California, this is new for me. I'm used to rowing all year 'round! Although now we won't have to worry about lack of daylight and if it's raining or not. We'll also get to work super hard and become very fit.

So, anyone that feels like coming on down around 3:30 or 4:00 this afternoon, we'll be a Popes Island and need LOTS of helping hands. It should go pretty quickly since a lot of the work is already done. We just need multiple bodies for the heavy lifting. Oh yeah - and the tall folks to help put boats on the tippy-top of the trailer. Good thing our youth boys are so tall!

Ergs and Boats, Ergs and Boats...

A few things happening here with equipment. We've derigged all of our 8's and our 4 and pulled the launches out of the water. Tomorrow we'll be loading everything up onto the trailer and it'll live up at CRI for the winter. Sad, but just moving on to the next phase! (feel free to come on down tomorrow around 3:30/4pm to help load!)

Which brings us to winter training. Still waiting to hear from the YMCA but we've started acquiring a few ergs to set us up for winter training. So far we've got 5 and hope to make it to 10. I love inflicting pain on larger groups!! Muahahahaaaa >: )

Also, a close friend of mine is selling her racing single. It's not like the zephyrs we've been loaned by Peinert Boat Works - this is much skinnier! You really gotta know what you're doing to row this little guy, but the owner (original) has taken extremely good care of it. Here are a few photos but there are more if you're interested. Email me at carolyn@communityrowing.org if you're interested in more information on this single:

2001 Vespoli Matrix 24 1x. (115-145lbs, 24'6"). was not rowed until Summer of 2002. white hull w/green striping, wing rigger. Newly re- wired for NK speedcoach. Excellent condition- Orginal owner, well maintained and always stored indoors. Speedy little boat w/ a lot of racing years left in it. Well loved and sad to be letting it go. Pictures available upon request and able to be seen at Community Rowing, Inc Boston.
Asking $3600

Wine & Beer anyone?

As if Trivia wasn't enough to keep us busy, we've got another fun social outing for you. On Wednesday December 1st, New Bedford Community Rowing will be hosting a Wine and Beer Tasting with support from Cork Wine and Tapas Bar, and Rose Alley Ale House. It will go from 6-8pm at Cork, upstairs. Tickets are $50 and there will be light hors d'eouvres for your enjoyment. Come on out and support NBCR! Bring your friends and have a fun night on the town tasting reds, whites, and some hops!

Fun morning in singles

Our numbers are a bit low now that we've wrapped up our official fall season, but there are definitely a few die hards out there. This morning myself and 3 such die hards had a small sculling lesson. It was dark when we arrived, pretty windy, and raining. Did they want to call it off? No way! So we took out the zephyrs that Paul Milde is letting us use and they had a blast! Funny enough, the rain wasn't hard but the winds actually died down once we launched! That never happens so it was a nice surprise. One person (Nancy Durfee) also has a line on an Alden shell that she may be acquiring over the winter and has agreed to let other NBCR members use it! If we can get Paul's zephyrs back in the spring, that means we'd have THREE singles to use! For a club that is so new, that's amazing. I love this place... :)

TRIVIA NIGHT!!!

That's right we're hosting a trivia night! It's going to be Tuesday November 23rd at Rose Alley Ale House in downtown New Bedford. Come on out from 6:30-8:30 with your team of 4-6 people (if you don't have 4, we'll pair you up with others!) and bring your thinking caps. Rose Alley Ale House serves great pub food, has a full bar, and yes as an ale house, a huge selection of beer. We're asking for $10 per person to support New Bedford Community Rowing, but we'll have prizes for you to win!

You can email me at carolyn@communityrowing.org to let me know that you've got a team and are ready to show your stuff, or just show up! We hope there is enough interest that we can do this every month with different prizes each month, but we already have several teams coming. We've got lots of things planned so stay tuned and I hope to see you on Tuesday the 23rd!!

Halloween & dressing properly

Well, I hope all of you out there had a fun and happy Halloween. Luckily, no tricks have been played on us, but we do have a treat. We get to keep rowing for 2 more weeks! Sure it's starting to get cold now that we've planned this but hey - we're tough and that won't stop us. Rowing in cold weather is why rowers are often called "gear-dogs"...we need all the fancy schmancy "wicking" shirts and leggings and all that stuff. We shop for the latest in material technology that REI has to offer and talk about our coolest new weather shirts.

Okay, so I make fun of us a little. But actually, dressing properly for working out in cold weather is very important. Sure you can spend tons of money on the latest greatest thing, but that's not necessary. Layering is key because you want to start off warm but be able to peel layers as you get further into your workout and begin to sweat. If you only have 2 layers on, you'll start off cold, then be burning up, strip to your one layer, then get it soaked and never be able to get warm after the practice is over. Making sure that the first layer is NOT cotton is also very important. Hikers have a saying that is true for all outdoor enthusiasts: "wet cotton kills". When you wear a cotton t-shirt and start sweating, it sticks to you. Then it cools off and between the cold sweat from the inside and the cold elements from the outside, you freeze. Make sure that the closest layer to your skin is something that will "wick" moisture away from you.

There are lots of options for what to wear and those of you that are internet savvy, do a search or two for proper outdoor gear for working out. The rest of you can ask a coach or go to a sporting goods store and see what they have available, and then ask the salesperson what the materials do. Even if you just go to the specialty store to find out about the materials, you can probably find similar materials at Target, Kohls, or Walmart. You don't have to spend a lot but it IS important to dress for the weather.

See ya out there!!