2/13/2025 - Remaining Winter Season Dates

Sunday, February 23 & March 16 - Tank Sessions (Skokie)

There are 2 tanks sessions schedule for this winter.  Sunday is when the tanks are avilable so these are the dates that we could get. 

Tank sessions are very helpful because they allow rowers to work on technique in a more stable indoor environment and are highly recommended for newer rowers, but they are also useful for more experienced rowers to work on technique. RowFit rowers are also welcome to attend these session, just let me know and I will mark you down. It might be a fun way to try what you know on a rowing machine with an oar in your hand. We do charge Masters Rowers a little bit to help cover the cost of the tank rental. The fee is $15. If you have a punch card for RowFit, you can use your punch card for this as well.

I would also like to suggest lunch at Pita Inn (which is on the way home on Dempster Ave.) after the tank session for any that are interested.

The masters sessions that occur at the same time as these tank sessions will be cancelled. If there are rowers that are not going to the tank session and want to meet to work out, feel free to coordinate that in GroupMe. I am happy to provide a workout for you.

Time: 9a - 11a**

**Depending on how many people are attending, I may break it in to 2 sessions - 9:00-10:30 and 10:30-Noon.

Location: 

Dammrich Rowing Center

3220 Oakton Ave

Skokie, IL

These sessions are in iCrew, so please get signed up as soon as possible so I can get people information about whether or not there will be one session or 2.

Tuesday, February 25 - Shiver Volunteer Meeting

I'd like to check in with everyone about volunteering at Chicagoland Shiver, the Indoor Regatta that we host. I'd like to try to do this via Google Meet and see how it goes. Parents of Juniors/Beginner Rowers will also be included in this meeting, so we will cover Shiver first, then i have some things to go over with them.

We'll try 8p in the hopes that most paof us will be home from running around and can tune in to listen. I'll send a link to the Google Meet prior to the meeting.

March is Annual Renewal Month

Annual Memberships are renewed in March for next year. The rowing "year" runs from April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026. RowFit classes will again be included with memberships for the upcoming year. See info about memberships here: https://team.sweepsandsculls.org/masters-team/masters-membership-options

Saturday 3/1 - No AM Rowing

We have our game night and lock in with the Juniors/Beginner Team on Friday night so we will be waking up Saturday morning, making breakfast for everyone, then heading out, so there will be no Masters Practice that morning.

Saturday, March 8 - Chicagoland Shiver!

We could really use "all hands on deck" to help with this event. We don't do a lot of fundraising as a club. We don't sell stuff and things like that. Chicagoland Shiver is the one event that we do that raises funds for our club and we ask that everyone get behind it to make it a success! There will be a volunteer meeting on the 25th and more information about this event coming over the next week or so.

Masters and RowFit rowers can volunteer in shifts so you don't have to be there the entire day. We appriciate any help we can get!

I would also like to HIGHLY encourage Masters and RowFit Rowers to COMPETE! This is a great event to put on your calendar to keep you motivated over the winter season, now and in the future! There are 2k, 1k and 500m individual events, plus a relay and doubles on slides for Masters Rowers. There is also a Parent/Child double (not on slides, and it's only 250m!) if any of you have kids that think would enjoy watching you compete then rowing with you!

I will not be competing individually (too much going on running the event!), however, if I am needed to fill out a relay, or if someone would like to do a double, I'm very happy to fill in!

Thursday, March 20 - Basic Safety Certification (currently confirming the date)

This is a certification specific to our club that rowers must complete in order to row without a life jacket. It is something that you can arrange to do on your own, but we offer it once a year in March to hopefully catch all of the new people that have joined since last year. We will do this in place of a Thursday practice to keep it simple for everyone at the YMCA in Crystal Lake.

• Time: 5:15-6:15p

• Location: Sage YMCA in Crystal Lake (waiting for confirmation on usage of the pool)

• More information about the Basics Safety Certification: https://team.sweepsandsculls.org/club-info/basic-safety-certification

I put this in iCrew as a separate event from regular practice. Those that are doing the Basic Safety Certification, plase mark your attendnace for that session. Those that have already done the Basic Safety Certification, you can mark your attendance for regular practice. Masters, there will still be RowFit at 7p that evening.

3/10/2024 - Masters Weekly Update

Tank Session Follow Up

Thanks to those that attended the tank session today. I was very happy with the progress that everyone made. For those that were there, you are definitely heading in the right direction! Kellie’s videos are up in a Google Album. I will add the ones that I took at some point as well: https://photos.app.goo.gl/jDHNmSfTtPvJfBmv7

Sessions This Week

Weekday morning and evening sessions will all be at the usual times this week

Saturday AM - I have cancelled the Masters sessions for Saturday morning. The juniors are doing an overnight at the Rowing Center, so we won't be rowing on Saturday AM.

Sunday AM - There will be a masters session on Sunday morning from 7-9a. We will be doing a couple of things at that session. First we will stretch as usual and get in a shorter workout. Then we will be going over the Masters LTR and Level 1 requirement and signing off on any requirements for those that are there. Second, we will be loading some things that need to go to the boatyard, then taking them over to the boatyard and getting them set up and put away so that we are ready to get on the water.

If no one attends on Sunday, the I may be talking to a couple of masters during the week about taking stuff over to the boatyard to drop it off.

Membership Options Starting April 1

I've heard from a few of you, but please let me know what membership option you will be going with starting April 1. If you have questions about membership options, you can look at those here: https://team.sweepsandsculls.org/masters-team/masters-membership-options

There are quite a few of you that took Learn to Row clinics last summer and rowed a bit in the Fall, or joined us for a few rows in the Fall, but I haven’t heard from you at all. I don’t want to keep bugging you with information that you are not interested in. 

If you have an open punch card, I will keep you on the Masters Roster until the end of June. If I do not hear from you by then, I will move you to the Masters Mailing List that I use to send out occasional updates. If you do not have an open punch card, I will move you to the Masters Mailing List if I do not hear from you by April 1.

Punch card does not expire, but you may be required to re-take the learn to row clinic if you do not row for more than a year.

GroupMe is under your control, so please feel free to remove yourself from GroupMe if you no longer wish to receive notifications.

Fill Out Your Emergency Info in iCrew

Please take a moment to take a look at your profile in iCrew and make sure that the following fields are completed, updated and accurate:

• Emergency Information (name and contact info)

• Allergies or Special Needs - please include 2 things in this field:

  • Anything that emergency services would need to know if you or your rower were unable to communicate (e.g. medications or medical conditions that may affect medical care).

  • Anything that a coach would need to know to better work with you or your rower and ensure they are safe on the water (medical conditions, allergies, assistive devices, etc.). Common examples include asthma and need to carry an inhaler, allergy to bee stings and need to carry an epi pen, diabetes and need to carry a "kit" with them, but could also include things like pace makers, POTS, pacemaker, etc.

• Also please check your documents and make sure your waivers are signed.

Basic Safety Certification

And finally - it at all possible you should plan to attend the Basic Safety Certification on Tuesday, March 19 at the SAGE YMCA. Life Jackets will be required starting this spring for all rowers that do not have this certification completed. You can see more about the basic safety certification here: https://team.sweepsandsculls.org/club-info/basic-safety-certification

9/24/2023 - Reservations & Punch Cards

Hey Masters,

First of all, I am very happy with the progress that all of you are making! I love seeing this! I hope that you all keep coming so we can start to put some fun boats together! I have a few updates that I wanted to share with all of you...

Punch card balances

I took a minute to make sure that everyone is checked in for the sessions that they attended, so punch card balances are up to date. There are a couple of you that need to purchase your next punch card. Because of the prorated member fee (the membership year runs from April 2023 to March 2024) for many of you, this payment will cover your membership and will be the final payment that you have to make to cover sessions until April. Keep in mind tha things like tank sessions, regatta fees, and RowFit classes (see below), etc would be separate. Please let me know if you have questions.

Please check your balance, and if you need to make a payment, you can use this link: https://link.waveapps.com/sdggja-sfqmyd

Oarboard reservations on week nights

Those of you that have been on an oarboard in a coached session, if you would like to get some additonal rowing time in, we have practice with the Juniros and Beginners teams Monday-Thursday eveings from 5:30-7:30p. The coaches will not be available to dedicate time to you at those sessoins so you need to be able to get your own equipment in and out, but if you are more comfortable knowing that there are others on the water, it's a very good time to come and get some practice in. I do occasionally use oarboards for the kids, but not that often. You can also feel free to put a note in GroupMe if you are interested in coming and there might be another masters rower that would be interested in coming and taking the other oarboard so you can help eachother.

You can make Reservations in iCrew. Go to the "Your Reservations" menu item, then click on the drop down menu and choose "Reserve a Shell". If you have any issues, just let me know.

Those of you that have not been on an oarboard, keep showing up and we'll get you on an oarboard soon! We'll get you all rotated through so you have opportunties for extra practice as well!

I can tell you that without question that any extra practice you do does help, so i really encourage you to take advantage of any extra time that you can get in, especially while the weather is still nice!

Reservations at other times

Those of you that have been checked out on an oarboard can also make reservations to take the oarboard out at other times as well. The river is pretty quite now, so while I would probably avoid weekend afternoons, you can really row any time.

RowFit Classes Coming October 2

I'm going to try to get these RowFit classes going in October! These classes are 1 hour classes (6-7am) and are avaiable once a week on Wednesdays, or twice a week on Monday/Wednesday. Think of these classes like spinning classes, but on indoor rowing machines instead of spinning bikes. The focus of these sessions is fitness, but we will be doing some rowing technique work as well. These sessions are at our indoor rowing center and we're going to do them in 6 week sessions.

Session 1 (6 weeks) - October 2 to November 8

Session 2 (6 weeks) - November 13-December 20

6-7a

Wednesdays: $90

Mondays & Wednesdays: $180

The RowFit classes are not part of the standard membership, so there is an additional cost, however, there will be a discount for members!

For those that have punch cards, you can use your punch cards for these sessions! They will be in iCrew, so you just have to let me know that you'd like to register for the class and I'll add you to the RowFit team so you can see the sessions.

Once you have paid the full membership cost ($180), the sessions will be half price!

You do not need any rowing expereince to do these sessions, so if you or anyone you know is interested, you can get info and register here: https://www.sweepsandsculls.org/Rowfit

Head of the Rock - Sunday, October 8

Those of you that may be intersted in racing eventually, i highly recommend that you come out to Head of the Rock Regatta in Rockford on Sunday, October 8. It's an all day event so you can come out any time during the day. Come and hang out at our team tent, watch the races, check out the food trucks and vendors, and see what a regatta is all about. Fall races are head races, which are usually around 5k. Boats are racing for time against other boats in their category. You will see Juniors (high school), Collegiate, and Masters crews at this race. It is really something to see!

Races start at 8a and finish up around 4:30p at the Swedish American Riverfront YMCA in Rockford (200 Y Blvd, Rockford, IL). We'd love to see you there!

Let me know if you have any questions.

9/24/2023 - Help at the boatyard

Hey Parents and Masters Rowers,

There are a few things that need to be done at the boatyard this week and I was hoping that we could get some help. These are pretty easy tasks that will save the coaches a ton of time if we don’t have to do them. If anyone has some bandwidth to volunteer to tackle even part of these tasks, please let me know.

There is no timeline for these tasks, other than I’d like stuff done by 

**Mowing (needs to get done this week)

The boatyard could stand to be mowed this week. It hasn’t grown much, but it’s a little bit hairy and could use a trim. This does not have to be done all at one time, so multiple people could volunteer for this. You are more than welcome to mow what you can during practice time while we are out on the water.

**Putting up lights (needs to get done this week)

We have to get our boatyard lights up since it is now getting dark pretty early. This is a really easy task, but involves using tools, including a wrench and a drill, so you need some competency with tools. If anyone can do this, just let me know and I can meet you at the boatyard a little bit early and show you what to do. I will have drills, bits and fasteners. It helps if there are 2 people doing this.

Dock Scrubbing (would be nice to get to, but not as urgent as the above 2)

There are parts of the dock that are getting a little bit slippery and I’d like to get some wood oil on the dock, so we’d like someone to scrub the dock. This would have to be done either while we are not there, or while we are out on the water.

Wood Chips Saturday Morning (would be nice to get to, but the wood chips need to be unloaded and spread when they are dropped off because we are going to need to use the path)

After the rain, we noticed some bare spots on the path on the way in, so we’d love to get a load of wood chips to cover those up, and maybe fill in the low spots on the path where it turns by the corn field. For those that don’t know, Nunda township will load woodchips in to the back of your truck for you (with a big old front loader) on Saturday mornings before noon. Someone could take my truck - so masters one of you could take it after practice, or Beginner or Juniors Team parents could take my truck during practice. The only issue is that we have to walk boats back down the path after the regatta on Sunday, so the wood chips need to be unloaded and spread after they are picked up.

If there is anyone that is willing to help, please let me know.

8/23/2023 - Masters Rowing Updates

We have quite a few people that have done Learn to Row Clinics this month and it looks like we may have some people joining us for Masters rowing this Fall, which is great! For those of you that will be continuing, I wanted to get you some information on what we have going on this Fall. Fall lis hands down my favorite time of year to row, so you are joining us at a great time! I wanted to send you a few updates and some info on looking forward to the Fall…

One last Summer Session on Saturday

If any of you are interested in joining us to row on Saturday, simply go in to iCrew and mark your attendance for the session. We need to know by tomorrow (Thursday) evening if you are planning to attend.

Those of you that have not yet, you can pay for your punch card using this link: https://link.waveapps.com/sdggja-sfqmyd

If any of you would like to make alternate payment arrangements, please let me know. We are typically very flexible, so please just talk to me and I’m sure we can work something out.

Fall Rowing is Coming!

We will take Labor Day weekend off (the river is just too busy) then we start our Fall Rowing Schedule. We will be offering 3 sessions per week…

Wednesday Coached Row - 5:30-7p (mark attendance by Monday night)

Saturday Coached Row - 6:30-8a (mark attendance by Thursday night)

Sunday Open Row: 7-9a (mark attendance by Friday night)

For any of these sessions, if we can not be on the water due to weather we will move the practice to the Indoor Rowing Center (which is just a few minutes away). Sessions will be in iCrew later tonight.

Juniors Regatta Weekends Will Affect Some Practices

Be aware that there are some weekend rows that will be affected by the Juniors Team attending regattas. Equipment (boats and oars) may be loaded on our trailer for the regatta and be unavailable for use. Coaches may also be traveling (regatta weekends make us tired!), so it is possible that we may need to cancel sessions.

If at all possible, I do recommend coming to see the Head of the Rock Regatta on Sunday, October 8. We will get more information out about this regatta as we get through Fall season, but Masters Rowers do race at Head of the Rock, so if you are interested in racing, this could be a future opportunity for you!

Marking Attendance & Coming to Row

In order for the coaches to make boat lineups and try to create the best opportunities for everyone to learn, we need you to help us out by marking your attendance 48 to 36 hours before the session. 

If it is less than 36 hours before the session and did not mark your attendance but realize that you can make it (or you forgot to mark your attendance or whatever), you can most likely still come to row. Please just send a message in GroupMe letting us know that you’d like to come. One of the coaches will respond and let you know if we can make that happen. We will do our best and most of the time we can work something out, but we do need a heads-up in GroupMe.

Likewise if you need to cancel within the 36 hour window, please send a note in GroupMe so that the coaches know.

Please be aware that last minute cancellations, or no shows at practice, affect everyone that is attending that practice. It is possible that others may not be able to row, or (more likely) that someone may miss out on an opportunity for a learning experience (like being in a single for the first time), or some similar situation if you cancel at the last minute.

That having been said, we do understand that people wake up not feeling well (I think that everyone prefers if you keep germs at home), or have last minute emergency situations come up. If everyone saves their last minute cancellations for those situations, everything usually works out.

Lineups

For each row, we will put together lineups and send them out in the Masters GroupMe. For the Wednesday evening session, we may send the lineups out during the day on Wednesday (usually by about 1p), but it could also be the night before.

For weekend morning sessions, usually it’s the afternoon/evening before the session. It is helpful if you check GroupMe and know three things when you arrive; 1) what boat you are in; 2) what seat you are in; 3) who is “in charge” of your boat (coxswain or bow person - obviously if it’s a single, that person is you :-)

Changes to practice times, locations, etc.

If we have to change practice times or locations or cancel practice due to weather or for any other reason, we will post that information in GroupMe, so it is very important to be part of the Masters GroupMe.

For evening sessions, we try to make a decision by 3p. For morning sessions, we try to make a decision the night before. We don’t always get it right, so please be watching GroupMe for updates.

Again, most of the time, we will move practice indoors if we can not be on the water.

Here is the link to join the Masters GroupMe: https://groupme.com/join_group/60262627/mvZ7aZLn

If you have any questions or want to discuss any of this, please feel free to send me an email, give me a call, or put something in GroupMe. If you have questions, others may as well!