Blog

Hi Rowers,
Sorry for the lack of news last week. Nicole had me flat out, first it was a boatload of rose petals (pair not 8 thank god, and I now receive a generous discount at roses only if anyone else is interested) for the sunset row, then we had to perfect our chocolate mousse recipe (18 attempts and 7 kilos later as I had to do all the taste testing to keep her slim for the big night), then we compared over 3000 PAIRS of cufflinks to find the perfect ones to match Martin’s eyes.
Finally I coloured all the yellow bits of my winter zootie black and tapped all the maple trees in Toorak (you don’t get all that much per tree) for the syrup for the pancake stack for the following morning, for this very important occasion, their first wedding anniversary.
So here I am fat and exhausted and determined never to buy another French cuff shirt for the rest of my life.

Mini Camp
On February 20 and 21 RRC will be holding a mini rowing camp for all crews. We have a guest coach, Geoff Perry (AKA Pugs) coming from Adelaide to work with all crews and coaches. You will find it a very valuable two sessions, and your coaches are keen to work with Pugs while examining your rowing skills from the comfort of their tinny.
So now is a good time to work out nicknames for each other so they will be well settled in before he arrives. Imagine how embarrassing it would be if he arrived and heard us calling each other by our first names, hardly sporting. If you don’t get nickname or can’t remember someone else’s, then make it up, just make sure you look directly at the person you are talking to (point if necessary).
Camp is going to be on the Maribyrnong and each crew will need to be available for one two-hour session on each of the two days. (Bring your club lock)
Annalise and Nicole are currently working out a schedule for the two days. They would like you to make your crew’s sessions a priority, however, if you have something particularly important to attend at some point during the weekend (eg an appointment with the AIS or your own wedding anniversary), please let your coach know, and we will try to schedule your crew in for an optimal time.
There will also be a club dinner on Saturday night. This is not by any means compulsory but you may like to share dinner with your fellow Tigers (Stevo, Beavo, Snake, Onion, Chicken, Erglover, Puggies Girl) and Pug at the pub (location to be announced).
Boatloading will be on Friday at 6pm at the shed and Sunday at 7pm also at the shed. Basically you need to
Boatload Friday 6pm
Row Saturday 2 hours
Optional Pub Dinner Saturday Night
Row Sunday 2 hours
Boat unloading Sunday 7pm
And we all know how good boatloading is for practice in house moving and also interior design. I had a picnic the other day and just carried the fridge outside and used an extension lead. Easy, felt as light as a feather. Hot night tonight, so I think it’s put it in the bedroom with the door open. Options are endless.

Boxercise
Feeling like a weakling at boatloading? Cox always pulling hard on the side you’re not rowing on? We can help. Also boxercise is back on Monday at 6:20 with John Vickory (Tyronne’s Dad).

Brawn and Brains?
The Pres has posted a notice on member news re the upcoming trivia fleet fundraiser. It will be a fundraiser and christening of the new boats. (MTM – Mother To Mother and Orlando) that evening. Any other suggestions? The Freddo Muncher? Faster than we Look, Too Lazy to Swim, Used to have Pudgy Arms, Never Sleep In.
Sprint races
Club sprint races are on this Sunday. The format is 4 x 350m sprint plus finals.  This is a great chance to practice your starts for all upcoming regattas.  Rowers please let your coaches know by Wednesday morning if you are interested in participating.  To make races go smoothly all rowers need to be at the club changed and ready to row at 9:45 am.  As always, there will be brunch post racing.  If you don’t have a coach and want to race email the boss and she will put you in a crew.
States
Crews for states have been set and the RRC contingent looks awesome … More info to come later in the week.
Girl Talk
My welder broke last week (and it’s going to take Sarah a week to fix it), Joe and I are fixing up Arnie’s old ford, does anyone else have one they can lend? We’re entered in a drag on Saturday night at Sandown, Susie I know you need yours this week, maybe one of the other girls? Let me know.
MOUSSE
PANT (PA to Nicoles Tudka, previously PA to JK until she was transferred to the Darwin Oar Rowing Society and now champions the DORC’s up there)

Hello Rowers,
Well what a week. The sudden drop in temperature means I have temporarily abandoned my plans to chop up the Latham (boat not man, though how many murders have I seen on telly this week, mostly prostitutes and congressmen, anyhow I digress) and turn it into a giant pedestal fan and matching deck chair for out the front of the club to make the most of our non veranda and Melbourne Uni eye candy, instead I am now sending off for plans to turn it into a Swedish style hot tub and accompanying towel warmer.
One thing I have discovered is that the brown wooden boat we have, despite looking like the love-child of my childhood cubby house and a country kitchen, is in fact a racing boat in disguise!!! Well knock me down with a feather!! There is a strong likelihood that Nicole told me that as I was wolfing down an entire pack of chocolate coated teddy bears in despair after being told that the DS rowed better than the B team (or she simply may have been worried I would move on to the TV Snacks she’d hidden in her drawer for her morning tea). It will be our second post wedding row for Sharon this week, last week I was aghast when the latest edition of Women’s Weekly and New Idea fell out of her bag, fingers crossed this week she doesn’t arrive in a matching tracksuit and have baked us all cookies, actually might not be all bad…
Survey Time
ALL ROWERS – even those who are in retirement or on break and those that are coaches but still rowing – need to fill out the survey so we can plan for the season. There are big things coming up and we need to know who is interested … My boss can’t be organised if you aren’t and that means she’s cranky and starts timing my lunch break and noting how many dentist appointments I have each year (13 and we’re still in January), and how many grandparents / great aunts / step grandparents / step great aunts kick the bucket in far flung places which lead to lengthy periods of bereavement leave. So for crying out loud fill out the survey so she can pop you all in a regatta. Regattas are a great opportunity to wear tight clothing around a bunch of strangers and boat loading is terrific practice for the next time you need to move house, the weight of your fridge will fade into insignificance after you lug some of our big momma boats.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NWF8H7Z
You need to do this by tomorrow, Thursday, if you don’t we can have a chat to Mike and Simon (man not boat) about putting together a fantastic time intensive erging program for you as you will have missed out on all rowing. So far only 37 responses but we have way more people than that rowing and not rowing.
Barwon
Barwon entries are closed (Barwon = Jan31), hope you’ve all taken out a second mortgage to help pay for your coffee from Mitre 10, muffins are good, but is it worth forgoing your children’s opportunities at a private school?
States
If you are interested in racing states (it sounds VERY cool when you drop it in conversation around the office, not once has anyone asked me if it was C division or in a tub that is our little secret) please let you coaches know. You’d better also pop it onto the survey link above.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NWF8H7Z
Ok, we’re yellow, black and friendly, but it does come at a price. Keep your race fee account in the black and pay your membership. For this to work you need to know your password and login for the clubweb site. If you don’t know your login email the big boss will sort you out. If individual rowers are not financial – the whole crew won’t be entered in an event. It’s too hard to rejuggle things. This sounds serious guys, you’d better log on and do some transferring. Barry, Karin and I can lead the way with payday today!!
Safety
Check the safety board for current rowing condition – update it if you are the first crew on the water and don’t forget to log out. Also, wear thongs on the landing (oh I love it that we have non Australian born people in the club and I have NO intention of translating the word thong, just in renting out my new Latham deckchair) and protect yourself from sunburn (slip, slop, slap) or you’d look like a walnut by the time you’re my age (22 BTW) (If you believe that you’ll believe anything) (But I am LOADS younger than Simon man and the cubbyhouse / country kitchen boat).
TUBBY GRAY
PANT (PA to Nicoles Tudka, previously PA to JK until she was transferred to the Darwin Oar Rowing Society and now champions the DORC’s up there)

Can anyone beat my record of a large box of Lindt chocolates in 24 hours over Christmas Day to Boxing day? Also I positively ate a farmyard on Christmas day and as I sit hear my black and yellow pleated and tailored trousers (Nicole’s just updated the staff uniform catalogue) which swam on me early December are now giving me kidney / appendix / lower back / circulation trouble. The idea of a ham and salad sandwich bores me when I could have a croissant, some cake, left over scallop potatoes and a ice-cream.
Anyway as I am facing cheap perm ant tattoos from my polyester trousers I headed back on the water with the infamous B team, only to be told by the coxes with the mostest that we were ‘worse than a Rutherglen summer’. (Though keep in mind that no one actually did a background check on the DS, there is a chance there were all Russian rowing Olympians who are seeking Asylum in Melbourne in which case it should be expected that we would be worse than these superstars).
I suppose there could be a small chance that the incredible B team has lost some form over Chrissie in terms of skill and has gained some form in terms of our new wider shadows. Just in case I think it’s best that we start training again. If you have your own Lindt chocolate belly to consider click on the link to see when your racing and training is on.
http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=29vs55sshnd9s5s8d3q4v1o0l4%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=Australia/Sydney
If you have the memory of a goldfish and the computer skills of my Granny you can check out the hard copy of the calendar on the club notice board and in the men’s and women’s change rooms. It’s the same in each change room, so no need to ‘double check’. Keep in mind we’re all hairy and we wear HUGE, old, grey knickers, so nothing worth the visit.
The sprint season has gotten under way with a Hot Weekend at Rutherglen (Hmm while the B team were eating hot chips, ice-cream, Mojhitos, chocolate pudding and cheesecake, we’d better think about our lifestyle choices – CONGRATULATIONS TO SHARON WHO OFFICIALLY SNARED A GREAT GUY AT HER WEDDING LAST WEEKEND AND WHO LOOKED AMAZING, CONGRATULATIONS ALSO SARAH FOR KEEPING THE NUTCASE UNDER CONTROL).
Bling was grabbed in the men’s B Quad, men’s A eight, women’s D pair, women’s D four, women’s D eight,  and the mixed eight. Onya to Arnie and others who pulled the regatta together. And also to Simon (man not boat) for arranging bus transport. And thanks again to the Schouten’s for getting our boats to and from the regatta in one (or in some cases 2 pieces).
Upcoming Regattas
Barwon Regatta (Geelong) – Sunday January 31st (Particularly good burgers available at this one, but might need to put your first born on ebay to buy a coffee from the Mitre 10) The coaches need to put proposed crews for Barwon together this week so let your coach know if you want to row ASAP, because crews will be put together by Sunday.
NB: the schedule of events is similar to Rutherglen with three brackets but no Masters or Mixed events.  Distances: A&B – 1500m, C&D  -1000m.  Entries will cost $11.75/seat.  Top up your race fee account in anticipation. Look at the RV website for more info.
Victorian State Championships (Nagambie) – Saturday & Sunday February 13th-14th (Good coffee on site, even better wine nearby, cross your fingers for a row over so you can do a tasting pre race)
Australian Henley (Yarra; A/B grade rowers) – Saturday February 20^th (Excellent raisin toast in food court if you get in early)
Henley on the Maribyrnong (Essendon: C/D rowers) – Saturday February 27^th (bring a club lock)
Footscray Saltwater Regatta – Saturday March 20th (Another club lock outing)
New South Wales State Championships & NSW vs VIC club challenge (Penrith, Sydney) – Friday April 9th – Sunday April 11th
Plans for the Master’s season are yet to be finalised.  But I would encourage, all Masters rowers to participate in upcoming Sprint regattas and the training camp. The Masters season is very short, and having race practice will optimise your performance for the target regattas.
Club Races
Given that the Around the Island time trials were so popular in 2009 (was it the rowing or the food or the tourist appeal of the island?), we will be holding another club racing series.  This time the format will be 4 x 300 m sprint races followed by finals.  Brunch will continue, as last year.
To participate, please let you coaches know by Wednesday before Sunday’s racing.  This is important, so that we can organize crews, coxes and boats.  You must to be at the club by 9:45 am, so that crews can be on water by 10 am.  If you are late you, you will miss out.
Sprint Race 1:  Sunday February 7th at 9:45 am.
Sprint Race 2:  Sunday March 28th at 9:45 am.
Club Training Camp
The RRC training camp will take place on Friday March 12th to Sunday March 14th on the Yarra.
The plan is to squeeze in a couple of training rows on Friday night from 5 pm followed by a club pasta dinner to carbo load for the tough weekend ahead.  So, please try to arrange your work schedule Friday so that you can be at the club at 4:45 pm.
Plans for a coaching camp are being worked on for Saturday March 20th and Sunday March 21st .  We will be asking crews to be available for one training session on Saturday and one Sunday either in the morning or afternoon.  Your coaches will provide you with more details shortly.
Potential New Year’s Resolutions for You

• Be on time for all club training sessions. This means 9:45 am for a 10 am session or 6:15 pm for 6:30 pm session. If you can’t tell the time you may be relegated to cleaning the rowing shoes each week, your crews need to be able to rely on you or at least know they can count on you to clean the shoes in the boat.
• Be nice to your Mother and to Nicole (but not to Simon)
• Stay informed and read club emails, surveys, blog updates and member’s news updates, otherwise you’ll be spending your weekends at home with the cat. Respond promptly as required (no point in playing hard to get anymore as we have a huge group of active rowers this season (and all the new Russian champion DS members) and this makes organizing training and racing so much easier.
• Keep your race fee account in the black.
• Don’t get drunk and sleep in the club house, those blue carpets are foul and benches in change rooms only comfortable if unconscious.
• Clean your boat, even if eagle eye Mike isn’t watching
• Rush the slide at least 60% of the time otherwise your coaches and coxes will have nothing to say
• Buy a 4by and help the Schoutons with boat towing and then we can all go to the Flinders Rangers in convoy at Easter
• Get calluses so bad that you can handle hot coals without even flinching and you impress everyone who shakes hands with you
• Get a decent handshake otherwise your calluses will look out of place if you have a wet fish handshake, if unsure ask your father
• Join me in renting out everything not tied down in the club house to raise money for my new air conditioner and larger uniforms with elastic waists
• Keep in touch with all your old acquaintances who now think you are really cool who you sent a RRC Chrissie card too

Katie Gray (PANS)