Greetings VBC Members,
I am writing to bring you up to date on the latest VBC news. With the weather getting warmer and the days longer, it's time to get rid of the off-season cobwebs and into your summer rowing routine. We have a number of upcoming club events and activities planned and hope that you participate with fellow club members this summer.
As you get out on the river, please pay close attention to weather and water conditions. It's been quite windy and the river levels have been quite high lately. So assess the situation, use good judgment and be careful out there!
Status of the Boathouses
Hank Holswade is doing a yeoman's job working with Chesterfield County on the expansion of the Robious Boathouse. The County is going through their final design approvals after which we will be able to start construction. The plans include two new 16' bays (one on each side of the existing boathouse). Hank is working with the County to do some site preparation; then we will be able to build (this is the first call for volunteers). We hope that construction will be finished before the end of June. This expansion should meet our space needs at Robious for the foreseeable future.
For the Downtown Boathouse, we have reached a general agreement with WVS Companies (the Rocketts Landing developers) over lease costs and terms for the Power Plant building. Our lease will run three years with options for extension. We are working on the final details and lease documents.
The renovations of the Power Plant are proceeding well. There is a new roof on the building, something we haven't seen in years! The restrooms/showers on the ground level are almost finished as well as the shell space on our two floors. WVS officials will be working with the City to see if they can get a temporary certificate of occupancy for the club to move back in while they are completing construction on the upper floors.
WVS have told us that they have delayed the demolition of our temporary boathouse (the old Richmond Raft Company building). It looks like we will be able to move back into the Power Plant from the Raft Company.
We are also continuing discussions with City official as well as private parties about long term options for the Downtown Boathouse. Everyone we've talked to has been very interested in the activities we bring to the river and how that can be integrated into the various proposals being discussed. All view rowing as being a desirable component of an active and vibrant waterfront.
Rocketts Regatta
Put June 14 on your calendar for the 5th Rocketts Regatta that will again be part of the James River Adventure Games. Make sure that you register to race at Regatta Central. We need a good turnout from club members in as many events as possible.
Joanne Haarstick is the race director this year. She and her committees have been hard at work to make this a great event. Please volunteer to help out (even if you are racing). We need a lot of hands to do this well.
Head of the James
The date for this fall's Head of the James has been set for October 12. No excuses for not participating this year. You have five months to train to go the 5K distance. Hank Holswade with again be the director of this race.
Masters Sweep Program
Steve Abbot sent out an e-mail last week about our new coached sweep program for masters. We've have a lot of interest so far. The sweep teams are meeting Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 6:00 p.m. and Saturday mornings at 8:00 a.m. at the Downtown Boathouse.
Learn-to-Row and Sculling Instruction
We began our Learn-to-Row sweep program last Saturday with about 10 enthusiastic novices. They will be using the downtown facilities on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays through June 14. If you see them at the boathouse, welcome them and offer your encouragement. They are our potential future club members.
We have a long, long list of individuals who would like sculling lessons. Our current instructors cannot meet the demand. If you are an experienced sculler and have the interest and inclination to teach others our sport, please contact Steve Abbot who is coordinating our instructional programs.
VBC Committees
At the last VBC Board meeting, we discussed ways of getting club members more involved in the activities of our organization. Not only will this increase opportunities to get to know one another better, but we hope that this will help members become more invested in the club and its future. We decided to establish several standing committees that would be responsible for organizing and managing club activities in selected areas. These committees would work together with a designated board member.
We will establish four committees immediately with additional groups to be put together as needs arise:
Communications: Responsible for regular communications to club members, external communications, public relations and marketing. This group will work with the VBC President and Secretary.
Social: Responsible for organizing non-rowing events that brings club members and potential members together for camaraderie and club spirit. This committee will work with the VBC Secretary.
Finance & Audit: Responsible for providing oversight and periodic audit of club financial operations. This group will report to the full VBC Board.
Facilities: Responsible for direction and oversight of efforts to improve VBC facilities. This group will work with the Downtown and Robious boathouse managers.
If you have interest or expertise in any of these areas and would like to volunteer, please contact me or one of the other VBC officers. We may also be contacting some of you to "volunteer" as well. This is really a great way to become more involved in the future of our club and to get to know other club members. Don't be shy.
VBC in the News
VBC and rowing has been receiving a lot of attention in the local media recently. In the downtown master planning process, rowing has been frequently mentioned as an activity that is important to the waterfront. The draft plan itself mentions the need for a boathouse on the lower James. The local media stories have picked up on this and we have been mentioned in a number of stories.
Club member Tina Andes is on the cover of the spring edition of Sport Backers Quarterly. The SBQ was distributed a couple of weeks ago with the Richmond Times-Dispatch is selected local areas. You can see the cover shot on-line: http://www.sbqnow.com/ although the article has not been posted yet. It's a great story with some nice photos. Pretty cool.
I spoke with a reporter with Richmond.com last week about the club, our Learn-to-Row program and the Rocketts Regatta. Here's a link to the story: http://richmond.com/health-fitness/24280 . Hopefully, this will generate some interest in the general public for our upcoming race.
And Finally . . .
The VBC Board is working hard to make sure that the club provides the programs, activities and services that you think it should. We are a volunteer organization and rely on your feedback and involvement to keep us going. Please let us know about the things you think we are doing well and not so well. We need your input.
See you on the water.
Mark Willis
VBC President
