2016 Frostbite Regatta on New Lake
“The Proving Grounds”
Ottawa County, MI
Racing Starts at 10 AM
Sprint Racing – 1000 Meters
Five total flights
Each flight has 5 – 6 boats that start evenly.
Winner moves up and last place moves down.
Awards and BBQ Following the Regatta – Thanks Parents
Crews with the fastest time for their category win a unique Frostbite Regatta Trophy
Recollections of the First Ever Grand Valley Rowing Squad-1964
Grand Valley State College was founded in 1960 and its first freshman class of which I was a member entered in the fall of 1963. At that time, campus buildings consisted solely of Lake Michigan Hall, Seidman Student Center, a farm house (commonly referred to as the Field House) and a barn. The freshman class of 1963 became known as the Pioneer Class for a rather obvious reason. In that first year, we were all obligated to take what was called a Foundation Studies Program designed to set us on the path to a foundation in the liberal arts. There was a physical education component to this program and in 1964, a PE course in rowing was offered under the direction of then Professor Charles Irwin. Mike Keeler of Keeler Brass donated a couple of wooden shells to initiate the program and they were stored on campus in the barn. In the spring of that year, the course was first offered and several of us who no doubt had no clue as to what rowing was all about signed up for the course, establishing the Pioneer rowing crew.
Our first experience was to load the eight man shell onto a former farm truck that belonged to the college and transport it to Barrett’s Marina at Spring Lake. We crew members actually rode on the back of the truck, partially supporting the shell from the Allendale campus to Spring Lake. Upon arriving at Spring Lake, we off loaded the shell, elevated it above our heads and marched onto a floating dock. Surprise! When we were all on the dock with the shell overhead, the dock began to sink beneath us. As we sunk lower and lower into the water, I remember Professor Irwin yelling, “You might want to put the shell in the water!” I think we were so shocked by the dock sinking beneath us that putting the shell in the water didn’t seem all that obvious. The good news is that we survived the baptism and were able to ease into the shell without flipping it. What followed was our first lesson in the dynamics of rowing together in sync. Needless to say, there were a lot of starts, stops and oar crabbing but fortunately no flipping, as the Spring Lake water was still very chilly and we were already wet from our dunking at the dock.
Being part of that first crew was a tremendous and positive learning experience. The highlight that I will never forget was the first time that we actually got into a rhythm and our boat started to fly. That was the “Aha” moment when I know we all finally understood what true rowing was all about.
Rowing was the first ever sport at Grand Valley and I was blessed to be able to spend time with the current men’s and women’s rowing teams while they were recently in Sarasota, Florida for spring training. What a great and highly motivated group of young men and women. I am especially proud of the fact that the legacy and tradition of Grand Valley rowing established with our first crew in 1964 lives on.
GO LAKERS!
Bob Monaghan ’67; Pioneer Class; Grand Valley State University
History of Grand Valley Rowing
Then…
In 1964, rowing was offered as a Physical Education course at Grand Valley for the first time. Rowing sparked so much interest and enthusiasm that two years later the Athletic Director, Charles Irwin, began holding team practices on Spring Lake. In 1967, the first varsity team was formed and crews began to race among other colleges.
In the early years, the team stored their equipment at the American Legion Post, just north of the North Park Street Bridge on the East Bank. The Grand River boathouse that currently holds the team’s fleet was established in 1972. The boathouse is now only a short jog from the main Allendale campus.
The team saw some changes in 1979 when the men and women’s rowing team switched from varsity to club status. However, the program was maintained by passionate, recently graduated varsity athletes that wished to see the GVSU Rowing tradition continue.
And Now...
Fifty-one years later, the rowing tradition carries on. While the team still maintains club status, they race and compete against scholarship athletes. The GVSU Crew has won the Men’s and Women’s Overall Team Points title six years in a row at ACRA, the national club championship. In 2009 and 2013, the Women’s Varsity Eight raced in the DI event at Dad Vails and returned to Michigan with gold. At the 2010 Head of the Charles, the women won and the men placed third in the collegiate eight event; both the men and women’s eights made it to Grand Finals at the 2010 San Diego Crew Classic. The women raced for the
Jessop-Whittier Cup against crews such as Virginia and Radcliffe (upsetting Radcliffe in the heats). The men raced in the American Health Specialty - Varsity Cal Cup and placed second. In 2014 and 2015 the men won in San Diego. 2015 saw one of the fastest years in the history of the team with the men placing 2nd at ACRA producing a team best of 5:45 on flat water.
The Watcher’s Guide
The Boats:
The 60-foot-long, eight-oared shells are made of carbon fiber, reinforced plastic in a honeycombed structure and weigh about 200 pounds. All sculls are shells, but not vice versa. The normal configuration of a sweep boat has oars alternating between right and left, or starboard and port sides of the boat. Sweep rowers come in pairs (2), fours (4) and eights (8). They may have a coxswain, in which case they’re called a pair with coxswain (2+), or a four with coxswain (4+). The coxswain is the on-the-water coach and strategist who also steers the boat. Pairs and fours also come without coxswains (2- and 4-). The eight always has a coxswain (8+).
Oars:
The Frostbite Regatta will have both eight, four and pair-oared sweep events.
Oars propel the boat through the water and act as balancing poles. Sweep oars – 12’ to 13’ long – are approximately two feet longer than sculling oars. The standard blade shape since the 90’s is a hatchet. Actually, that shape was also tried in the 1890’s.
The Stroke:
The whole body is involved in moving the shell through the water. Although rowing looks like an upper-body sport, strong legs are really important. There are four parts of the rowing stroke: Catch, Drive, Release, Recovery and they all flow together in a smooth, continuous, powerful movement.
Don’t be Fooled:
The motion is so fluid, so smooth, and so seemingly effortless that the agony on the athlete’s faces near the end seems out of place. The last 500 meters of the race are excruciating. The energy is gone, the muscles are burning, and the body is well into oxygen debt. But the mental discipline remains, and the athletes push on, straining to synchronize each motion and mentally counting the strokes to the finish. Rowers also bear the pressure of knowing that each stroke they take affects their team-mates, a weak link dooms the crew’s efforts.
The Strategy
Continuous Motion: Rowing should be a continuous, fluid motion. All muscle groups overlap in logical sequential harmony.
Synchronization: Rowers strive for the perfect synchronization.
Clean Catches of the Oar Blade: A lot of splash means the oars aren’t entering the water correctly. The catch should occur at the very end of the recovery when the hands are as far ahead of the rower as possible.
Oar Blade Coordination: As the blades are brought out of the water, they should move horizontally at the same height, just above the water.
Consistent Speed: Shells move slowest at the catch (when the blade enters the water), quickest at the release (just after the blade releases the water). A good crew times the catch at the right moment to maintain the speed of the shell.
Strokes Per Minute: Stroke rates vary from boat to boat, depending on the number of rowers, age, and size of the athletes. At the start, the stroke rate will be higher, 36-44 strokes per minute for an eight. The rate will settle down at the middle of a race to 30-36 for an eight. Finishing stroke rates can go into the high 40’s for Olympic rowers.
“The hallmark of a good oarsman is a smooth and relaxed recovery”~ Fairbairn
“The Warm-Up is as Technical as it is Physical”.
Focus/Stroke / Technical Focus / Quote/Key WordsPosture/Timing (Swing Pick)
2’s or 6’s on the square / Body Swing/ Shoulders swing until blade leaves the water: must be kept at 2:1 ratio +. / “Race track oval” “Shoulders swing til the blade leaves the water”
Timing (Quarter slide square) / Body Preparation/ Body Angles / “elbows over the knees before you start the slide.”
Control (Full slide square) 6s/pairs / Length and suspending the body weight / “long and strong” “Poise w/ Length on slide”
Balance (Full slide feather). ALL / Balance in the air evenly on the sill of the oar lock- level hands / “Strike from the balance/Strike to the balance”. ”1 inch to 1”
Touch (Rhythm and Ratio). / Working on boat feel / “Smooth relaxed recovery is the hallmark of a good oarsman”
Fartlek Work / 10-20 stroke rev ups at different rates and ratios and build strokes. Breathe to Relax. Relax to go fast. / Boat Speed and Relaxation at various intensities and stroke rates up to Race Pace.
Grand Valley State University Rowing Club challenges its student-athletes to reach the highest level to which they aspire both academically and athletically, while continuing to build and sustain a nationally competitive intercollegiate rowing program.