Everyone at the Beekley Rowing Foundation wants to wish you a Happy New Year! The rowers on the team have been out on the water for the last month and they have been working hard every day.
This month, we have quite a bit to report. Please let us know if you have any questions about the team, or any topics we should cover, let us know! (Expect a formal agenda sent out next month)
* Team Update
* Team Schedule
* Boat Dedications
* Foundation News
* Old Trophies
* Crew Classic
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Team Update
The SDSU Crew team has steadily been growing in size the last few years. Last year, the team finished the season with one Varsity 8, a Varsity 4 & a Novice 8. Now that school has started at SDSU, we’re pleased to see that there are 2 full varsity 8s, and three novice 8s rowing every day at practice. Many of these rowers are lightweights, so expect to see the rebirth of our successful lightweight program!
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Team Schedule
The schedule isn’t 100% set yet for the season, however we know that SDSU has entered into the following races. We will keep you up to date with the changes
* The Gruenberg Cup: February 23, 2013 – SDSU will take on Long Beach State & USC in the first edition of the Gruenberg Cup. (Yes, this event is named after former SDSU rower Josh Gruenberg)
* Desert Sprints: March 9, 2013 – SDSU travels to Tempe, Arizona to take on ASU
* Parker Cup: March 16, 2013 – SDSU faces traditional rivals LMU & UCI for the Parker Cup in Misson Bay
* The San Diego Crew Classic: April 6 & 7 – SDSU will enter a varsity 8, two novice 8s and lightweight 8 against schools from across the nation.
* WIRA: April 28, 2013 – SDSU travels to Sacramento to race the majority of the crews on the west coast
* ACRA Championship: May 26, 2013 – SDSU hopes to qualify for the ACRA championships in Georgia once again. (This race is now considered the club sports teams’ National Championship)
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Boat Dedications
This year, at the H. Del Beekley Rowing Foundation meeting, we will be dedicating 3 new shells that have been donated to the SDSU Crew Team!
* The Eric Barge
This brand new Resolute Eight was purchased by Josh Gruenberg and is being named after former rower Eric Barge. Eric rowed during the mid-1980s for SDSU, and has been a supporter of the team ever since. When he is not seen watching the Aztecs on the water, he can often be seen at SDSU football games. The varsity guys will be the first team to ever row in this shell, and it is the most state of the art shell available.
* TBD
Scott Petry used his connections to the Cal rowing program to purchase two lightly used Vespoli 8s. These two new shells are significantly faster than anything the team currently rows in, and was manufactured with the latest technologies. It is my understanding that the names are being kept secret until their unveiling over Crew Classic weekend
* The Emilia William
A few years ago, the SDSU Crew Team had amassed a $5,000 debt on a boat they had purchased. When the team was unable to pay off that final payment, Chris Carlson stepped up and helped the team pay off that shell. The boat had not been named, and the team has affectionally referred to it with a variety of names, including “The Black Boat” and “No Name”. The team is happy to announce that this shell will be formally named “The Emilia William”, which is named after his two kids! We will not be doing an official christening, as this shell is 10 years old, however, we wanted to recognize Chris and his family here.
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Foundation News
* Earlier this year, we ran a fundraising campaign to raise money to help update the team’s equipment. Thanks to everyone who donated, as rowers from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s all kicked in to help. The team now has 3 new 8 man shells, several new sets of oars, 5 new “cox-boxes” (speakers to allow the coxswain to be heard by all 8 rowers in the boat) and we were able to fix a bunch of broken (or nearly broken) components on our boats.
* The foundation also raised enough money to purchase two more “4” man shells from Cal. There are some logistic hurdles (within the Cal program) to get these shells purchased, but we look forward to making an announcement on when these shells will arrive soon!
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Old Trophies
Since the foundation has started, we’ve been working with the team to make sure that the traditions established by the team continue forward in time. There are several old trophies that haven’t been seen around the program in many years. If you have one of these old trophies, please let us know (info@beekleyrowing.org) so that we can arrange for it to be returned to the team.
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Crew Classic 2013
This year, the San Diego Crew classic takes place on the weekend of April 6 & 7. This is one of the most exciting events on the rowing calendar.
H. Del Beekley Rowing Foundation Annual Meeting
* The H. Del Beekley Foundation Annual Meeting is taking place in the evening of April 6. We are still looking for a place to hold the meeting. At this annual meeting, we will discuss the state of the foundation, the state of the team, we set goals for the upcoming year, and the meeting culminates with the election of the next set of officers. If you have anything specific you would like to see
addressed at the meeting, send an email to info@beekleyrowing.org.
Alumni Boat(s)
* Once again, the H. Del Beekley Rowing Foundation will be sponsoring at least one alumni boat. We currently have an entry in the Alumni category, which pits alumni from different crew teams against one another. Also, if enough people are interested, we could enter another boat into a “Masters” category. Rowing in the event costs $100/person, which includes your H. Del Beekley dues, enterance to crew classic and food at the Crew Classic. (Those who have donated at the Coach’s Club level ($730/year) who wish to row are able to row for free)
* For those who are not willing to put in the training for a 2000 meter race, but would be interested in getting back into a shell, we are exploring the possibility of an alumni row, where a group of rowers will head out for a non-competitive row one morning or evening. Let us know if you are interested in participating in this event. (info@beekleyrowing.org)
Alumni Tent
* The past 7 or 8 years the SDSU Alumni tent has fed hundreds of hungry rowers, alumni and family members. This year will be no different as we will be cooking up Carne & Pollo Asada burritos for your enjoyment. Dan Smith and Andy Olson will be there volunteering to cook, but with the team size having grown from year to year, we may need some more volunteers to help us cook/cut/serve. If you’d be interested in helping us out, let us know by sending an email to info@beekleyrowing.org
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