June 20, 2024
Newsletter

Hello NMRC!

Our 2024 season is off to a great start! Let’s harness the enthusiasm we all feel being back on the water to further strengthen our club! We are asking every member to commit to approaching at least two businesses during the next month to become NMRC business sponsors. Increasing our base of business sponsors could be a game changer!

For more details about NMRC’s business sponsorship program, check out our website or click here for a printable sheet of sponsorship details. NMRC Sponsorship Program. Let us know how your efforts are received by potential sponsors and how we can improve our sponsorship program.

Resources for rowers:

If you haven’t seen it yet, check out our new “Resources” tab on our web homepage. Resources There is abundant information about rowing camps and clinics, coach certification, rowing equipment, rigging guides, racing and even traveling to row. Thank you to Diane Hamilton for compiling this clearing house of rowing information!

Learn to Row Sign Ups:

Please email row@northernmichiganrowing.club to sign up and get further instructions for any of our future Learn to Row and Learn to Scull events. Schedule is below.

A great way to experience NMRC after completing a Learn to Row or Learn to Scull is with a 4 Session Trial Membership — $100. Limit of one trial per person. 100% of your trial membership can be applied to the purchase of an annual membership.

Glen Lake Update: While we work toward a long-term Glen Lake solution, a group of NMRC single shell rowers plan to hold (uncoached) meet-ups on the water every Monday and Wednesday at 7:00 am. Please come and join us if you have your own single. We may also have one spare single available. Please see iCrew for location details and sign-up information.

Thank you to those who have donated to help fund the quads!

We still need to raise money to purchase the 2nd quad.

We are asking for everyone to donate and/or ask any local businesses you support to consider sponsorships. We know asking for money is hard. This is the only way we are able to purchase equipment for our club. Memberships go toward coaches, insurance, technology, lease and repairs.

Our business sponsorships page on our website explains what we offer with multiple levels of giving. There is a printable PDF to give to interested businesses.

We also have one donation available where you can name the other quad for $5000.

Please help us fund these quads to grow our sculling program and get the boats everyone wants to row! We are utilizing Paypal Giving so we no longer lose a % of the donation to credit card fees.

 YES! I WANT TO HELP USING PAYPAL GIVING 

Lake Leelanau Rowing Schedule:

We are trying a skill-level approach to sessions this season. This is a trial and we may need to make adjustments. Please give Mindy a call at 231-714-7457 if you have any immediate questions or for non-time-sensitive questions email members@northernmichiganrowing.club.

Sessions at LL- Please be respectful of the other rowers and be on time. Our morning arrival times are 7:00am with hands-on being no later than 7:15am. It is imperative you arrive by 7:00am so you have time to get oars, assist with the launch, get boats ready, and whatever else may be needed. Several of our members have to be to work after rowing, so if you are late for that 7:00 arrival, it makes everyone else late as well. Please respect your fellow rower and be ON TIME. If you are running late, however, please text the coach directly so they know. The same applies to evening rows. We know it can be hard with work to get to LL at the scheduled arrival time. If you are running late, please text the coach or Location Coordinator to let them know so they know they don’t have an empty seat. Most importantly, not toggle in unless you are sure you can row.

Toggle in/out Policy: (Let’s see how this goes)

For Evening rows: Please do your best to toggle in prior to 24 hours of the row. Most importantly, though, please do not toggle out within that time frame. This will allow coaches the opportunity to set lineups and plan for the row.

We try really hard to fill seats so boats can go out prior to 24 hours before.

For Morning rows: Please do not toggle in or out after 5PM the night before a morning row.

If your schedule changes and you find yourself able to row in the morning, please communicate with the coach or the location coordinator and ask if there is space for you.

Remember to bring water in a plastic or a protected stainless bottle. You will need sandals that you can wear into and out of the water. Also, please bring socks to cover your feet in the boat since we share shoes. Tight-fitting clothes and layers are a must for rowing.

AM 7:00 am arrival, 7:15 am hands-on

PM 5:45 pm arrival, 6 pm hands-on (for late June and July)

Thank you for your patience navigating the boatyard at Solon. It’s been a little tricky maneuvering in and out with boats because of our recent fleet additions. We are in the process of planning for some new racks, so once those are built, things should be a lot less crowded in there. We will send an email out in iCrew when we are ready to build the racks asking for some volunteers.

Morning Lake Leelanau Sculling for Experienced Rowers:We are adding open sculling M, W, F, and Sat mornings for experienced level 3 rowers only. Please do not try to reserve a particular boat when there is a coached row. These will be independent rows without a launch boat. Please email Diane@northernmichiganrowing.club to be added to the Sculling Self-Rescue Team. You will then be given further instructions to sign the necessary paperwork, read the rules and learn how to reserve a boat. If you have any questions, please direct them to Diane.

Lake Leelanau Summer Season Schedule:

Please check iCrew for the most updated schedule, and make sure to note levels when signing up for a session.

Questions about Rowing Levels? All new members need to have completed a Learn to Row even if they participated in winter training. Level 1 Novice is one year of rowing equivalent to 20+ sessions on the water and a general ability to row or scull with moderate proficiency. Level 2 Intermediate is one or two seasons under your belt. Most rowers that have started with NMRC 2 seasons ago would fall in this category without prior rowing experience. Level 3 Experienced is a high level of proficiency and rowing experience of over 2-3 years. It really depends on the amount of rowing you have acquired versus years. If you are not sure of your level, we are working on getting these on your profile.

Pitch in and help earn NMRC some easy money!

The Pit Spitters will pay NMRC $50 per volunteer if 6 - 10 of our members sign up for In-game and Post-game volunteer activities at three different Pit Spitter home games. Sign up on iCrew for any or all of the following evenings: June 30 (4 - 9pm), July 25 (5:30 - 9:30pm) and August 5 (5:30 - 9:30pm). Build a team of friends to join you for this easy fundraising opportunity! Details listed under Events on the Club Homepage of iCrew.

Annual Membership Information Links:

For more NMRC 2024 annual membership information click here: NMRC Membership info

We have a scholarship fund to help offset the cost of membership located on our website under Hardship Application.

Mark your Calendars!

June 22, 8:00am-10:00am, Sat: Learn to Scull at Lake Leelanau (Full)

July 13, 8:00am-10:30am, Sat: Learn to Scull at Lake Leelanau

August 3, 9:00am-12:30pm, Sat: Learn to Row at Lake Leelanau

*These dates are subject to change if weather or participation levels are not adequate. Members are able to participate in Learn to Scull and Learn to Row events at no additional cost. We will also need volunteers for all events, so sign up on iCrew.

iCrew: To Toggle into Sessions: Within iCrew, you go to your attendance plans and toggle the button to the right for each row that you plan to attend. Here are a few common questions we’ve been getting regarding iCrew:

How do I get into a session? There are three ways: Session Calendar, Sessions (with the bullhorn icon), Your Attendance Plans

How do I know if there are enough rowers for a boat to go out? Location coordinators work to make sure there are enough rowers to take the boats out for each session. If there aren’t enough rowers, you will get a cancellation email through iCrew if you have signed up for a session. Sometimes that happens the night before, and sometimes we try to find a rower to fill an empty seat until the final hour.

How do I know if a row is canceled? The coaches or location coordinators will cancel the row through iCrew and the members who have signed up will get an email. This means you should always check your email before leaving for the club location. Our goal is always to row if the conditions allow, but if we do have to cancel, we will attempt to do so at a reasonable time so members have not already left their homes to drive out to the club. We understand that you are all busy, and we will do our best to respect your time.

Quick Links:

Corporate Rowing Program:

Great for team building, as a staff benefit, or as a fitness challenge for your company. Details are at this link.

Business Sponsorships:

Our business sponsorship program is outlined on our website under the Support NMRC tab or this link.

Please reach out to any businesses that you think might be interested in sponsorships!