IN SYnc
Issue #49
February 28, 2025
LRC Month-in-
Review
Upcoming Events
LRC Board Meeting March 3 @ 6:30 PM Riverdance Room, LRC Boathouse |
Grosse Ile Island Sprints Sat, March 1 @ 9 AM Grosse Ile Middle School, Grosse Ile Twp, MI | |
New Membership Due for 2025-2026 April 1
|
At the Club
Upcoming Regattas
Paint Night Fundraiser Sun, April 27 @ 6:30 PM Riverdance Room, LRC Boathouse
|
A new rower has joined our para rowing program! Tammy is driven,
hardworking, and funny—and she happens to be blind. As February is
“Low Vision Awareness Month,” we asked Tammy for some tips on working
with a blind rower.
Some things to consider:
- Talk in a normal tone of voice. The first few times speaking to her say,
“Hi Tammy, I’m ……”. This will help her learn your voice and allow her to
talk to you when she hears you. - Use audible cues or words. Tammy can’t see a smile, a nod, a wave or
eye contact. - If you think she might need help, ask her. She’ll appreciate you asking
and prefer it to being ignored. - If you need to show Tammy something by touching any part of her
body, ask first, and tell her how and why you are adjusting her. - Sometimes it is helpful to put her hands on the thing you are showing
and/or use words to explain or describe something. - It’s okay to use terms like “look” or “watch”—there’s no need to adjust
common language. - Preferred descriptions are low vision, partially sighted, legally blind, or
blind. Avoid “visually impaired” as it could imply a negative. Tammy’s
preference is “blind.” - In general, don’t be afraid to ask the person how much vision they
have, how their vision is impacted, and how you can best support
them. - Ask a blind rower what assistive tech they use and how much input
they would like from the coach.
Members’ Spotlight
Tammy & Venus
by: Stacey Trottier-Mousseau
Some notes about Venus:
- Tammy’s guide dog is named Venus.
- When Venus is wearing her harness, please ignore her. She might
look like she wants to interact with you. Don’t fall for it! She’s
working. - Harness off? PLAYTIME! Pets and scratches please.
- A guide dog is a tool. Don’t hesitate to offer Tammy assistance but
please avoid distracting Venus. - If you see Tammy giving her dog correction, like a quick snap on her
leash, it is meant to quickly get her attention and does not hurt her.
You may see this if Venus is distracted or unfocused. - Please NEVER feed anything to a guide dog.
Don’t be scared to interact for fear of saying the wrong thing or making
a mistake. We are all learning as we go.
Welcoming new
additions to the
newsletter
team!
Gloria Lam
Mathew Roy
Bingo Volunteer
- Raise ~$700/shift for LRC
- Four more volunteers
needed! - Volunteers
- Need to be 18 y.o
- Flexible shifts
- Free t-shirt & name-tag
- Have a LRC buddy volunteer
during your shift - Contact Veronica F
(vlfriesen59@gmail.com)
Get more involved in LRC!
Safety Boat
Driver
- All on-water rows at LRC
need a safety boat driver - Safety boat is easy to drive
- Obtain your Pleasure Craft
Operator Card in a few short
hours- LRC will reimburse you
- Contact Pete R to get on-
water safety boat training
- Get Started
- More boat time, less sweat
Coaches
- Trained to deliver lessons/
workouts - LRC supports you in
- Obtaining your PCOC
- Receiving standardized
National Coach
Certification Program
training (NCCP) - Insurance as coach
- Every program needs a
coach!
FUNDRAISING Efforts
January
Bingo Volunteers
Thank you to All Star Gaming Centre & OLG for
supporting LRC's Para and Junior Rowing Programs!
Doug, Colleen, Brian L, Sue,
Gill Lachance, Veronica
Bingo Funds Raised for 3 Shifts:
$2,789.34
FUNDRAISING Efforts
February Recap
Annual General Meeting
February 8, 2025
Riverdance Room
The 2024 Annual General Meeting was held, bringing together members
for an afternoon of discussion and decisions for the year ahead. Full
reports and meeting minutes are always available in the LRC Shared
Drive folder for those who want to dive into the details.
Doug kicked things off with the President’s Report, celebrating our club’s
successes in 2024 while outlining challenges on the horizon. Veronica and
Nick followed with updates on fundraising efforts and the Treasurer’s
report, respectively. Pete’s membership report and a motion to reappoint
our accounting firm for a review engagement report for FY2024 were
discussed.
Then came the election of the LRC Board Members. With four positions
up for grabs, VP Gill led the process, making a final call for nominations.
One additional nomination was made from the floor, and our final slate of
six candidates each took the stage to share their passion for the club and
their vision for the future. Their speeches were heartfelt, inspiring, and
filled with enthusiasm!
With voting instructions explained, members cast their ballots (courtesy
of Nick, who provided the colorful voting slips). The votes were carefully
counted—triple-checked, in fact—by Nick and Lindie to ensure accuracy
before the results were announced.
In total, 35 ballots were cast (including 5 proxy votes), and we’re thrilled to
welcome Amy, Colleen, Gloria, and Melissa as the newest members of
the LRC Board. A huge thank you to all the nominees for stepping up and
sharing their dedication to our community.
With that, the meeting wrapped up, marking the start of another exciting
year ahead. Congratulations to our newly elected board members, and
thank you to everyone who participated.
Thank you
Outgoing Board
To our outgoing board members (Doug, Dean, and Pete),
We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for your
dedication and hard work during your time on the board.
Your insights and leadership have been invaluable, and your
contributions have significantly shaped our club.
We look forward to seeing everyone at the boathouse and
getting ready to ROW ON!
~ LRC Family
Front row, left to right: Doug, Colleen, Gill S, Samantha
Back row, left to right: Dean, Nick, Jackie, Pete
Gill Simpson
President
Melissa Greenham
Vice-President
Colleen Romance
Secretary
Nick Kienast
Treasurer
2025/2026 Board of Directors
Jackie Fong
Membership Director
Samantha Greenham
Director
Amy Jones
Director
Gloria Lam
Director
Wyandotte Tank Session
February 16, 2025
The indoor rowing season would feel incomplete
without a trek across the Canada-US border,
where once again we trained at the Wyandotte
Boat Club’s tank facility. This year, LRC was able
to offer this sweep rowing session free for our
members, and eight members took part,
coached by Gill S. It was an excellent way for our
newest members to get a sense of rowing with
water as they only joined us for the indoor
rowing season!
Crew Testimonials
"I have had plenty of opportunities to go to the tank in
Wyandottte...and never seemed to prioritize it with an
already busy schedule. I'm so glad I went this time. It was a
lot of fun! I will feel more confident now that I've had this
exposure and coaching. Can't wait until to get out on the
water in a sweep boat." - Stacey T
"During these cold, bluesy days, the rowing tank has been
a wonderful way to stay active, connected with other
members, and motivated. It's been great to see the light of
the upcoming season and get the feel for being in a boat
again. I especially loved the mirrors on the wall - they
helped me identify the areas I need to work on, making the
experience even more productive and enjoyable." - Amy
February 22, 2025
LRC joins hundreds of Canadians from
coast to coast on Saturday morning to
erg.
Close to 30 of our LRC members from
masters, paras, and juniors came to row
and enjoyed delicious and healthy food
and drinks prepared by Amy.
It was an electrifying atmosphere. We
started the day with a 5,541 meter-relay
with 4 teams and Jackie. It was so
empowering to hear everyone
encourage each other finish their last
hundred meters. Then more individuals
erg’d to up the distance. Together we
rowed a total of 45,425m!
Thank you to the planning committee:
Colleen, Amy, Ashley for organizing
such a fun and social day!
Coast to Coast -
National Indoor rowing Day
Fun Fact : Ontario had the most
participation with an impressive 226
athletes and 2,587,600 metres!
0.0s
Thanks Indoor Rowing COach
- Ashley
15 weeks go by so quickly! Thanks to Coach Ashley for
taking the role of indoor rowing coach.
Every week, she sent out three workouts and coached the
weekend sessions. A fantastic addition for this Winter
season was the inclusion of a 15-minute yoga warm-up
before the start of erging or circuit training, to develop the
strength and flexibility needed for optimal rowing
movement.
Kudos to our athletes who showed up for the morning
workouts and to those who followed the workouts from
home.
LRC’s own recognized for King
Charles III Coronation Medal
February 25, 2025
Recently at the Canadian Aviation Museum, Irek Kusmierczyk, Member of Parliament for Windsor—Tecumseh,
presented the prestigious King Charles III’s Coronation Medal to 24 outstanding community members—including
our very own Doug Diet!
This honour is awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions to communities in Canada or
achieved remarkable accomplishments abroad that bring credit to Canada. Recipients were nominated by local
partner organizations and include volunteers, environmental advocates, food bank supporters, and many more who
selflessly give back.
Congratulations, Doug, on this well-deserved recognition!
MASTERING THE STROKE
Your source for rowing tips & Challenges
Curious about
the tank
sessions?
Check out this YouTube playlist from
OxfordRowCoach.
Challenges
The challenge is to row, ski or ride for 25 days or more in
March. Daily prizes are awarded to those who complete
5k and 10k during the challenge. There is also a
leaderboard, certificates, and third party prizes you can
purchase. There are two levels of participation:
- The Basic Challenge: At least 5000 meters each day
for 25 days or more. - The Advanced Challenge: At least 10,000 meters each
day for 25 days or more.
March 15 - April 15
The second of three team challenges Concept2 offer
throughout the year, the World Erg Challenge invites
your team to row, ski or ride and complete as many
meters as possible.
For full details, including how to start or join a team, and
how meter totals are calculated, please visit the World
Erg Challenge page. We hope you'll join us!
The International Women's Day Challenge celebrates
women's achievements and raises awareness for
equality. All athletes—not just those who identify as
women—are welcome in this challenge.
Row, ski or ride exactly 5000 meters (RowErg or
SkiErg) or 10,000 meters (BikeErg) on March 8. Sign up
on your Logbook home page to show you're taking part.
All money raised will be split equally between the
Women’s Sports Foundation and Women Sport
International. These organizations aim to help grow
women's sport and give it the attention and priority it
deserves in the lives of women and girls.
March 5 - 9
The Indoor Sprints are an exciting way to show the world
your sprinting power. All you have to do to participate is
row a single piece of exactly 1000 meters on the
Concept2 RowErg (Model A–E Indoor Rowers only, no
Dynamic or Indoor Rowers on Slides) at any point
between March 5–9 and post your time to your online
logbook.