EcoFestival!
Baltimore Green Week starts this Saturday, April 26, with EcoFestival, a celebration of our regional environment and the city's premier green event. Fun family events, and resources that promote sustainable living, can be found at Druid Hill Park starting at 11:00am. (Druid Hill Park is near the Woodberry light rail stop, bus lines and Jones Falls Trail.) The EcoFestival will include workshops, demonstrations, vendors with sustainable products, healthy food, music and art. - http://www.baltimoregreenweek.org
What better way to feel green all day than to take mass transit?
- http://www.mtamaryland.com

Johns Hopkins Spring Fair 2008.
This weekend, the Johns Hopkins University will host its annual Spring Fair. A non-profit, student-run organization, Spring Fair is a highly anticipated event for the University and the Baltimore-DC community. This year, the Fair's 37th, the events run from Friday, April 25 through Sunday, April 27. Come and see as sights, sounds, and smells of the Fair transform the University into a fun filled atmosphere for all ages.
Head over tonight to catch Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and Reel Big Fish as they perform outside near the recreation center. The concert starts at 7:00pm -- right after the beer garden closes --- with Scott Wham opening.
- http://www.jhuspringfair.com

William & Sarah Cooper Cup. Sunday, April 27.
Wish our juniors well as they head out to the Cooper Cup this Sunday!
- http://www.southjerseyrowing.org/coopercup.htm

Friends of Baltimore Parks Day. Saturday, May 3.
Roll up your sleeves, cover yourself with sunscreen, and celebrate National Volunteer Week at Middle Branch Park on Saturday, May 3. Join over 300 volunteers as they labor to edify, beautify, and clarify three Baltimore City parks, including Middle Branch Park. (Carroll Park and Latrobe Park are the others.)
Activities will include gardening, watering, and general shore and park cleanup. Learn about the environment and best practices for green living. Support the Friends groups that are responsible for the preservation of Baltimore's parks and green space.
Middle Branch Park will be the home base for this effort. Mayor Sheila Dixon will be speaking to the volunteer corps and help kick-off the event. Registration starts at 8:00am, with cleanup work to follow at 9:00am. Lunch is at noon.
- http://volunteer.united-e-way.org/bvu-maryland/org/opp/10274373251.html
- http://www.cleanergreenerbaltimore.org

New club boats to be christened at the Baltimore High School Championships. Sunday, May 4.
No doubt you have noticed there are three new boats at BRC. Next Sunday, May 4, Honeywell and Pat Turner will be attending the Baltimore HS championship. These friends will also be hosting a party with the purpose of christening each of these boats. We hope that you can attend, soak in an excellent deck top view, replete with lunch, after which, the boats will be christened.

Donation drive and other sources of income.
Some members of the morning competitive program recently issued challenge to other BRC members to a MATCH: for each dollar donated by other Baltimore RC members, the competitive group matched, up until the first $500. At last check, this drive raised over $1,500, some of which went immediately toward helping purchase two new launches to upgrade our fleet.
If you are interested in helping with this drive, please send donations -- of any amount, $5, $10, $25, $100 ... whatever you can spare ... to Paula Merkle, c/o Baltimore RC, 3301 Waterview Ave, Baltimore, Maryland 21230.
Online donation options are being ironed out. In the meantime, we have entered into an affiliation agreement with Amazon.com to generate additional income. Here's how it works:

• First, think of things you need that you know you can find on Amazon.com. (Their inventory of both new and used items is ridiculously vast.)
  
• Once you have a list in mind, head over to www.baltimorerowing.org
  
• Find a link to Amazon.com -- one should be at the bottom of each page -- and click through.
  
• Go about making your purchases.
  
• Check out.
  

Done! The products displayed on our website are rowing-related, and merely suggestions; you need not buy any of the items for your purchase to come through as a kick-back for us. Whether it's a copy of "No Country For Old Men", or the new Jonathan Kellerman or Laura Lippman novel ... every purchase helps!

Baltimore RC home regatta dates announced!
Dates have been hammered down and announced for the summer and fall regattas hosted by this very club.

• Charm City Sprints: Saturday, June 21, 2008.
• Head of the Fort: Saturday, September 6, 2008.

Clear your schedules; racing and volunteer opportunities are everywhere!
- http://www.baltimorerowing.org/regattas/regattas.php

Concept2: 8th Annual Global Marathon Challenge.
Your friends at Concept2 would like to remind you that spring marathon season has arrived. Forget about those running shoes ... take a seat instead! Row either a full marathon (42,195 meters) or half-marathon (21,097 meters) before midnight April 30. It's a great way to finish your 2007–08 season. (Your annual meters will reset to 0 on May 1, for the 2008-09 season.)
Marathon finishers in the United States and Canada are eligible to earn a *free* Marathon Mug (http://concept2.com/us/motivation/awards/marathons/ind_marathon.asp). A downloadable certificate recognizing your completion of this challenge will also be made available to all participants.
Visit http://concept2.com/us/training/goals/training_marathon.asp for general advice on marathon preparation.
For more Concept2 news, head over to http://www.uptilt.com/c.html?rtr=on&s=mb0,yukk,2egf,16wj,d7rx,320u,linb or check out http://www.concept2.com

Niels' Novice News.
The first Novice class began April 15, got its first water day on that Saturday during near-perfect conditions, glass water, no wind, few launches. The story line for this group is that learning to row is a QUEST (sort of like Dungeons and Dragons, et al) in the sense that there are many levels to go through, and there are obstacles/demons/ogres on the way. Ogre #1, as we all know, is the Balance Demon. This ogre lives in the basin and playfully tries to tip the novice boats from side to side. Once they get past this Ogre, they get to the next level and different challenges. By the end of this week they should be comfortable rowing by fours, and practicing adding in.
The new class is very supportive of one another, has a very positive outlook, a good sense of humor, and is really eager to learn to row. Recently the coaches had to pass a Who Am I test - matching the new faces with a name; the new rowers had to pass a What Do You Know oral exam on boat nomenclature. The rowers did an excellent job; the coaches had to consult a cheat sheet.
Say"Hi" when you see them in my company or that of Mike Chin.
- Niels

This may never get old. Ever. http://www.redsuit.org

Those reading this message are likely members of the large Members email list for the club, as well as a list specific to your rowing group (juniors, novice, open, competitive, pack). Two important lists are also available to you, chock full of volunteer opportunities, rowing and fundraising knowledge, and very cool people.

First, we have the Development list, which houses those souls devoted to raising money for the club and its various needs. To add yourself to that list, head over to this URL and share your specifics:
- http://baltimorerowing.org/mailman/listinfo/development_baltimorerowing.org

Another list of intense interest and traffic is the Repairs list. When boats are cracked, withered, and broken, this list of loyal minions works hard to make sure the fleet is return to normalcy with record speed. Already know your way around belt sanders and clear coat paints? Want to learn? Join the Repairs list and bask in the shared knowledge.
- http://baltimorerowing.org/mailman/listinfo/repairs_baltimorerowing.org

Safety in and around the boathouse.
As more and more crews make their way to the boathouse for practices, regattas, and other activities, please take the time to make sure you, your valuables, and your car are safe and secure. (You especially.) Anything of value should be hidden from view, preferably before you roll into the parking lot. The area around Middle Branch Park is an up-and-coming neighborhood, but the realities of a major American city still apply, especially at night. Each locker room comes equipped with lockers (hence the name) which are available for use during practice. Combination locks are suggested, lest you drop your key(s) into the water while rowing.
Should you ever find yourself anxious or uncomfortable about a situation in or around the boathouse, or getting to or from practice, *do not hesitate* to collect a group of people (rowers of size optional, but optimal) and ask for an escort to and from your car, bus stop, or light rail stop. This is especially important now that the boathouse storage has expanded; extra cars and buses may mean your car is parked farther from the boathouse.

The growth of Middle Branch Park.
Take a moment to soak in the fenced rowing compound just outside the boathouse. A number local schools have their boats stored inside the effusive chain link walls of this structure. More boats means more bodies, in and around the boathouse, docks, and water, as well as more cars, trailers, and buses in the parking lot. Practice times are staggered to keep overlaps to a minimum, so keep an eye out for the extra boat traffic in and around the bays. As always, please be courteous and professional, and set a good example for those programs around us.

Waivers, payment, and registration.
Web-based registration is now available for all facets of life here at BRC. Before you attend a practice, please make sure your account is current for the 2008 season. Our registration has moved to RegattaCentral, and a full breakdown of programs and dues is available on our website:
- http://www.baltimorerowing.org/dues
- http://www.baltimorerowing.org/programs
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Megan Sikora, our membership chair.
- http://www.baltimorerowing.org/people

Boathouse alarm.
If have and use a boathouse key, please remember to disarm the security system inside the building, or, at the very least, check to make the system for our area -- dubbed"Warehouse" on the console -- is set to"Off" as you enter and move about. Each false alarm incurs a fine from the city.

Executive Committee

• President -- Cindy Ching
• Vice President -- Mike Chin
• Secretary -- Adrian Breeman
• Treasurer -- Paula Merkle
• Membership -- Megan Sikora
• Boathouse Manager -- Jeff Ditter
• Social -- Kathy Nickel
• Safety -- Stuart Blum
• Merchandising -- Jan Cookson
• Cox Attache -- Sunil Soprey
• Juniors Liaison -- Deb Kleiner
• Webmaster -- Adrian Breeman

Coaching Staff

• Marc Daemen (Head Coach)
• Mike Chin
• Alyson Covino
• Mike deVera
• John Kloss
• Niels Lium
• Patrick Martin
• Paula Merkle
• Veetus Pack
• Karen Pfarr
• Andrew Swiatowicz
• Megan Szymanski

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This newsletter has been brought to you by the coaching staff, executive committee, and membership base of the Baltimore Rowing Club. Additions, corrections, criticisms, and witticisms are always welcome; give http://www.baltimorerowing.org/about/newsletter.php a try.

See you on the water.