Public can contribute to the rebuilding of the Vancouver Lake Rowing Club
by visiting http://www.USRowing.org
SEATTLE, Jan. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Local rowers led by Seattle Parks and
Recreation's Green Lake Crew, Everett's Pocock Racing Shells and Fred Meyer
Stores have stepped-up with donations of rowing shells, oars, equipment and
cash to help the Vancouver Lake Rowing Club get back on the water after a
rare tornado reduced their 50 rowing shells to splinters on Thursday.
The Green Lake program and Pocock Racing Shells initiated the relief
effort by working together to deliver a four-oared rowing shell, set of 10
racing oars and two "cox box" speakers systems used by the coxswain to
communicate with rowers.
Tornados are a rarity in western Washington State. Thursday's twister
packed winds of up to 110 mph as it tore through Clark County near
Portland, Ore. downing power lines, uprooting trees, flinging shopping
carts into parked cars and demolishing the local club which is home to
about 90 rowers. There were no reported injuries.
"When we first heard about this on Thursday, the negative impact on our
club after the Nisqually earthquake was all too clear," said Tim Amen, a
volunteer Advisory Council member for the 60-year-old Green Lake program --
Seattle's oldest and largest high school rowing program.
In 2001, the Northwest rowing community, which is estimated at nearly
5,277 rowers, helped the Green Lake program through a similar tragedy when
its boathouse was rendered a total loss after the Nisqually earthquake
rumbled through western Washington.
"We know what kind of an impact a natural tragedy can have on a youth
sports program and most importantly the lives of the kids," said Amen. "By
Friday morning our Parks Department staff had reached out to Pocock Racing
Shells and put together a plan to help get equipment to them. I had no idea
that the response would be this strong."
"Youth sports programs are fragile, if we allow them to go away, the
kids lose something that is important to their growth and education," said
Bill Tytus, President of Pocock Racing Shells, which throughout its nearly
100-year history, has helped start and restore many of the Northwest's 60
high school, college and club rowing programs. "George Pocock, who founded
our business once said we are 'building boats to help build men'," he said.
"Without boats the Vancouver Rowing Club wouldn't just be hamstrung it
would be wiped out."
On Saturday, some 100 volunteers from Seattle made the 164-mile drive
south to Vancouver to help with the clean-up process and the first of over
30 rowing shells including nine 60-foot eight-oared shells valued as high
as $30,000 apiece began to arrive at the club. The effort helped the club's
high school rowers take their first strokes by the end of the day.
In total, over 13 rowing clubs from Seattle, Everett, Tacoma and
Redmond, along with clubs in Oregon, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and British
Columbia have pledged 30 rowing shells, four sets of oars, ten rowing
ergometers, a coaching launch and trailer, new uniforms and equipment to
help rebuild the devastated club.
"This happened right in our backyard, it's our community," said Melinda
Merrill of Fred Meyer Stores. "When our president Michael Ellis heard what
happened, he called us immediately and asked us to help." Fred Meyer Stores
responded with a $5,000 cash contribution to help rebuild the public club
of 90 high school and masters rowers and donated food for Saturday's
clean-up effort.
Among the Washington state rowing groups that are helping the Vancouver
Lake Crew are Mt. Baker Rowing and Sailing Center and the Lake Union Crew
in Seattle, Sammamish Rowing Association in Redmond, Annie Wright Academy
in Tacoma and the Everett Rowing Association.
Oregon assistance has come from Portland Vancouver Rowing Association,
Station L Rowing Club, Rose City Rowing and Oregon Rowing Unlimited in
Portland along with rowers from Hood River Rowing and Newport, Oregon. To
view damage to the Vancouver Lake Rowing Club caused by the Vancouver
Tornado please visit http://www.VancouverLakeCrew.com
The public can donate to the effort to rebuild the non-profit Vancouver
Lake program through the Vancouver Lake Crew Tornado Relief Fund set up by
USRowing, the U.S. national governing body for the sport of rowing at
http://www.USRowing.org.
An account has been set up at Bank of Clark County
(http://www.bankofclarkcounty.com) in the name of Vancouver Lake Crew.
Donations can be sent to Bank of Clark County c/o Vancouver Lake Crew, 1400
Washington St, Suite 200, Vancouver, WA 98660.
About the Northwest Rowing Council
The Northwest Rowing Council (http://www.RowNW.com) consists of all
USRowing (the National Governing Body for the Sport of Rowing in the United
States) institutional members in the states of Alaska, Idaho, Washington,
Oregon and Wyoming. With a mission to develop participation and
opportunities in the sport of rowing within the Northwest region,
leadership in the Northwest Rowing Council represents leaders from the
Junior (high school), Open (elite), Collegiate, Masters (age 27 and older)
and at-large segments of the sport of rowing.
SOURCE Northwest Rowing Council
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.RowNW.com
http://www.VancouverLakeCrew.com http://www.USRowing.org
http://www.bankofclarkcounty.com
CONTACT:
Mike McQuaid of McQuaid & Co. Strategic
Communications, +1-206-262-7301, mike@mcquaidcompany.com, for
Northwest Rowing Council
|
