A boat dedication was held on Saturday November 28th. The emotional dedication was to name a boat for Brad Rogers, a dedicated rowing parent who is fighting a battle with ALS. There were more than 60 guests in attendance. Five girls from the 2005 and 2006 MRC Head of the Charles team were there as an honor guard for the boat (Meredith Walter, Ellie Peterson, Mikeala Rogers, Emily Vaughan, and Victoria Hammett). TCYR members along with friends and family of Brad attended. Also in attendance were Wendy Davis, head rowing coach at the University of Minnesota and Jill Cooper, commodore of Minneapolis Rowing Club.
Speakmon Regatta- Columbus OH, 10/24/09
A group of varsity rowers from TCYR competed in the Speakmon Regatta in Columbus Ohio on Saturday October 24th. This annual regatta is one of the top five single-day head style rowing races in the U.S. It was exciting for TCYR to attend this exceptional event.
Head of the Rock- Rockford IL, 10/11/09
What an event this was. More than 1700 athletes from 15 states rowed with 550 boats at Head of the Rock. It was great for TCYR to compete at such a large regatta. The Women’s Open Novice 4 placed second.
Head of the Mississippi- Minneapolis MN, 10/4/09
This regatta was held on the beautiful Mississippi River on a crisp fall day. The race was six miles, upriver all the way. TCRY was awarded first place for Women’s Jr 8; second place for Men’s Jr 8, Men’s Jr 4 and Men’s Novice 8; third place for Women’s Jr 8.
Head of the Des Moines Regatta- Des Moines, IA, 9/26/09
It was fun to see TCYR row on the Des Moines River. There were thirty-one teams from nine states. TCRY received first place for Men’s Jr. 8; second place for Men’s Jr. 4, Women’s Novice 4, Women’s Jr. 4 and Women’s Jr. 8; third place for Men’s Jr. 4, Women’s Novice 4 and Mixed Jr. 8
Boat Dedication, Bryant Lake- Eden Prairie, MN, 8/20/09
On an otherwise stormy evening, a break in the clouds provided a dramatic setting for the dedication of the “Kathleen Speedqueen.” Many thanks to Deneen Vojta for procuring the boat donation by Denny Kleven, in memory of his wife, Kathy who passed away in 2008. A large group of TCYR members attended as well as friends and family members of the Kleven family. At the end of the dedication, members of the varsity boys’ team put the “Kathleen Speedqueen” in the water. As they rowed past the assembled crowd, the sun came out to complete this special event.
The annual TCYR picnic was held at Lake Harriet Pavilion on the evening of August 12th. We had an excellent turnout of 150 people which included novice rowers, varsity rowers, parents, siblings and friends. The highlights of the night were the awards given to rowers, the senior recognition and a video show of the season. In addition, those families who made donations sufficient to purchase a boat seat or oars were acknowledged. The following boat seats were named: Jessie Lovell (Class of 2009), Jake Verdoorn, Annabel Cater, the McElrath Family and the Dien Family. Also, the Gavin Family was acknowledged for their oar donation.
NWIRA Championship Regatta- Lake Elmo, MN, 8/21-8/22/09
It was a beautiful week-end to be on the water at this two day regatta. Thirteen rowing groups were represented at this event. TCYR placed first in Men’s Jr. 4; second in Men’s Jr. 8 and Men’s Dash 8; third in Men’s Jr. 8 and Women’s Jr. 4.
TCYR athletes competed internationally on July 25th in Kenora Ontario, Canada. It was a great scenic bus ride across the border. The regatta was held on Rabbit Lake which was situated in the parkland of Kenora. There were rowers participating from seven different clubs.
Adult Learn to Row Fundraiser, Bryant Lake- Eden Prairie, MN, 7/18/09
What do you get when you take fifteen adults who don’t know how to row and put them in a boat for a couple hours? An extremely exciting afternoon! TCYR hosted an adult learn to row event as a fundraiser on Saturday July 18th at Bryant Lake, a Three Rivers Park. There was a lot of learning and a lot of laughing. The coaches and varsity rowers had their hands full teaching these very novice rowers. The adults really had a new respect for how hard rowers work. The finale of the day was an amazing dinner prepared at the Hammetts’ home. Thanks to the Hammetts for hosting!
Chicago Sprints Regatta- Chicago, IL, 7/11-7/12/09
The Chicago Sprints Regatta held on the Lincoln Park Lagoon site is one of the largest sprint regattas in the mid-west. More than 500 athletes participated from twenty seven clubs. It was a very competitive regatta. TCYR was awarded first place in Men’s Novice 4, second place in Men’s Novice 4, Men’s Novice 8 and Men’s Jr 4.; third place in Men’s Junior 8.
Boat Dedication Bryant Lake- Eden Prairie, MN, 7/18/09
New Boats! TCYR was lucky to dedicate four boats on Saturday July 18th. A ceremony was held on the shores of Bryant Lake, a Three Rivers Park. The boats dedicated were “Crews Control”, “Susan Vojta”, “Three Rivers” and “John and Carri Hammett.” Novice rowers, varsity rowers, family and friends attended the ceremony. Also attending were representatives from Three Rivers Park District: Rosemary Franzese, Commissioner; Tom McDowell, Assistant Superintendant and Sonja Bercich, Bryant Lake park manager.
TCYR varsity rowers participated in this event on Lake Nokomis, one of the beautiful city lakes in Minneapolis. Seven clubs from five states rowed in this event. TCYR placed first in Women’s Jr. 4; second in Men’s Jr. 4, Men’s Jr. 8, Women’s Jr. 4 and Women’s Jr. 8; third in Men’s Open 4 and Men’s Jr. 8. Seven clubs from five states rowed in this event.
TCYR Annual Garage Sale- Minneapolis MN, 5/16/09
The annual TCYR garage sale fundraiser was held on Saturday May 16th. Rowers arrived at dawn to help set up and worked the sale throughout the day. There were some great buys and lots of traffic! The bake sale had plenty of homemade treats which everyone enjoyed. A big thank you to the Walters for hosting this successful event. All the hard work paid off because we raised money for new equipment!
Ready To Launch- Minneapolis MN, 5/01/09
The first annual “Ready to Launch” fundraising dinner was held on Friday May 1st. What a night it was! A silent auction, dinner, entertainment and a slide show were the highlights of the evening. The tables were decorated with glass bowls filled with water, blue stones and live orange goldfish. The goldfish went home with people after the event! Over one hundred people attended and everyone was happy to catch up after the long winter. We not only raised money for TCYR, but also had a great time!
TCYR 2008 News
Eden Prairie Sun Article, Eden Prairie MN, 5/30/08
“Bryant Lake is home of new high school rowing program”