110 Kirkhof Center
1 Campus Drive
Allendale, MI 49401
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Hello alumni, friends, and generous supporters!Here’s an update covering the past month of Grand Valley Rowing.
The Laker Navy concluded its Fall season at the “Proving Grounds” downstream from our boathouse for the annual GV Frostbite Regatta. The morning featured all the GV crews going head-to-head for six 1K races. Through the crisp November air, family and friends could watch us do what we do best. After some successful and competitive racing, we reconvened on land for a wonderfully delicious lunch provided by our awesome parents. We are so appreciative to our families for all our support at every rowing event. GV Crew parents are the best parents! Check out this article in the Grand Valley Lanthorn about the Frostbite Regatta:
You may have already gotten your own copy in your mailbox, but we are excited to say that Grand Valley Rowing Club has made a big appearance in the latest edition of Grand Valley Magazine! We are featured in a four-page spread, entitled “Laker Navy: On Course with Elite Rowing Teams.” This publication goes out to lots and lots of students, parents and alumni, and this is a great way to show them how highly regarded our program is in the rowing community. If you haven’t already, check out the article by following this link!
And now, the Grand Valley Rowing Alumni Association would like to invite you to the 3rd Annual Grand Valley Rowing Alumni Winter Gathering! On Saturday, December 17, 2016 at 7:00pm, the event will be held at Peppino’s Pizza at 130 Ionia Ave SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503. You can register for the event by clicking below!
Exciting things are happening regarding our equipment! Our trusty boat trailer is headed to another “valley,” the Wabash Valley Crew in Terre Haute, IN to be exact. Thanks to a grant from Student Life Sports, we were able to sell the trailer that we’ve had in Allendale since the 90s, and upgrade to a state-of-the-art side-loader from MO Trailers in Goshen, IN (yes, this means no more threading!). We are sad to see our old one go, as it has traveled with us across North America to all our regattas, but we look forward to what’s ahead (and what will trail behind the team truck!).
If you follow college football, you may have heard about successes of Western Michigan University lately. They just completed an undefeated 13-0 season and are headed to the Cotton Bowl to face the University of Wisconsin (which is kind of a big deal!). But what does this have to do with us? Well, the team’s mantra might clue you in. “Row the Boat” has proved to be very inspiring to the Broncos, motivating them to work cohesively and take the season “one stroke at a time.”Check out this article on Row2k, which looks at this from a rower’s perspective:
Well, folks, it’s December, which means the Laker Navy has taken out the docks and closed the boathouse for the winter. We have made the transition to the RTC, our training center across from campus, where we continue to train all throughout the winter months when it’s just a little too cold (and frozen) to get on the water. The team has also begun our weights program, and we look forward to getting stronger and building our endurance throughout these winter months.
As I’m sure everyone reading this knows, winter season is physically and mentally very challenging, but good news! We will be heading to sunny, warm Clermont, FL over Winter Break to get off the erg, train on the water, improve our technique, and maybe even get a little tan! We have a few people to thank for helping make this trip possible. Thank you to Bob Monaghan and John Reichner for supporting our program and helping offset costs and purchase food for the team! I also want to send a shout-out to everyone who participated in our telethon this past Sunday; we appreciate every dollar that goes into this program, and I am a firm believer that we have the best alumni base of any sport at Grand Valley!
Stay tuned for updates regarding the Winter Training trip, including daily blogs outlining our experiences!
“Let those who quit striving for excellence, move over for those who will not.”
And, as always here is the link you can use in order to donate to the Grand Valley Rowing team:
This will take you to a GVSU page, where there are several options. To donate to the GVSU Rowing Team:
- Write the amount that you would like to donate under “Gift Amount”
- Fill out the gift information below, and click Continue
- Fill out the Billing Information and click Continue
- Checkout with payment information
Your gift will be donated into the general team fund, called the “Crew Fund.” This money goes towards food for the athletes on team trips, equipment like oars and cox boxes, and reduces the costs of travel to all of the high profile events we attend. These donations help our team greatly and in many ways. The Paul Springer Scholarship Endowment is also available to donate to. It is a fund created to build a monetary base in order to award a scholarship that will be given out in a few years. If you would like to donate to this fund, click the link, then under “Search Funds” search for “Paul Springer.” Then click “Add” and you can write the amount you would like to donate.
You can also donate to the GVSU Rowing team by mailing in a check. Please see the form at the end of this letter if you would like to do so. And, whether you are able to donate at this time or not, we ask you to fill out some information about yourself on this form and send it in to us. By doing this, we are able to update the history of the program and get to know the generous alumni and friends who support us. You can include news updates on yourself or those you rowed with in your time at GVSU, and I will then share these updates in future email messages. To send your check and information to the team, you can send it to the following address:
John Bancheri
1 Campus Drive
1110 Kirkhof Center
Allendale, MI 49401
You can make a tax deductible gift to the rowing team, and your generosity will not go unnoticed. Anyamount is welcome at any time. We do not take these donations for granted, and we will highlight those who donate, no matter how large or small the amount. If your gift is larger than $500, we will give you a gift of a genuine, previously used (maybe even by you!), GVSU oar as a gift and token of our appreciation.
A heartfelt thank you goes out to all the individuals who have already donated and helped continue to work towards our goals! We truly appreciate your generosity and consideration. We could not have gotten this far without your kindness and generosity, and can only go on with your continued support. If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you very much!
Lastly, don’t forget to follow us on our social media front! You can find frequent updates, tons of pictures, and even GoPro videos of practice!
Twitter: “Grand Valley Rowing”
Instagram: “Grand Valley Rowing Club”
Facebook: “Grand Valley Rowing Club”
YouTube: “Grand Valley Rowing”
Check out this team cheer with our alumni:
Sincerely,
Faith Platz ‘18
2015-2016 Alumni Relations Coordinator
B.S. Statistics/Economics
Grand Valley State University Rowing Club
“Grand Valley State University Rowing Club challenges its student-athletes to reach the highest level to which they aspire both academically and athletically, while continuing to build and sustain a nationally competitive intercollegiate rowing program.”
Please print out this form and fill it out, whether you are able to donate at this time or not. We would love to hear from you and get to know our supporters. I can then share this news and information in future email updates.
Your name ______
Year of graduation ______
Number of years rowed ______
Boats you have been in ______
□ I would like to donate $______to the GVSU Rowing “Crew Fund.” (and my check is included
in this letter)
□ I cannot donate at this time, but keep me in mind in the future.
Recent news, updates, information, or interesting points about yourself or those I rowed with in my time at GVSU.
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