Announcing the Annapolis Area Rowing Meet...
Learn
how one woman is organizing rowers in her area.
by Jean Tucker
Here in Annapolis, Maryland begins a grand experiment. It is a new kind of organization for people who row open water. What better place to begin than on the beautiful Chesapeake Bay. We have no club, no legal presence, no property, no boathouse, and no rule but the Golden Rule. Each new member is responsible for themselves. How does this work you ask? Simple, we meet. At meetup.com anyone may create a page on line and find like minded people who wish to self organize around an idea or sport, and that is what we have done. In less than 2 weeks an organization of 22 rowers, who own their own shells, have found each other and agreed to meet and row together. Some have decided an open water race must be held on the Bay. Others are working on a Night Row. There is a meet, we will hold in June, to welcome a brand new Rowing Center into our midst. Finally, we will have a place to keep our shells, in community without the expense, obligations, and politics of a club. The Selby Bay Sailing Center owned by David Neff is adding a Rowing Center with rack storage, carts for moving the shells, a place to dry launch, and there is a picnic area and amenities. It will be limited to open water shells only!
The meeting place for May is to be something for everyone, so that the group may come together in it's entirety and enjoy one another. We wanted non rowing friends and spouses to be comfortable and have fun so the place we picked has nature trails, bike paths, BBQ grills, an art gallery, a dog beach and dog play area for off leash fun. Most importantly it offers a variety of rowing conditions to suit everyone. There are other parks to row to from there and about 2 miles away rolling open water. Our agreement is to bring our shells and find someone who is going in the same direction. We simply meet and row. Pack food, libation and enjoy the day. Members must check park rules and abide by them.
The first meeting was for planning. The second will be the same, and we will finalize 2 more meets. They will be posted on the web site. If you would like to attend you must join and RSVP through your membership in the web page. More new members are coming to the 2nd meeting and there is room for many more. We have not yet picked a Name for ourselves. We are, at this point in time, The Annapolis Area Rowing Meet. If you are interested just go to www.meetup.com and type in Annapolis Area Rowing Meet into the search bar. The page will come up and you can watch our experiment, or just join right in, if you wish to be part of it. We are hearing from other Rowing Clubs who wish us well and Manufacturers also. We hope not to disappoint any of them.
I believe that people have an endless capacity for self organization. I put up the page and serve as a hub to assist in accomplishing member goals. I am amazed at what has come of these last 2 weeks, and then again not. We are all better than we think when we share the things we love. My name is Jean Tucker. I hope some of you can join us, and I hope some of you will start Meet Ups, as I have done. If you do, I will create an Organizers Page for us to share and assist each other.
All this came about because I was introduced to a new Echo Rowing shell and couldn't think how I ever left the sport. Rowing in the open alone, and at peace with the world, is an incredible experience. It just isn't the only one worth having. Please do join us if you can, you would be most welcome. If it's been a long time since you've had a chance to row, and you don't own a shell, you may borrow mine, if no one else is using it. I already promised several people.
Jean Tucker for the Annapolis Area Rowing Meetup
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