On April 9, the club was very fortunate to receive the delivery of two
Hudson singles, the gifts of a generous donation by member Phil Dowd.
These singles include a 2006 Hudson Midweight (160 pounds) and 2008
Hudson Lightweight (130 pounds). The boats will be named the Ala
Piotrowski and the Phil Dowd. We greatly thank Phil for his wonderful
donation and help with greatly upgrading our fleet of singles.
But wait, our members generosity doesn't stop there. After many years as a member, Josef Wantschik is donating his Hudson Elite single to the club. Thanks to Josef as well!
Friday, May 2, 2008
Boat donations - thanks to Phil Dowd & Josef Wantschik
2008 Chicago Sprints - sponsorship program
At its April meeting, the LPBC board approved corporate sponsorship for the 28th Annual Chicago Sprints Regatta to offset the expenses of hosting the regatta. The Chicago Sprints Regatta is LPBC's largest fundraiser. It is the largest sprint-season regatta in the Midwest, and among the top 5 largest non-collegiate sprint regattas in the nation. In 2007 the Lincoln Park Boat Club's Chicago Sprints Regatta was host to more than 500 athletes, fielding 243 entries from 25 clubs throughout 8 states.
Because of the past success of the Chicago Sprints Regatta, we needed to upgrade our permit with the Chicago Park District. This added to the cost of hosting the regatta, but also allowed us the benefit of gaining sponsors and inviting vendors for our event.
The 2008 sponsorship program consists of three levels of sponsorship at: $350, $850 and $1500, each with different levels of exposure. We have also created a website at www.ChicagoSprints.com and have begun contacting companies. We hope this will increase not only the revenue of the regatta, but also the reputation and reach of LPBC.
If you are aware of any companies or individuals who may be interested in sponsoring the regatta, especially at the $350 level, please contact Todd Gocken, the Sprints Sponsorship Director at Vice-commodore@lpbc.net
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Getting Ready for a New Season
Those who have participated in the spring clean-up at the lagoon kn
ow that it’s practically one of the laws of nature that the day we schedule for this job will be raining or snowing. And a frigid wind could be counted on to blow in off the lake to chill everyone involved. But the curse was lifted this past weekend.
For perhaps the first time in recent memory we had PERFECT weather for our dock install and spring clean-up day. We were treated to a gorgeous, sunny, mild, day and boy was it a welcome change. Perhaps the weather was a factor in the number of volunteers who pitched in to help becau
se we had a bounty of able bodies who seemed happy to toil away in the sun.
Thanks to this capable group, we were able to get the dock put in without a hitch. The leaves and debris that had gathered in the off-season were swept out of the boat bays and the gear near the doors was organized. All the leaves and dead plan material were raked out from around the apron making a nice tidy bed for the spring flowers that we hope to see very soon. The erg room was spru
ced up and we even were able to get a crew up on the roof to sweep away the fallen tree limbs, branches and leaf litter so we could make some temporary patches on the roof.
All in all it was a spectacular showing.
Nice going everyone. Now let’s bring on more of that spring weather and get the season under way.
Thanks to the following folks who volunteered:
Rob (Our intrepid House Director) • Carlo • Margaret • Anne • Helga • Peter • Dean • Mike • Terry •
Sunday, March 2, 2008
In Memory of our friend and coach Yuriy
We are all saddened by the loss of Yuriy. Getting together at Galway Arms to share stories about how Yuriy touched our lives was uplifting and seemed a fitting tribute to a man who has had such a powerful influence on so many.
Sharing these stories of Yuriy helped us all laugh a little and put a smile on everyone’s face for a little while. For those who might not have been able to make it to the memorial and as a way to keep these stories and share them forever we’ve created this place on the LPBC blog.
Everyone is encouraged to contribute a story. Just click the comments link at the bottom of this posting to add your thoughts.
The following where supplied to me by Nell and Lev respectively.
“I have proposition for you.” This was a familiar statement heard by all of Yuriy’s students over the years. He always had a plan of some sort, even if was just the workout of the day.
One of the most curious things about Yuriy Kuperman was his ability to draw in every athlete he trained so that each individual followed his direction without a great deal of questioning. You just did as you were told.
Early on in my years of training with Yuriy, he said, “I have proposition for you….you row two, maybe three years with me, you lightweight.” I nodded my head earnestly, but inside I was thinking “Is he crazy? I haven’t been lightweight in several years and I’m not even close!” But from that moment on, I trained, ate and lived in a world devoted to some day becoming lightweight. Earlier this month, I raced as a lightweight. Granted, I have a few pounds of cushion because it’s the winter, so the weight cut off is less severe, but it still counts, right?
From time to time in the summer training months, I would show up at the boathouse in the morning and Yuriy would be attaching a rope to the front of my boat. On the other end of the rope was a tin (aluminium) can, or sometimes just an old water bottle with a small metal weight inside. “Today, you fish” Yuriy would announce to me with a cunning smile. He would send me out with the rope and “ghetto can” attached at the end and I would do the workout with this invention submerged in the water, making me feel like I was dragging a body behind me. It was the strangest concoction I had ever seen and again I thought “what the heck is this doing for me other than making me feel very slow and look ridiculous?” But once you took that can out of the water, you just flew down the lagoon.
This winter, Yuriy started me on a weight training plan. In addition to the weight workouts in the erg room, he instructed me to do “special weights” every night at home. Knowing myself and knowing I couldn’t do anything at home (home = couch potato), I would go to the gym in the evening and do these “special weights.” If you know Yuriy, you know by now that anything he instructed you to do was probably something very few people have seen or heard of before (think: special squats). So, there I would be, every night at the gym, doing the workouts he had instructed, looking like a complete moron. I’m sure people were staring at me with the same incredulous skepticism that we look at people erging at the gym, thinking “what is she doing and how is that helping her?” But I did it, without fail, without question, every night. I ran a marathon recently and I felt pretty good. I think those “special weight” exercises are responsible. The “sitting squat”, the “ballerina” and the “special squats” have all helped my core and quad muscles undeniably.
When Yuriy mentioned the Indoor Erg Race to me this winter I responded “um, no.” At least, that is what I said internally. To Yuriy, I responded “okay.” WHAT? What was I thinking? I hadn’t pulled a 2k in years and in complete honesty, I would rather run a marathon than do a 2k test. End of story. I hadn’t trained for a 2k, I felt that, if anything, I was regressing in my training, and the mere idea of competing indoor at that point made me feel ill. But I did it, and I surprised myself by achieving the goal that Yuriy had set for me.
One of the most memorable “propositions” Yuriy offered me this year was a concoction he made out of dried fruits, nuts and honey. He requested that I bring him these provisions in their individual forms and the next day, he returned them to me in a blended brew and instructed “every morning, you take one spoon before practice.” Ned had also received this crazy creation and said he felt stronger and faster after ingesting the “paste.” I wondered what “special” substance was in this that was going to make me so fast. But, without further questioning, I did, once again as I was instructed to do and ate my mixture every morning before practice, without fail. We will see how I perform on the water this spring…..
These are just a few of the “propositions” Yuriy gave to me over the past few years and even though they sometimes seemed absurd, I never doubted his proposals. Last week, I talked with some of the other scullers and wondered why we never questioned Yuriy? Why did we do everything he told us to do, with trust, respect and conviction? We concluded, after deliberation, that it was because Yuriy believed in us, each of us, as individuals, as rowers, as athletes. He believed in what you could achieve and with his personal plan for you, he made each person feel as though he or she was the most important, most capable athlete out there. He has given us all the confidence to believe in ourselves in the future. I know I would look at the workout some days and think “250 at a 36-38, did he give me the wrong workout? Was this intended for someone else (Nell/Ned – that’s pretty close)?” But I would do it. I could do it. And I will do it, forever, with Yuriy in my mind “I have proposition for you……”
What an honour to have been trained by such an incredible man.
Nell Shuttleworth
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YURIY
The brain does not accept the fact of his death but the Nature is more powerful.
I knew Yuriy for more than forty years. I met him in Kiev. He was coaching the “Avangard” club. Yuriy was born on May 30, 1933. In his childhood and youth he was strong. He started his water sports with kayaks, and then came to sculling, doing both sport together. He was sculling in 50-s of previous century, and was between ten best scullers in the Soviet Union. In the same time, he received his mechanical engineering education, and went to Erevan for work. After returning to Kiev he started to work as an engineer-designer at the chemical plant. Here he organized the rowing club, and started to coach together along with his main job. But coaching took too much time; he loved it, and decided to quit the engineering work. Yuriy became the full time professional rowing coach
He was doing a good job. A Couple of his students took first place on the Ukrainian National Rowing Championships and got top positions on the Soviet Union National Rowing Championships. Because of these results he got the title Honored Coach of Sport of the Ukraine.
First time I brought Yuriy to the club in 1993 during his visiting Chicago. We were working on the club masters four for the Head of the Charles. We went to Boston together, and met a lot of people we were familiar with.
Second time I brought Yuriy to the club twelve years ago after he immigrated to the United States. It was a hard time for him – he didn’t speak English. I helped him. He worked hard, and step-by-step he improved his language, got some experience, found a lot of students, and finally got the stable position in the club. Sometimes our work with him looked like two level system – I started with the student, gave him the base technique and knowledge of rowing, and Yuriy continued to work with him. At the club he fixed equipment, adjusted boats and prepared them to the race, loaded and unloaded the trailer. He was very smart person, good engineer with excellent skills in his hands. Many times he solved the problems with our boat giving us the ability to use them more effectively. Yuriy had a wide field of interests. He was interesting in classical music, art, and literature, and knew them very well. He had a lot of friends and he was very kind to people. His advice to them was always useful. He had warm relationships with all members of our club and was always ready to help.
Yuriy was great husband, father and grandfather. His attention to his wife, relations with son, grandchildren should be good example to any family.
In 1996 Yuriy and me became the first coaches of a new St. Ignatius crew team . The team won its first gold medal in men four in the Midwest Championships Regatta in Indianapolis.
It is hard to count how many students he practiced with during his years at the club. They got a lot of medals on the different competitions – from regional to the international.
Yuriy was always a top level and organized person. He always knew what he had to do, and what results his student has to get. Yuriy worked hard. He always was at the club – from early morning to the late night. And he passed away as an actor at the stage, as the solder at the post – at the club. Yuriy died, but his influence on the club can not be under estimated. Together, we turned the club from a recreational society to a real sport community, which has been recognized on the national and international levels. Yuriy passed away but his soul will always be with us. We always will keep his image in our hearts. And one way to perhaps best honor his memory can be expressed in our new achievements in the sport to which he dedicated his whole life.
LEV Sklyanskiy
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Wednesday, January 2, 2008
New Board of Directors for 2008
Happy New Year!
2007 was a pretty darn good year for the club; our competitive teams won a ton of medals, our membership was strong, our classes sold like hotcakes, we hosted a couple great events and we even picked up a new boat or two. More about accomplishments...
So how do we make sure 2008 is even better? One thing that sure helps is having a good Board of Directors at the helm and now that the new board is in place, I think we can say we've got that covered.
Commodore: Steve Quinn Returning
Communications Director: Liz Wissner Returning
House Director: Rob Hart Returning
Membership Director: Sue Finucane Returning
Paddling Director: Tom Heineman New
Rowing Director: Steve Neumann New
Secretary : Willa Lang New
Treasurer: Glen Marker Returning
Vice Commodore: Todd Gocken New
For those of you who did not attend the annual meeting in December, you can go HERE to see bios and learn more about each board member.
So what did we do all year?
Below is a partial list of key accomplishments. In order to add a modicum of structure to the list I broke things into groupings based on the board member who was most closely involved in the task, but it should be noted that all of these tasks involved contributions from multiple board members and club members who volunteered their time to help LPBC continue to thrive.
LPBC Board Accomplishments for 2007
Secretary:
Records: Kept tidy records of all our board meetings and distributed meeting summaries to our members
Organizer: Helped organize volunteers for club activities
House Director:
Private boat storage: cleared out some “deadbeat boats”, collected some long overdue storage fees and acquired a couple boats for club use
Completed a thorough equipment inventory: Documented serial numbers, physical description and the condition of all our boats, and made repairs as needed.
Facility improvements: Painted the boat bay doors and added some nice planters to the apron area.
Access/security: Installed card reader system on erg room/locker room doors to allow club members more consistent access to workout facilities.
Membership:
Responsiveness: Flawlessly handled 223 renewals and 126 new memberships, including orientation and card key management for a total of 349 members and did such a great job the board heard not ONE complaint! WOW!
Communication:
Internal communication: Published the first newsletter in years then followed that with the first ever electronic newsletter/blog
Events: Pulled together our fabulous season opener and season ending parties
Treasurer:
Accounting: Refined the accounting categories to better separate paddling income and expenses from rowing income and expenses
Convenience: acquired debit cards for specific board members to make club purchases more efficient, and receipts/records a little tidier.
Paddling Director:
Classes: Introduced some upper level paddling classes
Outreach: Brought a successful corporate event to the club that generated substantial income for the club
Insurance: Finally acquired adequate insurance for the clubs paddling side.
Rowing Director:
Sprints: Directed a record setting event in terms of entries and revenue.
Classes: Created and found instructors for sold out roster of LTR classes
Vice Commodore:
Community relations: Steve Brown leveraged his relationship with Alderman’s office to gain LPBC involvement in
Commodore:
PD relations: Worked with the PD to keep the facility open year round (so far, fingers crossed)
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Did I forget anything? Post a comment below. Tell us what you think was important in 2007?
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Pics and stuff from our end of year party
The "Free Booze and Sand in Your Shoes" party was a giant success!
We sold the joint out and from what I could tell everyone enjoyed themselves.
The food was tasty and got swallowed up very quickly and the drinks were nice and cold.
The volleyball courts were busy all night with fast and furious play, there was some flat-footed play on the basketball court and the beanbag toss games generated a good deal of very spirited play, and despite all of this nobody put an eye out.
Overall I think The North Beach Club was a great venue. An informal survey following the party suggested most thought we should consider this venue for future events.
Thanks to everyone who turned out for the fun.
See the rest of the photos here
