News from Hanlan Boat Club | March 2021 |
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AGM Notice and call for Board Nominations
The Club’s Annual General Meeting will take place virtually on Wednesday May 5, 2021.
The Board is soliciting applications for Directors wishing to serve on the Board as the terms for several of our current directors will shortly expire (Pierre Schuurmans, Treasurer; Serena Knapik, Interim Director, Shawna Pereira, Vice-President).
The Board has assessed its current skill base and gaps and is, in particular, seeking candidates with experience in the following areas:
● marketing, communications, social media strategy;
● business and operational strategy;
● accounting & financial strategy, audit (CPA or equivalent would be an asset); and
● governance, policy-writing and/or corporate secretarial skills.
Most importantly, we are seeking members who are enthusiastic about the future of Hanlan and committed to helping the club to develop its strategy and realize its full potential, while working collaboratively with others. Experience in not-for-profit management or with another member-based organization would be an asset. If you are interested in applying, please submit a statement of your qualifications and interest to our Secretary, Janet Bolton, at hanlancommunications@gmail.com.
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Slack
We have had good success using Slack to organize our Winter Program, and to communicate with members regularly about workouts, schedules and training matters. When you register this year, you will receive an invitation to join Slack. Within Slack, the club and members can communicate on day-to-day issues (e.g., weather cancellations, boat repair issues, etc.). We will organize a Slack channel for each program, and this will enable us to come together more easily as a community and to keep lines of communication open throughout the season.
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Donor News
A Hanlan member and their family, who wish to remain anonymous, have offered to make a transformative donation to the Club.
The purpose of the donation is to enable the Club to significantly expand its community rowing fleet and programming over the next 5 years, through a donor matching program. These same donors are also offering us a 10-year interest free loan and related support to build a clubhouse, to help us create a community space for all to enjoy and to deepen Hanlan’s community alongside its programming.
The Board will bring details of both proposals, which exceed $500,000 in value, to our AGM. We are humbled by the generosity of these donors and look forward to sharing the proposal with our membership and starting work on the strategic planning necessary to position Hanlan as a leader in community rowing.
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Looking Forward
J.C. Marly
It has been a busy winter!. We created a winter program that will more than likely become a permanent part of our programming. It was good to get feedback from the participants to help us adjust, but I wouldn't mind getting feedback from members that did not participate but intended to.
We are preparing the on-water rowing season, a lot of stars still need to line up for us to get the green light from all our governing bodies to do so. We are getting ready, as much as we can, to be able to only have a few final tasks when the light goes amber then green.
To allow more members that don’t own boats get on the water, and to run a decent lean-to-row program and Watersport camp, the club has secured financing for 7 open water singles. We feel strongly that they will be a great addition as we are anticipating our start to be similar to last year’s.
We will just be better equipped to handle it!
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Season Opening & Registration
Janet Bolton
It’s almost Springtime! We are looking forward to launching our water season as soon as the ice is out and the docks are in. We are currently targeting early April for re-opening. We are not committing to a firm date yet, since COVID-19 may have other plans for us. However, we are confident that we will be able to open safely in single boats under similar restrictions to last year, with the specifics aligned to the requirements of the provincial re-opening framework as it applies to Toronto. As was the case last year, please expect:
- you will need to book a time to row;
- we will need to allocate time slots fairly among members so you might not be able to row every morning; and
- we may need you to take turns as site steward and/or safety boat driver.
We are also working on planning for the junior and senior programs and utilization of club boats. We will keep you informed of our planning and program details as the situation evolves.
Registration for the 2021 season will open on April 1, 2021. This aligns to the date when Rowing Canada Aviron (RCA) opens up its registration and insurance system. Remember, you must be separately registered with RCA in order to row on the water. Registration links will be posted to our website and will go live on April 1.
For the first time, we have managed to keep the Club operating 'virtually' over the Winter season and more than 40 of you are participating in online rowing, yoga, Pilates and weights. Hanlan will be very fit for the water season – watch out competitors!
Hanlan 2021 Fees
The board has approved membership fees for 2021. The 2021 fees represent an increase over 2020 ranging from $79.12 to $117.43. The board decided to implement this fee increase after assessing fee levels at other Toronto clubs, as well as the costs to provide programming, equipment and facilities at Hanlan. But most importantly, to buy new boats! These will be our first equipment purchases since before our big boathouse build. Going forward, $100 from each annual membership fee will be dedicated to an equipment reserve to fund new equipment purchases; in fact this year we will be spending more than that. See below for further details on the equipment purchase plan for 2021, which will be funded in part from this equipment reserve.
During our winter program, we ran a pilot of accepting payment via e-transfer. We are happy to report that it was a success and are pleased to be able to offer this alternative payment method, which will effectively mean a 3% discount to paying by credit card.
Paying by e-transfer (HST included):
Community Members (Masters and Seniors) $790.00
Masters Competitive $935.00
Seniors and Juniors Competitive $995.00
Boat Storage fees (HST included) for annual payers $339
Paying by credit card (HST included):
Community Members (Masters and Seniors) $813.71
Masters Competitive $963.05
Seniors and Juniors Competitive $1024.85
Boat Storage fees (HST included) for annual payers $349.17
Further details on paying via e-transfer will be posted on the Hanlan website. It does involve slightly more effort, and you will need to forego your reward points but we strongly encourage you to pay by e-Transfer as even with the discount, you will still be saving the club money.
We look forward to getting back on the water safely with all of you!
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New Equipment
Janet Bolton
The Board has approved the acquisition of 5 Liteboat coastals and 2 Edon recreational rowing shells. Together with our three Hudson recreational shells, these new boats will enable us to:
- support a full season of learn-to-row programming, which is a critical source of revenue;
- re-launch our evening Masters rowing programs, which were severely constrained in 2020;
- and honour our lease commitment to offer our summer camp programming to Toronto youth – something that was not possible in 2020.
We are confident that with these boats, which can run in all types of water conditions, we will be able to run multiple shifts in a day and recover our investment with expanded membership and a better member experience. We will also be implementing a booking system for these boats.
The board has also been busy applying for grants in order to invest in equipment. Since January 2020, we have applied for 7 grants and we have won two. We will continue to apply as opportunities arise.
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Our recent applications have included an application to the Ontario Trillium Foundation Resilient Communities Fund, which is focused this year on COVID recovery. If successful, we intend to use these funds to buy equipment, in particular more boats, above and beyond those mentioned above. We face considerable competition - granting organizations are receiving an unprecedented number of applications from Toronto-area organizations.
Many hands make light work!
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Lead volunteer roles
Janet Bolton
In addition to Board roles, the Board has created some new lead volunteer roles. Lead volunteers will help manage the operations of the Club and in doing so, enable the Board to focus more closely on strategic matters. These roles require a sustained day-to-day commitment to the club. Volunteers who are selected for these roles will be offered a 50% discount on 2021 membership fees. The approved roles are: Registrar, Learn-to-Row Program Coordinator, Communications/Marketing/Social Media Coordinator, Property Manager & Boatperson/Equipment Manager. All Lead Volunteers must sign a volunteer agreement with the Club. We have incumbents already performing above and beyond in the Registrar and LTR roles; we are currently recruiting for the following three positions:
Communications/Marketing/Social Media Coordinator (reports to Secretary, 5-8 hours a week)
- responding to member and external day-to-day member and prospective member inquiries in the Hanlan communications inbox;
- directs those that require Board oversight to a Board member;
- sending day-to-day club communications to members via Slack and email;
- drafting and soliciting articles on topics of interest to our members and distribute same;
- maintaining all content on Hanlan’s website, including by posting newsletters and current information on a regular basis and posting changes to policies, protocols as they occur;
- marketing Hanlan via social media (or using social media to drive members of the public to our website)
Property Manager (Reports to Club President, 5-8 hours a week)
- managing all matters relating to the Boathouse and the physical property of Hanlan, including overseeing any major maintenance and repair matters;
- long term planning of building and grounds maintenance;
- managing any significant supplier relationships (e.g. deCloet);
- working with Club President to delegate day-to-day maintenance issues to staff;
- identifying any significant new issues and bringing these to the attention of the Board.
Equipment Manager (Reports to Club Captain and coordinates with Head Coach, 2-5 hours/week)
- with input from the Head Coach, maintaining current list of necessary boat repairs;
- taking direction from Club Captain and board on prioritization of repairs;
- coordinating on-site repair needs and working with Head Coach to schedule & source parts and volunteers for needed repairs;
- assisting with boat repairs;
- coordinating and overseeing ergometer rentals throughout the year; pick-ups, drop-offs; and tracking payments.
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WANTED – 1x Adventure Rowers
Shelagh Baker
As we all optimistically anticipate getting back on the water at some point in the 2021 rowing season, with the ongoing pandemic, there may well still be continuing uncertainties about when we will safely be allowed to row/tour in quads.
However, we are aware of some (but certainly not all) individuals who are owners of open-water, singles** who might have interest in participating in a 1x row using their own personal equipment. This would be a safely distanced flotilla-style row following all COVID guidelines in place at the time of the row.
We are reaching out to ascertain if there are any 1x or possibly 2x crews (as permitted in COVID guidelines) who could transport their own boat, who might be interested in traveling outside the city for a day on the water. Tentatively scheduled for June 5, 2021, most likely on the Trent or Otonabee River. This outing would be BYOB (boat), oars, PFD’s, hand sanitizers and snacks/lunch as well.
This is not an official Ontario Adventure Rowing event but depending on the level of interest and feedback, OAR would consider the possibility of organizing adventure rowing in smaller boats after we are out of the COVID pandemic.
If you would like to join the group but don’t have a suitable boat, please let us know as it may be possible to share boats and bicycles (half a day rowing, the other half biking). We would be delighted if you wish to share this infomation with anyone in our club or any other independent rowers who might be interested.
** suitable open-water boats for ‘adventure’ rowing such as Alden’s, Maas, Echo’s, Durham’s, coastals etc.
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The Canadian Indoor Rowing Championship 2021
Tristan Arnesto and Jasmine Carter
The annual Canadian Indoor Rowing Championship (CIRC) went completely virtual this year and became a worldwide competition!
The peculiarity this year, in a very strange year, was that the results were the Americas' Qualifier for the World Indoor Rowing Championship, held two weeks after the CIRC. There were over 700 entries from over 100 clubs across the world. Categories included 500m, 2000m, 1 minute and 4 minute in various age groups that ranged from U17, U19, U23, Senior to Masters categories.
A group of volunteers covered different areas, but Tristan got to work with fellow CRA umpires to officiate the event. The event teamed up with Time Team, a company from the Netherlands that developed a system of virtual races through Concept2 monitors connected to a computer and internet. Competitors raced at home, simply by plugging their rowing machines into a laptop!
It was a whole new experience with an awesome team and a superb way to connect with the community in these peculiar times.
Hanlan Boat Club had fourteen entries and two of our women gained entry to the World Rowing Indoor Championships!
- Jasmine Carter earned double silver with a time of 1:43.2 for 500m and 7:35.9 for 2000m.
- Janet Bolton earned a silver in the 2000m with a time of 7:45.7 minutes.
Eric Szonyi, Anneke Kramer, Capri Kunanec, Mark Whittaker all had a top 10 finish in their races.
Link for all results:
Link for Hanlan entries:
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World Rowing Indoor Championships
Congratulations to Janet Bolton and Jasmine Carter who scored impressive results at the Canadian Indoor Rowing Championship & the WRIC. Janet improved on her qualifying time, and finished 6th in the world event with a time 7:44. Jasmine replicated her 500m time and finished 10th in her 2000m race.
Jasmine commented that 'competing was very nerve racking' and she had to do a lot of preparation beforehand. There was a six-hour time difference between here and the European headquarters of the WRIC, which meant that the weigh-in and race were very early in the morning. To prepare, Jasmine followed the University of Toronto winter training plan with lots of erg and cross-train running. Before this race, she competed in the Virtual Canadian Indoor Challenge Homerace, British Indoor Rowing Championships and the Canadian Indoor Rowing Championships.
Jasmine said "I really liked the convenience of competing at home however I also like competing in the indoor stadium. In the future, I hope to participate in more - both virtual and in-person indoor rowing events. I felt impressed, humbled, and intimidated by the other competitors. There was a lot of diversity with athletes from all around the world. When I rowed, I did not have anyone standing by and regretted that decision in the second half of my 2,000m race as I felt my rate wasn't going up enough. Something that was very unique to the virtual race was having to video myself for both the weigh-in and the race"
Hanlan wishes you much success in your future races!
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Rowing History - Our History!
Below is the second of a three part series on Ned Hanlan written by our own rowing historian,
Richard MacFarlane.
In this installment - Hanlan as a rowing icon - plus violence and victory!
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The Great Ned Hanlan
Richard MacFarlane
Photographs, Portraits, Art Works of Ned Hanlan
Seldom has any sports champion had so much art drawn, so many portraits done, of Hanlan's image, as the great sculler.
There were photographers, sketch artists, and painters in North America who excelled at depicting rowing regattas and competitors. To name a few, there was the American, Thomas Eakins; the Englishman, Arthur Hopkins; the British cartoon artist, Henry Bateman; and the well known Canadian, Frederic Marlett Bell-Smith, who painted the Hanlan versus Fred Plaisted international competition, May 15, 1878, on Toronto Bay.
There were the great 19th century lithographers, Nathaniel Currier and James Merritt Ives from New York City who drew a beautiful colour drawing of Hanlan and his United States opponent, Charles Courtney, when they competed at what was called “The Great Scullers Race” on the St. Lawrence River at Lachine, Quebec, on October 3rd, 1878.
There was the famous front page portrait of Ned Hanlan in Canadian Illustrated News, dated July 26th, 1879.
In 2019, I purchased a sepia photograph, known as an albumen print, a cabinet card portrait of Ned Hanlan in his rowing shell, leaning to the catch position, by W. Williamson Photographers of Toronto, most likely produced in 1880.
If art wasn't enough, souvenirs depicting the great sculler were produced. One of the most celebrated is the English 19th century press moulded glass tankard, produced in 1880 to mark Hanlan's world championship victory, November 15th in England, over Edward Trickett, the 6 foot 5 inch giant from Australia. The manufacturer of this keepsake on rowing was Henry Greener and Company, from Sunderland, in northeast England.
Hanlan Referenced in Numerous Magazines and Books
Hanlan is referenced in numerous magazines and books on rowing. Here are a few examples:
The Gentlemen’s Journal and Sporting Times issue of September 15th, 1876, has Chapter 7 devoted to Edward Hanlan, “an oarsman to the manor born.”
In 1880, Richard Kyle Fox of New York wrote his book “Edward Hanlan, America’s Champion Oarsman: With History And Portrait”. To quote, “Hanlan’s style, practice, and his knowledge of the oar from long and tried experience, has been the means of his success.”
In 1905, a New York book on rowing and track athletics refers to Hanlan. Samuel Crowther writes about equipment. “In sculls Hanlan was the first man to use very short sculls, rowing at the [1876 Philadelphia] Centennial with nine and one-half feet sculls buttoned at two feet eight inches, whereas the other oarsmen had ten-foot sculls with the button at two and one-half feet, regardless of the size.”
A portrait photograph of Hanlan has the caption “Edward Hanlan – The Fastest Professional Sculler”.
Significantly, a black and white photograph beside the title page is of Edward H. Ten Eyck. In 1897, Ten Eyck became the first American to win the Diamond Sculls. His father, James A. Ten Eyck, who competed against and trained with Hanlan, named one of his two sons, Edward Hanlan, in honour of the great sculler.
In 1919, an England book by Theodore A. Cook, “Rowing at Henley” had this quote about the sliding seat and Hanlan. “It was not until Hanlan’s wonderfully easy style had been carefully studied that the full possibilities of the long slide were grasped and the mechanical advantage realized of a moving pivot instead of a stationary hinge.”
A 1953 Maclean’s article described Hanlan’s popularity: “He was the Jack Dempsey, the Babe Ruth and the Billy Bishop of his time. He was idolized by adults as well as children. Girls went crazy over him, scarves bearing his picture were the rage, snuffboxes, ties, shirts and belts were sold with Ned’s name or picture on them.”
In 1959, Morley Callaghan, the well known Canadian storyteller and TV and radio personality, wrote a descriptive chapter in Toronto’s 125th anniversary book called “From the Water's Edge to the Big League”, including enthusiastic references to Hanlan:
“With a wave of his magic oar 'The Boy in Blue' had given the city what every city in the world has wanted, recognition on the world stage.”
“Everyone knew Toronto had become the rowing centre of the world.”
“From then on for years, the greatest American oarsmen came to the Island regattas. Big league rowing! Big league champions! They kept coming on.”
Returning to Training
Returning to the water, by 1878, the Hanlan Club changed Hanlan’s training to keep his focus. In addition to James Heasley, his trainer, the Club added Robert Sutherland, John Louden, and John F. Scholes. Louden imposed a rigorous diet and schedule that included a daily walk where they discussed training and racing issues. In the winter months, Hanlan used a rowing machine. Hanlan endorsed this machine in the St. Lawrence River Skiff, Canoe and Steam Launch Illustrated Catalogue of 1889. These skiffs are in the Clayton, New York Museum, across from the Thousand Islands.
Not all was serene at regattas.
In July 1878, Hanlan had a re-match in St. John, New Brunswick with Wallace Ross, Champion of the Maritime Provinces. On race day, 25,000 spectators lined the course. Packed trains arrived to deposit more people. Some had too much liquor and were increasingly annoyed by delays from strong winds. The Toronto Globe, July 26th, 1878, reported: “Men were mauling each other with clubs and fists...shouting and screaming like raving maniacs. Shouts, groans and oaths, mingled with thwacking clubs resounded on every side.” Not a pretty sight.
The race was postponed three times. The crowd became incensed. A rival gang sacked Wallace Ross’s headquarters at the Goddard Hotel. They turned on Clairmont House where Hanlan stayed. Hanlan supporters bolted the doors and armed themselves with walking sticks, stove wood, pokers, and a potato masher. The rioting mob offered to leave the house if they handed over Hanlan. John Scholes, his trainer, refused. “You can ransack the place and try to injure Ned but some of you will die,” Scholes would have shouted. They backed off and gradually left, after hurling rocks and shooting through windows.
Ignoring the tumult surrounding him, Hanlan slept soundly, calmly attended church the following morning, and defeated Wallace Ross. He let his oars do the talking.
...To be continued in the next issue...
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Thank you to this month's contributors: |
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JC Marly
Janet Bolton
Shelagh Baker
Tristan Arnesto
Jasmine Carter
Cynthia Warn
Richard MacFarlane
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If you're interested in contributing to future editions of Hanlan's newsletters, please email your submissions to planetwarn@gmail.com.
The next issue is May 1.
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